Afrikaans en taalpolitiek: enkele voorlopige opmerkings

Abstract

Afrikaans and the linguistic plitics: Some prelimanery remarks. The purpose of this article is to indicate to what extent the Afrikaans language has been politicised in South Africa since the advent of Afrikaner nationalism in the late nineteenth century . Afrikaans and apartheid are two cornerstones of Afrikaner nationalism and in the period between 1948 and 1976 Afrikaans was perceived to be the medium through which apartheid was implemented. The 197G Soweto Riots resulted in widespread rejection of Afrikaans , but since the early 1980's a new movement, popularly referred to as alternative Afrikaans has developed. This movement is set on giving a new or alternative ideological content to Afrikaans indirect contrast to that of establishment Afrikaans . Despite profound differences with regard to the ideological content and the aims of these two varieties of Afrikaans , there are also certain similarities between them.