Johannes du Plessis Scholtz
Encyclopedia
Johannes du Plessis Scholtz (May 14, 1900 – January 26, 1990) was a South African philologist
, art historian
, and art collector.
, but he moved shortly thereafter over to the Nasionale Pers
to be head of the publication department. In 1924 he went to Amsterdam
and in 1927 he received a Ph.D. from the Gemeentelijke Universiteit. He returned to the Netherlands for two years (1929-1931) to pursue further studies in Dutch
dialectology
and structural linguistics
, studies which formed the foundation of his later work in Afrikaans
.
Upon returning to Stellenbosch, he worked again for J. J. Smith on the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal. He also worked under C. G. N. de Vooys at the University of Utrecht on his dissertation Die Afrikaner en Sy Taal, 1806-1875, for which he received the Hertzog Prize
for scholarly prose (what is more, the award had existed until then; it was expressly created in order to honor him with it). In 1934 he accepted a lecturership at the University of Cape Town
teaching Dutch
and Afrikaans
. In 1950 he became head of the Department of Dutch and Afrikaans and Hofmeyr-Professor, and in 1965 retired as emeritus professor to pursue linguistic and artistic scholarship without the pressure of university administration. After his retirement he received honorary doctorates from the University of Stellenbosch and the University of the Orange Free State. His final commemoration came in the form of a Festschrift
entitled Dietse Studies, given on the occasion of his 65th birthday with contributions from the foremost South African scholars of the time, as well as notable Dutch scholars such as C. B. van Haeringen.
While others in South Africa, and to a lesser extent the Netherlands
and Belgium
, were still discussing origin of Afrikaans at a theoretical level only, Scholtz had been collecting and analyzing as much data as were available. He steered clear of theorizing, and his work was based on two great linguistic schools of the time: Leonard Bloomfield
's descriptive linguistics
, and N. S. Trubetzkoy's structural linguistics
. Scholtz was the first in South Africa to employ these approaches and in so doing revolutionized the world of Afrikaans linguistics. His work remains to this day the high water-mark for the fields of Afrikaans philology and linguistics.
Scholtz sat on numerous committees such as the Taalkommissie of the South African Academy, the Van Riebeeck Society, the Historical Monuments Commission, the Archive Commission, and was one of the founders of the Vereniging vir die Vrye Boek. He was a member of the South African Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Maatschappij der Nederlandsche Letterkunde, the International Centre for Onomastics, and the Linguistic Society of America
. He was also a co-trustee of the Irma Stern Trust.
The South African Academy of Arts and Sciences honored him with numerous awards: in 1970 with the first Langenhoven Prize for linguistics, and in 1974 with the first Stals Prize for art history. The Kaapse Drie-Eeuestigting added to this and celebrated his work on the Irma Stern Trust with an honorary award in 1972.
, written under the tutelage of J. J. Smith, (which has subsequently been lost). In 1934 his publishing life began with the article "Afrikaanse geskrifte van Louis Henri Meurant uit die jare 1844-1850" in Tydskrif vir Wetenskap en Kuns, Jg. 12, Nr. 4, Julie 1934.
The most productive period for Scholtz, however, was after 1950, after his retirement from UCT in 1965. He now had time for his art studies,and also to publish analyses of the textual material that L.C. van Oordt had mined out of the Kaapse Argief. By this point in his intellectual life, Scholtz was in a perfect position to evaluate these texts.
Scholtz's monographs on Strat Caldecott, Pieter Wenning, D.C. Boonzaier, Moses Kottler, and Katrine Harries remain authoritative. Not only are they the best works on their subjects, but "Strat Caldecott, 1886-1929" has become a prized possession for collectors of Africana.
's zenith. In 1923, while at the National Press, he met the "famous and feared" D.C. Boonzaier , cartoonist
and supporter of the fine arts in Cape Town. Through Boonzaier he became acquainted with art critic Bernard Lewis
and sculptor Moses Kottler . Eventually, his circle of artist-friends was to include the painter
s Enslin du Plessis, Jean Welz, Florence Zerffi and Irma Stern, the graphic artist Katrine Harries, and, less intimately, Hendrik Pierneef, Erich Mayer, and Ruth Prowse , the members of a school of South African Impressionism in the years 1915-1935. This was perhaps the most important epoch in South African art, and Scholtz was there for all of it. Scholtz's literary friends were famous in South Africa: M.E.R., N.P. van Wyk Louw, Dirk Opperman, and Boerneef.
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, art historian
History of art
The History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
, and art collector.
Scholarly life
Scholtz studied first at the University of Stellenbosch, completing an M.A. in 1920. He then took a job assisting the philologist J.J. Smith in editing Die HuisgenootHuisgenoot
Huisgenoot is a weekly Afrikaans-language general interest family magazine. It has the highest circulation figures of any South African magazine and is followed by sister magazine YOU, its English language version. A third magazine, Drum, is directed at the black market...
, but he moved shortly thereafter over to the Nasionale Pers
Naspers
Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media and print media Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media (including pay-television, internet and instant-messaging subscriber...
to be head of the publication department. In 1924 he went to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and in 1927 he received a Ph.D. from the Gemeentelijke Universiteit. He returned to the Netherlands for two years (1929-1931) to pursue further studies in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
dialectology
Dialectology
Dialectology is the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. It studies variations in language based primarily on geographic distribution and their associated features...
and structural linguistics
Structural Linguistics
Structural linguistics is an approach to linguistics originating from the work of Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. De Saussure's Course in General Linguistics, published posthumously in 1916, stressed examining language as a static system of interconnected units...
, studies which formed the foundation of his later work in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
.
Upon returning to Stellenbosch, he worked again for J. J. Smith on the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal. He also worked under C. G. N. de Vooys at the University of Utrecht on his dissertation Die Afrikaner en Sy Taal, 1806-1875, for which he received the Hertzog Prize
Hertzog Prize
The Hertzog Prize or is an annual award given to Afrikaans-language writers by the South African Academy for the Sciences and Arts , formerly the South African Academy for Language, Literature and Arts...
for scholarly prose (what is more, the award had existed until then; it was expressly created in order to honor him with it). In 1934 he accepted a lecturership at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
teaching Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
. In 1950 he became head of the Department of Dutch and Afrikaans and Hofmeyr-Professor, and in 1965 retired as emeritus professor to pursue linguistic and artistic scholarship without the pressure of university administration. After his retirement he received honorary doctorates from the University of Stellenbosch and the University of the Orange Free State. His final commemoration came in the form of a Festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
entitled Dietse Studies, given on the occasion of his 65th birthday with contributions from the foremost South African scholars of the time, as well as notable Dutch scholars such as C. B. van Haeringen.
While others in South Africa, and to a lesser extent the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, were still discussing origin of Afrikaans at a theoretical level only, Scholtz had been collecting and analyzing as much data as were available. He steered clear of theorizing, and his work was based on two great linguistic schools of the time: Leonard Bloomfield
Leonard Bloomfield
Leonard Bloomfield was an American linguist who led the development of structural linguistics in the United States during the 1930s and the 1940s. His influential textbook Language, published in 1933, presented a comprehensive description of American structural linguistics...
's descriptive linguistics
Descriptive linguistics
In the study of language, description, or descriptive linguistics, is the work of objectively analyzing and describing how language is spoken by a group of people in a speech community...
, and N. S. Trubetzkoy's structural linguistics
Structural Linguistics
Structural linguistics is an approach to linguistics originating from the work of Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. De Saussure's Course in General Linguistics, published posthumously in 1916, stressed examining language as a static system of interconnected units...
. Scholtz was the first in South Africa to employ these approaches and in so doing revolutionized the world of Afrikaans linguistics. His work remains to this day the high water-mark for the fields of Afrikaans philology and linguistics.
Scholtz sat on numerous committees such as the Taalkommissie of the South African Academy, the Van Riebeeck Society, the Historical Monuments Commission, the Archive Commission, and was one of the founders of the Vereniging vir die Vrye Boek. He was a member of the South African Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Maatschappij der Nederlandsche Letterkunde, the International Centre for Onomastics, and the Linguistic Society of America
Linguistic Society of America
The Linguistic Society of America is a professional society for linguists. It was founded in 1924 to advance linguistics, the scientific study of human language. The LSA has over 5,000 individual members and welcomes linguists of all kinds. It works to advance the discipline and to communicate...
. He was also a co-trustee of the Irma Stern Trust.
The South African Academy of Arts and Sciences honored him with numerous awards: in 1970 with the first Langenhoven Prize for linguistics, and in 1974 with the first Stals Prize for art history. The Kaapse Drie-Eeuestigting added to this and celebrated his work on the Irma Stern Trust with an honorary award in 1972.
Publications
His first scholarly work was an M.A. thesis on the language of the fishermen of LambertsbaaiLamberts Bay
Lamberts Bay is a small fishing town in the Western Cape province of South Africa situated 280 kilometres north of Cape Town. It is part of the Cederberg Municipality....
, written under the tutelage of J. J. Smith, (which has subsequently been lost). In 1934 his publishing life began with the article "Afrikaanse geskrifte van Louis Henri Meurant uit die jare 1844-1850" in Tydskrif vir Wetenskap en Kuns, Jg. 12, Nr. 4, Julie 1934.
The most productive period for Scholtz, however, was after 1950, after his retirement from UCT in 1965. He now had time for his art studies,and also to publish analyses of the textual material that L.C. van Oordt had mined out of the Kaapse Argief. By this point in his intellectual life, Scholtz was in a perfect position to evaluate these texts.
Scholtz's monographs on Strat Caldecott, Pieter Wenning, D.C. Boonzaier, Moses Kottler, and Katrine Harries remain authoritative. Not only are they the best works on their subjects, but "Strat Caldecott, 1886-1929" has become a prized possession for collectors of Africana.
Work in the arts
He became interested in the fine arts at the height of classical modernismModernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
's zenith. In 1923, while at the National Press, he met the "famous and feared" D.C. Boonzaier , cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and supporter of the fine arts in Cape Town. Through Boonzaier he became acquainted with art critic Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis (critic)
Bernard Lewis was a Jewish South African art critic, journalist, and author.-Life & work:He pursued his education at the University of Darmstadt and the South African College School. He cultivated lifelong friendships with the most prominent artists in Cape Town, foremost among whom was D. C....
and sculptor Moses Kottler . Eventually, his circle of artist-friends was to include the painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s Enslin du Plessis, Jean Welz, Florence Zerffi and Irma Stern, the graphic artist Katrine Harries, and, less intimately, Hendrik Pierneef, Erich Mayer, and Ruth Prowse , the members of a school of South African Impressionism in the years 1915-1935. This was perhaps the most important epoch in South African art, and Scholtz was there for all of it. Scholtz's literary friends were famous in South Africa: M.E.R., N.P. van Wyk Louw, Dirk Opperman, and Boerneef.
Books
- 1939. Die Afrikaner en sy taal, 1805-1875. Nasionale Pers: Cape Town.
- 1941. Uit die geskiedenis van die naamgewing aan plante en diere in Afrikaans. Nasionale Pers: Cape Town.
- 1963. Taalhistoriese opstelle. Van Schaik: Pretoria. (Reprinted 1981)
- 1965a. Die Afrikaner en sy Taal, 1806-1875. 2nd ed. Nasou: Cape Town.
- 1965b. Afrikaans uit die vroeë tyd. Nasou: Cape Town.
- 1970a. Afrikaans-Hollands in die agtiende eeu. Nasou: Cape Town.
- 1970b. Strat Caldecott, 1886-1929. A.A. Balkema: Cape Town.
- 1973. D.C. Boonzaier en Pieter Wenning: Verslag van 'n vriendskap. Tafelberg: Cape Town.
- 1974. Naamgewing aan plante en diere in Afrikaans. 2nd ed. Nasou: Cape Town.
- 1976. Moses Kottler: His Cape Years. Tafelberg: Cape Town.
- 1978. Katrine Harries: Life and work. Tafelberg: Cape Town.
- 1979. Oor skilders en skrywers. Tafelberg: Cape Town.
- 1980. Wording en ontwikkeling van Afrikaans. Tafelberg: Cape Town.
Other works
- 1923 August. Review: Japie by J.R.L. van Bruggen. Die Huisgenoot: 187.
- 1934 July 23. Review: Oor die Afrikaanse taal by G.S. Nienaber. Die Burger.
- 1937a. Review: M.J. Koenen's Verklarend Handwoordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Die Huisgenoot: 59.
- 1937b. Review: Groot Woordeboek. Afrikaans-Engels, Engels-Afrikaans. Die Huisgenoot: 59, 63.
- 1937 December 18. "Die halwe kring - antwoord op resensie van E.C. Pienaar." Die Burger.
- 1947 November 28. "D.C. Boonzaier: Beroemde Karikaturis en Merkwaardige Mens." Die Huisgenoot.
- 1950. Nederlandse invloed op die Afrikaanse woordeskat. Lesingsreeks van die Universiteit van Kaapstad No. 3. Oxford University Press: Kaapstad.
- 1952. "Die ontwikkeling van die Afrikaanse taal en letterkunde." In: Boekspieël van Suid-Afrika. Komitee van Boekuitstalling van Riebeeck-fees: Kaapstad: 85-115.
- 1954. "Structuurvergelijking tussen Nederlands en Afrikaans." Taal en Tongval 3(2&3): 101-104, co-authored with W. Gs. Hellinga.
- 1959. "Strat Caldecott (1886-1929)." Ons Kuns I, uitgegee deur die tydskrif Lantern in medewerking met die S.A. Uitsaaikorporasie, Pretoria, 67 vlg.
- 1964. "Kritiek op Afrikaanse taalgebruik." Standpunte Nuwe Reeks 52, Jg. 23(4): 32-36.
- 1965. "'n Dramatiese geskiedenis." Standpunte 33(4): 1-5.
- 1966a. "Grammatikareël of stylmiddel?" In: Smal swaard en blink. Bundel aangebied aan N.P. van Wyk Louw by geleentheid van sy sestigste verjaardag 11 Junie 1966. Academica: Pretoria - Kaapstad: 118-137.
- 1966b. "Afrikaans, External history of." In: Standard Encyclopædia of Southern Africa, Nasou: Cape Town: 63-80.
- 1966c. "Afrikaans, Internal history of." In: Standard Encyclopædia of Southern Africa, Nasou: Cape Town: 80-113.
- 1966d. "Boonzaier, Daniël Cornelis." In: Standard Encyclopædia of Southern Africa, Nasou: Cape Town: 422-423.
- 1966e. "Hesseling, Dirk Christiaan." In: Standard Encyclopædia of Southern Africa, Nasou: Cape Town: 513-514.
- 1971. Review: G.S. Nienaber, Afrikaans in die vroeë jare. Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe 11(4): 332.
- 1973. "By die honderste verjaarsdag van Pieter Wenning." Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe 13(4): 349-358.
- 1985a. "Vroeë taalkundige studies." Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe 25(2): 80-105.
- 1985b. "Afrikaanse woorde en uitdrukkinge - eiegoed of erfgoed?" Tydskrif vir geesteswetenskappe 25(4): 235-290.
Articles for Die Burger
- 1971 December 13. "Bonnard se rol in vandag se kuns."
- 1972 October 18. "Die verbondenheid van D.C. Boonzaier."
- 1973 May 4. "Stern-argief nou in biblioteek."
- 1973 May 7. "Stern-skatte na jare gevind."
- 1973 June 15. "Stukke getuienis oor ons grootste digter."
- 1973 September 10. "Voortrekkerhuis: Wenning se skilderye."
- 1973 December 6. "Van Wyk Louw: Skugter, maar nie geheimsinnig."
- 1973 December 31. "Le Vaillant en sy akwarelle."
- 1974 March 15. "Historiese huis en Pierneef."
- 1974 April 26. ",Nuwe' Caldecott opgespoor."
- 1974 August 12. "Skildery van Wenning geïdentifiseer."
- 1975 October 23. "'n Skildery van Wenning."
- 1976 January 8. "Verhaal van beeld in Kaapstad."
- 1976 March 10. "Kuns-speurwerk - en 'n verrassing."
- 1977 January 24. "'n ,Nuwe' Kottler."
- 1977 May 2. "Vroeë Caldecott-werk ontdek."
- 1977 August 15. "Verlore skilderye van Caldecott ontdek."
- 1978 January 18. "Noor se spotprente behou trefkrag."
- 1978 February 9. "Werke van Kottler 'ontdek'."
- 1978 August 9. "Identifikasie van 'n skildery."
- 1978 October 2. "Hy was 'n opregte mens."
- 1979 September 28. "Probleme met nagelate kunswerke."
- 1979 December 12. "Vyf vroue en die Nuwe Groep."
- 1980 March 19. "Katrine Harries se nagelate werk."
- 1981 March 10. "Onderskatte en half vergete skilder."
- 1981 April 9. "Malraux se groot slag."
- 1981 June 8. "'Onbekende' werk van Boonzaier."
- 1981 September 23. "SA Kunswerke wat verdwyn."
- 1982 February 25. "Ou Kaap herleef in seldsame boeke."
- 1982 February 26. "Geskiedenis van Kaapstad in ou kalenders."
- 1982 March 8. "'n Groot skilder in 'n klein land."
- 1982 June 22. "Ou boekwinkels en Kaapse kultuur."
- 1982 July 7. "Besonderse kuns van Kay."
- 1982 July 28. "Só het 'n boek ontstaan."