Open Access

Simon Pröll, Thilo Weber

• Besides English, Afrikaans is considered “the [Germanic] language which deviates grammatically the farthest from the others” (Harbert 2007: 17). But how exactly do we measure “grammatical deviation”, and how deviant is Afrikaans really if we compare it not just to other standard languages but also to non-standard varieties? The present contribution aims to address those questions combining functional-typological and dialectometric perspectives. We first select data for 28 Germanic varieties showing vastly different speaker numbers, grades of standardisation and amounts of language contact. Based on 48 (micro)typological variables from syntax, morphology and phonology, we perform cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling and present ways of visualizing and interpreting the results. Inter alia, the analyses show a major divide between Continental West Germanic and North Germanic (as might be expected) and they also identify a number of outliers, including English and pidgin and creole languages such as Russenorsk or Rabaul Creole German. Afrikaans appears to cluster with the other West Germanic languages rather than the outliers. Within West Germanic, however, it does indeed emerge as rather deviant and, according to our metric, it is, for example, typologically closer to other high-contact varieties such as Yiddish than it is to Dutch.
• Afgesien van Engels, word Afrikaans beskou as "the [Germanic] language which deviates grammatically the farthest from the others" (Harbert 2007: 17). Maar hoe kan ons "grammatikale afwyking" meet, en hoe afwykend is Afrikaans werklik as ons dit ook met niestandaardvariëteite vergelyk (nie net met ander standaardtale nie)? Hierdie artikel poog om daardie vrae aan te spreek met behulp van funksioneel-tipologiese en dialektometriese perspektiewe te kombineer. Ons kies eers data vir 28 Germaanse variëteite wat baie verskillende sprekergetalle, grade van standaardisering en hoeveelhede taalkontak toon. Gebaseer op 48 (mikro)tipologiese sintaksiese, morfologiese en fonologiese veranderlikes voer ons trosanalise en multidimensionele skalering uit en wys maniere om die resultate te visualiseer en te interpreteer. Die ontledings toon onder meer 'n groot skeiding tussen Kontinentale Wes-Germaans en Noord-Germaans (soos verwag kan word) en dit identifiseer ook 'n aantal uitskieters, insluitend Engels en pidgin en kreoolse tale soos Russenorsk of Rabaul Kreools Duits. Afrikaans groepeer blykbaar met die ander Wes-Germaanse tale, nie met die uitskieters nie. Maar binne Wes-Germaans kom dit inderdaad as taamlik afwykend na vore. Volgens ons metriek is Afrikaans byvoorbeeld tipologies nader aan ander hoëkontakvariëteite soos Jiddisj as wat dit aan Nederlands is.