Abstract This paper is a linguistic analysis of the German language. It compares German with Dutch and Afrikaans. The varieties of the German language; divisions into North Germanic and West Germanic are all discussed.
From the Paper "The German language bears many similarities to other Germanicl anguages such as Dutch and Afrikaans. Standard German is spoken with auvular R although the alveolar pronunciation is used in many of the standard German ..."
This paper discusses the history of the Afrikaners, the descendants of mainly Dutch settlers who established the first permanent settlement at the southern tip of the African continent.
Abstract This paper explains that the Afrikaners developed a separate identity, identifying themselves as Africans rather than Europeans, adopting a separate language called Afrikaans, which is a dialect of the Dutch, and developing a distinct culture based on Calvinist beliefs honed by the harsh environs of the South African landscape. The author points out that, ever since a group of native Khoikhois first encountered the white men who had briefly disembarked to look for fresh water in about 1488, the relationship between the Europeans and the local inhabitants had been hostile. The paper relates that the politics of the Afrikaners, based on the assumed superiority of the white people, was an interpretation of the Calvinistic philosophy of a "chosen people", meaning the Boers were chosen by God to conquer the desolate land of South Africa and to rule over its "uncivilized" indigenous inhabitants.
Table of Contents
Background
The First Dutch Outpost
The Freeburghers and the Beginnings of a Race-based Society
Interaction with the Natives
The Afrikaner Identity
The Afrikaans Language
Afrikaner Culture and Society
Politics and Apartheid
Significant Events in Afrikaner History
The Great Trek
The Second Boer War: Oct 1999-May 1902
From the Paper "There are different theories about how Afrikaans developed. One is that it arose as a bastard tongue out of a clash between Dutch (the language of the white settlers) and Malay Portuguese (the language of the imported slaves). However, Afrikaans does not show large scale influence of Malay-Portuguese and has incorporated only a few of its words into its fold. The more convincing theory about the origins of the language is that it gradually evolved from Dutch as a result of the interaction among people of various nationalities who settled at the Cape. It later gathered loanwords from other languages such as English, French, German and some African languages, and adopted a simplified grammatical structure to evolve into a separate language. As we have already observed, most of the early settlers at the Cape were Dutch."
Abstract This paper attempts to define the system of apartheid. It reviews the history, structure and key players of the South African system of apartheid. The paper then explores the effects of apartheid on South Africa's economy. Finally, the paper concludes with the assertion that the very structure of Apartheid was corrosive and thus led to the demise of the South African economy.
From the Paper "Long before Apartheid became the official political system of South Africa, the nation struggled with animosity among the races. Much of this animosity could be attributed to the settlement of the Dutchmen and Englishmen. Many of these settlers acquired their land through conquest and for that reason they feared the black majority. Thus the Europeans began to segregate themselves from the Africans."
Tags:afrikaans, apartness, nation, races, dutchmen, englishmen, african, national, congress
Abstract This paper examines how the British were affected by the Boer War. It provides an historical timeline of the events leading up to the Boer War and looks at ways that this conflict might have been avoided. The paper focuses on the effects that the war had on the British and concludes with an overview of the consequences of the war.
From the Paper "The clash between Afrikaner and British interests had been growing for many years. The war began in 1899 when the Afrikaners or "boers" (pioneer farmers) of South Africa, as they came to be known, renounced British imperial rule. The Boer republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, steadfastly opposed British plans for the dominion of Southern Africa under the British Crown. The general consensus in Britain at the time was that the Boers were generally upstarts and need "a lesson". However it was to take the British 31 months to subdue the defiant Boers into submission that was to be short-lived."
Abstract This paper examines how a multi-lingual and socio-culturally divided country as South Africa can benefit by having English as a lingua franca. It looks at how standard South African English does not need to be the English of white, middle-class mother-tongue speakers and how, instead, it can be the language which unifies all South Africans, empowering those who need power most.
From the Paper "Most - previously mainly monolingual - European countries have shifted to English as the lingua franca. English is no longer a foreign language in most EU member states. The trading capital of Europe is Brussels, which is situated in Belgium. This is a multilingual country which has Dutch, German and French as official languages, but where English is the language of communication and trade. At the same time, all Belgians retain their mother tongue, whether it be French, Dutch or German. Most Belgians nowadays learn English as a second language, and one of the other official languages as a third language. The same could be implemented in South Africa. If taught according to the system of additive bilingualism, a L1 Xhosa speaking child, would have its primary education in Xhosa, and learn English as a second language."
