THE PORTUGUESE INFLUENCE on AFRIKAANS with PARTICULAR REFERENCE to MILITARY LANGUAGE Brig (Dr) D.H
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Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 18, Nr 3, 1988. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za THE PORTUGUESE INFLUENCE ON AFRIKAANS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO MILITARY LANGUAGE Brig (Dr) d.H. Picard* Na 'n kort historiese uiteensetting van die opkoms van die Portugese seevaarders en hul belang- rikheid vir die ontwikkelding van die Afrikaanse vasteland en veral Suid-Afrika, word ander historiese kontakpunte in oorsig geneem: Tussen die Portugese en die voe in 1725 in Mosam- biek; tussen Louis Trichardt en die Portugese Goewerneur in 1838; tussen Albasini en die trekkers in Schoemansdal; tussen die Dorslandtrekkers en die Portugese owerhede in 1875 in Angola; tussen die Zuid-Afrikaanse Spoorwegmaatschappij en die owerhede in Mosambiek in 1890; tussen die boerekrygsgevangenes en die Portugese in Tomar en Abrantes; en die huidige bydrae van Portugese immigrante tot die RSA. Die stryd om koloniale heerskappy tussen die Hollanders en Portugese het 'n invloed gehad op die Nederlandse taal, ook via Maleis, en later op Afrikaans. Portugese invloede op Afrikaans word veral gevind in plekname, boom-, plant-, vrugte-, voedsel-, huishoudelike en geregtename, in die Afrikaanse idioom, in vissoorte, in skeepsterme, in seemansterme en veral in militere benamings en terme, wat omvattend behandel word. Historical Setting country and in particular on the Afrikaans Military language. However, the military sphere is never Under the guidance and inspiration of Prince divorced from all other spheres of endeavour Henry the Navigator, son of king Joao I of Portu- and hence we shall deal with more than military gal, the Portuguese navigators discovered the terms - we shall in fact touch on the Portuguese Canary Islands, conquered Ceuta (1415), dis- influence on the broad spectrum of the Afrikaans covered Madeira (1420) and one year after language as well. Although I have touched on Joao's death in 1433 reached the West African the Malay/Portuguese influence in a previous Coast Cape Bojador. The next phases of dis- paper (1987), Leal (1978) had also already covery and colonisation were Cape Verde, the undertaken a study on this aspect and lowe mouth of the Senegal River and Sierra Leone in much to his work. 1445/46. Next, colonists were sent to Madeira and the Azores. Alphonso V took Tangier in 1471 Although Dias was not the only discoverer of and in 1482 the fort Sao Jorge da Mina (Elmina) importance to South Africa, he is nevertheless was built to protect the trade in the Gulf of the one most closely associated with the Cape, Guinea. In those years the most priceless com- the starting point of South Africa as we know it modities were ivory, sugar cane, slaves and today. History tells us that before being blown off gold. Contact with the so-called Monomatapa course around the Cape, Dias had left his supply (Zimbabwe) and the legendary Prester John ship near the coast of Angola, at Baia dos were very strong inducements indeed. Diego Tigres. As he landed in Mossel Bay on 3 Feb- Cao discovered the mouth of the Congo river in ruary 1488 he had not even seen the Cape al- 1485 and Bartolomeo Dias rounded the Cape of though he and his navigator de Alenquer re- Good Hope to land at Mossel Bay in 1488. The alised that they must have rounded the Cape. treaty of Tordesillas gave Portugal control over Dias had an easier journey up the East Coast all territories situated less than 370 miles west of where he rounded Cape Recife (Cabo da Roca) Cape Verde. Under the rule of king Manuel I who in the third week of February 1488 and anchored succeeded Joao II (1481-1495) Vasco da between Baia da Roco (Algoa Bay) and ilha da Gama rounded the Cape to discover the sea Cruz (St Croix Island) where he planted a route to India, thus capitalizing on the work of wooden cross on the island after having experi- Dias. The period 1498 to 1580 witnessed the enced an unsuccessful mutiny on board. On 12 development and fruition of the Portuguese colo- March he anchored off Kwaaihoek, his furthest nial empire. These brief details set the scene for point east, where he erected his first stone cross our topic, the influence of the Portuguese on our (padrao) the rests of which were unearthed by 6 Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 18, Nr 3, 1988. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za Prof Eric Axelson and are kept at Wits University the island Mauritius, which he named after today. Prince Maurits van Nassauw. The search for Monomotapa was carried on under Governor On the journey back he moored at Struisbaai Simon van der Stel. Under Maurits de Cha- and Cape Agulhas (Cape of needles - the name vonnes an expedition was arranged to Delagoa he gave this Cape). In June 1488 Dias sailed Bay, the uninhabited bay nearest to the Zim- again around the Cape calling it Cabo de Boa babwe gold market and the present Maputo. Wil- Esperanca (Cape of Good Hope). Remains of a lem van Taak built a fort there, Rio de la Goa padrao said to have been erected there, have (later called Fort Lijdzaamheid). In 1725 Jan van never been found. From Table Bay he sailed de Capelle, provisional chief of the new colony back up the West Coast and reached today's at Rio de la Goa, sent an expedition under lieu- Luderitz Bay which he called Angra das Voltas, tenant Frans de Cuyper with the object of recon- where he erected his last padrao. Returning via noitring the trade route to the fabulous Gold land Baia dos Tigres, where he found only three crew of Monomotapa. The expedition, the first Dutch- members still alive on his supply ship, he men ever to set foot in the area now known as reached Portugal in December 1488. His the Kruger National Park, had to return due to achievement was eclipsed by Vasco da Gama in hostile actions by local tribes. However, the 1497 who was credited with actually having place names and routes recorded by De Cuyper opened the way to India. In 1503 Antonio de in Beright were valuable long after Fort Lijd- Saldanha rounded the Cape and en route there zaamheid was evacuated in 1732. In fact, there gave his name to the bay of Saldanha, calling it was considerable information available on the the watering place of Saldanha, and he was the region when the Voortrekkers, and specifically first to climb Table Mountain which he also Trichardt, went up north. named. In 1507 Francisco d' Almeida rounded the Cape en route to India to assume the post of In 1838 Louis Trichardt, leader of one of the first Viceroy of India. D'Almeida, a knight in the kommissietreks, reached Mogambique, but ma- Order of Christ and highly regarded in that order, laria took its toll. He, his wife and followers died was said to have been involved in the battle of there, despite the ministrations of the Portu- Granada. On the way back from the East in guese Governor and his wife. Later, by way of March 1510 D'Almeida was killed at Table Bay. Portuguese travellers such as Albasini, opera- ting from the Voortrekkerdorp Schoemansdal, These four Portuguese, Dias, Da Gama, de Sal- and through trading with Mogambique, many danha and D'Almeida all have links with South bonds were forged with the trekkers. Later con- Africa, links reflected in the places they named; tact was made between the Dorsland Trekkers Cape Agulhas, Cape of Good Hope, Table Bay, and the Portuguese authorities in Angola after St Croix Island, Saldanha Bay and others; links 1875. Although most of the Dorsland Trekkers which have over the centuries been cemented in returned across the Cunene to South Africa and strong bonds between South Africa and Portu- South West Africa, they left their black servants gal. behind, leaving them their family names as well: Van der Merwe, "Lawerskauiing", Dreyer etc. This was but the beginning. The Dutch overseas The next point of contact was that between the empire took over. Van Riebeeck was directed to Transvaal Republic (ZAR) and the Portuguese start a halfway house between the Netherlands authorities in Mogambique in the Zuid-Afri- and India at the Cape by the Ouch East India kaanse Spoorwegmaatschappij's endeavour to Company (DEIC), which he did in April 1652. A open a railroad to Delagoa Bay, which later op- progressive trading empire such as the DEIC erated a regular service. In the last stages of the was ever on the look-out for expansion possibili- Anglo-Boer war about 800 Boer prisoners of war ties. More gold and ivory, spices and precious were sent to Portugal as internees on the ships stones were necessary to swell its coffers and Benguella, Zaire and the warship Alfonso de interest was especially focussed on Portuguese Albuquerque where they were treated more like ports in East Africa for a share in the legendary heroes than as prisoners, and stayed at goldfields of Monomotapa. The Portuguese Abrantes, Tomar, Alcobaga, Caldas de Rainha, authorities were ensconced in Fort San Sabas- Peniche and O"iras. After the revolution in Portu- tiao on the small island of Mogambique. Efforts gal in the 1970's and the independence of the by the DEIC to capture the fort between 1603 overseas territories Mocambique and Angola, and 1608 failed, but by 1589 admiral Wybregt thousands of Portuguese-speaking refugees van Warwyck had already taken possession of settled in South Africa, swelling the population of 7 Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 18, Nr 3, 1988.