Description
Cape Coloureds (Afrikaans: Kaapse Kleurlinge ) are a South African ethnic classification consisting primarily of persons of mixed race African, Asian and European descent. Although Coloureds form a minority group within South Africa, they are the predominant population group in the Western Cape.
They are generally bilingual, speaking Afrikaans and English, though some speak only one of these. Some Cape Coloureds may code switch, speaking a patois of Afrikaans and English called Afrikaaps also known as Cape Slang (Capy) or Kombuis Afrikaans , meaning Kitchen Afrikaans. Cape Coloureds were classified under apartheid as a subset of the larger Coloured race group.
At least one genetic study indicates that Cape Coloureds have an ancestry consisting of the following cultural frames:
- Khoisan-speaking Africans: (32–43%)
- Bantu-speaking Africans: (20–36%)
- Ethnic groups in Europe: (21–28%)
- Asian peoples: (9–11%)
