AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE MONUMENT

Description

Essentials about the Afrikaans Language Monument in brief

Anyone interested in South Africa’s linguistic world should take a trip to Paarl, a town not far from Cape Town. There, situated on a hill, is the so-called Afrikaanse Taalmonument (Afrikaans Language Monument) – the only language monument in the world. Built in 1975, the monument is dedicated to the Afrikaans language, which developed from the Dutch of the Dutch settlers in South Africa. Afrikaans is therefore often called “Cape Dutch”. Today, Afrikaans is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa and is spoken primarily by the white population in and around Cape Town and in the western provinces of South Africa.

The Afrikaans Language Monument as an object of dispute

The monumental memorial is still not without controversy today. On the one hand, Afrikaans was and is the language of white South Africans and was thus closely associated with the apartheid regime in the past. On the other hand, many people are offended by the bombastic concrete structure, which does not want to fit harmoniously into the surrounding landscape.

The architecture of the Afrikaans Language Monument

The Afrikaanse Taalmonument consists of six tapering convex and concave structures and symbolizes influences of different languages and cultures on Afrikaans itself, as well as on political developments in South Africa. First, “the West,” symbolizing the European heritage of the language and representing the influences of English, French, Portuguese, and, of course, primarily Dutch on Afrikaans. Second, “magical Africa,” showing the original languages from South Africa, such as Zulu, Sotho, and Xhoso, before the Afrikaans language emerged. Third, “the bridge” between Africa and Europe as which Afrikaans is often considered. Fourth, “Afrikaans itself” as a language growing in importance. Fifth, “the Republic” of South Africa as the home and birthplace of the Afrikaans language. And sixth, the influence of the “Malay” language and culture.

The view from the Afrikaans Language Monument

Those who are not necessarily interested in the details of the Afrikaans language can also take a wonderful walk at the Afrikaans Language Monument, since the monument is surrounded by a nature park with beautiful hiking trails. The view from the language monument of the Paarl wine-growing areas and the surrounding mountains is also beautiful. And when the weather is good, you can even see Table Mountain.