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What is Kaaps?

Kaaps (UK: /kɑːps/, meaning 'Cape'), also known as Afrikaaps, is a West Germanic African language that evolved in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its status as a sister language of Afrikaans or a dialect of Afrikaans is unclear. Since the early 2020s there has been a significant increase in the number of works of literature published in Kaaps. Most works in Kaaps comes from authors located in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town, South Africa where it is most commonly spoken.. Although Kaaps is considered a growing phenomenon, it is more specifically a colloquial dialect of Afrikaans . All other distinct colloquial variations of Afrikaans, including Kaaps, are organically connected to Standard Afrikaans as a widely spoken unitary variety and interact with it .

An academic project to create the first Kaaps language dictionary was launched in 2021.

History of Kaaps

In the 17th century, Kaaps were developed in South Africa’s Western Cape in a multilingual context through the Dutch Colonisation . In 1652 the Dutch East India Company VereenigdeOostindishe Compagnie (VOC) set up a refreshment station on the Cape, with the main purpose to replenish the supplies of food for the ships sailing between Europe and the East . During this period, the region consisted of a range of people from different ethnic groups and cultures such as the indigenous Khoisan, Malays, West Africans and Madagascan people . Many of these people were enslaved by the VOC, the Dutch East India Company and opulent Netherlanders . As a form of rebellion, the people refused to speak the language of the colonists, Kaaps were thus developed through Afrikaans to communicate with one another and keep their conversations private .

Kaaps and Identity

Just as with any language, Kaaps plays an indisputable role in an individual’s culture and identity, especially in the Cape Flats . Kaaps and its speakers, consisting mostly of coloured individuals, are deemed as marginalised . Coloureds are considered the “forgotten nation” . Only one of two perspectives is taken into account when discussing political topics such as class, race, and culture within a South African context: either that of the overprivileged White or that of the underprivileged Black . Despite coloured and black individuals sharing similar oppression, inequality and poverty of the South African apartheid, the coloured community remains an overlooked social group .

Stigmatisation of Kaaps

Kaaps is considered one of the most stigmatised variations of Standard Afrikaans, it is often associated with low status and comical . Some common labels of Kaaps include a kombuistaal" (kitchen language) and "skollie-idioom” (gangster idiom) . The dominating image and portrayal of a Cape Kaaps speaker often consist of uneducated, half-skilled, naive and unable to comprehend or fully appreciate complexities . Additionally, Kaaps is portrayed as a socially inferior “other” . Mocked by numerous jokes and linked to Gatiepie, which is equivalent to the American Blackface in pop culture . Due to this negative connotation and stigmatisation, many speakers of Kaaps felt embarrassed to use it in public settings .

References

1. ^ Hamans, Camiel (9 October 2021). "Kaaps, a language in its own right". ciplnet.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
2. ^ Coetzee, Olivia M. (2 November 2021). "This Language Called Kaaps: An Introduction". Words Without Borders. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
3. Dyers, Charlyn (2016). "The Conceptual Evolution in Linguistics: implications for the study of Kaaps". Multilingual Margins. 3 (2): 61–72 – via Research Gate.
4. Thamm, Marianne; Thamm, Marianne (28 October 2021). "AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE: An exhilarating linguistic minefield: Be duidelik and dala what you must". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
5. "Kaaps, language of the Cape Flats working class, now has its very own dictionary". www.iol.co.za. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
6. Hemmonsbey, Keanan (29 September 2021). "Kaaps: An old language embraced by a new generation". MatieMedia. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
7. ^ Hendricks, Frank (7 November 2018). "The nature and context of Kaaps: a contemporary, past and future perspective". Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery. 3 (2): 6–39. doi:10.14426/mm.v3i2.38. ISSN 2221-4216.
8. Haupt, Adam (29 August 2021). "The first-ever dictionary of South Africa's Kaaps language has launched -- why it matters". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
9. ^ "Kaaps Afrikaans : What is Kaaps?". Kaaps Afrikaans. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
10. Parker, M., & Oostendorp, M. (2015). PATTERNS OF USE OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE BY SOUTH AFRICAN EXPATRIATES: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE
11. Van der Rheede, Christo (7 November 2018). "Economic empowerment through Kaaps". Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery. 3 (2): 117–126. doi:10.14426/mm.v3i2.45. ISSN 2221-4216.
12. ^ Roman, S. (2019). What Kaaps brings to the table: A sociolinguistic analysis of the intersection between language, food and identity in Vannie Kaap memes. https://scholar.sun.ac.za
13. Coetzee, Olivia M. (4 July 2016). "Verskoon my taalgebruik: Naai, nie rêragie! Varrit of lossit!". LitNet. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
14. Petersen, J. 2015. Being Coloured in a black and white South Africa. Available online: http://livemag.co.za/real-life/Coloured-black-and-white-south-africa/ (Accessed 9 October 2022)
15. ^ Le Cordeur, Michael (7 November 2018). "Kaaps: Time for the language of the Cape Flats to become part of formal schooling". Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery. 3 (2): 86–103. doi:10.14426/mm.v3i2.43. ISSN 2221-4216.
16. ^ Willemse, Hein (7 November 2018). "Soppangheid for Kaaps: Power, creolisation and Kaaps Afrikaans". Multilingual Margins: A journal of multilingualism from the periphery. 3 (2): 73–85. doi:10.14426/mm.v3i2.42. ISSN 2221-4216.

• Afrikaans
• Analytic languages
• Languages of South Africa
• Low Franconian languages
• Stress-timed languages
• Subject–object–verb languages
• Verb-second languages