Afrikaans for kids in Australia

[chatterbug]

HI NZ High thanx for the input!

I must say I have had great inputs from most in terms of the pro's of keeping the bi or multi lingual efforts up but not really anything from those who have decided to switch to Eng only. I must say I am a bit perplexed by this, since most Afr ppl I meet over here in Aus have children that mostly talk English to their (other-kids-of-Afr-speaking-family) buddies. I wish I could hear their arguments!

Anyway we have a little one on the way and I will teach them Afr because it is what we talk at home, then later we'll have to introduce English. I must say this would not be any different than what we would have done in SA but, I must say it is worrying to me that my kid just after they first start talking and for a while thereafter, might struggle to play/talk to/and understand other kiddies esp if they were having to go to daycare, play with other English kids etc. In SA at least if they were in a daycare they would easily be understood and have at least some Afr buddies. What if they get lost e.g. in a shopping centre (as kids sometimes do) and nobody could understand them?? Hence me wanting to hear some of the arguments for the Eng - 1st and then Afr - 2nd or maybe argument.

Also where are those Afr people who had/or will have their kids born here (in Aus) - What did/will you do? and how have you/will you approached it??

cheers

C'bug

[LeonF]

Hi Cbug

Well our baby is turning one in a couple of weeks time (can't believe a year has passed already). He was born in Oz but has a seven year old brother born in Southern Africa. We speak only Afrikaans at home, the seven year old picked up English from friends, from TV, radio etc when we were still in Namibia. He spoke it reasonably well when we moved here and had no problems adapting.

As for the baby, we have decided to talk Afrikaans to him and let him pick up English from the environment like his brother did. That way we give him the choice of speaking it one day. If he does not want to. Well that will be his decision at least we empowered him to make the decision.

One interesting argument I have heard from fellow Afrikaners who have followed the same strategy is that the children pick up the Ozzie accent, which helps with fitting in at school. They claimed that if they spoke English to their children that they may have retained the RSA accent. Not sure about that one but thought I would throw it in.

Cheers

Leon

[chatterbug]

Right on LeonF, thanx for sharing, I read on the other thread re "help for Maths"- about an idea (Riekie and Massyn) to have Afr classes for kids or at least have opportunities for them to interact in Afr! I think this is an cool idea which could at least help with the language thing too, i.e. if they had mates that spoke Afr (together with parents speaking it), it might help with them keeping it up too. What do you think about this?

cheers C'bug

[Guest Seoul Sister]

Hi guys,

Hope you don't mind me jumping in, in the middle of your conversation.

One interesting argument I have heard from fellow Afrikaners who have followed the same strategy is that the children pick up the Ozzie accent, which helps with fitting in at school. They claimed that if they spoke English to their children that they may have retained the RSA accent. Not sure about that one but thought I would throw it in.

Yip, these parents are right, an accent will help you fit in much easier. If a child is still small, an accent can be picked up within a couple of weeks, while vocab takes longer. The child will benefit A LOT from learning English from an Aussie, as he will learn the Aussie lingo/vocab from the beginning.

Chatterbug, you have asked some very interesting questions, I hope someone gets back to you on them !

I agree fully with the idea of creating an Afrikaans mingle group for kids (or even a playgroup). I think we should look into it more seriously.

I have often thought of creating an ESL kindergarten in Syds, when we arrive. To give kids the opportunity to gradually adapt from Afrikaans/Dutch to English. You could do this by firstly allowing them to only speak their home language, repeating their questions in English and then answering in Afrikaans/ Dutch and then gradually allowing less Afrikaans/Dutch until they can help themselves in English. A kiddie English bootcamp if you will.. The whole process for children under 6 should take about 3 months (depending on the size of the group).

What do you think of that idea ?

Love from here

SS

[chatterbug]

Hi SS

Excellent idea! I think you'd be good with something like this. I think its your DESTINY SS! What the heck is an "ESL" though? Now we need that and the playgroup thing not only in Sydney but up here too!! damn!

What about a technology solution, where are al those techno wiz kids out there. SS do you not happen to know something about computers?? huh?? hehe!

I think we need more resources/support/playgroups/kindergartens etc. - I'm sure this could be quite a good business/job opportunity for someone in Aus, who have the skills, qualifications and background to do this! Maybe there are these types of things already available! Anyway I think there is a need for a relevant and contemporary way to teach kids Afr in Oz. I mean what will "hoe ry die boere sit sit so", "Ai ai die witbors kraai" and "Aanstap rooies" mean to any Aussie Afr kid.

Even some of the Afr resources (like kidies books) from SA has a very African context; Nothing wrong with that but it loses some relevance to younsters over here - what about telling/writing stories about kangaroo's, wombats etc and some of the Aussie "folklore" in AFR???

Put that in your pipe and smoke it

Cheers

Taalstryder C'bug hehe!

[Guest Seoul Sister]

Hi there

Excellent idea! I think you'd be good with something like this. I think its your DESTINY SS! What the heck is an "ESL" though? Now we need that and the playgroup thing not only in Sydney but up here too!! damn!

Thanks for the enthusiasm !! I quickly lost mine when I saw the PILES and PILES of red tape it would take to get this idea of mine off the ground. (Assuming I do it legally and officially of course )

Sorry about that, ESL - English Second Language. You also get EFL - English Foreign Language.

Maybe you just need to move to Sydney !! Then you can have little bubby in my very legal Afrikaans-r-us kindergarten. How's that for a plan ?

Anyway I think there is a need for a relevant and contemporary way to teach kids Afr in Oz. I mean what will "hoe ry die boere sit sit so", "Ai ai die witbors kraai" and "Aanstap rooies" mean to any Aussie Afr kid.

Even some of the Afr resources (like kidies books) from SA has a very African context; Nothing wrong with that but it loses some relevance to younsters over here - what about telling/writing stories about kangaroo's, wombats etc and some of the Aussie "folklore" in AFR???

To be honest those ry die boere kind of afrikaans things never really made sense to me either growing up.. So you definitely have a point there. BUT your best suggestion of the day has to be the relevant Afrikaans books for kids in Oz idea !! Stroke of brilliance my friend !! And I was just telling Caroline earlier in the week that I have made an unexpected friend in an Ozzie here in Seoul who owns a Publishing house and supplies Korea with English educational materials... Hmmmmm, , are you thinking what I'm thinking... (??)

I'm off to bed.

Talk soon.

Love from here

SS

[chatterbug]

Hey SS

Looks like we need to get that "boer maak a plan" thing happening and less of the "sit sit so". I like your work!

Nope to the Sydney thing for me, part of the reason for immigration was not to end up in the same lemming thing! It is seductive sometimes but I am resolute. I'll support the QLD chapter of the AFR - R - us idea thing!

Bring it on!

Chat later - off to kiep too!

C'bug

[Guest Seoul Sister]

Hey SS

Looks like we need to get that "boer maak a plan" thing happening and less of the "sit sit so". I like your work!

Nope to the Sydney thing for me, part of the reason for immigration was not to end up in the same lemming thing! It is seductive sometimes but I am resolute. I'll support the QLD chapter of the AFR - R - us idea thing!

Bring it on!

Chat later - off to kiep too!

C'bug

Hey,

I liked the boer maak 'n plan vs. sit sit so bit ! Hehehehehe. You are right ! We need to jump into action. Things will have to hang 10 'til I am in Oz tho', to check things out a bit closer...

Cool, thanks for your support on the QLD chapter, (the Ozzie friend is also in Brisbane and has been turning on the pressure for us to rather move there..) I can understand your lemming thoughts, that's probably why I am not writing to you from London ! Nothing wrong with doing something out of principle.

Bring it on ! I like that attitude. I see there is no South African nor Afrikaans playgroup registered with the authorities in Syds. I actually find that a bit shocking considering the number of potential maatjies we are talking about...

See ya

Love

SS

[LeonF]

what about telling/writing stories about kangaroo's, wombats etc and some of the Aussie "folklore" in AFR???

Now there is an idea!

[chatterbug]

Hi All,

I got an email from friends of ours that are Afr speaking (husband and wife) and had both their kids born in Aus.

They decided to teach their eldest Afr at home, because they reckoned she would pick up english at school eventually. Since they are both Afr speaking this was quite an obvious way to go. Well things didn't work out quite like that. For her 1st 2 years she spoke only Afr. At her creche they were accommodating of this and they made quite a fuss of "respecting" her choice of 1st language. So everthing seemed to go according to plan. Until one day, out of the blue she just started talking English with her parents and before they could help it they started talking English back to her. Now a couple of years later she is totally English speaking and she can't really understand much Afr anymore. So much for their best laid plans.

Although she is still quite interested in Afr she mainly talks english to her parents and they talk english back to her.

I guess this one proves the point that SS was making regarding the primary care giver as the determining factor in choice of language. This also however gave me an alternative viewpoint/experience, and I guess a snapshot of the very real issues involved and the pressures on parents who are trying to cope with the daily demands of life and trying to "educate" their children in Afr.

Cheers

C'bug

Edited April 28, 2006 by chatterbug

[Riekie]

Your kids will thank you one day for opening a door to Germanic Languages, which they may otherwise have struggled with.

I must agree. My daughter is learning Dutch at school and while the other kids struggle a lot with grasping it, for my daughter it's a breeze! They even tell her it is unfair because it is easier for her being Afrikaans.

Also where are those Afr people who had/or will have their kids born here (in Aus) - What did/will you do? and how have you/will you approached it??

My brother's son was about 2 years old when they moved to Aus. He could only speak Afrikaans and for the first 3 months or so, his kindergarten offered the services of an Afrikaans speaking aide to assist him with understanding. After 3 months, he could understand and speak English on the same level as his English born friends. At home, they continued to only speak Afrikaans to him and today he is fully bilingual. He is now in Year K and has absolutely no problems with English.

His little brother was born in Aus and his parents only spoke Afrikaans to him at home as well. He attends a playgroup some mornings, where he was introduced to English. Today, at just over 2 years old, he is fully bilingual and speaks English on the same level as his little friends.

I've read (somewhere, long ago) that the best age at which to teach a child a 2nd language is at 2 to 3 years, so it's not really supposed to be confusing for them. My children are older (12 & 19) and I speak Afrikaans to them. At school & TAFE or when they are with their friends they speak English. My daughter sometimes "forget" she's talking to me and will speak English, which is not a problem for me as the conversation soon "naturally" turns to Afrikaans. When I help her with her homework, I do it in English for obvious reasons. After 12 years growing up in an Afrikaans home, attending an Afrikaans school, it did not take her long to fully adjust to English - the same for my son.

Hope this helps?....

[chatterbug]

Thanks Riekie for your contribution, that's great!

C'bug

[Annie]

Seoul Sister, thanks for the VERY interesting information. I wonder what you'll think of our experience? My husband is English speaking and I'm Afrikaans. We initially spoke Afrikaans to my son. When he was about 30 months old, we started to teach him English. By the time we came to Australia, just before his 4th birthday, he was almost fully bilingual and he spoke English to his dad and Afrikaans to me. We prepared him very thoroughly for the move to Australia, as recommended by our Psychologist friend. We arrived in Australia late at night. When we woke up the next morning, and I spoke Afrikaans to him as always, he said: "Mom, we are in Australia now. Why are you still speaking that South African language? We should speak Australian". The stubborn little devil never spoke another word of Afrikaans, except years later, to tease his visiting Afrikaans speaking cousins. He still understands Afrikaans perfectly, at 12 years old (I still often speak Afrikaans)

I seldom tell people about this, because I can see by their expressions that they don't believe me. A few weeks ago, I met a German couple, who had an identical experience with their 4 year old son when they came to Australia.

[Guest Seoul Sister]

Hi Annie,

Very interesting ! And I suspect the answer lies in the following :

We prepared him very thoroughly for the move to Australia, as recommended by our Psychologist friend.

The fact that he stopped speaking Afrikaans the moment he set foot on Australian soil is not linguistic, it's psycholinguistic.

From your explanation I assume that :

- Your little guy was aware at some level, that care, preparation and thought was put into your move

- Part of the preparation included consciously introducing a second language, with more emphasize than had been done in the past

* It doesn't matter how severe or slight the change in emphasize was, he would have noticed it, even if only subconsciously *

- A connection was made for him between the new language and the move

- In an attempt to please you, he gave you the results he perceived you wanted/ or the results he thought he needed to survive

Children of that age do not have opinions of their own, on language. Their opinions are a direct reflection of what they hear/perceive from us :

- You might have openly made statements like once we are in Australia, you won't be able to speak Afrikaans anymore my angel, or let's try that in English so that ppl in Australia will understand you, which would have shaped his perception of Afrikaans vs English as well as what was expected of him with regard to speaking the two. He might have picked up on an attitude of English being the positive/wanted language (which makes perfect sense, as at that time, you would have wanted him to be positive about English, which you had decided to teach him in preparation)

- There might have been a bit of tension with regard to language, what the best way of preparing him linguistically would be, you might have worried whether he would pick it up soon enough, whether you are doing the right thing switching over, etc and he could have picked up on the fact that speaking Afrikaans causes stress when related to the subject of moving/ going to Australia/going away.

- Often when we see such a severe change in language some form of survival instinct is underlying. Your son might have had the perception that speaking English is key to his survival. He could have gotten this idea from overt comments like : If you speak Afrikaans nobody in Australia will understand you, or from comments you made amongst yourselves when you thought he wasn’t listening.

Even tho' his reaction is severe, it is very possible. It is a direct reflection of what he thought you were expecting of him. Whether you were in fact expecting this of him, was irrelevant to him at the time. The words he spoke when he said We shouldn't be speaking the South African language anymore, but rather Australian, he would have heard directly from someone important to him; you, your husband, your parents, an aunt, uncle, etc.

Wow, that is very interesting, thanks for sharing that ! I'm glad he still understands it, would be fantastic if you could introduce some German to him, if he is interested, as he is at the best age he will ever be for getting the accent perfect !! (Just a thought !! )

If ppl don't believe your story, tell them a linguist verified it, and said it's as result of your son being an over-achiever !!

Thanks again

Love from here

SS

[Annie]

'Seoul Sister' date='Jun 9 2006

Thank you very much for this very interesting reply! You give us a very logical and plausible explanation. Will definitely encourage my son to take an interest in German. He learns French at school, and goes to French websites for a bit of practice. I think he'll be surprised how much German he will be able to understand when he visits German websites.

[Guest Seoul Sister]

Hey again.

Ja, it's all very interesting, don't you think ?

If your son is doing French already and enjoying it enough to do something out of school (like visiting websites for practice) he might really enjoy a club like the Alliance Française. ( AF website - Sydney). Ppl are going to start thinking I get commission on this club or something, , I don't, I just think it is a really good idea for promoting French language and culture. Personally, I would much rather have my child learning French than German, as French is one of the world languages. So if he is already into it, I would motivate him to keep going !!

You can also motive him by looking at the similarities with Afrikaans and English. Afrikaans gets the double negative from French :

Je ne sais pas pourquoi - Ek weet nie waarom nie

While French and English share a large vocabulary from the days when the English were under French rule and French was considered the language of the elite in England. Or maybe you could look at some of the French traditions and holidays they celebrate...

Good luck, hope he remains enthusiastic about French !!

Love

SS

[ExASP]

Aha...Question...how many of the forum readers kids are learning an Aboriginal language? My kids are learning Arrente at school and I am amazed at how quickly they learnt some of the words and phrases...they are fully bilingual at this stage and my husband and I speak only Afrikaans to them exc ept of course when they have friends around.

[Guest Sunshine Sister]

Hi there,

I read an article this morning and thought back to this discussion. This might be another relevant consideration for Afrikaans parents in Australia (or elsewhere outside of SA).

Those who speak two languages put in extra effort than those speaking only one language. This extra effort apparently boosts blood supply to the brain and ensures that nerve connections remain healthy - two factors thought to help fight off dementia, reported the online edition of New Scientist.

Click here for the article.

Love

SS

[Suidwes]

Hi Sunshine sister!

Ek het hierdie hele topic oor Afrikaans met baie belangstelling en trane in my oë gelees.

Toe ons in 2004 in Aus geland het was my dogtertjie 2 jr en 2 maande en nog nie heeltemal vlot in Afr nie. Sy is 'n baie sosiale kind en het vreeslik swaar gekry aan die begin toe nie een van die maatjies haar verstaan nie en sommige het selfs gesê " we don't want to play with you because you talk funny". Gelukkig het kon sy DIT nie verstaan nie maar ek het en saam met heimwee en al die ander immigrasie probleme het dit my baie ontstel. Sooo toe stel my pa voor dat ek met haar by die huis maak soos jy voorgestel het in een van die vorige replies dat alles in Engels herhaal word. Naderhand het ons alhoe meer begin Engels gepraat... En een ding het tot 'n ander gelei en nou is sy volledig Engels, verstaan Afrikaans, MAAR praat dit nie!!

Tussen deur het sy begin hakkel en ek het natuurlik dadelik gedink en gevoel ek het dit veroorsaak met my ( as ma) engels pratery terwyl sy nog nie eers Afr onder die knie gehad het nie en die emosionele druk wat met die immigrasie gepaard gaan. (Dit hakkel is nou onder beheer en besig om te verdwyn)

Ek wil vreeslik graag hê sy moet vlot Afr. kan praat maar wil dit ook nou nie afdwing nie... Sooo my vraag aan jou. Hoe gaan ek dit reg kry?

Suidwes

Ns. Ek stel ook baie in tale belang. Ek was na skool in Duitsland as au-pair en het in ↑±6maande Duits leer praat (nie duits op skool gehad nie). Nou verstaan ek , na jou verduideliking oor fonetiese klank ens, hoekom dit vir my so maklik was.

[LeonF]

Suidwes

Ek is gewis nie 'n kenner op die gebied nie maar ons is in dieselfde bootjie as julle. Ons het twee kinders, een was vyf toe ons hier aangekom het en was op daardie stadium redelik tweetalig. Die ander een (20 maande) is hier gebore.

Ons het lank geworstel oor watter taal ons met die kleintjie moet praat en op die volgende besluit.

Ons benadering is eenvouding. Ons praat die moedertaal (Afrikaans) by die huis en die gemeenskap taal is Engels. So op hierdie stadium praat ons slegs Afrikaans met die kleintjie terwyl die res van die gemeenskap (met die uitsondering van 'n paar Afrikaanse vriende!) Engels praat met hom.

Alles wat ek nog gelees het oor die onderwerp dui aan dat die gemeenskap taal vinnig dominant sal word. Ons sien dit alreeds met die oudste een. Indien 'n mens die moedertaal enigsins wil behou stel hulle voor dat 'n mens dit sterk moet "druk" in die eerste paar jare.

Baie mense wil weet hoekom ons die Afrikaans wil behou, ons is dan nou in Australia? Ek persoonlik dink die antwoord is eenvoudig.

1. Daar is duidelik getuines wat daar op dui dat meertaaligheid voordelig is vir die kind se ontwikkeling.

2. As iemand wat tweetalig groot geword het vind ek dit vreemd dat mense hulle (of hulle kinders) tot slegs een taal sal beperk !

3. Laastens sal ek die keuse of die kinders wil Afrikaans praat aan hulle oorlaat, hulle sal egter nie bemagtig wees om daai besluit te neem as ek dit nie eers vir hulle leer nie.

Sal jou oor 'n paar jaar laat weet hoe dit gaan!

Groetnis

Leon

[Tania]

Hi Almal!

Sjoe, maar al die posts is BAIE interessant, dankie vir almal se "input"!

Aangesien ons oppad Oz toe is, het ek besluit om my dogterjie in 'n Eng skool hierdie jaar te sit, met die gedagte om dit vir haar bietjie makliker te maak as ons daar aanland, sy is nou in graad 0 en kon tot 3mnde terug rerig nie Eng. praat of verstaan nie.

Ek het van Nov 2006 haar na 'n spraakterapeut geneem en interessant vir my was dat sy gesê het ons begin eers net met 'n klein woordeskat, soos "she sit, she plays, she reads etc." - ek skat dit was so 15 eenvoudige begrippe in totaal en dan.. sodra Naomi dit ken, begin ons woorde bysit en dan sal sy die res van die woordeskat BAIE makliker byvoeg. Die s/terapeut sê dat as jy eers net 'n basis lê, dat dit vir hul breintjies baie makliker is om nuwe terme by te sit.

Julle, ek was maar skepties, want daardie eerste lot basiese woordjies het sy aanvanklik gesukkel om te onthou, maar toe sy dit eers het, toe is sy soos 'n spons! Jy herhaal 'n woordjie nou 2x en dan onthou sy dit en verstaan dit. Sy het nou Jan 2007 met die Eng skool begin en sy is so amazing, sy praat die taal miskien nog nie so duidelik nie, maar sy verstaan ongelooflik baie en dit na TWEE maande! Ek kon dus duidelik die vordering met my eie kind sien!!

Die eerste dag toe ek haar Eng skool toe vat, wou my hart breek, dit is rerig nogals oorweldigend as jy sien hoe 'n juf of maatjie met jou kind praat en jy sien sy verstaan nie wat die juf sê nie, maar kinders is so gewillig om te waag. Die 2de dag van skool moes hul in Engels natuurlik iets van hulself vertel, die juf het vir my dogtertjie gese sy kan dit maar in Afr doen as sy wil, maar nee, sy het deur gedruk en skrom en skeef in Eng voortgegaan.

Ek is beslis 'n voorstander dat dit 'n kind net goed kan doen om verskillende tale te leer, jy verryk sy lewe ongelooflik baie! Viva!!

Groete

Tania

[scorpio-tania]

Hello to anyone reading this...

I did a search on Yahoo for "teaching Afrikaans" and came across this site! How wonderful! This is my problem. I would like to arrange an Afrikaans tutor for my kids, but have no idea how to find one. I grew up in Swellendam in a very Afrikaans family, but left SA in 1995. Travelled Europe for a while, met an Irish man and married him. We lived in London for a couple of years, but Sydney AUS has been our home since Dec 2000. I have 2 boys (5 & 3yrs old) - my little guy had his first day of big school today (me, not him). I would love to teach them Afrikaans myself, but it's really hard seeing as I'm the only one in the household who speaks it. But my parents are very Afrikaans and I would love it if my boys could communicate better with Ouma & Oupa!

And I will admit that I love the language! So, anyone out there who knows of an Afrikaans tutor? And/or play group. I would love to meet some Afrikaans families. I sometimes get the feeling that the Afrikaners in Sydney are a little bit ashamed to speak the language?? Or maybe most of you are hanging out in Perth!

Greetings! Can't wait for a reply...

Tania

PS. As much as I love speaking Afrikaans, I don't often get the chance anymore and I'm a little bit ashamed to admit that I actually have an Irish accent I picked up while living over there.

[Oubossies]

Ek en ML het besluit om een Engels (hy want hy is Engels) en ek Afrikaans met die kinders praat. Dus as hy met hulle praat, praat hy net Engels en suiwer Engels. Ek weer net Afrikaans. Ons het met 'n Arbeidsterapeut gepraat en sy sê solank die een wat Afrikaans praat dit suiwer hou en so ook die een wat Engels praat. Ons kind is meer Afrikaans as Engels maar verstaan Engels perfek al antwoord sy nie altyd in Engels nie. Sy praat tog sommige woorde in Engels.

Suidwes, hoekom praat een nie Afrikaans en die ander een engels met julle dogter nie.

[Riekie]

I sometimes get the feeling that the Afrikaners in Sydney are a little bit ashamed to speak the language??

Jy hang dan beslis met die verkeerde mense uit - kom koek en koffie volgende keer saam met ons klomp, ons kuier die dak af in Afrikaans!!!

[RobynHat]

Hi!

I know this thread is a bit old, but I came across it as I was searching for some info on play groups and thought I'd add my experience as you might find it interesting and perhaps it might give you hope that Afrikaans can continue to be spoken here in Australia.

I am not South African. I'm Aussie born and bred, so were my parents, and grandparents etc... About the only connection I can find in my family is that some of my ancestors may have fought against the Afrikaners in the Boer War... But I am married to an Afrikaner and have learnt to speak his language. Ja, ek kan dit ook skryf en het een keer die Afrikaanse Taalmonument toe gegaan! :-) My mother-in-law considers me to be fluent as I can quite freely converse with any Afrikaner, although I am aware of large gaps in my vocabulary. My husband himself is astounded at how well I have learnt the language. When he first began teaching me he thought it was just a bit of a game and a few words and phases would be all that I would acquire (he didn't know me so well then... I can be quite determined). Now we have our first baby, a little girl who is almost 5 months and we are raising her bilingual. Albert and I speak either Afrikaans or English to each other whenever and wherever we like and see no reason to do differently with our children. It is after all part of their heritage and they have a right to learn it.

I might add that Albert has an older brother (also in Australia) who now has three daughters. he never speaks Afrikaans with them and only the other day the eldest, who is now 4, asked him what the 'funny words' are that he was speaking to Albert with... Their is talk of Albert's grandmother coming to visit next year and as she lived most of her life on a remote farm, she does not speak any English... Should be interesting to see how the different great grandchildren relate to her as she won't be able to talk to 3 of them! As far as I can tell the reason why Albert's brother won't teach his girls Afrikaans is that he thinks it's not a very useful language as it is really only spoken in South Africa, so what would be the point... I think though that he is also ashamed of his language and background as he won't tell anyone that he is an Afrikaner and he now claims that he considers himself to be an Australian and nothing else... I think too there is also the issue with his wife who doesn't like the family to speak Afrikaans much around her. She was raised bilingual... German and English... but she says she hated it as she always felt so different to the other children... she doesn't want the same for her children. It's a shame... will be interesting to see how it all works out... I know we have a hard job ahead of us trying to teach our daughter Afrikaans here in Australia with so few resources but really, I don't think I have the right to deny her such knowledge...

Anyway, thought you might like the perspective of an Aussie who values your language.

Robyn