Official Languages of the Union Act, 1925
Encyclopedia
The Official Languages of the Union Act, 1925 (Act No. 8 of 1925) was an act
of the Parliament of South Africa
that had the effect of making Afrikaans an official language
of the Union of South Africa
. It commenced on 27 May 1925 but was deemed to have had effect from the creation of the Union in 1910.
The South Africa Act, 1909, which was the constitution of the Union, had made English
and Dutch
the official languages of the country. Section 137 of the South Africa Act read:
The single substantive provision of the Official Languages Act, section 1, read:
The South Africa Act and the Official Languages Act were repealed by the Constitution of 1961
, which reversed the position of Afrikaans and Dutch, so that English and Afrikaans were the official languages and Afrikaans was deemed to include Dutch. The Constitution of 1983
removed mention of Dutch.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of South Africa
Parliament of South Africa
The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa's legislature and under the country's current Constitution is composed of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces....
that had the effect of making Afrikaans an official language
Official language
An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
of the Union of South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
. It commenced on 27 May 1925 but was deemed to have had effect from the creation of the Union in 1910.
The South Africa Act, 1909, which was the constitution of the Union, had made English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
the official languages of the country. Section 137 of the South Africa Act read:
The single substantive provision of the Official Languages Act, section 1, read:
The South Africa Act and the Official Languages Act were repealed by the Constitution of 1961
South African Constitution of 1961
The Constitution of 1961 was the fundamental law of South Africa for two decades. Under the terms of the constitution South Africa left the Commonwealth and became a republic...
, which reversed the position of Afrikaans and Dutch, so that English and Afrikaans were the official languages and Afrikaans was deemed to include Dutch. The Constitution of 1983
South African Constitution of 1983
The Constitution of 1983 was South Africa's third constitution. It replaced the republican constitution that had been adopted when South Africa became a republic in 1961 and was in force for ten years before it was superseded by the Interim Constitution on 27 April 1994, which in turn led to the...
removed mention of Dutch.