Patagonian Afrikaans: Rare Afrikaans Dialect Survives in Argentina, With 30 Native Speakers Left
- A viral Instagram post revealed that a unique form of Afrikaans has survived in Argentina since the Anglo-Boer War
- Around 600 Afrikaans-speaking settlers moved to Patagonia in 1902 and kept the language alive across generations
- Patagonian Afrikaans is now considered one of the rarest language dialects in the world, with only 20 to 30 native speakers remaining
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Source: Getty Images
A viral Instagram reel posted on 27 October 2026 introduced many South Africans to something they had never heard of: a living dialect of Afrikaans that has quietly survived in the remote south of Argentina for over a century.
The post shared outdoor footage of elderly men gathered at a rural farmstead, speaking Afrikaans against a backdrop of South African and historic flags. Inside, people chatted over tea and homemade cakes. Cool Story Bru explained the remarkable history behind what viewers were hearing.
The Anglo-Boer War roots of Patagonian Afrikaans
After the Anglo-Boer War ended in 1902, a group of roughly 600 Afrikaans-speaking people made the extraordinary decision to leave South Africa and resettle in Patagonia, a remote and sparsely populated region in southern Argentina. Cut off from mainstream South African society, they continued speaking Afrikaans among themselves, passing it down through the generations.
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Over time, the dialect absorbed a Spanish influence while retaining its Afrikaans core. The result is Patagonian Afrikaans, a version of the language that sounds immediately familiar to South African ears but carries distinct traces of its new home.
One of the world's rarest dialects
What makes this particularly striking is how close the dialect is to disappearing altogether. Linguists now count only 20 to 30 native speakers of Patagonian Afrikaans remaining, making it one of the rarest language dialects on the planet.
View the Instagram video below:
Mzansi reacts to the discovery
South Africans in the comments on the page were fascinated, amused, and moved by what they heard.
@jst_junior03 wrote:
"My teacher told me in primary, thanks for reminding me 🙏😭😭😭😭😭"
@big_chezzy said:
"Saw a documentary on it. Very interesting."
@kevshooter joked:
"That's why Argentina can play rugby."
@capes_psy noted:
"Sounds like Afrikaans bru"
@leo888mau added:
"Daar is tot melktert op die tafel!!!" (There is enough milk tart on the table!!!)
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Source: Briefly News
