Omtesê, somma 'n helese Drietalige Dictionary van Kaaps, en djy van alle mense kan oek deel wies ha'van.*
Of dit nou 'n storieskrywer of digter is, 'n rapper of sanger is, 'n verhoog, film en tv akteur of vermaaklikheids-kunstenaar is wie hulle ding kyk in Kaaps oftewel Afrikaaps en of dit nou maar net iemand is wie 'n voorliefde het vir Kaaps en die taal van nature daagliks gebruik is die Drietalige Woordeboek van Kaaps iets wat jou en ons almal se uitkyk op taalgebruik kan verander.
The exciting thing about the Kaaps Dictionary project is that you can become part of the process.
Of dit nou 'n storieskrywer of digter is, 'n rapper of sanger is, 'n verhoog, film en tv akteur of vermaaklikheids-kunstenaar is wie hulle ding kyk in Kaaps oftewel Afrikaaps en of dit nou maar net iemand is wie 'n voorliefde het vir Kaaps en die taal van nature daagliks gebruik is die Drietalige Woordeboek van Kaaps iets wat jou en ons almal se uitkyk op taalgebruik kan verander.
The exciting thing about the Kaaps Dictionary project is that you can become part of the process.
The Trilingual Dictionary of Kaaps (TDK) project launch was announced on 26 July 2021 by the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR) at the University of the Western Cape and Heal the Hood Project (HTH, a community NGO).
The Trilingual Dictionary of Kaaps (TDK) is hailed as a descriptive corpus project that will develop the first dictionary of Kaaps.
The project is funded by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS, Western Cape), and the Centre for Language, Race, and Ethnicity at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (USA).
We spoke Professor Quentin Williams who heads up the project and it was immediately clear that the TDK is not intended to be your run-of-the-mill 'glossary' or 'word list'.
The TDK will be a true Descriptive Dictionary and it will fulfil all the requirements that will enable it to be classified as a dictionary.
"Unlike a Prescriptive Dictionary which reflects what is deemed to be "the correct use of a language" , the TDK, being a Descriptive Dictionary, will reflect the actual recorded use of Kaaps."

*By golly, just like that, a full-on Trilingual Dictionary of Kaaps, and you of all people can also become a part of it.
The TDK will in essence accumulate examples of present and past use of Kaaps words and phrases and with input from as many sources as possible describe the actual use of Kaaps and present their meanings and equivalent words in Standaard Afrikaans and Standard English.
If you are an avid speaker of Kaaps aka Afrikaaps and particularly if you are an artist / creative whose works are presented in Kaaps, especially if there is a print, visual, or audio record of your work, then you could be making a valuable contribution to the process of ensuring that Kaaps / Afrikaaps not only gets the recognition it deserves but that it is ascribed its true value which will ultimately benefit the users of the language.
"Kaaps was created in Southern Africa during the 1500s. It remains one of the oldest and most marginalized ways of speaking. For decades, activists, academics, artists, authors campaigned for the empowerment of Kaaps speakers and the transformation of schools, universities and the economy. With this dictionary project, we are taking the first real step in that direction" says Prof Williams in the TDK press release.
OK laat ôs somma gou iets yttie pad yt kry. Kaaps / Afrikaaps, is soos same difference, twee name vir dieselfde ding, en it kô al lankal 'an nog voo' Afrikaans ge-codify was.
Ons praat mos al lankal die storie op Bruinou.com.
Dit moet onthou word dat by die tyd wat Jan van Riebeeck aan die Kaap geland het, was Autshumato / Autshumao of soos hulle hom Herry / Harry die Strandloper genoem het, reeds Hollands, Engels en Portugees goed magtig, anders sou hy nie voorgehou kon gewees het as maar net 'n tolk nie.
Dis mos hoe die geskiedenisboeke Autshumato beskryf, dat hy maar net 'n tolk was, maar hy was veel meer as dit.
Let’s just say that JvR’s arrival was a hostile corporate takeover of an already successful business.
Die Goringhaicona Khoekhoe stam van wie Autshumato eintlik die hoofman was, het reeds vir vele dekades, van voor Autshumato se tyd, maklik dalk al vir 'n eeu, gereeld handel gedryf met verbygaande skepe en hulle het toe reeds voor die 1600's 'n handelstaal of 'marktaal' ontwikkel.
Daai was die begin van Kaaps.
Natuurlik het die aankoms van slawe vanaf ooraloor en veral die aankoms van Maleiers aan die Kaap ook grootliks bygradra tot die uitbou van Kaaps, maar dit is nou 'n gegewe dat die ontwikkeling van Kaaps lank tevore begin het.
*Wragtig, sommer 'n volwaardige Drietalige Woordebook van Kaaps, en jy van alle mense kan ook deel wees daarvan.
In ons gesels met Prof Williams het dit duidelik geword van watter onskatbare waarde die herkenning van en gebruik van Kaaps in skole en akademiese instansies kan wees om die akademiese-geletterdheid in Afrikaans sowel as Engels van Kaaps-sprekers te verbeter.
"Die ideë is nie om Afrikaans of Engels te vervang as akademiese voertaal nie, maar daar kan en moet innoverende maniere gevind word om op akademiese vlak Afrikaans en Engels meer toegangklik te maak vir Kaaps-sprekers."
"Veral op universiteite en ander hoër-onderrig instansies is akademiese Afrikaans en Engels 'n struikelblok vir andersins intelligente studente oordat hulle sekere konsepte beter sou verstaan as dit in Kaaps verduidelik kon word en dan in die akademiese voertaal omskep kon word."
*Wragtig, sommer 'n volwaardige Drietalige Woordebook van Kaaps, en jy van alle mense kan ook deel wees daarvan.
In ons gesels met Prof Williams het dit duidelik geword van watter onskatbare waarde die herkenning van en gebruik van Kaaps in skole en akademiese instansies kan wees om die akademiese-geletterdheid in Afrikaans sowel as Engels van Kaaps-sprekers te verbeter.
"Die ideë is nie om Afrikaans of Engels te vervang as akademiese voertaal nie, maar daar kan en moet innoverende maniere gevind word om op akademiese vlak Afrikaans en Engels meer toegangklik te maak vir Kaaps-sprekers."
"Veral op universiteite en ander hoër-onderrig instansies is akademiese Afrikaans en Engels 'n struikelblok vir andersins intelligente studente oordat hulle sekere konsepte beter sou verstaan as dit in Kaaps verduidelik kon word en dan in die akademiese voertaal omskep kon word."
Dit is deesdae al meer opvallend hoeveel Kaaps-sprekende skrywers en kunstenaars hul werke in Kaaps / Afrikaaps opdien. Kaaps word ook al meer in film en TV-produksies gebruik en dit word nie meer op gefrons soos maar net 'n dekade terug nie.
Die verhoogopvoering Afrikaaps waarby prominente Afrikaanse Hip Hop kunstenaars, musikante en kunstenaars in 'n gewyde lys ander genres betrokke is en waaraan die Heal the Hood Project ook gekoppel is maak al die afgelope dekade groot opslae onder gehore en en kunsliefhebbers orals oor Suid-Afrika en selfs oorsee.
Dit is tyd dat Kaaps op alle ander terreine ook losgelaat word.
Die DWK oftewel die Drietalige Woordeboek van Kaaps, soos reeds genoem is, beoog nie om voorskriftelik te wees nie en die opstellers daarvan gaan jou bydrae nodig het om dit so omvattend moontlik 'n topgehalte Beskryflike Woordeboek te maak.
Druk Jou Bek In - Get Involved - Raak Betrokke
The CMDR at UWC and Heal the Hood in communicating the launch and inviting the participation of interested parties described their aims and focus points as listed below.
Today, Kaaps is an important linguistic resource in the Western Cape and beyond. For a long time, academics, writers, activists and linguists have argued that we need to focus on:
The CMDR at UWC and Heal the Hood in communicating the launch and inviting the participation of interested parties described their aims and focus points as listed below.
Today, Kaaps is an important linguistic resource in the Western Cape and beyond. For a long time, academics, writers, activists and linguists have argued that we need to focus on:
(1) The linguistic description of Kaaps;
(2) The unification of the writing system;
(3) The educational advancement of Kaaps for academic literacy in basic and higher education; and
(4) The media and economic benefits of Kaaps.
(2) The unification of the writing system;
(3) The educational advancement of Kaaps for academic literacy in basic and higher education; and
(4) The media and economic benefits of Kaaps.
To contribute to these foci, this dictionary project aims to transform prevailing negative attitudes and perceptions of Kaaps and its speakers by producing an educational resource that will support social and academic literacy practices in the education, religious, cultural, political and economic spheres of our democratic society. Our specific goals are:
• To shed further light on the historical roots of Kaaps;
• To contribute to current debates about the unification of the writing system of Kaaps;
• To document the use of Kaaps across all relevant modalities, platforms, genres, practices, performances, interactions and linguistic landscapes; and
• To describe the lived linguistic experiences of speakers of Kaaps.
• To contribute to current debates about the unification of the writing system of Kaaps;
• To document the use of Kaaps across all relevant modalities, platforms, genres, practices, performances, interactions and linguistic landscapes; and
• To describe the lived linguistic experiences of speakers of Kaaps.

Please visit their website to learn more about their editorial board and advisory members: http://dwkaaps.co.za/.
If you would like to receive more information about the project, donate to the project or schedule an interview with one of the core editorial members, please email them: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .