| Summary: | This study is an attempt at consolidating in a single source the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans since 1652, as well as the various perspectives on the origins of Afrikaans put forward from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. As a consequence of sociopolitical circumstances in South Africa, the various role-players involved in the origins and development of Afrikaans have not all been adequately taken account of in the description of the history of the Afrikaans language. This has contributed to the prevalence of inaccurate perceptions about the origins of Afrikaans. Amongst others, these misperceptions have let to the teaching of the history of Afrikaanspredominantly focusing on the (white) historical Eastern variety and on standard Afrikaans, minimising the existence of any possible Creole influences on the language. For purposes of this study, the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans since 1652 was rewritten in order to take account of the influence of all the role players (the Europeans from the West, the indigenous Koina from Africa, and the slaves brought from Asia) on the origins and development of Afrikaans. A further aim of this rewriting was to evaluate and consolidate, chronologically, the approximately 40 perspectives on the origins of Afrikaans against the background of the socio-political milieu within which these perspectives developed. Some aspects of this rewritten history of Afrikaans were taught by means of a series of lessons to learners in regions representative of areas where sub-varieties of the three historical Afrikaans varieties are spoken and heard. The aim was to determine whether series of lessons, similar to the one used in this study, could be regarded (and recommended) as an appropriate presentation method to disseminate the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans among the school-going youth. Knowledge of and insight in the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans may contribute to the process of reconciliation in South Africa, because this history suggests that Afrikaans is the collective creation of Afrikaans-speaking citizens' ancestors: Europeans from the West, indigenous Koina from Africa, and slaves brought from the East. === Thesis (Ph.D. (Afrikaans en Nederlands)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.
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