List of English words of Afrikaans origin
Encyclopedia
Words of Afrikaans origin have entered other languages.
British English
has absorbed Afrikaans words primarily via British
soldiers who served in the Boer Wars.
Many more words have entered common usage in South African English
due to the parallel nature of the English and Afrikaner
culture
s in South Africa
.
There are also several English words derived from Cape Dutch
, a forerunner of Afrikaans:
.
British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
has absorbed Afrikaans words primarily via British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldiers who served in the Boer Wars.
Many more words have entered common usage in South African English
South African English
The term South African English is applied to the first-language dialects of English spoken by South Africans, with the L1 English variety spoken by Zimbabweans, Zambians and Namibians, being recognised as offshoots.There is some social and regional variation within South African English...
due to the parallel nature of the English and Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
s in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Internationally common
- aardvarkAardvarkThe aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
(literally "earth pig") - aardwolfAardwolfThe aardwolf is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to Eastern and Southern Africa. The name means "earth wolf" in Afrikaans/Dutch. It is also called "maanhaar jackal". It is related to hyenas, but unlike its relatives, it does not hunt large prey. This unusual animal preys on insects...
(literally "earth wolf") - AfrikaansAfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
(literally "african", adj.) - apartheid (literally "separate-ness")
- biltongBiltongBiltong is a kind of cured meat that originated in South Africa. Many different types of meat are used to produce it, ranging from beef through game meats to fillets of ostrich from commercial farms. It is typically made from raw fillets of meat cut into strips following the grain of the muscle, or...
(sun-dried meat) - boereworsBoereworsBoerewors is a sausage, popular in South African cuisine. The name comes from the Afrikaans words and , and is pronounced , with a trilled .-History:...
(literally "farmer's sausage) - boomslangBoomslangThe boomslang is a large venomous colubrid snake.-Taxonomy & etymology:It is currently the only species in its genus, although several species and subspecies have been described in the past...
(literally "tree snake") - kommandoKommandoKommando is a generic German word meaning unit or command. During World War II it was also the basic unit of organisation of slave labourers in German concentration camps....
(literally "commando") - kopKopSpion Kop is a colloquial name or term for a number of terraces and stands at sports stadiums, particularly in the United Kingdom...
(literally "head") - laager (a collection of vehicles in a circle, meant for protection)
- meerkatMeerkatThe meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
(literally "lake cat") - randRand-Places:*The Witwatersrand, ridge that runs through Gauteng, South Africa, which includes the East Rand and West Rand areas*Rand, New South Wales, small town in Australia*Rand, Lincolnshire, small village in Lincolnshire, England...
(literally "edge" or "rim") - rooibosRooibosRooibos is a broom-like member of the legume family of plants growing in South Africa's fynbos.The generic name comes from the plant Calicotome villosa, aspalathos in Greek. This plant has very similar growth and flowers to the redbush...
(literally "red bush") - rondhawel (literally "round hovel")
- sjambokSjambokThe sjambok or litupa is the official heavy leather whip of South Africa, sometimes seen as synonymous with apartheid but actually much older and still used outside the official judiciary....
(an ox-hide whip) - spoorSpoor (animal)Spoor is any sign of a creature. Spoor includes track, trail and droppings. Spoor is useful for discovering or surveying what types of animals live in an area, or in animal tracking.Generally droppings can be referred to as scat....
(literally "tracks" or "footprints") - springbokSpringbok AntelopeThe springbok is a medium-sized brown and white gazelle that stands about high. Springbok males weigh between and the females between...
(literally "jumping antelope") - trekTrekTrek or trekking is a long journey undertaken on foot in areas where common means of transport is generally not available. Trekking is not mountaineering; it is days of walking along with adventure.-Etymology:...
- veldVeldThe term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrub...
- white, in the species name "white rhinocerosWhite RhinocerosThe White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...
", possibly from wyd meaning "wide" (describing the animal's mouth)
There are also several English words derived from Cape Dutch
Cape Dutch
Cape Dutch are people of the Western Cape of South Africa who descended primarily from Dutch and Flemish as well as smaller numbers of French, German and other European immigrants along with a percentage of their Asian and African slaves, who, from the 17th century into the 19th century, remained...
, a forerunner of Afrikaans:
- hartebeestHartebeestThe hartebeest is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. It is one of the three species classified in the genus Alcelaphus....
(modern Afrikaans equivalent is hartebees) - scoff (as in scoffing food): from Cape DutchCape DutchCape Dutch are people of the Western Cape of South Africa who descended primarily from Dutch and Flemish as well as smaller numbers of French, German and other European immigrants along with a percentage of their Asian and African slaves, who, from the 17th century into the 19th century, remained...
schoff, the word did not find its way into modern Afrikaans - veldt borrowed again by English in the modern form veldVeldThe term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrub...
- wildebeestWildebeestThe wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
(modern Afrikaans equivalent is wildebees)
Common in South African English
There are almost innumerable borrowings from Afrikaans in South African EnglishSouth African English
The term South African English is applied to the first-language dialects of English spoken by South Africans, with the L1 English variety spoken by Zimbabweans, Zambians and Namibians, being recognised as offshoots.There is some social and regional variation within South African English...
.
See also
- South African EnglishSouth African EnglishThe term South African English is applied to the first-language dialects of English spoken by South Africans, with the L1 English variety spoken by Zimbabweans, Zambians and Namibians, being recognised as offshoots.There is some social and regional variation within South African English...
- List of South African slang words