'n Kritiese bespreking van taalverandering met verwysing na Afrikaans en sy variëteite

The typological language change that separate the older Germanic languages from the modem Germanic languages, can be seen as a shift of linguistic parameters where synchronic variables give an indication of this specific process. This process can be described as the replacement of a synthetic marking system (flexion morphemes) by an analytical marking system (grammatical words). The variables Gods Woord and Die Woord van God currently used in Afrikaans, are distinguished examples of these two marking systems. The linguistic parameters influenced by the replacement of the flexion system, are also related to syntagmatical variables such as syntactic order (SOV in opposition to SVO) and the position of the qualifier in relation to the qualified within the phase. Compare the position of the phase - the adjective - in the phases of the older Dutch and the modem Afrikaans sentences (the Dutch sentence is taken from a child's prayer): Ik ben een kindje klijn/ Ek is 'n klein kindjie. These parametric variables are interconnected and fixed and therefore result in a linguistic paradigm change: inflective languages and analytical languages represent different language typologies and different periods in the history of a language - older Germanic and modem Germanic. This is seen as normal language change - a process which can be traced back to the Indo European time. This perspective, however, is only applicable on matured languages. Reduced languages with the inclusion of inter-languages, which developed through the processes of pidginization and creolization, as well as the learners' dialects of Afrikaans are not addressed by this perspective. The typological classification of matured languages (standard forms) in opposition to reduced (restricted) languages is very important in this regard as the development of Standard Afrikaans from the Dutch of the first colonists was influenced by the inter-language development of the learners' dialects of the Khoikhoi and the Malay slaves. Grammatical and sosiolinguistic variation in the Afrikaans of the mother tongue speakers is therefore broadly classified between Standard Afrikaans en Non-standard Afrikaans. An analysis of the nonnative classification of Super Standard Afrikaans, Formal Standard Afrikaans, Informal Standard Afrikaans and Non-standard Afrikaans is important as the processes of standardization have an influence on the vernacular. At this stage it seems that Afrikaans has a mixed typology - it is also classified as a non-typical Creole language or as a deflected modem Germanic language showing typical creolistic characteri stics. Variation in Afrikaans from a historic perspective is therefore characterized according to the following three dialects, e.g. Cape Afrikaans, Orange River Afrikaans and the Afrikaans of the Eastern Border. However, certain questions are raised over this characterization, especially with regard to the Afrikaans of the Eastern Border as this dialect is geographically enclosed by its name where as it can be found demographically over a larger area. Lastly the focus falls on the reasons for the development of specific Afrikaans as official language, and how it disowned its ally, Dutch, in its struggle against English. The final take-over by English is therefore subtle and crushing. This is described in the book, The influence of English on Afrikaans. A case study of linguistic change in a language contact situation by B.C. Donaldson (1991:285): The reaction of those sceptics who do not regard the influence English has had so far on Afrikaans as now being integral to the vely nature of the language and who thus presumably regard some of the tenets presented in this book as unacceptable, reminds one of the reaction of Afrikaans to Changuion 's publication in 1844 where he suggested that plat Kaapseli was not only the mother-tongue of Hottentots and slaves.