Die Afrikaans van die Bybelvertaling van 1933

Abstract

The first translators of the Bible had to start their work before the standardisation of Afrikaans.  This article firstly explores the difficulties encountered by the Bible translators in breaking with the language of the Statenbijbel. Secondly, it is indicated how translators were able to utilise the insights of linguists and language practitioners who were in the process of standardising the Afrikaans language. The article explores difficulties encountered by the 1933 translators regarding vocabulary, pronouns, verbs and adjectives. From the translations it is clear that by 1922 the Afrikaans is/was/wees already fell into disuse regarding verbs referring to movement and the changing of state. Not one of the translators considered the imperfect seriously; only in the 1933 translation was the historical present tense used in a stylistically satisfactory manner. The plurals of adjectives in a substantive function, and the negative imperative, were not used consistently in the 1933 translation.