Essays on Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language evolved from a Dutch dialect and currently spoken predominantly in South Africa and Namibia but also in Botswana and Zimbabwe. An estimated 90-95% of the vocabulary is derived from Dutch, while it has also been influenced by German and Khoisan languages. It is the native language of about 7 million speakers and the third most spoken language in South Africa, also being widely used by many as a second or third language. Its fairly recent evolution makes it an interesting subject for essay assignments, just as the fact that it is tightly linked to South Africa’s past colonial history. Additionally, essays on Africaans are an important way to understand South African culture.