From: gds@casper.cs.uct.ac.za (Riel Smit)
Subject: Re: Afrikaans on the net.
Reply-To: gds@cs.uct.ac.za
Organization: Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 08:29:50 GMT

Oh oh, seems like I've started something I'll regret.  All you (us) Afrikaans
speakers: please don't make a habit of posting in Afrikaans.  At the same
time I would ask other people not to make a habit of posting in any other
language (except English).  I don't mind the odd posting in another language 
(say xxx) - my approach has been: the poster only wants xxx-speakers
to read his posting (of which there probably aren't many on the net), so if
(s)he want to waste her/his breath talking to the wind, that's their
prerogative.  Doing it often though, becomes impolite.

So why did I post in Afrikaans?  Well, as I've said to Frans via e-mail,
what I had to say most probably no one would be interested in unless they could
understand Afrikaans.  But, since Ivan Mofokeng said
>Maybe ...  you will care to share the message with
>the rest of the non-afrikaans speakers on the net.
I'll oblige (and as you'll see, it is pretty boring stuff).

imofoke1@cc.swarthmore.edu (Ivan Mofokeng) also wrote:
>as i recall, the first posting that Mokaba made was in sepedi and a lot of
>people gave him flak for doing.

and shame on them.  Why are people so touchy when they can't understand
what others are saying? Especially if it is just a paragraph or two here
and there?

>what you have posted is really interesting, if only the majority of the
>neters could understand it.

You really think so?  Well, I'm surprised!  So, for all those who might
find it intersting, or are burning with curiosity, here goes:

>gds@cs.uct.ac.za writes:
>> 9027882@sunvax.sun.ac.za writes:
>> >                     vryheid (freedom)
>> >                   + samesyn (peace)
>> >                   ---------
>> >                   voorspoed (welfare)
>> >                   =========
>> 
>> Ag nee man, hoe kan jy nou s^e samesyn = peace? :-)  Alhoewel ek moet erken,
   Ag no man, how can you say samesyn = peace?          Although, I must admit,
>> "togetherness" is darem baie meer 'n warm-gevoel-om-die-hart woord as
   "togetherness" is much more of a warm-feeling-in-the-heart word than
>> samesyn. :-) Enige ander voorstel? :-)  O, en "prosperity" is miskien 'n 
   'samesyn'.   Any other suggestions?     Oh, and "prosperity is perhaps a
>> beter vertaling van voorspoed.  "Welfare" het ongelukkig ook die konnotasie 
 better translation of voorspoed. Welfare unfortunately also has the connotation
>> van maatskaplike dienste, of wat dit ook al mag wees in Afrikaans.  (En
  of social services or whatever it may be in Afrikaans. (And
>> askies vir die swak maniere om kommentaar te lewer op jou taalgebruik, maar 
  sorry for the bad manners to comment on your use of language, but
>> dis nie aldag dat 'n mens 'n goeie verskoning het om in Afrikaans op die 
  it is not every day that one has a good excuse to post in Afrikaans on the
>> net te pos nie :-)
  net.

[Please add the smileys at the appropriate places]

-- 
Riel Smit,  Computer Science                              gds@cs.uct.ac.za
University of Cape Town                      gds%cs.uct.ac.za@rain.psg.com