Afrikaans

Afrikaans. / (ˌæfrɪˈkɑːns, -ˈkɑːnz) / noun. one of 12 official languages of the Republic of South Africa, closely related to Dutch: Sometimes called: South African Dutch. Descended from Dutch dialects in the 17th Century.

  • One of the 12 official South African languages.
  • Belongs to the West Germanic sub-group: the Low Franconian languages.
  • Spoken in South Africa and Namibia.
  • Mother-tongue speakers: 7 240 000
  • Second language speakers: 10 300 000

Afrikaans was Folio’s first target language. Given the rich historical connection between the Afrikaans language and the Western Cape, it is a bastion of the Folio family. As an official language of South Africa, it is used in formal and informal contexts across various domains, and urban and rural settings alike. From education and legal documentation to entertainment and advertising, Afrikaans is a language of the people with substantial potential to reach clients’ target market goals.

Speciality Fields:

  • Advertising, marketing and production
  • Children’s literature
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Business and finance
  • Food, beverage and product labelling
  • IT
  • Legal and official documentation
  • Medical
  • NGOs and community organisations
  • Safety and instructional information

Did you know?

  • In addition to South Africa’s neighbours, Botswana and Zimbabwe, Afrikaans is also spoken in the Chubut Province of Patagonia, Argentina, which is home to a group of Boers who settled there after the Anglo-Boer war.
  • Malay words are used in Afrikaans vernacular:
    • Baie (a lot)
    • Piering (saucer)
    • Piesang (banana)
    • Sarong (garment comprising a long piece of cloth wrapped around the body)
  • Afrikaans is one of the world’s youngest official languages and is also the only Germanic language with its roots found outside of Europe.

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