Acceso usuarios
One ofthe central problems in the politics of South Africa's many languages is their sociocultural meanings, which ränge from negative connotations to cases where a language is regarded äs a core element in the continued sociopolitical existence ofits Speakers. In both instances, but particularly in the latter case, such meanings couldprove to be obstades to nation building.
This is especially so in the case of Afrikaans, which is a basic constituent of Afrikaner nationalism. This contribution discusses the interrelationship between Afrikaans and Afrikaner nationalism. The article begins with a brief overview of the sociolinguistics of the language and its sociopolitical history, and then, against the background of the notions nationalism, ethnic nationalism, and the role of language in ethnic nationalism and politics, the role of Afrikaans in the birth of Afrikaner nationalism and in apartheid policy is discussed. In the concluding paragraph, a number of preliminary thoughts are expressed about the present position of Afrikaans and Afrikaner nationalism.
