Monday, September 9, 2019

Oosgrensafrikaans

There is a dialect of Afrikaans called Oosgrensafrikaans, also called Oostelike Afrikaans and Voorterkkerafrikaans. It is said to be close to what the Voortrekkers once spoke. My family in the Eastern Cape speak it. I know Standaardafrikaans quite well, so I jot down instances of Oosgrensafrikaans when I hear them. Here is a short list (Oosgrensafrikaans in the right hand column). One sees that it is a lot closer to Dutch than Standaardafrikaans. OBSERVATION: But one person's Oosgrensafrikaans is not another's. My list should show which one I am speaking about. My father-in-law speaks Oosgrensafrikaans. At first I could understand little of it when he spoke. Now I understand most of it. However, in the towns of the Eastern Cape, one hears Standaardafrikaans.

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