grammatical constraints and motivations for - University of the ...

also instances in which they do not, and in which switching should not be an
option.
1.7 Pronunciation Differences between Standard Afrikaans and
Kaapse Afrikaans
One of the main differences between Standard Afrikaans and Kaapse Afrikaans
lies in pronunciation. As is the case with standard and non-standard linguistic
varieties, the latter is usually not a written language and therefore differences
between the two varieties emerge in the pronunciation of words.
With Kaapse Afrikaans, phonemes are often shortened. This results in a change
in vowel quality. For example, where Standard Afrikaans uses a diphthong,
Kaapse Afrikaans uses a monophthong. A typical example is the Afrikaans verb,
‘weet’, which is pronounced [VIət] in Standard Afrikaans, but [VIt] in Kaapse
Afrikaans.
Kaapse Afrikaans, being the informal, colloquial variety, also displays elision as
phonemes are often omitted. Elision often occurs when using the verb ‘to be’,
the Afrikaans equivalent being ‘is’. In standard Afrikaans this is pronounced [əs],
but in Kaapse Afrikaans, the phoneme [s] is simply attached to the end of the
word preceding it. Typical examples are:
10. Daar is (Standard Afrikaans)
Daar’s (Kaapse Afrikaans)
11. Sy is (Standard Afrikaans)
Sy’s (Kaapse Afrikaans)
12. Hy is (Standard Afrikaans)
Hy’s (Kaapse Afrikaans)
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