Dutch and Afrikaans?

[Poltergeist]

How big is the difference between Ducth spoken in the Netherlands and the South African Afrikaans? Are they mutually intelligible?

[Heimmacht]

Understandable enough for the both of us (Afrikaners and Dutch), though,.. they usually have some interesting words put together, for example they call a tv a 'Beeldradio'. In the Netherlands we just call it a tv.

[Loki]

Understandable enough for the both of us (Afrikaners and Dutch), though,.. they usually have some interesting words put together, for example they call a tv a 'Beeldradio'. In the Netherlands we just call it a tv.

Only the old people call it that. Most people say televisie.

Yes, Dutch and Afrikaans are very close. Afrikaans is closer to 17th century Dutch, than modern Dutch though. I can understand and read Dutch perfectly.

Bear in mind that Afrikaans is less than 100 years old. All our grandparents' official language and written language were standard Dutch.

[Poltergeist]

What about terms Boer and Afrikaner? Are they interchangeable? Somewhere I read the designation Boer has something of a pejorative undertone and is shunned by the Afrikaners themselves?

[Loki]

What about terms Boer and Afrikaner? Are they interchangeable?

Yes and no. All Boers are Afrikaners, but not all Afrikaners are Boers. Generally speaking, all white South Africans of Dutch/German descent who speak Afrikaans as mother tongue, fall under the Afrikaner umbrella.

However, the Afrikaner ethnicity contains two major subdivisions:

1) The Cape Afrikaners (or Cape Dutch)
This group's ancestors never left the Cape Colony. They were happy to remain under British rule, and are still there until this day.

2) The "Boers"
This group is derived from the Cape Dutch element, and therefore closely related. They had their origins in the Great Trek -- in essence, they did not like to be ruled by the British, and instead chose to trek inland into unexplored territory, and create settlements for themselves there. During the trek pioneering expedition they were nomadic farmers. They started to call themselves "Boere" (which means farmers) in this phase. The Boers settled in what came to be Transvaal, the Free State and northern Natal.

This main division is mostly geographical, however isolation for a few hundred years meant that the Boers' accent of Afrikaans came to be different from the one spoken at the Cape.

The Boers formed their own independent republics, and it was them who fought against the British Empire in the Boer War. The Cape Afrikaners did not participate.

Boers were also called Voortrekkers.

Where I grew up, you never heard a Cape Afrikaans accent. There was one new boy who came to our school with such an accent, and I remember finding it odd to hear such a thing. Interestingly enough, the most Cape Afrikaners I have met in my life, were here in London. I've never been to Cape Town myself.

Somewhere I read the designation Boer has something of a pejorative undertone and is shunned by the Afrikaners themselves?

Not really, but I can understand that Cape Afrikaners would not want to identify as Boers -- since they are not and have never been. It's like asking a Dutchman if he would like to be called a Fleming.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

All Boers are Afrikaners,

To be precise All Boers are Afrikaanse not Afrikaners.
Loki do not ask me to explain,it is to difficult for me

However, the Afrikaner ethnicity contains two major subdivisions:

1) The Cape Afrikaners (or Cape Dutch)
This group's ancestors never left the Cape Colony. They were happy to remain under British rule, and are still there until this day.
Carl Niehaus is a typical example

I've never been to Cape Town myself.

I have 2 Apartments(Primi Castle) in Camps Bay and in 6 years I have only been twice in Apetown. I am more in London and Amsterdam

http://www.travelandstayinsa.co.za/primi-seacastle.

Not really, but I can understand that Cape Afrikaners would not want to identify as Boers -- since they are not and have never been. It's like asking a Dutchman if he would like to be called a Fleming.

Or a Boer,whether he would like to be a Dutchman(expression for Afrikaner in my area)
This whole Afrikaner/Boer situation is somewhat ridiculous.Then again it could be like Delfzijl/Amsterdam

I am very fond of Afrikaans esp. when it is spoken by a woman.
I get a cheap thrill

[Loki]

To be precise All Boers are Afrikaanse not Afrikaners.
Loki do not ask me to explain,it is to difficult for me

No, the "Afrikaanse" terminology was created post-1994 in order to attempt to include the Cape Coloureds. That's just rubbish with no ethnographical justification.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

No, the "Afrikaanse" terminology was created post-1994 in order to attempt to include the Cape Coloureds. That's just rubbish with no ethnographical justification.

http://www.afrilux.co.za/quickies/Af...anses_Boer.htm

You are right, I must have been sleeping at one of the meetings.

[sioned]

As a Flemish native from the Antwerp region and living in The Netherlands, I'm very interested in mutual language conversation online between DUtch/Flemish with Afrikaners/Boers. I've not a hard time to understand Afrikaans, its very beautiful language and IMHO one of the language which deserves to be part of the Dutch Language Union:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Language_Union

[Loki]

... and IMHO one of the language which deserves to be part of the Dutch Language Union:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Language_Union

Yes I agree There should really be more involvement of South Africa in this.. I think it has until now been hampered by politics, especially with regards to the history of apartheid in SA. But there is really no reason why things can't move forward in 2019. Namibia, too... there are many Afrikaans speakers living there, and most people in that country can speak Afrikaans.