’n Perspektief op ’n periode van kontak tussen Khoi en Afrikaans

Abstract

A perspective on a period of contact between Khoi and Afrikaans. In the search for the roots of Afrikaans, early linguists focused on similarities between Afrikaans and Dutch. The influence of non-European languages received little attention. In the course of time, the focus of this field of study changed. Closer attention was paid to language in contact situations in different regions where non-Dutch speakers, as well as Dutch speakers were involved. Data gained from these studies contributed to a better understanding of the origin and history of Afrikaans, and gave more answers to earlier unsolved questions. Discussed here are the details and importance of the contact and the interchange of languages among groups in the interior border area. Khoi-Afrikaans and stock farmers’ Afrikaans were both spoken in this region and gradually modified between 1700 and 1800. This could easily have been the most important phase in the history of Afrikaans, in which there were fundamental changes in the way the language was spoken. The circumstances under which contact took place and the change in social roles of these two languages are also discussed. Forms that were at first stigmatised as Khoi-Afrikaans, later became part of the general Afrikaans vocabulary and grammar. The central question is: How did this happen? The shifting of the norms regarding the spoken language in the interior border area can be understood when the sociohistorical situation in which these varieties of Afrikaans were used, is studied closely. One of the results of this contact and interchange between languages, and the gradual shifting in norms that followed, is discussed by way of illustration: the Khoi usage of ‘ons’ as subject and its integration into everyday Afrikaans. OPSOMING: In ’n soeke na die wortels van Afrikaans het vroeë taalkundiges op die raakpunte tussen Afrikaans en Nederlands gefokus. Die invloed van die nie-Europese tale het min aandag gekry. Gaandeweg is ’n rigtingverandering in hierdie studies opgemerk. Taalkontaksituasies in verskillende streke waarby nie-Nederlandssprekendes sowel as Nederlandssprekendes betrokke was, is van nader bekyk. Daaruit het taalgegewens na vore gekom wat daartoe bygedra het om die ontstaan en geskiedenis van Afrikaans beter te verstaan, en het al hoe meer antwoorde op vroeër onopgeloste vrae duidelik geword. Die besonderhede en die belangrikheid van taal in die kontaksituasie in die binnelandse Grensgebied word hier bespreek. In hierdie kontakgebied is in die periode vanaf 1700 tot 1800 Khoi-Afrikaans en Veeboerafrikaans gepraat. Dit kon moontlik die belangrikste fase in die geskiedenis van Afrikaans gewees het, waartydens die manier waarop dit gepraat is, indringend gewysig is. Die omstandighede waarin hierdie kontak plaasgevind het en die veranderende rolle van die twee tale word bespreek. Vorme wat eers as Khoi-Afrikaans gestigmatiseer is, het later die Afrikaans geword wat algemeen gebruik is. Hoe dit gebeur het, is die sentrale vraag wat ter sprake kom. Hierdie normverandering in die Grensgebied kan verstaan word deur die sosiohistoriese omstandighede waarin die variëteite van Afrikaans gepraat is van nader te bekyk. Een van die gevolge van hierdie taalkontak en gepaardgaande normverandering word ter illustrasie bespreek, te wete die Khoi-gebruik van ‘ons’ in onderwerpsposisie en die inskakeling daarvan by algemeen erkende Afrikaans.