Patagonian Afrikaans
| Patagonian Afrikaans | |
|---|---|
| Patagoniese Afrikaans | |
| Native to | Argentina |
| Region | |
| Ethnicity | Boer Argentines |
Native speakers | 600+ |
Early forms | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
Patagonian Afrikaans is a form of Afrikaans brought to Argentina by Boer immigrants following the Second Boer War (1899–1902).[1]
Today, there are still Afrikaans-speaking communities with a well established cultural identity.[2]
History
[edit]Afrikaans was brought to Patagonia in 1903 by about 600 Boers following their defeat in the Second Boer War.
Many of them firstly settled in Comodoro Rivadavia, but later relocated to Sarmiento, as it had better access to fresh water. Many of these colonists' descendants still speak Afrikaans and continue to attend the Dutch Reformed Church.[3]
Characteristics
[edit]The word "nege" (Afrikaans pronunciation: [nɪəχə]), meaning "nine" in Afrikaans, is pronounced with a hard "g" as /ˌnɪərɡə/.
Some words also differ completely, some of which were adapted in the 21st century. For example, airport in Afrikaans is "lughawe", which is a word that did not exist when the first Boers settled in Argentina. Whereas in Patagonia, the word for airport is "vliegtuigstasie" (lit. 'aeroplane station').[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Szpiech, Ryan (18 September 2020). "Afrikaans in Patagonia: Language shift and cultural integration in a rural immigrant community". De Gruyter. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ Henriksen, Nicholas (2018). From Africa to Patagonia: Voices of displacement.
- ^ Van den Berg, Sam. "South Africans in Patagonia". Van den Berg Family in South Africa. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "An almost-extinct Afrikaans dialect is making an unlikely comeback in Argentina". Quartz. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 2024-06-08.