The term E.A.T. Afrikaans often results in a look of confusion. Is there not just one Afrikaans language? Mentioning it in an English context is even more entertaining as it sounds much more ‘appetising’ than it is.
E.A.T. stands for Eerste Addisionele Taal which is First Additional Language or basically second language. E.A.T. is mostly used in a school context to refer to a specific subject. So E.A.T. Afrikaans refers to Afrikaans being taken as a First Additional Language at school.
Now don’t fear, Afrikaans stays Afrikaans! Afrikaans taken as a Home Language, First Additional Language or Seventh Additional Language stays Afrikaans. It’s often just the methodology of study and depth of content that varies.
Learning and mastering a new language requires exposure to it and it takes time. You need to hear, engage with and experience the language. Afrikaans is a very expressive language and can truly be fun to understand and engage with it; this is applicable to all ‘levels’ of Afrikaans speakers.
So next time you come across the term E.A.T. Afrikaans you can relax knowing that any form of Afrikaans you know will be applicable.