Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-03-09
BOER LANGUAGES.
The Different Kinds of Dutch spoken
In south Africa.

The Different Kinds of Dutch spoken
In South Africa.
1t seems strange thing to say, but
there are three Dutch languages IN
South Africa. The earliest Dutch SET.
tiers At the Care were largely Dutch
sailors and others belonging to the low
er orders of Amsterdam. Rotterdam
and other Dutch seaports. Their Ian
guage was Il low Dutch dialect to be-
gin with. and although the sprinkling
Of Dutch officers at the Cape did their
best to preserve the language of the
Netherlands they could not prevent
the dialect of the settlers from still
further degenerating into mere colo
quial patois. Its degeneration was
doubtless largely brought about by do
mestic servants and siaves-iiottcn-
tots. Malays and Mozambique katirs-
who spoke it very imperfectly and in
troduced into it many strange words
and idions. This, then, is the genesis
of what is variously known as Cape
Dutch" Kitchen Dutch Patriot
Dutch" "Afrikaans" and ".Afrikander
Taal." Its basis is Dutch, but the
nouns have lost their declensions and
the verbs their conjugations. while
grammatical gender and syntaX gener
ally have some by the board. To the
educated IIollander of today it is lit
erary atrocity. and he cannot away
with it, but to the Afrikander it is his
mother tongue. the language of his
home and his childhood. the exponent
of all that he knows of humor and
pathos. 1t is full of expressive idioms
pithy proverbs and pawky expressions
like those so dear to the lowland Scot.
and yet it is not language. for it has
no literature.
The second of the three Dutch Ian
guages referred to might be called zee
clesiastcal Dutch" or. if tou like, AZ
rican Dutch. 1t is the language of Hol-
land as that language was written
about 200 years ago. 1t is the language
| Of the Dutch Bible and very much re-
sembles our own authorized version in
its simplicity and directness of style
| 1t is the language of the Dutch psalm
and Gesang books and of the devotion
make up the balance of the Dutch
| farmers literature. In it are also writ
ten many tracts and few devotional
works by living ministers of the Dutch
Reformed church. To the Boer wherev.
| er you find him it is the language OF
his church and of his religion. This is
the Dutch language which the leaders
| of = 1,, c,,;I L., IL,
termined to preserve. 1t is never spo
| ken by Aflkanders among themselves
| however. and ii is never written gram
matically by them in their correspond
ence. The Boer has no fear that his
"Huis- -taal," Cape Dutch. will die out,
but fears that his children will forget
or neglect to learn the language of his
church and of his forcfathers.
The third Dutch language might be
called modern literary or high Dutch"
that is. the language written and
spoken by educated IIolanders of to-
day. 1t is horid. involved in construc-
ton and very artificial in style as com
pared with the language of the Dutch
Bible. Its pronunciation has also
III tllt lllltINil,
and even an educated Dutch speaking
Afrikander listening to voluble Hol-
lander can hardly make head or tail
of what he is saying-Scotsman
A Legend AbOut Cats.
The ancient Greeks thought that all
creatures except eats had souls and
that that animal lost its soul through Il
bargain made between bridge archi-
tect and the devil. The architect had
besought the devil To get his help in
constructing an exceedingly dangerous
bridge structure, and his Satanic maj
esty Only consented 10 lend aid on con
dition that the first creature to cross it
should lose its soul.
This was agreed upon. the bridge
/ nished in due time and the devil sent
to the opposite side to await his prey
! The shrewd architect took good care ia
send cat over before any human be
ing was allowed to cross. On learning
Of the bargain the cat recrossed the
bridge and scratched the architect''
eyes out.
There is no man easier to deceive
than he who has hOpes. for he aids II