The Influence of English on Afrikaans

[p. 250]

7.20 Geographic names

Because English serves as South Africa's window on the world, the form of certain geographic terms in Afrikaans often betrays English influence.

7.20.1

As in other international vocabulary (cf. p. 244), stressed [e] is regularly pronounced as [i]: Indonesië, Kenia, Korea, Peking, Pretoria, Rhodesië/Rhodesies, Venesië. Both Tunisië and Tunesië occur, the former under English influence?

7.20.2

Certain place names contain English phonemes:

a)	Kirstenbosch, Rondebosch and Stellenbosch are commonly pronounced with [ʃ].
b)	Constantia is also pronounced with a [ʃ].
c)	The initial sound in Genève is not [ʒ] but [ʤ].
d)	The ae in Israel is pronounced as in English and not as two syllables.
c)	Mauritius, a Dutch name in origin, is pronounced as in English.
f)	Venesië is pronounced with a [v] not an [f]. (cf. p. 246)
g)	Singapoer is pronounced with a [ŋg].

7.20.3

Some place names are pronounced with an English stress:

a)	Amsterdam, Kirstenbosch and Stellenbosch sometimes take the stress on the first syllable.
b)	Tsjeggoslowaak has an even stress on the first and third syllables, as in English, whereas in Dutch the first and especially the fourth are stressed.
c)	Belgrado in Dutch is stressed on the first syllable, as in English. The fact that the second syllable is stressed in Afrikaans may be connected with a certain unfamiliarity with the word or is it a hypercorrect pronunciation attempting to avoid an ‘English’ stress’?

7.20.4

Bavaries, Durbaniet and Australianer, frequently heard alongside Australiër, are English in formation. Mediterreens may also be modelled on English as Dutch only has Mediterraan.

7.20.5

The frequent reference to Brittanje (without Groot) is prob-

[p. 251]

ably also English in origin; as far as I am aware, ‘Great’ is only omitted in English, not in other European languages.

These days the VOC seems to be better known in Afrikaans as the Hollandse Oos-Indiese Kompanie (even abbreviated to HOIK), a literal translation from English.

7.20.6

Some geographic regions occur in the plural in imitation of English: die Himalajas, die Falklande, die Solomons; uncontaminated forms would be die Himilaja (-gebergte), die Falklandeilande, die Solomoneilande. In fact, in Dutch (and German) even Fidji must be accompanied by the word eilanden; is Fidji thus not also an anglicism in Afrikaans?

Although it is hardly perceived as a plural any more, it is worth noting that Afrikaners regularly refer to Brussels (with [œ] as in Afrikaans and not [ʌ] as in English) instead of Brussel.

7.20.7

Sometimes Afrikaans employs puristic geographic terms to avoid using the English words which are used in Holland in such instances: Bombaai, Cornwallis, Wallis/Wallies/Walliser, Kantelberg (now used only in de Kantelbergse vertellingen in Dutch).

7.20.8

Ivoorkus is used in combination with the definite article, as in English.

7.20.9

The occasional use of Poland instead of Pole betrays a greater acquaintance with the English name than the Afrikaans, its use being facilitated by the fact that it looks as Afrikaans as it does English. The same applies to Antwerp and Antwerpen.

7.20.10

Maleia (compare Dutch and German Malaja) is an example of an Afrikaans transcription of an English pronunciation.