How do you say hello in South Africa?

How do you say hello in South Africa?

In this article, Afrikaans was compared to three West Germanic standard languages (Dutch, Frisian and German). Unsurprisingly, Afrikaans was found to be most closely related to Dutch. When Afrikaans was compared to 361 Dutch and Frisian dialects, the South-Hollandic varieties were found to be closest to Afrikaans.

Is Afrikaans dead or alive?

Since independence in 1990, Afrikaans has had constitutional recognition as a national, but not official, language. There is a much smaller number of Afrikaans speakers among Zimbabwe's white minority, as most have left the country since 1980.

Who speaks Afrikaans?

Afrikaans. Afrikaans is a Low Franconian West Germanic language descended from Dutch and spoken mainly in South Africa and Namibia. There are also speakers of Afrikaans in Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Germany, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Is Afrikaans worth learning?

It's worth learning Afrikaans if you want to understand Afrikaners on a deeper level. Like many languages unique to certain cultures, Afrikaans gives you an insight into the psyche of an Afrikaner. Some Afrikaners are profoundly poetic and artistic. The language is well suited to express poignant and soulful ideas.

Is Afrikaans dying as a language?

There are 11 officially recognised languages, most of which are indigenous to South Africa. English is spoken everywhere you go. … Some believe that Afrikaans is a dying language, however, it remains spoken all over the country and respected for its origins. “Afrikaans” is a Dutch word that means “African”.

What is Afrikaans a mix of?

Afrikaans is a creole language that evolved during the 19th century under colonialism in southern Africa. This simplified, creolised language had its roots mainly in Dutch, mixed with seafarer variants of Malay, Portuguese, Indonesian and the indigenous Khoekhoe and San languages.

Who are the Afrikaans?

Afrikaners (Afrikaans: [afrəˈkɑːnərs, afri-]) are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries. They traditionally dominated South Africa's politics and commercial agricultural sector prior to 1994.

How close are Dutch and Afrikaans?

As an estimated 90 to 95% of Afrikaans vocabulary is ultimately of Dutch origin, there are few lexical differences between the two languages; however, Afrikaans has a considerably more regular morphology, grammar, and spelling.

Is Swahili easy?

Swahili is said to be the easiest African language for an English speaker to learn. It's one of the few sub-Saharan African languages that have no lexical tone, just like in English. It's also much easier to read as you read out Swahili words just the way they are written.

What is the Afrikaans culture?

Afrikaners (Afrikaans: [afrəˈkɑːnərs, afri-]) are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries. They traditionally dominated South Africa's politics and commercial agricultural sector prior to 1994.