In the early (mercantilist) period, there was no direct influence on the languages of the indigenous peoples. This means that generally English was the language of the courts, central and local.
The role of the missionaries
Inevitably, to quote Dunjwa-Blajberg, the adoption of the English language meant simultaneous adoption of English culture and ultimately adaptation to a new system. They, like their French counterparts elsewhere in Africa, although not as consistently, wanted to spread the language of the 'motherland' as widely as possible.
Apartheid language policy and ethnic divisions
I have chosen to quote this essay in more detail because it lays to rest one of the most enduring legacies of positivism in the social sciences, namely the idea that social categories. Far from being God-given, Harries shows that in the case of the Tsonga we are dealing with (as he puts it rather ironically) "a classic example of ethnic differences whose roots can be traced to an obscure linguistic debate between two Swiss missionaries'.
The impact of Soweto
There are plenty of examples of the kind of attitude and policies I'm talking about here. The view of the language issue he expressed on this occasion was typical of virtually the entire black intelligentsia.
The Congress Movement
Only in the ranks of the Communist Party of South Africa and associated organizations was there a conscious attempt to spread English among black working people. Zulu is spoken mainly in Natal, Xhosa in the Eastern Cape; Sotho in Basutoland and parts of the Free State, Tswana and. An anonymous contribution to the Journal of the ANC Youth League (Africa) published in early 1954 probably came from the same pen.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with this kind of proposal, it was clearly premature in the strongest sense of the word. However, both slavishly followed the Soviet model without due consideration of the particularities of the overall situation in southern Africa.
The Non-European Unity Movement
The same approach was evident in the final contribution to this discussion, an article by W.B. As a result, they inadvertently denied the power of language planning as an instrument of social policy and – paradoxically – opposed the very concept and practice of social planning at the heart of the Soviet model. Jordan in the pages of the Educational Journal of the Teachers' League of South Africa in the period 1956-1958 and in an independently published article by A.C.
The down-to-earth, empiricist approach that characterized the debate in the pages of Liberation contrasted with the flowery, often verbose and incurably Eurocentric discourse used in the Educational Journal. However, he was hampered by his obvious ignorance of linguistics and inevitably got stuck in the quicksand of pure rhetoric.
The Black Consciousness Movement
The chilling slogan Kill Afrikaans! has shown once and for all that the language issue must be taken very seriously. To make English an international language. communications and the main medium of higher education. Despite its colonial origins, English was considered a unifying language, a language of national unity.
In Namibia, which has been referred to as a 'waiting and waiting nation', the language policy of the colonial government is identical to that of the 'mother country', South Africa. The language of instruction from the lower years of primary education is English because it is the language of SWAPO.
Language, culture and nation
The issue of language is a very emotional issue related to the consciousness of the people. Are these views, considered common sense in most parts of the world, based on indisputable facts? It is certainly true that this and similar views have prevailed in Europe, North America and most of their colonies since the late 18th century.
And just as people began to see and explain things differently in the wake of the Copernican revolution, so today we are beginning to understand much better the processes by which nations come into existence. As with any experience, the connotations are different for each group of people located deeper in the concentric universe that is our world, until we reach the uniqueness of the experience of each individual at the center.
Which way South Africa?
Thousands of laws and regulations have been invented to enforce and legitimize the racially discriminatory practices that are part of the system of racial capitalism. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that separatist movements in South Africa could become a reality despite almost eighty years of anti-ethnic, anti-racist struggle for a united South Africa. Economic and political developments since the mid-sixties placed high on the agenda the task of uniting the nascent nation in South Africa culturally and culturally.
It is only when we have this historical perspective that it becomes possible to make decisions about matters such as language policy in such a way that these decisions will be in line with the long-term interests of the majority of the people and will also be supported by the majority. of the people. Events themselves - especially since l9l6 - have begun to reverse everything and we must therefore begin to propose new ideas and new ways of seeing so that our visions of the future can be distinguished in the apparent chaos of the present. .
Towards a democratic language policy for a post-apartheid South Africa
We need to 'take stock' of the situation in southern Africa, arrive at the most likely scenario of a post-. In the emerging Azan/South African nation, the interests of the majority ie. of the black workers, be paramount, and we should therefore base our language policy at all levels of our society on this fact. Rather, language policies should be designed to meet the needs and interests of all population groups efficiently and fairly, thus promoting instrumental attachments from which sentimental ones can emerge.
Our main goal in terms of language policy in the period leading up to a liberated, post-apartheid South Africa/. People should at least know their home language and English, but the ideal situation would be one where everyone in South Africa could be fluent in their home language, English, and one or more of the other languages. regionally important.
Some specific proposals
Such a development path would certainly be quite consistent with developments in many parts of the world, especially in Africa. What would appear to be a more likely scenario is one where English is universally accepted as an official language alongside other languages, which would enjoy official status on a regional basis depending on the initial concentration of native speakers of the languages relevant. In summary, then, it can be accepted that if most South Africans have a good knowledge of lingua franca and a good knowledge of one or more of the other.
Due to the dynamic conception of culture to which we subscribe, we further assume that in all preschools and primary schools a common core of cultural materials will be transmitted to our children, regardless of their mother tongue. The result should be an indefinable whole that is an authentic expression of unity in our diversity.
Some implications of these proposals
A user aims to be understandable regardless of the number of broken rules in the process' (Sepamla). On some of the proposals in this essay there is already general agreement in the movement. This will be determined by the concentration of native speakers of the particular language(s).
A few remarks must be made on the matter of the medium of instruction in public schools. For the rest, it is essential to emphasize that this issue is one of the most difficult and complex in the field of education.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the legacy of apartheid and Bantu education in South Africa is very negative. Above all, we must insist that every primary school in South Africa has a few English teachers.
NLP rationale
NLP policy
Therefore, we believe that the basis for providing useful language courses and tutor training programs; which are specifically aimed at a direct communicative approach should be undertaken without delay. Moreover, we also believe that as we work towards the democratization of the language, the variety of the language taught (i.e. standard or dialect) should depend on the wishes/needs of those involved.
The position of English as lingua franca/linking language
The position of the other languages
NLP work in progress
Most of the language work undertaken by the project to date has involved Xhosa conversations, although in 1988 we began developing English Second Language courses with co-operatives and unions. LANGUAGE PROJECTS OVERVIEW 3.1, April 1988 I am currently engaged in research which I hope will result in a series of concrete proposals for a democratic solution to the language problem in South Africa. I refer to what I call the question of the possibility and desirability of consolidating (standardizing) Nguni and Sotho respectively.
Firstly, I do not think that the situation in the 1930s mentioned in Neville's letter is comparable to the South African situation. The status of black languages has been so undermined by South African language policy that even their speakers are painfully aware of the impotence of these languages in providing access to job market opportunities.
