Abstract
M.A.
The time between the rhyming of the Psalms in 1936 and the subsequent rhyming
thereof in 2001 is approximately 70 years. From 1936 to 2001 society has undergone
drastic change. Such societal change normally influences language use and structure
and brings about incremental and subtle changes in the language, resulting in new
meaning being given to words and phrases in the new societal context. Such changes
are mostly found in the lexicon of the relevant language. The lexicon is the medium
of transmitting meaning, and if the meaning of the lexical item has changed in
subsequent generations to the extent that the speakers of one generation do not
understand the previous generation, it has become indicative of extensive
modification of the language.
The singing of the Psalms is historically associated with the accuracy of meaning
transmitted by the Scripture by means of user-friendly language usage. Standardised
use of language is always linked to aging and closely linked to the progress of time.
The renewing of an aging language is important for subsequent generations to
facilitate meaningful interpretative singing of the Psalms. However, the renewal of the
religious register of the Psalms should always meet the rigorous test of accuracy to the
Scripture as Calvin laid it down as a primary prerequisite during the Reformation.
Because of the aging of language, as is the case with Afrikaans, the 1936 rhyming of
the Psalms was done to facilitate the changes in the normal use of the language and to
bring it closer to the la nguage then in use. In this way the standardisation of the
language used in the rhyming of the Psalms was established, in accordance with the
normal use of standard Afrikaans. During the past 70 odd years the religious register
of Afrikaans aged again and resulted in the need for a new rhyming of the Psalms in
accordance with the changed register of the language. This resulted in the 2001
rhyming of the Psalms and other Scripture-related hymns, attempting to bridge the
gap between the register of formal religion and contemporary language.
Using the DE-method, the psalmographer eliminated lexical items with a low
frequency of use from the religious register as understanding of and access to these
items by the user of the Psalm have become limited. Lexical items with a high
frequency of use were selected and these words have moved into the current religious
register.
Changes in a language are subject to social forces and tensions. The forces of the
changing modern society have led to the need to establish a new rhyme to the Psalms.
Thus the formal reformative religious register was removed from the Psalms and
replaced by the 2001 rhyme, which is representative of current language usage. The
use of the new register is successful in the effective transfer of meaning as the essence
of the Scripture was retained. Notwithstanding the loss of the archaic expressions of
the 1936 rhyme in the 2001 version, the presence and expansion of meaning of core
information is very much evident in the 2001 rhyme.
By elimination of the great amount of archaic lexical expressions from the 1936
rhyme from the 2001 version, a clear movement in the reformative religious register
of Afrikaans was executed. The social influence of the unsatisfactory acquisition of
lexical items by the younger generation, pushing out the older form from the register,
is very much evident in the register of the Psalms. The 2001 rhyme accelerates the
process of elimination of such archaic und inaccessible lexical items from the register.
The empirical study indicates the fact that many such archaic forms are already
passive in especially the older generation and that active use of such archaic items has
disappeared. The study furthermore indicates that Afrikaans contains enough
synonyms to facilitate an effective transfer of meaning in such a new rhyme. These
synonyms are established and standardised lexical items functioning as common
language since the new translation of the Bible in Afrikaans (1983).
The changes in language are subject to linguistic forces. Simplification is the most
prominent linguistic force that manifests itself in the 2001 rhyme of the Psalms.
Simplification makes it easier to understand the core content of the psalms and makes
it accessible to all speakers of Afrikaans. Simplification is not only the decrease of
lexical items in the language but includes adding difficult or expanded forms that
bring balance to the process of change in the language. This adds value to the
lexicon, as the items chosen for the rhyme are taken from the language register in its
current form. The process is also in a sense held back by the fact that some items
from the 1936 rhyme are still used in the 2001 version, putting a constraint on the
development of the relevant lexicon.
The modification of a language through simplification is mainly the result of
reduction and expansion. The skills of the psalmographer resulted in both expansion
and reduction as linguistic elements being present in the 2001 rhyme. The empirical
study has shown tha t the psalmographer has not used the available synonyms.
Instead, the psalmographer has used a total new approach by using a selection of
techniques in the 2001 rhyme. These techniques focus on a tight use of specific
rhyme patterns evident in the Psalms and its concomitant language usage resulting in
extending the understanding of the psalms by the reader. This has also led to the
effective communication by means of the reformative religious register. The
psalmographer succeeded in creating a unique psa lm register and treasure.
By virtue of their imbedded sacral element religious registers are strongly
preservative factors preventing the acceptance and change of common language.
Acceptance of the 2001 rhyme has already taken place as the rhyme is based on sound
Scriptural principles, convincing the reformist reader of the Psalms of its truthfulness
and credibility. The use of the accepted common language as already manifested in
the new translation of the Bible (1983) also contributes to the acceptance of the 2001
rhyme. This is further reinforced by the appearance of common language usage in
authoritative dictionaries presenting such lexicon items as standardised Afrikaans in a
rapidly changing society.
Intense language transformation is present in the Afrikaans lexicon. Observing the
presence of intense change in the most conservative register of a language, that of
religion emphasises the intensity of the social and linguistic powers at work in
Afrikaans.