E. F. Kotzé
Afrikaans in die Maleierbuurt: 'n Diachroniese Perspektief
SUMMARY
Afri... more E. F. Kotzé
Afrikaans in die Maleierbuurt: 'n Diachroniese Perspektief
SUMMARY
Afrikaans in the Malay Quarter: a diachronic perspective
The linguistic importance of the Malay community of Cape Town for an under¬standing of the evolution of Afrikaans, as well as of general processes of lang¬uage change, becomes evident if a study is made of the nonstandard features which characterize the speech of that community. The availability of data, both
contemporary and historical, provides an empirical basis for the study of variational and evolutionary patterns over a period of ± 125 years. In this article, a description is given of those phenomena which, from the viewpoint of modern Afrikaans, occur as nonstandard variants of standard forms in the Malay speech community today. Secondly, by way of comparison, four Arabic¬ Afrikaans texts (Afrikaans written in Arabic orthography), dating back to 1856 and transliterated into Roman orthography, are analysed to determine the extent to which the contemporary nonstandard features had their origin in the last century. The comparative study revealed that more than 54% of the present-day nonstandard variants can be traced back to the period before 1900; that formal and informal styles of usage are characterized by a preponderance of grammatical and phonological features, respectively; and that the phenomena which were identified, in most cases occurred variably in all the texts. Some of the advantages to the historical linguist of studying nonstandard variants in this way are pointed out, viz that the scope for research is widened and that an empirical basis is laid for the identification of language change processes.
Literator: Journal of literary criticism, comparative linguistics and literary studies, 2002
On Austro-Dutch and the origin of Afrikaans A widely accepted view of the origin of Afrikaans hol... more On Austro-Dutch and the origin of Afrikaans A widely accepted view of the origin of Afrikaans holds that the new language developed autochthonously, after 1652 when the language of the early Cape settlers was influenced by imported slaves speaking Malay and Portuguese, and by the pidgin talk of the Cape Khoikhoi. This “autochthonous hypothesis”, however, does not take cognizance of the fact that shortened (deflected) Dutch verb forms found in Afrikaans, for instance, are also found in loan words in the Ceylon-Portuguese creole, as well as in Indonesian, and Malay-influenced languages of Indonesia. Moreover, large numbers of Dutch East India Company sojourners, who had acquired an “adapted” form of Dutch during their stay in the East, spent a significant time at the Cape on their return voyage. The argument is put forward that they brought with them a number of language features clearly comparable with “distinctive features” in incipient (and developed) Afrikaans, such as the shorten...
Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery
In this contribution, the processes in the formation of language operating in the past and at pre... more In this contribution, the processes in the formation of language operating in the past and at present are discussed, and applied in particular to Kaaps. Concepts such as pidginisation and creolisation as mechanisms of renewal, and also as linguistic effects of social forces, are clarified, in addition to the often contentious process of standardisation. The focus will also fall on the important role of Cape Muslim Afrikaans as nuclear dialect of Kaaps, and Kaaps as the matrix dialect (or matrilect, for short) of Afrikaans. In addition, the historical value of Arabic Afrikaans (the written form of Cape Muslim Afrikaans from ca. 1815 to 1950), both as phonetic record and lexical documentation of the vocabulary of the speakers, are highlighted. Lastly, the historical and modern characteristics of Kaaps are scrutinised as a language variety in which both the timber rings of centuries gone by and the buds of new developments are in evidence.
E. F. Kotzé
Afrikaans in die Maleierbuurt: 'n Diachroniese Perspektief
SUMMARY
Afri... more E. F. Kotzé
Afrikaans in die Maleierbuurt: 'n Diachroniese Perspektief
SUMMARY
Afrikaans in the Malay Quarter: a diachronic perspective
The linguistic importance of the Malay community of Cape Town for an under¬standing of the evolution of Afrikaans, as well as of general processes of lang¬uage change, becomes evident if a study is made of the nonstandard features which characterize the speech of that community. The availability of data, both
contemporary and historical, provides an empirical basis for the study of variational and evolutionary patterns over a period of ± 125 years. In this article, a description is given of those phenomena which, from the viewpoint of modern Afrikaans, occur as nonstandard variants of standard forms in the Malay speech community today. Secondly, by way of comparison, four Arabic¬ Afrikaans texts (Afrikaans written in Arabic orthography), dating back to 1856 and transliterated into Roman orthography, are analysed to determine the extent to which the contemporary nonstandard features had their origin in the last century. The comparative study revealed that more than 54% of the present-day nonstandard variants can be traced back to the period before 1900; that formal and informal styles of usage are characterized by a preponderance of grammatical and phonological features, respectively; and that the phenomena which were identified, in most cases occurred variably in all the texts. Some of the advantages to the historical linguist of studying nonstandard variants in this way are pointed out, viz that the scope for research is widened and that an empirical basis is laid for the identification of language change processes.
Literator: Journal of literary criticism, comparative linguistics and literary studies, 2002
On Austro-Dutch and the origin of Afrikaans A widely accepted view of the origin of Afrikaans hol... more On Austro-Dutch and the origin of Afrikaans A widely accepted view of the origin of Afrikaans holds that the new language developed autochthonously, after 1652 when the language of the early Cape settlers was influenced by imported slaves speaking Malay and Portuguese, and by the pidgin talk of the Cape Khoikhoi. This “autochthonous hypothesis”, however, does not take cognizance of the fact that shortened (deflected) Dutch verb forms found in Afrikaans, for instance, are also found in loan words in the Ceylon-Portuguese creole, as well as in Indonesian, and Malay-influenced languages of Indonesia. Moreover, large numbers of Dutch East India Company sojourners, who had acquired an “adapted” form of Dutch during their stay in the East, spent a significant time at the Cape on their return voyage. The argument is put forward that they brought with them a number of language features clearly comparable with “distinctive features” in incipient (and developed) Afrikaans, such as the shorten...
Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery
In this contribution, the processes in the formation of language operating in the past and at pre... more In this contribution, the processes in the formation of language operating in the past and at present are discussed, and applied in particular to Kaaps. Concepts such as pidginisation and creolisation as mechanisms of renewal, and also as linguistic effects of social forces, are clarified, in addition to the often contentious process of standardisation. The focus will also fall on the important role of Cape Muslim Afrikaans as nuclear dialect of Kaaps, and Kaaps as the matrix dialect (or matrilect, for short) of Afrikaans. In addition, the historical value of Arabic Afrikaans (the written form of Cape Muslim Afrikaans from ca. 1815 to 1950), both as phonetic record and lexical documentation of the vocabulary of the speakers, are highlighted. Lastly, the historical and modern characteristics of Kaaps are scrutinised as a language variety in which both the timber rings of centuries gone by and the buds of new developments are in evidence.
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Afrikaans in die Maleierbuurt: 'n Diachroniese Perspektief
SUMMARY
Afrikaans in the Malay Quarter: a diachronic perspective
The linguistic importance of the Malay community of Cape Town for an under¬standing of the evolution of Afrikaans, as well as of general processes of lang¬uage change, becomes evident if a study is made of the nonstandard features which characterize the speech of that community. The availability of data, both
contemporary and historical, provides an empirical basis for the study of variational and evolutionary patterns over a period of ± 125 years. In this article, a description is given of those phenomena which, from the viewpoint of modern Afrikaans, occur as nonstandard variants of standard forms in the Malay speech community today. Secondly, by way of comparison, four Arabic¬ Afrikaans texts (Afrikaans written in Arabic orthography), dating back to 1856 and transliterated into Roman orthography, are analysed to determine the extent to which the contemporary nonstandard features had their origin in the last century. The comparative study revealed that more than 54% of the present-day nonstandard variants can be traced back to the period before 1900; that formal and informal styles of usage are characterized by a preponderance of grammatical and phonological features, respectively; and that the phenomena which were identified, in most cases occurred variably in all the texts. Some of the advantages to the historical linguist of studying nonstandard variants in this way are pointed out, viz that the scope for research is widened and that an empirical basis is laid for the identification of language change processes.
Afrikaans in die Maleierbuurt: 'n Diachroniese Perspektief
SUMMARY
Afrikaans in the Malay Quarter: a diachronic perspective
The linguistic importance of the Malay community of Cape Town for an under¬standing of the evolution of Afrikaans, as well as of general processes of lang¬uage change, becomes evident if a study is made of the nonstandard features which characterize the speech of that community. The availability of data, both
contemporary and historical, provides an empirical basis for the study of variational and evolutionary patterns over a period of ± 125 years. In this article, a description is given of those phenomena which, from the viewpoint of modern Afrikaans, occur as nonstandard variants of standard forms in the Malay speech community today. Secondly, by way of comparison, four Arabic¬ Afrikaans texts (Afrikaans written in Arabic orthography), dating back to 1856 and transliterated into Roman orthography, are analysed to determine the extent to which the contemporary nonstandard features had their origin in the last century. The comparative study revealed that more than 54% of the present-day nonstandard variants can be traced back to the period before 1900; that formal and informal styles of usage are characterized by a preponderance of grammatical and phonological features, respectively; and that the phenomena which were identified, in most cases occurred variably in all the texts. Some of the advantages to the historical linguist of studying nonstandard variants in this way are pointed out, viz that the scope for research is widened and that an empirical basis is laid for the identification of language change processes.