CNN
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Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron is going through harsh criticism in South Africa after saying her mom tongue, Afrikaans, is “a dying language”.
The “Monster” and “Tully” star made the feedback on Monday’s episode of the “Smartless” podcast, saying the language he grew up talking was fading.
Theron, 47, who revealed she solely grew to become fluent in English when she moved to the United States at 19, stated there are “about 44 individuals who nonetheless communicate” Afrikaans.
“It’s positively a dying language, it isn’t a really helpful language,” he instructed hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.
Theron’s feedback quickly sparked a debate on social media in South Africa. While some known as it misinformed, others agreed that Afrikaans was a “useless language.”
“Charlize Theron is a legend!” a Twitter commenter wrote. “In reality, Afrikaans is a useless language. It belongs to the previous. It is a software that was as soon as used to oppress Africans.”
Another Twitter consumer stated: “Charlize Theron made this assertion to appease Hollywood. I do not agree together with her. As with all different languages, the The Afrikaans language must be preserved.”
Tim Theron, a South African actor and director unrelated to Theron, commented in a clip from the podcast shared on Instagram: “We are extraordinarily pleased with Charlize and all she has completed… however we’re additionally very pleased with our range. and our amazingly lovely official languages, one among which is Afrikaans.
“It’s not a ‘dying language,’ and it isn’t simply spoken by 44 folks. Millions of individuals communicate it, new songs and poems are written every single day, films are made, and so on.
CNN has contacted Theron’s representatives for additional remark.
On Thursday, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), which was set as much as promote multilingualism within the nation, responded with an announcement calling Theron’s feedback “disturbing”, including that statistics present Afrikaans is the third most spoken language within the nation.
“These feedback made by Ms Theron perpetuate the persistent false impression that Afrikaans is just spoken by white ‘Boere’ South Africans, which could not be farther from the reality, as 60% of people that communicate the language are black,” the assertion stated.
The PanSALB added that South Africa held Theron in excessive regard and wanted to “proceed the commendable work of utilizing her platform to spotlight a few of the crucial socio-economic points plaguing the continent, together with the significance of taking part in public life utilizing one’s mom tongue. ”
Afrikaans, a language first launched by Dutch settlers and compelled upon non-whites by the apartheid regime, is one among 11 acknowledged official languages in South Africa. Includes phrases from Asian Malay, Malagasy, Khoi, San, Xhosa, French, and Portuguese.