Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and, to a lesser extent, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
It evolved from the Dutch vernacular of South Holland spoken by the Dutch settlers in South Africa, where it gradually began developing distinguishing characteristics during the 18th century.
Key features of Afrikaans include:
1. Simplified grammar compared to Dutch
2. Vocabulary influenced by Malay, Portuguese, and Bantu languages
3. One of the youngest languages in the world with official status