Why are SOME Afrikaans people so inconsiderate ?

Question

Like at Varsity some Afrikaans students would ask questions in Affrikaans and when I opposed some people looked at me funny.

And now this happened again at work in a meeting.
Some people spoke Afrikaans in the meeting and the people speaking Affrikaans were young people that came a year before us, the senoir guys are Affrikaans but the answered them in English even though the young ones persisted on speaking Affrikaans.

Why do some people do that?

I understand if someone can not speak english but now if someone can speak fluent English and does that I feel thats wrong.

Heavey D
He! he! he!
My manager/mentor would laugh if he were to read what you said about me there.
I don't have any problem speaking out at work the trouble is I am the only young person who is alway speaking out thats the problem.
Every time its me and I have been working for only a year.

And I don't have deplomatic skills infact I am very forward I am sure you have noticed that.

But this time I steped back maybe its because of the enemies I made at varsity for speaking out and this time its my job basically my job at stake.

You know what you are right I was a coward.

Answer 1

Black people are the same
About 2 weeks ago i was with a client rather big one (they form part of the ANC) and in the middle of the meeting they starting talking some black language while the meeting was still on so they just went on and on and only the things they wanted us to hear was said in english

Answer 2

You do have a valid point so I will give you a star. Yes, SOME afrikaans speaking people have difficulty speaking english because they have spoken afrikaans all their lives and find it difficult trying to say some of the words in english. However, in all fairness, some can speak english quite well but choose afrikaans when they do not wish others to hear what they are saying. Some of us are still doing that overseas and I will be the first to admit that it's wrong and rude if we know that others cannot understand us. The young people at your work should comunicate in english especially at meetings. It's just having respect for others that do not speak africaans.
If I could not speak afrikaans, I would be offended too.

Answer 3

I'm Afrikaans and I have to tell you, even if I'm the only one, if anyone speaks Afrikaans in front of someone who doesn't understand the language I get upset and tell them to speak English. I guess I'm more respectful, but some people are too proud of their language or either not comfortable speaking another. It actually happens everywhere, in the USA too. I have two friends from germany and two from France and they would sometimes speak French or German in front of me. So I kind of know how you feel, luckily my one German friend reminds the other one to speak English. Some Afrikaners think that everyone can speak Afrikaans and they don't think further than that, are you sure they know you can't understand? If they do, then they are just plain rude. Good Luck.

Answer 4

Gaz'lam I fully understand your frustrations...I went through them in late 90s. When I moved to South Cape in 1998, I attended my first management meeting of five Afrikaner males, one English male - who happened to have been our boss. The agenda was in English. They then started speaking in Afrikaans from the beginning to the end of an agenda of over thirty items. Towards the end, the boss remarked that I would understand their systems and maybe I would participate in future meeting. I said nothing.

They finished and the meeting was about to be closed when I started commenting on item #1. They said nothing - thinking that was the only one I wanted to comment on. It was only when I was on the 3rd item that the boss realised what I was doing. They protested, I then said they were welcome to leave; I would remain with the boss as all items must in fact be under his signature. They then complained that I should have objected to their use of Afrikaans from the beginning. I just looked at them and we went through the agenda, again, for two hours. But at least I had the backing of the agenda and as it was within government, they would have had serious problems insisting to their language.

But I have subsequently learnt the language. It is the simpliest of all languages I spent time learning.

......on the other hand SAgirl is right. Our people do the same. When they don't want abolani to hear ukuthi zitsha nganii, we switch to isicamto or any kassie taal. That is also wrong!!!!

Answer 5

I do understand your point Ayiza. Like I feel the course is presented in English why change it?

But then again the same can be said for Xhosa speaking people. I've been in lectures where the lecturer was black and the other blacks would ask her something in Xhosa and she would reply in English. Although she was trying hard to let us all understand the answers. i still did not understand the question.

And often because you dont know the language you wonder if it is related or not? And the moment you ask for english people get HECTICLY UPSET and carry on in their language. Now automatically I'm going to think they taking about me.

And when you attack them you become racist . . .?

Answer 6

It's easy to get bogged down in everything that doesn't matter and live in difficult world. You need to move into easy world, where everything is easy and go with the flow. If we keep fixing the world there soon won't be anything left to fix. Just
think how well Bush and Ben Laden are doing at fixing things.
Just imagine your happy. You must know someone who is happy, Keep thinking how they move and think. Think of how they feel and what they would do. If we aren't happy we need someone to blame, but at the root we are unhappy and that's where the war is. When we're happy we don't see every little thing, do we? Here's the trick. Use only descriptive words, they are more accurate and scientific and eliminate negative words and you will be in easy world, where everything is easy, the new world we need to build. It can't be built in difficult world, that's another dimension another world entirely.

Answer 7

yeah you r d right, in SA it happenes all the time. I sometimes find it very disrespectfull to others who r nt afrikaans speaking; SA has a lot of languages and at least we have English as a meduim language, I mean when we cant all speak the same lang. By the way it will take time for them to understand that the world isnt only ofrikaans. There was a time when they didnot consider anyone but themselves. for now they can continue to mock others for a little moment, it wont stay like that for longer. they will isolate themselves from others, and infact they r inviting people to hate them. In Cape town its worse!!!

Answer 8

Yes, I think it is wrong to use a language that is not generally understood by all in the workplace.

I once consulted for uMhlabuyalingana Municipality, and EVERYONE was Zulu, save us 2 consultants in the meeting. The meeting was conducted in Zulu (ALL officials and councillors were Zulu); but every few minutes the mayor would stop the meeting to update us two consultants on what was being discussed. It was unecessary, we were their employees (not guests) and they could just tell us the limited facts that we needed to know; but I will never forget the courtesy of a true gentlemen.

Answer 9

My sympathy for your situation.

I should say that some people just don't feel confident enough to speak English in front of others. But they should consider you.
I don't think it's something unique to Afrikaners, I've encountered the same problem with Zulu people who were unwilling to speak english.

Answer 10

With my background in other languages I sometimes speak with a very heavy French/German accent (on purpose) in English. It's very interesting, sometimes people would actually speak about me in Afrikaans in front of me... It's actually hillarious! =)
dWali had a good point, and I agree with him, my dad is one of those people who insist on being helped in Afrikaans. If you help people who have language difficulties you get faster and better results! And happier people!