Roots Of Afrikaans

Hans den Besten (1948-2010) made numerous contributions to Afrikaans linguistics over a period of nearly three decades. His writings helped shift the perspective on the roots of Afrikaans beyond Dutch to the structure and vocabulary of Khoekhoe, to Portuguese Creole, and to Malay varieties. This volume contains a selection of Den Besten’s most important papers – some of which originally appeared in less accessible journals – concerning the structure and history of Afrikaans. They cover a wide range of topics, including grammatical structure, vocabulary, the historical development of Afrikaans, as well its multiple roots. It is essential reading for any linguist interested in language contact and language change.

Hans den Besten (1948-2010) made numerous contributions to Afrikaans linguistics over a period of nearly three decades. This title presents a selection of Den Besten's most important papers concerning the structure and history of Afrikaans.

Creolization and pidginization are conceptualized and investigated as specific social processes in the course of which new common languages, socio-cultural practices and identifications are developed in contexts of postcolonial diversity shaped by distinct social, historical and local conditions.

A new book on Afrikaans's African origins Finding Afrikaans, a brand-new book by Christo van Rensburg, is now available. Where did Afrikaans begin? Who spoke Afrikaans first? Was the Cape really Dutch? How did the Khoi and the Portuguese trade with each other? What role did slaves play in the origin of Afrikaans? What is the influence of townships in Afrikaans? How did the various treks into the heart of the country affect Afrikaans? The language contact that had followed, even the fear of language contact, is one of Afrikaans's important stories. Writing in the Afrikaans language began in different, and interesting, ways, with strong influences from the Islam. Afrikaans's standardisation is the source of many different and divergent stories. Finding Afrikaans is also available in Afrikaans as Van Afrikaans gepraat. These books were made possible by a generous donation from the Afrikaanse Taalraad (ATR). They coproduced by Malan Media and LAPA Publishers. LAPA will be marketing and distributing the books. Dr. Willa Boezak said about Van Rensburg’s previous book: "It had changed my life. It had turned me into a language activist. " The ATR, the Afrikaans Language Museum and Monument and the Heritage Foundation are joining forces to market the books. These books will also feature regularly at language seminars run by the ATKV and DAK. In the Netherlands there is a huge great interest in the book, and this English translation has created an interest among sociologists from different continents.

One of the most striking features of cultural life in South Africa has been the extent to which one area of cultural practice - theatre - has more than any other testified to the present condition of the country, now in transition between its colonial past and a decolonized future. But in what sense and how far does the critical force of theatre in South Africa as a mode of intervention continue? In the immediate post-election moment, theatre seemed to be pursuing an escapist, nostalgic route, relieved of its historical burden of protest and opposition. But, as the contributors to this volume show, new voices have been emerging, and a more complex politics of the theatre, involving feminist and gay initiatives, physical theatre, festival theatre and theatre-for-education, has become apparent. Both new and familiar players in South African theatre studies from around the world here respond to or anticipate the altered conditions of the country, while exploring the notion that theatre continues to 'intervene.' This broad focus enables a wide and stimulating range of approaches: contributors examine strategies of intervention among audiences, theatres, established and fledgling writers, canonical and new texts, traditional and innovative critical perspectives. The book concludes with four recent interviews with influential practitioners about the meaning and future of theatre in South Africa: Athol Fugard, Fatima Dike, Reza de Wet, and Janet Suzman.

This concise bibliography on South-African Languages and Linguistics was compiled on the occasion of the 20th International Congress of Linguists in Cape Town, South Africa, July 2018. The selection of titles is drawn from the Linguistic Bibliography and gives an overview of scholarship on South African language studies over the past 10 years. The introduction written by Menán du Plessis (Stellenbosch University) discusses the most recent developments in the field. The Linguistic Bibliography is compiled under the editorial management of Eline van der Veken, René Genis and Anne Aarssen in Leiden, The Netherlands. Linguistic Bibliography Online is the most comprehensive bibliography for scholarship on languages and theoretical linguistics available. Updated monthly with a total of more than 20,000 records annually, it enables users to trace recent publications and provides overviews of older material. For more information on Linguistic Bibliography and Linguistic Bibliography Online, please visit brill.com/lbo and linguisticbibliography.com. The e-book version of this bibliography is available in Open Access.