Challenges for South Africa’s medium-sized indigenous languages in higher education and research environments

It is a truism that language plays a pivotal role in learning and hence in empowering individuals to be both producers and consumers of knowledge. It is likewise obviously true that the choice of the language(s) of instruction has been a thorny issue in Africa since its former colonies gained their political independence. Prejudice and confusion about the role and potential of Africa’s indigenous languages to act as suitable languages of instruction persist and have resulted in these languages being viewed as barriers to successful learning and hence relegated to the back seat with the former colonial languages primarily being the preferred language of instruction. Ouane (2010), drawing on UNESCO’s 2004 Global Monitoring Report on Education for All, which underscores the choice of the language of instruction and language policy in schools as critical for effective learning, argues that low-quality education and the marginalisation of the African continent can be linked to its language in education practices..

Identities in extended Afrikaans speech communities

This study investigates the link between language and identity in a few enclaved Afrikaans speaking communities where ascribed identities, i.e. the role of ‘self’as opposed to ‘the other’, is particularly salient. Given the role of both 'self identification'and the perceptions and attitudes of 'others' in the construction of (ethnic) identity the aim of this study is to understand the processes of identity construction and negotiation that resulted in these communities either distancing themselves from their black heritage or viewing themselves as ‘Black Afrikaners’. Four such communities are investigated namely the Buys family, who represents a group that rejects their black heritage and the Van der Merwe family, the people of Thlabane and the black Afrikaners of Onverwacht who represent the latter grouping. Neville Alexander’s work is drawn upon in which he argues that identity politics in South Africa is often cladded in ornamental rainbow imagery leaving many communities in a crisis of identity

Governmentality and the good offices of translation in 20th-century South Africa

A postmodern approach to language policy and planning suggests a rethinking of our social, economic, and political categories in favor of a more localised understanding of modes of governmentality (Pennycook, 2006: 71). This article provides an overview of the ideological discourses and processes that helped shape the translation profession and the activities of translators in 20th-century South Africa. Drawing on the work of Pennycook (2002, 2006) on language governmentality, translation is linked to language policy as an instance of ‘cultural governance'. The notion of language governmentality allows for an investigation of the more localised mechanisms and diverse operations of power embodied and enacted by professional translation practices, language use and discourses. The role that translators and organised translation activities played in legitimising and institutionalising the Afrikaans language as a tool for building a collective political consciousness is investigated against the backdrop of the grand narrative of Afrikaner nationalism. An account is also given of the modes of governmentality embodied by the South African Translators' Association.Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2007, 25(2): 115–13

BoekresensieSkryf Afrikaans van A tot Z. Die essensiële gids vir taalgebruikersDeur Dalene Müller (2003)

Pharos Woordeboeke, Kaapstad Slapband ISBN 9781868900374718 bladsyeSouthern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2008, 26(2): 297–29

On language heroes and the modernising movement of Afrikaner nationalism

This article explores the re-invention of translators as ‘language heroes' in periods of intense Afrikaner mobilisation during the first half of the 20th century. The narrative construction of translators' accomplishments in standardising the corpus and modernising the functional uses of Afrikaans is mapped against the institutional context that gave rise to the Afrikaner's ethnolinguistic vitality. Not unlike other venerated language engineers of the time, translators were language activists who played a key role in transforming the low image of the Afrikaans vernacular as a function of Afrikaner nationalism and hence in building ethnolinguistic vitality. It is argued that translation should be utilised in contemporary South Africa as one of the key strategies for language modernisation. The high esteem in which Afrikaans translators were held and their accomplishments in defying the structural confines of their times, could serve as a pointer for the much needed expansion of the socio-cultural domains of the indigenous languages in postapartheid South Africa. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2007, 25(3): 245–25

Translation in South Africa: the politics of transmission1

This article investigates interlingual mediation, i.e. translation and interpreting as a macro-level language-planning goal in contemporary South Africa. The focus of the article is the political dimensions of translation as social practice. The study argues that, in addition to being a pivotal language facilitation tool, translation should also be valued and utilised as a language development tool and as a tool for creating ‘discursive space' for indigenous (minority) languages. Translation policy as captured in language legislation (e.g. the Constitution and the Pan South African Language Board Act, 1995) and policy statements by Government (e.g. the Minister of Arts and Culture's National Language Policy Framework, 2003) are analysed and a brief overview of current translation infrastructure at provincial and local government level is discussed. The study argues that the politics of transmission in post-apartheid South Africa have failed the nation-building project. Government's language-planning agencies have failed to establish routinised translation practices and have thus failed to foster a culture of translation. As a result, translation's pivotal developmental function has been neglected, which has contributed to the shrinking socio-cultural domains in which indigenous languages are used

When language revitalisation transcends linguistic issues: Motivations for the revitalisation of Tonga

This article presents findings from research on Tonga language revitalisation. Tonga is a formerly marginalised indigenous language  spoken in north-western Zimbabwe. It is part of Zimbabwe’s linguistic ecology comprising 16 officially recognised languages that exist in a polyglossic situation. The Tonga community recently embarked on a bottom-up language planning approach to revitalise their language, contrary to the traditional macro-level language planning, which is normally top-down. Through semi-structured interviews, the study  explores the Tonga speakers’ motivations for the revitalisation of their language. The study also aims to test the usability of Karan’s (2008) taxonomy of language choice motivations as presented in his perceived benefit model of language shift. The findings point to the fact that the linguistic war that the Tonga community have been fighting is fuelled by various agendas. Although on the surface the Tonga people  seemed to be dealing with a linguistic issue, the ripple effects touch on other pragmatic considerations such as political, social, economic and educational issues, issues that deal directly with end-user needs, both at individual and community level. Karan’s model was found useful in analysing motivations for revitalisation

The use of slang by black youth in Gauteng

Youth generally use slang to identify themselves with particular groups in terms of age, gender, region, race, etc. The focus of this paper is to discuss the use of slang, particularly in English, by black youth in Gauteng and their social motivations for using this variety of English. Thepaper will demonstrate, through examples drawn from a study conducted in Gauteng, how the use of slang by black youth is a response to the diversity of voices represented in essentially multilingual Gauteng. Although the focus of this paper is on slang n English, reference will also be made to the influence other non-standard black varieties such as Tsotsitaal and Is'camtho have on the slang of the youth.Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2007, 25(4): 463–47