It is a Germanic language, specifically a West Germanic language. It is a daughter language of Dutch, which is also a West Germanic language.
Here's why:
* Origins: Afrikaans developed from the Dutch spoken by European settlers in South Africa.
* Linguistic Features: It shares many grammatical and vocabulary similarities with Dutch, along with other West Germanic languages like German and English.
While Afrikaans has borrowed words from various languages, including Portuguese, Malay, and indigenous African languages, its core structure and origins are firmly rooted in West Germanic.