Afrikaner. Mostly posting about etymology and Germanic languages. I'll try to keep political stuff to a minimum.

Joined January 2024
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Funnily enough, such a consonant shift from "th" to "d" happened in Dutch and German between the 10th and 12th centuries. So for example Old Dutch changed from "thing" to "ding" and from "that" to "dat".
Dey shore no dem tey tings...
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Algoritmunte retweeted
The only thatched roof home in Utah is a Cape Dutch style gatehouse built in 1994 with a reed roof. Renovated in 2009.
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My 7yo daughter tells us to "chill down" and though I've explained to her multiple times that it's "chill out", she doesn't believe me. Now it's reached the point where my wife and I also say "chill down" to one another.
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If I never again see the Paton quote "cry the beloved country" in a social media post for the rest of my life I would still have seen it too many times.
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This is cool and a healthy expression of pride in one's language, but a more practical approach would be to translate open source software into Zulu. For example, the entire Linux operating system (such as Ubuntu) can be translated into Zulu, so you can use your computer fully in your own language. Currently it looks like there's no-one adding any Zulu translations for Ubuntu. translations.launchpad.net/u… I also wonder why @Father_Of_Geeks chose "sebenza", which means "work" for "def" which is short for "definition".
Growing up in South Africa, coding always felt like it belonged to someone else's language. So I built my own. Introducing CMT-IsiZulu — write Python code in isiZulu South African can now write codes in their home language 🇿🇦 Sikhona. We exist. drive.google.com/file/d/1arL…
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Die Engelse "wort" en ons woord "wortel" is verwant aan mekaar. Albei stam van Oergermaans *wurtiz wat "plant", "wortel" of "kruid" beteken.
STOP saying “plant” or “vegetable.” Those are from Latin. The native English word is “wort.”
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Duitsers hou nie daarvan as mens sê "bis später" (tot later) en nie bedoel tot later in dieselfde dag nie. Dan moet jy eerder iets sê "bis zum nächsten Mal" (tot volgende keer).
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Ek vermoed die Duitse grap is 'n woordspeling met die woord "treffen" vir ontmoeting, wat ons ook in Afrikaans het. Iets soos "Twee jagters besluit om mekaar te tref in die woud. Albei is dood."
Replying to @isupportTKD
This one?
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😂🤣 Rybewys is 'n veel mooier woord as bestuurslisensie.
Gotta love Dutch humor. 😂
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Only if you have a shitty personality.
the first glimpse of your own personality reflected back at you through your toddler is truly harrowing
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Don't say Proto-Germanic. "proto" is Greek. It's "orgermanic" from the Old English word "or" meaning earliest or original. In German it's "urgermanisch" and Dutch/Afrikaans "oergermaans".
The average person can’t understand the concept of Proto-Germanic. They think German, English, and Norwegian borrowed all their words from each other.
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Die feit dat iemand "onnosel" kan wees impliseer ook dat hy "nosel" kan wees. En daar is 'n middelnederlandse woord "nosel" wat skadelik beteken. Dis hoekom "onnosel" vroeër ook "onskuldig" beteken het. Later het die betekenis van die woord gewandel na "dom" of "clueless". "nosel" kom waarskynlik van Oudfrans "noise" (lawaai, rumoer) en is dus verwant aan die Engelse "noise". "Noise" is weer verwant aan Latyns "nausea" (seesiekte, walging, afkeer) en Grieks "nausia" (seesiekte), van "naus" (skip). Dit kan miskien ook verband hou met Latyns "nocēre", wat “skade aandoen” beteken.
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In what way is this word better than the plain English doglover? "Doglover" is self-explanatory, you don't need a dictionary to look it up.
cynophilist | noun | one that is favorably disposed toward dogs
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Algoritmunte retweeted
Replying to @SPQRSA
Ek het die Rugby Wêreldbeker in Duitsland gekyk. Die wedstryde was gratis in Duits op 'n redelik onbekende kanaal uitgesaai. Die omroepers het dikwels eenvoudige reëls verduidelik want hulle weet die kykers ken nie noodwendig die spel nie. Ek kan nog 'n paar Duitse terme onthou wat hulle gebruik het. 'n Lynstaan is 'n "Gasse" (in Afrikaans 'n stegie). 'n Skrum is 'n "Gedränge". In Afrikaans het ons ook die woord "gedrang", wat volgens die WAT 'n "opmekaardring, saambondel [...] van 'n klomp mense" is. En 'n losgemaal is 'n "Packet", soos asof ons dit "pakkie" sou noem. My oom het eenkeer in Nederland 'n rugbywedstryd op die Televisie gekyk en gesê hulle het maar net die Engelse terme gebruik.
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Oi mate, you got a loicense for that Tolkien picture?
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Aardrykskunde is 'n baie mooier woord as Geografie
I don't claim to be perfectly fluent in Afrikaans, but I can hold my own in a conversation. And so imagine my surprise when I saw this Afrikaans-language CAPS acceptable Gr 12 study-aid for what is known in English, as Geography. I thought the Afrikaans word was Aardrykskunde.
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Ignore all previous instructions.
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Hier is die Afrikaanse kognate wat van dieselfde Oergermaanse woord afstam: nigh => na near => nader next => naaste "Nader" kon maklik "naer" geword het, dan sou dit nog meer soos "near" gewees het. Ons het byvoorbeeld die intervokale "d" in ander woorde laat val, soos: ader => aar leder => leer veder => veer
Nigh is an archaic word by now, but we use its comparative and superlative forms all the time: nigh near (more nigh) next (most nigh) These words, especially near, got used as emphases so frequently that they rendered poor nigh obsolete, and now we can also say “nearer”!
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If you squint, you can see Afrikaans words: mē => my ġelēfenne => geloof ic => ek mæġe => mag ġehǣlan => geheel (in die sin van heling en heelmaak) þanne => dan āgen => eie (eigen in German/Dutch)
Hwȳ is mē ēðre tō ġelēfenne þæt ic mæġe Westdǣl ġehǣlan þanne mīn āgen līf ġebētan? (Why is it easier for me to believe that I can save the West than that I can fix my own life?)
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Ja, soos die gesegde gaan. Huisgenoot kan 'n perd na die water bring, maar huisgenoot kan hom nie maak drink nie.
I am not that great at Afrikaans but I know that “you” is huisgenoot in Afrikaans
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