#afrikaans

[pickonegirlblog]

[culmaer]

Dutch-speaking people will laugh when they see Afrikaans signs for an "aftrekplek"

but they've installed a swing set on the Dutch/Belgian border in Baarle-Hertog/Nassau and I had to listen to a news reporter asking people including kids whether they like to "schommelen", so it goes both ways

[yvanspijk]

Girles were children

The ancestor of the word girl meant 'child of any gender'. Its meaning narrowed to 'young female human' during the Middle English period. The meanings of words change over time. This is called semantic drift. Click my new graphic below to have a closer look at five examples of narrowing. Tomorrow we'll dive into the opposite semantic change: widening.

[south-africa-official]

afrikaans word of the day is kwaadwillige sagteware. it translates to malware, literally "evil-willed software"

[geschiedenis-en-talen]

ohh, does kooi mean "cage" in Dutch ? it means "bed" in Afrikaans, though it's a bit old-fashioned (we have hok for "cage", or kou for a "bird cage" specifically)

Yeah! I mean very specifically on ships “kooi” also refers to a sleeping place, but for bed we have “bed”. Wonder if the Afrikaans (do we say Afrikaanse in English? I guess not but this feels wrong to me) comes from the ship meaning!

Bird cage is “(vogel)kooi”. “Hok” also works, but to me a “kooi” has bars and a “hok” doesn’t, although that might just be me and the line isn’t super sharp. Also only tangentially related but brb checking the etymology for “lichtekooi” (old-timey insult for sex workers or just generally sluts (I’m using this word unwillingly))

Okay I’m back unclear if etymologically related but I’m not typing it all out here if interested check out etymologiebank.nl (my beloved)

[ziggysbolterxx]

the language you speak with different people can have such varying impacts on your personality when you’re with them and your relationship… i feel so myself and sm more animated when i speak my native language with my family and one of my friends ? but also less able to articulate myself regarding more complex topics? and then when i speak english it’s like i’m a completely different person and i’m shyer yet somehow contain more information and words in a way? woah

[translatingpostsintoafrikaans]

Hierdie is 'n wug

Nou is daar nog een.

Daar is twee van hulle.

Daar is twee ______

Wat is die korrekte meervoud van 'wug' in Afrikaans?

wugs

wugge

wugges

wûe

wuë

iets anders? deel asb in die notas!

Voting ended onMar 20

[crossingscon]

Introduction to Linguistics Fieldwork - Afrikaans

with Emma and Luca.

Join Emma and Luca as they give you a brief introduction to linguistics fieldwork - what it is and how it works - using Afrikaans, a language from South Africa, as an example. Check it out here!

#crossingscon will take place Aug 15-17, 2025 in Philadelphia, USA. Badges and hotel rooms are available now at crossingscon.org