Die ontwikkeling van Afrikaans as wetenskapstaal is onder meer te danke aan die ondersteuning van dosente aan veral histories Afrikaanse universiteite, navorsingsrade en staatsdepartemente (byvoorbeeld die vaktaalburo). Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (SAAWK) het ’n baie belangrike rol gespeel in die ontwikkeling van vakterme en vakwoordeboeke in die natuurwetenskappe en tegnologie. In die biologiese wetenskappe het veral die Potchefstroomse Universiteit vir Christelike Onderwys (tans Noordwes-Universiteit) in vroeër jare en die Universiteit van Pretoria later ’n beduidende rol hierin gespeel. Mediese terme is aanvanklik aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch en later ook aan die Universiteit van Pretoria ontwikkel. Afrikaanse handboeke by universiteite en skole, ondersteun deur vakwoordeboeke, het beslag gegee aan die nuutgeskepte terminologie. Tot laat in die 1980’s was baie vakverenigings in die natuurwetenskappe tweetalig en aanbiedings by kongresse kon in Afrikaans gelewer word. Met die toename aan histories Afrikaanse universiteite van studente en dosente wat nie Afrikaans kon praat of verstaan nie en die nuwe politieke bedeling ná 1994 het die meeste vakverenigings later slegs Engels gebruik. Nagraadse studente kan nog steeds in Afrikaans voordragte lewer by die studentesimposiums van die SAAWK, maar vir senior navorsers is daar nie veel meer opsies as by die jaarlikse kongresse van die SAAWK, sowel as by Akademia, die nuwe Afrikaanse tersiêre instelling, nie. Vroeër het sommige vaktydskrifte Afrikaanse manuskripte gepubliseer, maar daar is tans prakties net die Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie (SATNT) en LitNet Akademies waar Afrikaanse artikels oor die natuurwetenskappe nog gepubliseer kan word.
Die SATNT publiseer al bykans 43 jaar artikels in Afrikaans, maar weens die veranderde politieke omgewing en die gepaardgaande aanpassings aan universiteite se taalbeleide is daar algaande al hoe minder artikels aangebied vir publikasie in die tydskrif. Die lewensbloed vir navorsers in die natuurwetenskappe is die sitasie van publikasies. Daar was ’n groot stryd om ook enkele publikasies in Engels in die SATNT toe te laat. ’n Oplossing is gevind deur die gedrukte kopie slegs in Afrikaans te publiseer, maar voorsiening daarvoor te maak dat Engelse artikels aanlyn ingedien en ook gekeur kan word, maar dat voordat die manuskrip aanvaar word, ’n Afrikaanse taalkundig versorgde manuskrip ingedien moet word. Hierdie benadering blyk ’n wen-wen-oplossing te wees. Om die voortbestaan van die hoër funksies in Afrikaans te bewaar, word geen bladgelde gehef nie en is daar ondersteuning vir taalversorging in Afrikaans beskikbaar deur die SAAWK. Die ontwikkeling van Akademia as Afrikaanse tersiêre instelling in die ooste van Pretoria open opwindende vooruisigte vir die behoud van Afrikaans as wetenskapstaal alhoewel Afrikaans tans steeds as erkende onderrig- en navorsingstaal by die Universiteit Stellenbosch en die Noordwes-Universiteit gebruik word.
One century ago, in 1925, Afrikaans was formally recognised as one of the official languages of South Africa. This contribution investigates the development of Afrikaans as a medium of communication in the natural sciences and how changes in the environment have impacted on its use as a language of science. The precursor to the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (SAAWK), namely De Zuid-Afrikaanse Akademie voor Taal, Letteren en Kunst,was originally not interested in the natural sciences and focused primarily on language matters and the social sciences. Scientists were subsequently elected as members of the organisation in 1929. As a consequence, the SAAWK adopted, as one of its aims, the development of scientific terminology and the production of handbooks in Afrikaans. The universities using Afrikaans as a language of instruction were instrumental in developing the terminology required for research in Afrikaans. Descriptive terms were developed for the scientific terminology that was already available in other languages, i.e. Language for Special Purposes (LSP) (Afrikaans: “vaktaal”). This made it much easier to understand and use terms not based on Greek or Latin roots. Initially the majority of the established scientific societies were completely bilingual and many scientists delivered lectures in Afrikaans. At a later stage when more black and foreign students and staff joined societies and even before the new democratic dispensation in 1994, the societies became unilingual. The SAAWK organises an annual symposium for post-graduate students, enabling them to present their results in Afrikaans, while senior researchers are provided the opportunity of participating in annual 473Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, Jaargang 65 No. 1: Maart 2025doi.10.17159/2224-7912/2025/v65n1a221 In accordance with ASSAf’s policy of regularly reviewing the DHET-list, the SATNT’s national accreditation is currently being reconsidered. congresses organised by the SAAWK. In addition, the private tertiary institution, Akademia, offers courses in the natural sciences in Afrikaans. The promotion of academic staff at universities depends to a large extent on citation of their publications. This led to more scientists publishing in English only, in line with international developments. Nevertheless, Afrikaans terminology is still very important for communication purposes in agriculture and medicine. New developments in science required the development of new terminology. The Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie (SATNT) has published Afrikaans articles for 43 years under the auspices of the SAAWK. Due to political changes, resulting in different language policies at previously Afrikaans universities, fewer papers were presented for publication in this journal. The Editorial Board of SATNT therefore requested that provision be made for the inclusion of a limited number of English papers in the journal. This proposal was not accepted but a win-win situation was eventually reached whereby articles could still be published in Afrikaans in hard copy, but authors were also allowed an opportunity simultaneously to publish an English version of their articles online. In this way, contributions in English made it possible to approach non-Afrikaans speakers, including international scientists, to review articles submitted to the journal, thereby ensuring the academic standard of the SATNT. Once accepted for publication the article is subsequently to be translated into Afrikaans for the purpose of printing a hard copy. Sponsorship and financial support by the SAAWK made it possible to exempt submissions to the SATNT from page charges, resulting in all articles being available in open access format free of charge. The SAAWK even provided some financial support for the translation and editing of English papers into Afrikaans. An additional advantage is that back copies have been made digitally accessible, free of charge, on the journal’s dedicated website at www.satnt.co.za. In accordance with policies regarding the advancement of high level research following the political transition in 1994, the SATNT was included in the Department of Higher Education’s (DHET) list of accredited SA journals, thereby enabling authors publishing their research in the SATNT to benefit from high level research subsidised by the South African Government.1 It would appear that these developments may support the academic status of Afrikaans despite the discontinuance of teaching in Afrikaans in practically all universities. The development of Akademia as an independent Afrikaans institution of higher education provides a promising prospect for the continued existence of Afrikaans as a language of science, in addition to those tertiary institutions such as Stellenbosch University and North-West University, where Afrikaans is currently still being used for teaching and research purposes.
