Скачать или смотреть Discover the Rich History and Beauty of the Afrikaans Language Monument in Cape Town, South Africa!

#AfrikaansLanguagemonument #PaarlWesternCape #SLOTHIESLDS

The Afrikaans Language Monument celebrates a remarkable language of Africa, and is one of many language monuments in the world and also in South Africa. The oldest one in South Africa that we know of is in Burgersdorp in the Eastern Cape, which was erected in 1893 for the recognition of the Dutch language. The Free State towns of Kroonstad and Welkom both built monuments honouring the Afrikaans language in 1959, but many other towns in South Africa constructed their own small monuments in the 1970s during the construction of this iconic monument in Paarl. We are aware of more than 20 such monuments all over South Africa.

Afrikaans (meaning from Africa/African) did not specifically originate in Paarl, but an important part of Afrikaans’s formal history played itself out in Paarl.
In the mid-1800s the Dutch linguist Arnoldus Pannevis realised that the language was already a language in its own right and suggested that it be called Afrikaans, rather than Cape Dutch. He and other Paarlites yearned to translate the Bible into Afrikaans to establish its status as a written language. They decided to form an association that could work for the recognition of Afrikaans as a written language, and so the Fellowship of True Afrikaners (Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners, GRA) was founded in Paarl on 14 August 1875 in the homestead that today houses the Afrikaans Language Museum.
The Language Monument, which is more sculpture than architectural work, was erected in Paarl as the Paarlites wanted to commemorate the contribution of the First Language Movement (the GRA). Significantly, the monument was unveiled on 10 October 1975, a symbolic 100 years after the establishment of the GRA and 50 years after Afrikaans became an official language of the country in 1925. It represents and celebrates the diversity, growth and origin of Afrikaans.
The first seeds for Afrikaans, however, were already sown in the 1500s when language contact between the Khoikhoi and Dutch seafarers occurred
The origin of the language is spread across three continents, namely Europe, the East and of course Africa – and this is portrayed by the monument. It symbolises the different languages that formed Afrikaans, expresses the inspiration of two Afrikaans writers, and places Afrikaans within the context of Africa.

The monument, as an inclusive institution, strives to have everyone respect and appreciate Afrikaans. In this spirit, the institution is working hard to encourage and support Afrikaans, especially among the youth and non-mother tongue speakers. The institution continuously seeks to improve the relationship between Afrikaans and other indigenous languages, amongst others by recognising and displaying the mutual influences on each other. Our dream is to have this monument serve as a beacon of hope for the development and recognition of all African languages.

KEY POINTS ON THE MONUMENT AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT:

1 – Dit is ons erns: The history of the wording in the pavement, “Dit is ons erns” (roughly translated as “We are serious about this”), dates back to 1905.
2 – Inspiration for the design: One of the architect’s most important design principles was to integrate the monument into the natural site, and to enhance it.
3 – Symbolism of the 3 columns: The columns represent the influence of Western European languages and cultures on the development of Afrikaans, including Dutch, German, French and Portuguese.
4 – Symbolism of wall on stairway: The wall on the stairway of the monument represents the influence of Indonesian languages (mainly Malay) on the development of Afrikaans.
5 – Symbolism of 3 domes: This stage and three domes represent the influence of the Khoikhoi and other African languages, including isiXhosa, isiZulu and Sesotho, on the development of Afrikaans, and represent the southern tip of Africa.
6 – Symbolism of bridge above staircase: Where the two curves of Western Europe and Africa meet, a bridge is formed, reflecting the inspiring fusion of the two continents’ languages.
7 – Main column: Symbolises the growth of Afrikaans.
8 – Fountain: This light and the fountain’s water symbolise the vigorous growth of the language.
9 – South Africa column: Depicting the Republic of South Africa, the birthplace of Afrikaans.
10 – Podium and building process: The building work on the monument lasted two years from 1972 to 1974 and cost R700 000.
11 – The grave of Jan van Wijk: The architect of the monument, Jan van Wijk, died in 2005.
12 – Groen Galery: The Green Gallery, an open-air gallery, was created to support Jan’s work, which depicts a sensitive attitude towards the natural South African landscape.
13 – Paarl Rock: Almost in the middle of the site is a stony hillock that consists of groups of granite rocks.

INFORMATION LINKS :

https://www.taalmuseum.co.za/english-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaa...

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