Fergelijkende taalkunde fan Afrikaans en Engels. Comparative Grammar of English and Cape Dutch

[p. III]

Foorrede.
(By di eerste Uitgaaf)
Preface.
(To the first Edition)

In Suid Afrika bestaan fernamelik twe landstale, Afrikaans en Engels. Afrikaans word gepraat deur di grote meerderhyd fan di boerebefolking, Engels is meer di taal fan di grote stede en handelsbevolking. In di Kaapkoloni het alby tale gelyke regte. In Natal, Transvaal, Oranjeriflir Koloni en Rhodesia is Engels alleen di erkende offisi'ele taal, mar Hollans word ook onderwys op di skole waar dit ferlang word.	The two main languages spoken in South Africa are Cape Dutch and English. Cape Dutch is spoken by the great majority of the rural population, whilst English is generally the language of the great cities and trading population. In the Cape Colony both languages have equal rights. In Natal, Transvaal, Orange River Colony, and Rhodesia, English is the only recognized official language, but where desired Dutch is also taught in the schools.
Di naturelle-tale, so oek di bitji Hollans, Duits, Frans, ens. wat hiir gebruik word laat ons buiten rekening.	The native languages, together with the little Dutch, German, and French, etc., spoken here, we leave out of account.
Di folkstaal fan Suid Afrika word wel genoem Hollans, mar imand behoef mar 'n heel opperflakkige kennis daarfan te hê om te bemerk dat Afrikaans in woordeskat sowel as in taalkunde 'n heel andere taal is as Hollans.	The vernacular language spoken in South Africa is generally called Dutch, but only a superficial knowledge of it is required to see that it is quite a separate language, as regards its dictionary as well as its grammar.
Twe tale sal oek wel in Suid Afrika bly bestaan, ten minste fer 'n héle menseleeftyd. Dis mar di fraag of dit Afrikaans en Engels, of Hollans en Engels sal wees. En di fraag word teenwoordig druk bespreek.	Two languages will surely continue to exist in South Africa, at all events during a lifetime. It is only the question, whether they will be Cape Dutch and English, or Dutch and English. And this question is warmly debated nowadays.
Di antwoord hiirop is ni moeilik om te gé ni. In di stryd om di bestaan tussen tale win di maklikste taal dit altyd. Dus kan daar gen twyfel wees ni of Afrikaans moet dit win teeno'er Hollans. Ja meer nog, so fêr as dit betref 'n stryd tussen di twe landstale self, as ons Hollans stel teen Engels, dan is ons seker dat ons lanksamerhand moet ferloor (want Hollans is 'n onleerbare taal fer 90 persent Afrikaners en Engelse in Suid Afrika), mar as ons Afrikaans teen Engels set, dan het ons ni alleen kans om ons grond te behou ni, mar selfs om grond te win, want Afrikaans is nog makliker as Engels, en di Engelse in Suid Afrika siin almeer in dat dit nuttig is om Afrikaans te ken.	To answer this question is not difficult. In the struggle for existence between languages, the easiest language always wins. So there can be no doubt that Cape Dutch will win against Dutch. And even more, as regards the struggle for the upperhand between the two languages of the land, when we oppose Dutch to English, then it is certain that we must gradually lose (because Dutch is an unlearnable language for 90 percent of the Africanders and Englishmen in South Africa), but if we put Cape Dutch alongside of English, then we are not only enabled to keep our ground, but even to win ground, as Cape Dutch is still easier than English, and Englishmen in South Africa gradually come to the conclusion, that it is useful to know Cape Dutch.
Ons het daar bewyse fan. Op di o'enblik is daar meer Engelse wat Afrikaans ken as 15 of 20 jare gelede. In enige grote besig-	We have proofs for this. At present there are more Englishmen knowing Cape Dutch than 15 or 20 years ago. In any great busi-

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hyd an di Kaap en Port Elisabet kan di Afrikaner nou tereg kom in syn yge taal, wat froeger ni di gefal was ni.	ness in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth the Africander may easily find his way with his own language, which was not the case formerly.
Mar ons het nog 'n andere bewys daarfoor. Di firma D.F. du Toit & Co. an di Paarl het uitgegé Samesprake in Afrikaans en Engels, in 3 Deeltjiis. Daarfan is nou same ruim 12,000 al ferkoop. Fan di eerste deel is di fiirde druk al uitferkoop en word di fyfde nou gedruk. En di anfraag neem steeds toe. En wi koop dit? Afrikaners om Engels te leer? Né, nege-tiinde is gekoop deur Engelse om Afrikaans te leer.	But we have another proof for this. The firm D.F. du Toit & Co. at the Paarl, published Dialogues in Cape Dutch and English, in 3 series. Of these at least 12,000 copies have been sold. Of the first series the 4th edition is already sold out, and the 5th is in print And the demand continually increases. And who buys it? Africanders to learn English? No, nine-tenths were bought by Englishmen to learn Cape Dutch.
Hiiruit siin ons dat di Engels-sprekende befolking fan Suid Afrika Afrikaans moet en wil en kan en sal leer, nes ons Afrikaners Engels. Mar Hollans is fer 'n Afrikaner en Engelsman alby in Suid Afrika 'n freemde taal, wat ons ni kan leer ni, al wil ons oek.	From this it is evident that the English-speaking population of South Africa must and will and can and shall learn Cape Dutch, just as we Africanders learn English; but Dutch is both for the Africander and Englishman in South Africa a foreign language, which we cannot learn, although willing.
En waarom sou ons ni alby tale, Afrikaans en Engels, in ons land erken en leer ni? Twé tale is ni tefeul in 'n land ni, mar ruim genoeg. Dis ygentlik fer ferstandelike ontwikkeling goed om twé tale te leer. Eers deur fergelyking leer 'n mens iits goed ken. Daarom neem hulle almeer in andere lande, waar mar een landstaal is, 'n twede taal by op di skole, fer fergelykende taalstudi, byf. in Holland en Duitsland.	And why should we not recognize and learn both languages, Cape Dutch and English, in our country? Two languages are not too many in a country, but quite sufficient. It is really good for the intellectual development to learn two languages. Only through comparison we learn to know anything thoroughly. Hence a second language is more and more learned at school, in other countries, where there is only one language, for comparative study of languages; as, for example, in Holland and Germany.
En feral fan Afrikaans en Engels is 'n fergelykende taalkunde bisonder nuttig en leerzaam hiir in ons land. Dis opmerkelik in Afrikaans, dat di liggaam fan di taal (di woordeboek) suiwer Germaans gebly het; inderdaad di suiwerste Germaanse taal wat nou bestaan; mar di siil fan di taal (di taalkunde), di forme en uitdrukkings, is grotendeels gewysig follens Frans (deur di Hugenote) en Engels. Oral in di forme uitdrukkings, sinbou, ens. kry 'n mens di infloed fan di 2 tale, terwyl skaars 'n dosyn Franse en 'n 50 Engelse woorde burgerreg gekry het in Afrikaans.	And especially a comparative grammar of Cape Dutch and English is very useful in our country. It is remarkable in Cape Dutch, that the body of the language (the dictionary) remained purely Germanic; in fact, the purest Germanic language in existence; but the soul of the language (the grammar) the inflections and idioms, are greatly modified according to the French (by the Huguenots) and English. Everywhere in the inflections, idioms, syntax, etc., we meet the influence of those two langauges, while hardly a dozen French and some 50 English words only have been taken up in Cape Dutch.
Mar feral met Engels het di Afrikaanse taalkunde 'n seldsame o'ereenkoms; alby kom o'ereen in eenfoudighyd deur weggoi fan ferbuigingsforme, onnodige geslagsonderskydinge, ens, ens., soos uit di fergelykende taalkunde wat ons nou gé blyk.	But chiefly with English the Cape Dutch Grammar has a striking resemblance; both agree in simplicity by throwing away inflections, useless distinctions of gender, etc., as is evident from the comparative grammar, which we now give.
Ons gé di werk egter mar as 'n eerste proef, onfolmaak en gedruk deur besware soos eerste proewe mar altyd is; en bowediin is dit opgestel onder felerly drukte en besware. Ons fersoek dan oek om guns-	We, however, give the work as a first proof, incomplete and encumbered by difficultíes, as is usually the case with first proofs; and above all it was written under manifold pressure of business and diffi-

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tige beoordéling, wat ons by 'n twede uitgaaf (wat seker spoedig sal nodig wees) sal gebruik.	culties. We therefore invite lenient criticism, which we will use with a second edition (which will surely be speedily required).
Ons het tot lyddraad gebruik di ‘Eerste Beginsels van di Afrikaanse Taal,’ wat reeds in 1876 uitgegé is deur ‘Di genootskap van Regte Afrikaners,’ en waarfan 'n twede druk gegé is in 1882.	We used as basis the ‘First Principles of Cape Dutch,’ already published in 1876 by the ‘Society of true Africanders,’ and of which a second edition has been published in 1882.
Ons doel was ni 'n uitfoerige taalkunde te gé ni, mar di hoofregels, so eenfoudig en praktiis as molik is, om di Afrikaner in staat te stel sofeul Engels te leer dat hy fer hom self kan help, en di Engelsman om sofeul Afrikaans te leer dat hy fer hom kan behelp.	Our aim was not to give an exhaustive grammar, but to give the principal rules, as simple and practical as possible, to enable the Africander to learn as much English, as is necessary to help himself, and the Englishman to learn as much Cape Dutch, as is sufficient for his use.
Dis ni 'n fertaal-boek ni. Ons set wel Afrikaans en Engels langs makaar en gé wel di taalregels fan alby, sodat 'n Afrikaner hiiruit syn taal en Engels alby kan leer, en 'n Engelsman netso; mar ons gé di regels in alby tale follens hulle ygenaardige spraakgebruik.	It is no translation book. In fact, we place Cape Dutch and English alongside each other and give the grammatical rules of both, so that an Africander may learn out of it both his own language and Engtish and an Englishman the same, but we give the rules in both languages according to their idioms.
Di taalkunde is bepaald fer selfoefening, hoewel dit goed fer 'n skoolboek kan gebruik worde oek. Daarom gé ons di oefeninge oek ni so dat dit oral kan diin fer luie skoolmeesters ni, mar net waar dit nodig is fer selfonderrig.	This Grammar is principally intended for self-instruction, although it may be used as well for a school book. Hence we do not give the exercises so that they may serve everywhere for lazy teachers, but only where they are necessary for self-instruction.
Ons hoop dus 'n dubbele doel te beryk; fereers om di Afrikaner en Engelsman nader na makaar toe te breng in di dagelikse léwe op maatskaplike gebiid; mar dan oek te beforder dat hulle makaar beter leer ferstaan in di staatkundige léwe; want baing misferstand het ontstaan deur di ferskil in tale, omdat ons makaar ni ferstaan ni.	We therefore hope to attain a double end; firstly, to bring the Africander and Englishman nearer to each other socially in daily life, but also to further a better understanding between them in political life; as great misunderstandings originated in the difference of languages, because we do not understand each other.
Ons woon nou eenmaal same in een grote land, en ons is bestemd om een grote nasi te worde. Onder di lyding fan di Foorsinighyd praat ons twe tale. Mar waarom sal dit 'n rede wees dat ons twedragtig moet wees? Né, laat ons leer om makaar te ferstaan en same te werk. Hiirtoe hoop di skrywer het hy met di gebrekkige werk 'n steentji bygedraag.	We are now living in a large country, and we are destined to become a great nation. Under guidance of Providence we speak two languages. But why should this be a reason of discord amongst us? No, let us learn to understand each other and to coöperate. To this end the writer hopes to have been useful with this incomplete work.
Mog di geskrif syn doel beryk, en 'n steentji wees in di grote gebou fan 'n Ferenigde Suid Afrika!	May the work attain its end, and may it be a small stone in the large building of a United South Africa!