Charlize Theron under fire because she mocked Afrikaans - her mother tongue -

Charlize Theron was attacked by Afrikaans speakers after she mocked her mother tongue as a dying language that was spoken by almost nobody.

The Oscar winner was described as poorly informed and asked to stick to Hollywood after saying in an interview that the language she spoke when she grew up in South Africa was not very helpful.

The comments of one of the most famous stars in the country triggered a debate on social media in their home country, in which Africa is one of a dozen official languages.

The 47-year-old told the Smartless Podcast that she only learned English as a second language at school and could not speak fluently until she moved to the USA in her late teenage years.

"It is definitely a dying language"

she joked that only “about 44 people still” spoke Africa.

"It is definitely a dying language; it is not a very helpful language," she said.

of the Afrikaans Language Council was one of those who campaigned for the defense of the language and asked them to apologize.

The Council said: "As an icon and model for many young South Africans and Africa spokesman, Charlize Theron's poorly informed disposable comments about Afrikaans meet the language in the heart."

Tim Theron, a South African actor and producer, said: "We are very proud of Charlize and everything she has achieved ... but we are also very proud of our diversity and our amazing and beautiful official languages, of which Africa is one of which is one.

"It is not a 'dying language' and is not only spoken by 44 people. It is spoken by millions of people; new songs and poems are written every day, films are made, etc.

on Twitter others were less diplomatic.

"Stay at Hollywood"

A user said: "Stay at Hollywood, girl, that's all you know today, and leave Afrikaans in peace."

Afrikaans developed from the Dutch, which was spoken by colonists and their slaves in the Dutch cap colony from the 17th century.

words from Malay, Portuguese and local languages have been added and proud Afrikaans spokesman praise the descriptive vocabulary.

It is estimated that more than seven million speak the language, which makes them the third most common language of the country after Xhosa and Zulu.

But for many other South Africans, it still has associations with the apartheid system.