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Afrikaans may die — what is significant is whether it will be killed or suffer a ‘natural’ death

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Ismail Lagardien is a writer, columnist and political economist with extensive exposure and experience in global political economic affairs. He was educated at the London School of Economics, and holds a PhD in International Political Economy.

Languages come and go over time. They straddle geographic, territorial and political boundaries and historical periods. Looking backward, there are probably hundreds of dead or extinct languages. It is conceivable that at least one of South Africa’s 11 official languages will die or become extinct in the next 100 years or so.

Afrikaans is not a problem in South Africa. The way that nothing is political, but anything can be made political, Afrikaans is being used as a political instrument.

The language is increasingly demonised as a legacy of apartheid. In the short run, this is historically misplaced: in the long run, it is seriously lacking in an intellectual or even commonsensical basis, acknowledging that “common sense” is invariably established under conditions of hegemony.

In general, and in contemporary South African politics, the pushing and shoving can be situated in the fragmented society’s searches for meaning, senses of belonging, identity and at the extremes, the search for purity and exceptionalism.

We cannot dismiss the likelihood that opposition to Afrikaans is part of “revenge” politics, or that defence of Afrikaans is part of preserving the cultural identity of a group of South Africans. A mouthful, to be sure. We can turn to the long-run perspective because it captures the aforementioned tendencies.

Axiomatically stated, languages come and go over time. Languages straddle geographic, territorial, political boundaries and historical periods. Looking backward, there are probably hundreds of dead or extinct languages. Looking ahead, of the estimated 6,000 languages that are currently spoken in the world, there are around 500 languages that are spoken by fewer than 100 people.

In terms of this long-run perspective, it is conceivable that at least one of South Africa’s 11 official languages will become extinct in the next 100 years or so.

One example that comes to mind is the death of (some) Tasmanian languages, but there is any number of language “deaths” or “extinctions”. The best-known example is Latin, which some of the literature suggests died in about 500 or 600 CE, but which continues to shape and influence “modern” English and, I imagine, Spanish.

Other languages have simply moved from popular to more exclusive use. For example, Sanskrit is rarely spoken in public, but it is used in Buddhism and Jainism.

Afrikaans and its discontents

Important is whether languages are intentionally killed off, in a manner of speaking, or whether they decay and die out “naturally”. Looking at the Stellenbosch problem, it is clear that Afrikaans is pulled between these two positions.

At the one end there is the intellectually weak argument that Afrikaans is a direct legacy of apartheid, which is simply wrong because the language may well pre-date Afrikaner nationalism by at least 200 years. Part of this is that Afrikaans is racist. It is exceptionally difficult to see how a language can be inherently racist, cruel, murderous or oppressive.

It is easier to make the claim that a language has been used by racists or despots in the same way that, say, German was used by the Nazis; that Russian was used by Stalin and his fellow travellers; that Pol Pot spoke Cambodian, and Mao Zedong spoke a Chinese language. (There are currently 302 languages in China, which makes it difficult to identify “authentic Chinese”).

What is clear, at least in my mind, is that African nationalism (I would like to call it ersatz proto-nationalism; ersatz because it’s difficult to separate the crude politics of revenge from any kind of nationalism) as embodied by politicians like Panyaza Lesufi, and which can be associated with the more radical formations in South Africa, seems to be on a mission to erase Afrikaans — at least in educational institutions.

This attempted erasure is met by what I would like to call a cultural nationalism, where “culture” is now being used to describe Afrikaners as a separate and distinct race, which is then extended to refer to Afrikaners (notably the “white” Afrikaners) as a “nation”. For a sense of this nationalism, see here and here.

Toxic brew of populism, ethno-nationalism and searches for purity

Both of these extremes, the ersatz proto-nationalists, and the African nationalists and revenge politics of formations like the Economic Freedom Fighters, are pushing the country further towards intractability.

An early mistake both sides make, and I should point out that this is not a clear binary, is to use language as a definitive marker of a nation. Having already made the point that there are 302 languages in China (one of the academic essays I especially enjoyed recommending to students was “Fuck Chineseness: On the ambiguities of ethnicity as culture as identity”there really is a paper like that. Google it Floyd™), it should be clear that there is no guarantee of stability, peace, prosperity, cohesion and trust in countries where everyone speaks the same language.

Switzerland has four national languages (French, German, Italian and Romansh), and the Swiss are generally pacific. Somalia was a fairly homogenous society before it descended into war and chaos in the early 1990s. South and North Korea are two separate countries that speak the same language…

If we conspire to find something polite to say about the opposition to Afrikaans, it would be that 30 years into democracy, the country is struggling to define its identity. But that would assume that language uniformity is a prerequisite for national identity.

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Two things are clearer. The first is that the politics of revenge is starting to break from the harnesses of constitutionality. It is difficult to see a peaceful or non-violent outcome of this politics of revenge.

The second is that there is a swelling of ethno-nationalism of a particular kind; it starts with identifying people, states of affairs (or languages) that are “non-African” and have to, therefore, be eliminated — erased.

This search for purity is dangerous. Once it is the basis for the rights that any person enjoys and whether they live or die (see any of the genocides of the past centuries), bloody battles and corporeal violence aimed at those who are deemed as “impure” become very real. 

History is replete with examples of pogroms and genocide against “others”.

As for Afrikaans. It is unfortunate that the language is tied to a culturally distinct people who imagine themselves as an exceptional nation.

As for Stellenbosch University, and South African universities in general: imagine Nelson Mandela University decides it wanted to teach in isiXhosa; Stellenbosch University and Northwest in Afrikaans; Wits and UCT in English; Zululand in Zulu… It all sounds pretty harmless, until it leads to ethno-linguistic fractionalisation, and the end of any nation-building or social cohesion programme.

Ill defined as “the nation” may be. DM

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  • Manfred Hasewinkel says:

    Just because the Afrikaner Nationalists hijacked Afrikaans as their cultural identity over a period of time does not negate the fact that the language also belongs to the coloured community and beyond. The revenge politics is just part of the divide and rule strategy the RET/EFF and maybe you like to employ. There are a lot of people in SA that switch to Afrikaans to best voice their feelings and these are not white people. Surely you know that?

  • David Bristow says:

    I enjoyed this article. We are led to believe Afrikaans is the most widely spoken language in Southern Africa, so while it might well one day die naturally, it will not be anytime soon. In Namibia for example it it pretty much the lingua franca. Probably English will one day reign supreme, but also not anytime soon in rural areas of the Eastern Cape, Maputaland or northern Namibia and such like.

    • Cunningham Ngcukana says:

      You enjoyed ignorance par excellence. No language that has achieved the level of scientific, technical and commercial level can die. In addition, to the ignorance you have Afrikaners organised in some groupings like Afriforum and Solidarity for the preservation of their culture and language. There is no other grouping that has such organisation. Besides, the language is spoken by around 6 million South Africans including coloured politics. Largadien is ignorant of the fact that we have Afrikaner minority mobilisation politically as a result of buffoons like him. The fact that Afrikaans was the language of the oppressor does not detract that it is a uniquely a South African language that we must embrace but reject those who use it for racist purposes. To have such a language ought to be seen as an advantage because of its scientific, technical and commercial development. It is recognised as one of 11 languages of the country. Its rejection is the rejection of 6 million South Africans who speak the language. To even suggest it as a creole language is the bastardisation of a South African language. Languages develop like culture and take from other languages. Besides you have specific Afrikaner businesses in the country that are a lesson on the upliftment of those who suffered under oppression. The article by Largadien is pure garbage with no epistemological basis.

  • Carsten Rasch says:

    Afrikaans is an authentic creole language, a communication formed out of necessity by the enslaved. The world has several examples of the forming of Creole languages, with the original language being Spanish, Portuguese, and primarily French. Afrikaans is the only example of the creolisation of Dutch. Creole has been accepted in many places as the lingua franca, for example Mauritius. Several Creole dictionaries have been developed, notably Haitian Creole (the only Creole language apart from Afrikaans available on Google translate). Afrikaans is as much part of the struggle – the wider struggle, that is, between the coloniser and the colonised – as isiZulu and isiXhosa. This fabricated nonsense that a language is inherently racist must be exposed for what it is: black nationalist racism. And this plot to diminish and demonise an authentic indigenous language, spoken by millions, is an indictment of the ANC and their preference for division instead of unity. This is one of the main reasons why they have failed South Africa, and why South Africa is failing.

  • Andrew Blaine says:

    One thing missed by this article, relating particularly to Stellenbosch University, is the fact that ab initio it was formed as a centre of Afrikaans excellence.
    The problem lies in the fact that students wish to become part of the excellence, but wish to destroy one of the pillars of that excellence.
    I went to University aged 28 and married + 3. I studied Agriculture, but spoke no Afrikaans. In RSA this limited my options. I graduated, a proud and competent student, from Natal University!

    • Cunningham Ngcukana says:

      You have to go to Canada where you have English and French schools, and some do both languages. The Chinese, virtually have some of their premier schools and universities teaching English and French. Then you get to India where the medium of instruction is both Hindi and English and Hindi as a language is not a barrier to achieving scientific, technical and commercial skills and has driven its technological development. Afrikaans can be a very good steppingstone to upliftment of the coloured community that speaks Afrikaans.
      UNISA has been a bilingual university for years and is an example of what our campuses can be in the light of Afrikaans having developed as a scientific, technical and commmercial language.
      The reality of the South African economic landscape is that there are very big Afrikaner businesses that you cannot wish away from mining, industries, banking and finance, agriculture and food, engineering and technology. In addition, the legacy of Apartheid left us with legal precedents of the SCA written in Afrikaans despite being translated now. Afrikaans was a requirement when doing law for this reason and to a certain extent engineering. The first heart transplant was in Groote Schuur done in Afrikaans not Cuban.

  • Karin Swart says:

    A good article that turned out rather differently to what I imagined when I started reading it. I agree with all 3 previous replies as well.
    Just 2 small observations:
    1) Latin is not dead, it is still often used by the Roman Catholic church for their services in some countries.
    2) It is very difficult to “intentionally kill off” a language, especially one as widely used (in SA) as Afrikaans. With the world a Global Village, it would be impossible to prevent/prohibit people from communicating, singing, writing poetry/literature in Afrikaans.
    Even though they were in a “wilderness”, the descendants of Boer prisoners-of-war that ended up in South America after that war, still speak Afrikaans (although it has evolved slightly differently to the Afrikaans spoken here).
    I have always felt that the survival of a language is up to the people that love it and speak it, it doesn’t need special protective laws to survive and thrive, just freedom to be spoken, sung, printed publicly.
    (I am a Slovak-born, Slovak-speaking, naturalized (since 1971) South African, who started school in SA.)

  • Dennis Bailey says:

    Read Judith today and re-write this piece.

  • Miles Japhet says:

    We are for truncate that it is the lunatic fringe that incites ethnic violence. The bulk of SA society are peace loving tolerant people. The Malemas of this world and other opportunists need to be brought to book by South Africans who have the best interests of all who live here at heart.

  • Lorinda Winter says:

    We imagine ourselves as an ‘exceptional nation? Pray tell what is wrong with that? Our nation’s future was destroyed by the English during the Anglo-Boer War and may I add almost as many indiginous tribes were killed by the English scorched earth policy and concentration camps yet we survived and prospered and now English is the most important language in our country.

  • Fred Pheiffer says:

    I agree with Mr Lagardien that neither the ill intent of the likes of Lesufi, nor the reactionary protectionism of Afriforum is ultimately beneficial to Afrikaans. However, I can’t entirely agree that the continued existence of Afrikaans is endangered. That said, not all varieties of Afrikaans may necessarily survive. The scope of formalised Afrikaans — Standaardafrikaans — has decreased steadily since 1994, especially in government and at tertiary institutions. Global English has become the language of commerce, academia, entertainment and pop culture. Hence there is less and less reason, or desire, for learners and students to develop a proper command of Afrikaans. But the Afrikaans media and literature remain vigorous. Especially at the grassroots level, Afrikaans is in no danger of dying out. I stayed in Durbanville for a couple of years and have recently moved to Suurbraak in the Overberg. It is surprising — and encouraging! — how vibrant Afrikaans has remained once you move beyond Cape Town’s City Bowl or the Southern Suburbs. It is important though to recognise that this Afrikaans is not necessarily formalised Afrikaans. And why should it be so? The oldest form of Afrikaans — Kaaps — whose heart beats on the Cape Flats, is strongly distinct from Standaardafrikaans. To such an extent that UWC has recognised the need to develop the Drietalige Woordeboek van Kaaps, the DWK, featuring Kaaps, Standaardafrikaans and English. Afrikaans is dead. Long live Afrikaans!

  • Colleen Dardagan says:

    Thank you so much for this beautiful and poignant piece. I say poignant because I have just about completed Helen Opperman Lewis’ book “Apartheid – Britain’s Bastard Child”. Every South African should read this book and perhaps most importantly of all Panyaza Lesufi. Afrikaans didn’t create apartheid, people did, so many people did and those who speak English are not exempted, in fact they are culpable. Revenge politics is the very last thing that we need in this country; we need atonement, admission of guilt and restorative justice and healing.

  • Cunningham Ngcukana says:

    In September 2008, I attended a Steve Biko Memorial Lecture by Professor Kwesi Prah of CASAS at the Booysens Hotel. The topic of his lecture was: Africanism, Humanism and Emancipation: The Legacy of Steve Bantu Biko. As a former activist and freedom fighter, who has known and followed Prof Kwesi Prah, it was to listen to his erudite lectures that are always presented with clarity. The central theme of his lecture was on self – deprecation and was underpinned by culture and language. The article by the author has very serious errors as he asserts that Afrikaans may disappear and listening to the lecture of Professor Kwesi Prah on Afrikaans as a 1976 generation of freedom fighter was very eye opening and the author who is also very reckless needs to get the copy of the lecture to get himself educated. To insult over 6 million South Africans that speak the language because of history is populism that has no place in objective journalism.
    Professor Prah traced the history of Afrikaans as a language when a Boer leader Steyn, when writing against Anglicization in 1913 said that the language of the conqueror, in the mouth of the conquered, is a language of slaves. In a matter of decades what was called a Kombuis Taal by the Cape Times in 1906, had developed to a language of science and technology along with Hebrew and the Indonesian language. A language with scientific, technical and commercial development will never disappear with a strong organisational support behind it.

  • Matsobane Monama says:

    I don’t understand what Ismail is trying to say? Afrikaans and Afrikaaners as VICTIMS, demonised, erased, opposition to Afrikaans, impure, killed off, pulled between 2 positions, non African, politics of revenge, violent outcome, radical formations, once again obsession with EFF. Genocide, Nazi Germany and Stalin, he is really pushing this too far. I think he is playing to white fears. Panyaza Lesufi fought for REAL change in model C schools especially so called Afrikaans schools .Resistance to change esp. culture in the running of schools by untransformed SGB’s, lets us be practical NOT emotional about the country we so long for. The passed must be the passed period. Panyaza was firm, uncompromising and pulled no punches. Stellenbosch is a SOUTH AFRICAN University and belongs to All citizens NOT an extention of ONE culture. Remember Percy Montgomery? His father complained bitterly about how his son was treated by Afrikaner players infact he called it Toxic Afrikaner culture within the team. Yet Rugby is invented by the English. Afrikaans in a global space is not going to take you anywhere.

    • Cunningham Ngcukana says:

      You have to tell the Chinese that Mandarin will not take them anywhere and they will laugh at you and ask you where your half English has taken you. The notion that languages of technology are European languages or English and French is a completely misplaced thinking. You have German and Spanish that have reached the scientific, technological and commercial level and that goes for Japanese and Mandarin. Here in South Africa, we have Afrikaans that we ought to harness and reject those who are using it for racist purposes. You have a language that has reached scientific, technological and commercial level yet you want to reject it moreso it is spoken by 6 million South Africans. English may be used with French as languages of trade, but trade must be underpinned by industrial and commercial development based on science and technology. We have Afrikaaner banks like ABSA, Standard Bank, Capitec, insurance companies like SANLAM, SANTAM. You have mining houses like Gencor and engineering companies. The auto industry has investments from Afrikaner businesses. We have Afrikaans world class universities like Stellenbosch and University of Pretoria, yet you have a clown with a temerity to even say that Afrikaans is going to die. You have media companies like MEDIA 24 and a number of newspaper titles. No Afrikaans is not in the ICU or about to die because it has reached the level of development other languages have not reached. Insulting the language will not kill it.

  • Margaret Loffell says:

    Should the state be funding a national university (for all) that maintains an underlying mission to protect any one culture and language? That mission surely belongs to the millions of South Africans who use it every day and its specific cultural institutions.
    De facto we are a multilingual society using English as our lingua franca, alongside all our other languages. This gets work done, provides us with our strongest tool for social cohesion and links us to the rest of the world. If we could accept this, some major blockages in education and social development would fall away.
    It would allow us all, for the sake of both effective learning and social cohesion, to focus on developing the kind of multilingual teaching techniques we need. This would put us amongst those at the cutting edge of solving some world-wide language issues. Digital text now makes it possible for all to use their own languages in education via bilingual text materials (in common-language plus own-language) and huge strides have been made on the methodology front. We just need teachers and administrators at all levels to catch up.
    We don’t need to be asking dramatic questions about whether Afrikaans is being subject to deliberate decay or murder, or whether we are about to witness the collapse of nation building with ethno-linguistic fractionalisation taking over.

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