Afrikaans in Cape Town: A Linguistic Overview

Is Afrikaans Spoken in Cape Town?

Yes, Afrikaans is widely spoken in Cape Town, South Africa. It is one of the official languages of the country and has a significant number of speakers in the Western Cape province. In Cape Town, Afrikaans is commonly used in everyday conversation, education, and media alongside English and Xhosa, which are also prevalent in the area.

Popularity and Distribution

Afrikaans is spoken by all groups and cultures in Cape Town. The northern parts of the city are particularly made up of areas where Afrikaans-speaking people reside. In essence, Cape Town is the cradle of the language, with a rich history and cultural significance.

Short answer: Yes, of course. Cape Town is the birthplace of the language as it were.

Long answer:

Cape Town has more Afrikaans speakers than English speakers. However, it is important to note that the suburbs of Cape Town proper, among whites, English is spoken more than Afrikaans. If we narrow this down to the southern suburbs, which many consider the "real" Cape Town—the Cape Town you see on postcards and travel brochures—the language is almost exclusively English, with quite a lot of property owners being expats from Europe.

The flat areas of Cape Town—meaning the city center and some inner suburbs—are predominantly Afrikaans and Xhosa speaking. Meanwhile, in the winelands bordering Cape Town, which are the iconic locations on travel brochures, most people speak Afrikaans. This includes iconic wine route towns such as Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Wellington, etc.

Dialects of Afrikaans

Afrikaans has two main dialects, namely Suiwer Afrikaans (Pure Afrikaans) and an unnamed dialect with no official rules. The latter is spoken by Cape Coloureds and the accent varies by suburb. Here is a comparison of how these dialects might be stylized:

English: Good day. My name is Carlyle. I come from Cape Town. Suiwer Afrikaans: Goeie dag. My naam is Carlyle. Ek kom van Kaapstad af. Unofficial Dialect: Goeie dag. My naam is Carlyle. Ek koiuml; vaniuml;ie Kaap af.

Many people, including Cape Coloureds, criticize the unofficial dialect for being less elegant than its official counterpart. However, it is imperative in that it conveys its message with ease and efficiency due to its numerous artificial contractions. My favorite aspect of the unofficial dialect is that when speakers do not know a word in Afrikaans, they easily use English words in the accent of the unofficial dialect. It is aptly named "Mengels," a combination of the word "mix" and the term "English."

This linguistic richness and diversity make Cape Town a fascinating place to explore, whether you are a scholar of languages or simply a traveler eager to experience the local culture.