Volk

Volk is an Afrikaans word derived from the Dutch and German term for a people or an ethnic group. Related to the English term "Folk".

In Afrikaans it has had a number of uses:

To refer to the equivalent of "Nation", as in the German nationalist context where it has been used to refer to the German people as a nation, with a history and destiny.

To refer to an ethnic group or a "people".

To refer to the workers on the farms etc. (This couls be used neutrally, but more often soemwhat denigratingly).

To refer to the equivalent of the English "folk", especially in combinations, e.g. volksfees (= "folk festival") , volksmusiek ("folk music"), volkskuns, ("folk art") etc.