Boer/Afrikaaner

[Drusilla1S]

Why did the term Afrikaaner replace Boer and when did this occur?

[heathfield]

'Boer' means farmer. The English word 'boor' and 'boorish' have been around since the 16th Century, and describe someone who is clumsy, oafish, un-cultured. This was how the British tended to look upon the Afrikaaner Boers when the two sides were at odds over who should govern in South Africa. It continued to be used as a derogatory term applied to white South Africans for very many years afterwards. In recent times, we've become a bit more polite toward them!

[jno]

some discussion of this here Drusilla

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boers

[Peter Pedant]

and Africaaner is Dutch for African.

Boer means any farmer, certainly they used this term for themselves in the after math of the 1902 war. The Boers - I suppose that should be Boeren - used rooyneck for the English as a result of sunburn.

Why did the terms change ? WHy does any language change ?