The North West University (NWU), Potchefstroom campus, has introduced a collection of faultless Afrikaans texts known as Afrikaanse SkryfGoed 4, available for individuals wishing to write excellently in one of South Africa’s 11 languages.

Such a collection of Afrikaans electronic proofing tools has been developed by the Centre for Text Technology (CTexT®), a research and development centre at the university.

The collection is also described as the most recent version consisting of four tools for Microsoft Office including Afrikaans spelling checker, grammar checker, thesaurus and hyphenator, and was entirely compatible with Microsoft® Office 2013 and Windows 8.

The grammar checker and thesaurus are one of a kind in Afrikaans for Microsoft Office, and the spelling checker was the only “so-called” second-generation spelling checker currently existing for Afrikaans.

A statement from the university said the most recent technology and advanced processing were used to deliver better results, also that the proofing tools have already generated positive reactions from several language experts and language practitioners.

Chairperson of the Afrikaanse Taalkommissie Tom McLachlan said: “I really no longer want to work on an Afrikaans text without my SkryfGoed.

“The grammar checker often helps me to see mistakes that I have made due to hurried typing.”

McLachlan is a writer, academic and businessman.

Prof Franci Greyling, a lecturer in creative writing at the university, said the Afrikaans spelling checker was a useful method to swiftly spot spelling as well as typing errors.

Greyling further said she frequently use the thesaurus to enhance her writing.

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