#afrikaan language

[mapsontheweb]

Afrikaans speakers in South Africa (2017 census) and Namibia (2011 census)

by cactusmapping

[anime-academia]

It is somehow already November??! and I promised myself that in Nov I'd get back into language learning consistently again (since work - tutoring for uni - is done and I'll have time). I also promised myself that I would start learning Thai (because Jeff Satur and the Thai alphabet are both beautiful and amazing).

I won't have time for a lot of intense learning, since I am still working on my dissertation and it is my priority, so I've decided to kinda combine two langblr challenges I've seen! First is @/langvillage 's one sentence club and second, so I don't have to expend energy thinking of what to write, is @/spraakhexe2 's 30 day language challenge.

I have changed some of spraakhexe2's prompts because I don't think I have the ability or time for the more complicated ones lol, and my goal really is to just write one sentence every day.

The prompts are under the cut.

This is mostly just to keep myself accountable lmao, but anyone is free to do it as well lol (if you do, and esp if you're handwriting please tag me or smth, I'd love to see it!)

[1] Introduce yourself

[2] What is your favourite animal?

[3] What is your favourite song?

[4] What is your favourite movie?

[5] What is your favourite season (and why)?

[6] What is your favourite food?

[7] Describe your room

[8] What is your job/What are you studying/What language are you learning?

[9] Describe your morning or night routine

[10] What is your favourite colour (and what objects are that colour)?

[11] What is something that annoys you?

[12] What is your dream house like/what is something that has to be in your dream house?

[13] Write a grocery list

[14] Do you dream often? (Describe a dream)

[15] Describe a vacation (either one you have been on or would like to go on)

[16] What country/countries would you like to visit?

[17] What would you do with $1 000 000?

[18] What joke/idiom/phrase from your TL do you like?

[19] Is there a poem in your TL that you like/know?

[20] What superpower would you like to have (and why)?

[21] What is your favourite time of day?

[22] What is something you (have to) do daily?

[23] What is something you are scared of?

[24] What do you do to relax?

[25] Describe something you love

[26] Something you would tell your past self, or would like your future self to remember

[27] Favourite folktale/urban legend

[28] Favourite app

[29] What is your favourite book?

[30] Write a short paragraph - it can be a full intro in your TL, a little story, anything you want!

[kingofthewilderwest]

Today's level of brainrot is listening to that 2007 or whenever Gummy Bear song over and over in different languages.

Cantonese and Klingon are standouts for me rn.

[yvanspijk]

English (he/she) eats, Welsh ysa, Ancient Greek édei, Sanskrit átti and Polish je all stem from the same Indo-European verb. Over time, words change beyond recognition, undergoing regular sound changes and irregular alterations. Here's the family of eats.

[tower-of-hana]

Dutch and Afrikaans are objectively funny languages to English speakers but English is an objectively funny language to speakers of like every other Germanic language so it balances out.

[thatrandomsarahchick]

The problem with being a polyglot is that I'm having two simultaneous text conversations in two separate languages, while still needing to speak in a third for in person interactions at the shops.

None of these are my native tongue.

And some bitch at the bakery just laughed at me for saying psomákia instead of bread rolls.

I'm done with humans for the day. If anybody needs me, I'll be with my dogs.

[msburgundy]

there are too many languages i want to learn and i cannot figure out how to prioritize them

i'm focusing hard on korean for now, and working very slowly at just kind of introducing myself to mandarin

once i've got the korean at a usable level i think i want to put a lot of energy into a language that is more similar to english, spanish makes the most sense but the siren song of afrikaans calls to me

i would like to be steadily adding to the chinese vocabulary all while that is going on, and then maybe use the skills acquired from studying chinese to finally get somewhere with farsi

[mycoblogg]

mycology across the world !!

here is some mycology vocab in my language. ^^ i’d love to know what they are in yours.

mycology : mikologie.

fungus : swam.

mushroom : sampioen.

mould : muf.

lichen : korsmos.

my language is afrikaans :-)

[misswifi]

I really need to find me more native English friends irl. Like with ny afrikaans friends I can talk pretty decent English but then... when I'm talking English to my native English speakers my brain just goes brrrrrrrrr!

I don't know why????? But I need to practice my English speaking skills more (Even if I don't talk to almost anyone with my job :^P)

When my brain is braining with English

[fakerobotrealblog]

Exploring untranslatable words unveils the intricacies of linguistic diversity. Consider the Hawaiian term "Aloha," encompassing love, affection, peace, and compassion – a multifaceted concept difficult to distill into a single English equivalent. In Haitian Creole, "Kouzin" refers to an extended family-like relationship, going beyond mere cousinship.

The Japanese term “Komorebi,” which beautifully captures the interplay of sunlight filtering through leaves. In Spanish, there’s “Sobremesa,” embodying the leisurely time spent lingering at the table after a meal, a social ritual deeply ingrained in the culture.

Moving to German, “Waldeinsamkeit” conveys the feeling of being alone in the woods and the connectedness with nature, a sentiment not effortlessly translated. In Portuguese, “Saudade” encompasses a profound sense of longing, a complex emotional state that doesn’t have a direct equivalent in many languages.

In Russian, “Pochemuchka” describes a person with an insatiable curiosity, while the Swedish “Mångata” captures the shimmering reflection of the moon on water. These examples showcase the intricate relationship between language and culture, emphasizing how some concepts are so intricately woven into the fabric of one language that they resist easy translation.

Korean introduces "Han," representing a complex blend of sorrow, resentment, and enduring resilience. The Chinese term "Yùyī" expresses the profound beauty of a moment that is both fleeting and transient. In Tagalog, "Kilig" encapsulates the exhilarating feeling of being romantically thrilled.

Portuguese contributes "Desenrascanço," embodying the ability to improvise resourcefully in challenging situations. Italian introduces "Sprezzatura," an effortless and nonchalant display of skill and style. Zulu presents "Ubuntu," conveying interconnectedness and shared humanity.

Tongan offers "Faka'apa'apa," a deep respect and humility towards others. Afrikaans contributes "Geselligheid," reflecting a warm sense of togetherness and camaraderie. Navajo introduces "Hozhǫ́," symbolizing beauty, harmony, and balance. In Warlpiri, "Ngarrka-ngku" encapsulates the profound interconnectedness between family and the land.

These examples illustrate the richness of linguistic diversity, where each language crafts unique expressions reflecting the depth of cultural experiences. While it's challenging to cover every language, these glimpses showcase the beauty of untranslatable words across a variety of linguistic landscapes.

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

Never Le Nkemise 1 • I Fink U Freeky • Pielie (Skit) • Hey Sexy • Fatty Boom Boom • Zefside Zol (Interlude) • So What? • Uncle Jimmy (Skit) • Baby's On Fire • U Make A Ninja Wanna F**k • Fok Julle Naaiers • DJ Hi-Tek Rulez • Never Le Nkemise 2

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[go-to-the-mirror]

people who may not be bilingual but are really trying okay appreciation day

[what-if-i-just-did]

So me and my mom were talking, and she sneezed, and I said gesundheid and she thanked me in Afrikaans. So I started laughing and said "We're in the Netherlands, speaking English, I said a word in Germqn and you answered me in Afrikaans".

She said it "could've been Portugese or Zulu".

I love being an international family. Language is hilarious sometimes.

[yvanspijk]

Archipelago comes from Italian arcipelago, which used to denote the Aegean Sea, a sea that has many islands. It literally meant 'main sea'. Arcipelago was borrowed by a large number of languages and underwent a series of shifts in meaning. The image shows how it changed.

[halfbakedspuds]

I often hear English speakers proclaim in exasperation that [Insert slightly less screwed up Germanic language here] has such long, awkwardly specific words but they fail to understand that most of these are created on the spot to satisfy a specific context, and because of how the language works they remain understandable despite maybe having never been uttered before.

Recently, a Polish friend of mine found out about the longest word in my language (Afrikaans), being:

"Tweedehandsemotorverkoopsmannevakbondstakingsvergaderingsameroeperstoespraakskrywerspersverklaringuitreikingsmediakonferensieaankondiging" (Yes this is an actual word), which means "issuable media conference’s announcement at a press release regarding the convener’s speech at a secondhand car dealership union’s strike meeting"

Let's do a step-by-step with my language, Afrikaans, slowly adding meaning to create a completely new word as an example.

Wys (Show/to show)

Verwys (literally 'To show toward', this would translate to 'Reference' as a verb in English)

Verwysing (Reference as a noun)

Cool, now we have a word made from scratch, let's add a little more complexity.

Verwysing + Indeks (Index) is Verwysingsindeks (An index of references)

Alright, now let's make another one.

Prys (Prize)

Digter (Poet) + Prys is Digtersprys (The poet's prize)

Digtersprys + wenner (Winner) is Digterspryswenner (Winner of the poet's prize)

One more time:

Onder (under, or in a more archaic form 'among')

Onder + houd(An archaic word for 'hold/to hold) is Onderhoud (An interview. Literally 'held among [people]'

Pers (Press, as in the news people) + Onderhoud is Personderhoud (Press interview)

Personderhoud + e (Plural suffix. This gets slightly complicated so I won't elaborate on why 'e' is used instead of 's' here despite both being plural suffixes) is Personderhoude

Now let's get a little bit mad, shall we? Let's put all these together.

Digterspryswennerspersonderhoudeverwysingsindeks

This singular word that won't exist or be used in any other context means "Index of references to the press interviews of poetry prize winners".

The general rule is "One concept, one word", and although the rules behind how to do this get a little complex at times, especially if you're still learning, but there's no rule in any Germanic language (as far as I'm aware, at least) saying that you can't pull an English and just say it as a sentence instead.

The beauty of Germanic languages (excluding the three wombats in a trenchcoat that is English) is that even with a toddler's knowledge of what's going on, words describe themselves to such an extent that you can get the meaning of fairly high-end concepts just from hearing the word.

Of course, this an extreme example. In most cases you won't have more than two or three or at most four words strung together, but the point stands.

This has been your ADHD driven linguistics lesson for the day.

Edit: Forgot to translate the first long word. Oops

[languages-i-guess-comic]

The Germanic family!