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		VOCABULARY DATABASE > AFRIKAANS > VOCABULARY INFORMATION
						Afrikaans, also known as "South African Dutch" and "Cape Dutch", evolved from the Dutch language brought to South Africa by European colonists during the 17th c. Today, it is the mother tongue of 60% of the whites and 90% of the "Coloured" population of the country, and it is a second language to many other inhabitants of the country. Literature in Afrikaans made important strides during the 20th c. Despite its losing ground at an official level after the end of the apartheid regime, it is still a major language in South African media. Various ethnic groups, including the indigenous Khoisan peoples, took part in its development. Its vocabulary contains words from the languages of non-Dutch European settlers and by Malay and native African languages. Afrikaans differs from standard Dutch in its loss of case, gender, and verb endings. Its spelling reflects a simplified language in which many Dutch consonants are dropped.
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