Obelisks of the Language Monument in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa.

Plaque showing two quotes from Afrikaans poets

The path leading up to the monument.

The Afrikaans Language Monument (Afrikaans: Afrikaanse Taalmonument) is located on a hill overlooking Paarl, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Completed in 1975, it commemorates the semicentenary of Afrikaans being declared an official language of South Africa separate from Dutch. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (960x1280, 121 KB) Obelisks of the Afrikaans Language Monument, near Paarl, South Africa. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (960x1280, 121 KB) Obelisks of the Afrikaans Language Monument, near Paarl, South Africa. ... Paarl Rock Paarl (meaning Pearl in Dutch and Perel in Afrikaans) is the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after Cape Town and Stellenbosch) and forms part of the Western Cape Province. ... The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (912x858, 314 KB) Enscription on a plaque in front of the Afrikaans Language Monument, near Paarl, South Africa. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (912x858, 314 KB) Enscription on a plaque in front of the Afrikaans Language Monument, near Paarl, South Africa. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 292 KB) Slogan in front of the Afrikaans Language Monument, near Paarl, South Africa. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 292 KB) Slogan in front of the Afrikaans Language Monument, near Paarl, South Africa. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. ... Paarl Rock Paarl (meaning Pearl in Dutch and Perel in Afrikaans) is the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after Cape Town and Stellenbosch) and forms part of the Western Cape Province. ... Capital Cape Town Largest city Cape Town Premier Ebrahim Rasool Area - Total Ranked 4th 129,370 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 5th 4,524,335 35/km² Languages Afrikaans (55. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

Structure

The monument consists of various tapering structures of a convex and concave nature, symbolising influences of different languages and cultures on Afrikaans itself, as well as political developments in South Africa, as follows: In mathematics, an object is convex if for any pair of points within the object, any point on the straight line segment that joins them is also within the object. ... In geometry, concavity is a property of certain geometric figures, and in calculus, a property of certain graphs of functions. ...

• Clear West - the European heritage of the language
  
• Magical Africa - the African influences on the language
  
• Bridge - between Europe and Africa
  
• Afrikaans - the language itself
  
• Republic - declared in 1961
  
• Malay language and culture
  

World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The Malay language, also known locally as Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who reside in the Malay peninsula, southern Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, and parts of the coast of Borneo. ...

Plaque Inscriptions

On a large plaque at the entrance, two quotes from prominent Afrikaans poets are enscribed: The word plaque or placque may mean: Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: plaque, placque Dental plaque, a yellowish film that builds up on the teeth Atheromatous plaque, a buildup of fatty deposits within the wall of a blood vessel Mucoid plaque, a supposed thick coating of plaque in...

• Afrikaans is die taal wat vir Wes-Europa en Afrika verbind... Dit vorm 'n brug tussen die groot helder Weste en die magiese Afrika... En wat daar groots aan hulle vereniging kan ontspruit – dit is miskien wat vir Afrikaans voorlê om te ontdek. Maar wat ons nooit moet vergeet nie, is dat hierdie verandering van land en landskap as't ware aan die nuwe wordende taal geslyp, geknee, gebrei het... En so het Afrikaans in staat geword om hierdie nuwe land uit te sê... Ons taak lê in die gebruik wat ons maak en sal maak van hierdie glansende werktuig... -- N.P. van Wyk Louw

"Afrikaans is the language that connects Western Europe and Africa... It forms a bridge between the large, shining West and the magical Africa... And what great things may come from their union – that is maybe what lies ahead for Afrikaans to discover. But what we must never forget, is that this change of country and landscape sharpened, kneaded and knitted this newly-becoming language... And so Afrikaans became able to speak out from this new land... Our task lies in the use that we make and will make of this gleaming vehicle..."

• As ons nou hier in die saal af 'n ry pale sou plant, tien pale, om die laaste tien jaar voor te stel, en aan elke paal 'n merk sou maak op 'n hoogte van die vloer af ooreenkomende met die betreklike skryfgebruik van Afrikaans in die respektiewe jaartal, en 'n streep deur die merke trek van die eerste af hier naby die vloer tot by die laaste daar anderkant teen die solder, dan sou die streep 'n snelstygende boog beskryf, nie net vinnig opgaande nie, maar opgaande na 'n vinnig vermeerderende rede. Laat ons nou in ons verbeelding die boog verleng vir die tien komende jare van nou af. Sien u menere waar die punt sal wees, daar buite in die bloue lug hoog oor Bloemfontein, in die jaar 1924. -- C.J. Langenhoven

"If we plant a row of poles down this hall now, ten poles, to represent the last ten years, and on each pole we make a mark at a height from the floor corresponding to the relative written use of Afrikaans in the respective year, and we draw a line, from the first here near the floor to the last over there against the loft, then the line would describe a rapidly rising arc, not only quickly rising, but rising in a quickly increasing manner. Let us now, in our imagination, extend the arc for the ten coming years from now. See you, sirs, where the point shall be, outside in the blue sky high over Bloemfontein, in the year 1924."

The phrase "DIT IS ONS ERNS" (roughly "we are earnest [about this]", or "this is our earnestness") is emblazoned on the pathway leading up to the monument. Cornelius Jacob Langenhoven (1873-1932), wrote under the pen names C.J. Langenhoven and Sagmoedige Neelsie, had a formidable role in South Africas Afrikaans literature and cultural history. ... Coat of arms of Bloemfontein Bloemfontein (Dutch for fountain of flowers) is one of South Africas three capital cities, along with Pretoria and Cape Town. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Controversy

When the British design magazine Wallpaper* described Afrikaans as the ugliest language in the world in it's September 2005 article about the Monument, South African billionaire Johann Rupert (chairman of the Richemont group), responded by withdrawing advertising for brands such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Montblanc and Alfred Dunhill from the magazine [1]. The author of the article, Bronwyn Davies is an English-speaking South African. Wallpaper* is a magazine focusing on travel, design, entertainment, fashion and media. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. ... Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A billionaire is a person who has a net worth or wealth of or more than one billion United States dollars or euros. ... Johann Rupert (1 June 1950 - ) is the eldest son of the late South African business tycoon Anton Rupert and the chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont as well as of the South Africa-based companies VenFin and Remgro. ... Compagnie Financière Richemont SA is a Swiss luxury goods company that was founded in 1988 by the South African billionaire businessman, Anton Rupert. ... Cartier SA is a jeweler and watch manufacturer that is a subsidiary of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA. Famed for its Panthère Collection, especially the infamous Bestiary - including the famous brooch of the 1940s made for Wallis Simpson and the first practical wristwatch the Santos. History The company Cartier... One of the most stylish jewellery dealers of the 20th Century. ... Montblanc International GmbH is a German manufacturer of fine pens , watches and accessories often identified by their famous White Star logo. ... Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. ...

External Links

• Article about Johann Rupert's decision to withdraw advertising from Wallpaper* Magazine