Afrikaans Genealogical Word List: Difference between revisions

This list contains Afrikaans words with their English translations. The words included here are those that you are likely to find in genealogical sources. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Afrikaans-English dictionary. Afrikaans is a Germanic language derived from several European languages, primarily Dutch. Many of the words resemble Dutch, Flemish, and German words. Consequently, the German Genealogical Word List (34067) and Dutch Genealogical Word List (31030) may also be useful to you. Some Afrikaans records contain Latin words. See the [[Latin Genealogical Word List]]. Afrikaans is spoken in South Africa and Namibia and by many families who live in other countries in eastern and southern Africa, especially in Zimbabwe. Most early South African records are written in Dutch, while a smaller number are written in French and German. After 1795 many were written in English. Afrikaans did not become an official language until 1925. Afrikaans and English are now the official languages of South Africa. Seventeen official African languages are also spoken.

In Afrikaans, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom and marry— marries—married are examples of words in English with variant forms. This word list gives the standard form of each Afrikaans word. As you read Afrikaans records, you will need to be aware that some words vary with usage.

The endings of words in a document also may differ from what you find in this list. For example, the suffix -es is added to words to indicate a feminine form of the word. In Afrikaans, which incorporates many elements of Dutch and German, some words are formed by joining two or more words together. Very few of these compound words are included in this list. You will need to look up each part of the word separately.For example, Geboortedag is a combination of two words, Geboorte (birth) and Dag (day).

Written Afrikaans uses a basic English alphabet order. Most Afrikaans dictionaries and indexes as well as the Family History Library Catalog use the following alphabetical order:

In Afrikaans indexes of surnames or of places, it is important to note that prefixes such as van der, de, or ter, and so forth are considered in alphabetization.For example, De Wetsdorp would come before van de Merwe or v/d Merwe.

Spelling rules were not standardized in earlier centuries. Words were written as they sounded. The following letters could be interchanged:

p used for b y used for i or j

This word list includes only the words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Afrikaans-English dictionary. At the Family History Library, you can find these dictionaries in the AFR./MIDEAST collection. The call numbers begin with 439.36321. You can also find them by looking in the Family History Library Catalog.

In the Locality Search, look under SOUTH AFRICA - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES.

To find and use specific types of Afrikaans records, you will need to know some key words in Afrikaans. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the Afrikaans words with the same or similar meanings. For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Afrikaans words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in Afrikaans records to indicate marriage.

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This general word list includes words commonly seen in genealogical sources. Numbers, months, and days of the week are listed both here and in separate sections that follow this list. In this list, optional versions of Afrikaans words or variable endings (such as some plural or feminine endings), are given in parentheses. Parentheses in the English column clarify the definition.

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In early Afrikaans records and in records kept in Dutch or German, dates were often spelled out. For example:

To understand Afrikaans dates, use the following lists as well as the preceding “Numbers” section.

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Afrikaans (and German- and Dutch-language) birth and death records often indicated the exact time of day when the birth or death occurred. This is usually written out.

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[[Category:South_Africa]]