Standaardafrikaans: daar's 'n vlieg in die salf / Standard Afrikaans: there is a fly in the ointment

Abstract

This article discusses the central question as to whether a term such as 'Oosgrensafrikaans' (Eastern Cape Afrikaans) interpreted in terms of how it is defined in the relevant literature truly reflects the linguistic reality of the time. Can the hypothesis that Afrikaans was standardised on the basis of Eastern Cape Afrikaans - without taking account of the Afrikaans of the inhabitants elsewhere in the Cape Colony at the time - be empirically underpinned?