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| Afrikaans Language Monument / Afrikaanse Taalmonument [Source: Wikipedia] |
Title:
Afrikaans Language Monument
Published:
Atlas Obscura, nd
From the article:
The Afrikaans language, spoken only in South Africa and Namibia, originated as a dialect of Dutch, brought to the Cape area by settlers from the Dutch East India company in the late 17th century. "Afrikaans" is the Dutch word for "African," and the language was once called "Cape Dutch." This very paradox and the language's complex political history, is depicted in stone by the Afrikaans language monument in South Africa.
Over time, Afrikaans evolved into a distinct language with strong influence from other African languages, like Khoikhoi, Nguni, and Sotho, as well as other European languages like French and Portuguese.
Notes from blog owner:
* The Afrikaans Language Monument is located in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa.
* This monument was designed by Johan Carel van Wijk (Jan) [Born: 2 May 1926; Died: 20 May 2005]. For more information on Jan van Wijk:
* It was officially opened on 10 October 1975.
* Afrikaans is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa.
* "South Africa has 11 official languages and a multilingual population fluent in at least two. IsisZulu and isiXhosa are the largest languages, while English is spoken at home by only one in 10 people"
[South Africa Gateway: The 11 languages of South Africa]