Language dominance

1. Warning: This slideshow is about
The dangers that the teaching of a
dominant and/or global language
poses to local/indigenous
languages in a particular
nation/community

2. The English language.
The most powerful currency.
A South African Perspective

3. South Africa has eleven official
languages
In alphabetical order these are:
In order of importance:
Afrikaans Goeiedag
English Hello
English
IsiNdebele Lotjani
IsiXhosa Molo
IsiZulu Sawubona
Sepedi Dumela
Sesotho Dumela
Setswana Dumela And all the other
SiSwati Sawubona languages
Tshivenda Ndaa
Xitsonga Avuxeni

4. Backdrop:
The battle for supremacy
“Amongst the black majority, English was perceived to be
the language of liberation and black unity, as opposed to
Afrikaans, which was associated with oppression.
Whereas in other postcolonial countries English has
frequently been regarded as an intruder, externally
enforced and so politically problematic, in South Africa
Afrikaans protected English from this stigma as it
instead was seen as "the language of the
oppressor”” Saffron Hall

5. Backdrop:
The battle rages on
In South Africa:
 All eleven official languages is supposed to have
equal status but this is very unlikely.
 In parliament anyone can address the house in
their preferred language but this is problematic.
 No language would be discriminated against but
this is difficult to police.
 Every child has the right to mother tongue
instruction for the first seven years but there are
problems associated with later learning.

6. English vs the rest
An overview
 International  Local
 More prestigous  Looked down upon
 Economically strong  Lacks economic power
 Politically powerful  Politically weak
 Progressive  Slow growing
 Socially superior  Lacks social status
 More modern  Too tribal
 Media language  Poor media coverage
 Preferrred language  Spoken mainly at
of instruction home

7. English and Education in SA
English is not compulsory at school but …
 A L2 is compulsory
 Without English learners will not have access
to tertiary education
 English is the preferred language of learning
and teaching (LoLT)
 It is also the language of trade and industry
 Necessity: learn English or remain behind
 Trend: Learners take English + L1 at school
 Result: English grows more powerful daily

8. What dangers does English pose to
indigenous languages?
 Indigenous languages may become extinct.
 Local knowledge will be lost.
 Customs, traditions and culture threatened/consumed.
 Blurring or loss of social identities.
 Irradication of diversity.
 “Alongside its growth because of its perceived neutrality
and its high status.., and despite a pragmatic
recognition of what English can offer, there is a very
real possibility that elitism, domination and social
injustice, as well as personal language loss could result
from the spread of English.., and this is particularly true
of South Africa.” Vivian De Klerk

9. The power of the media
 Like the rest of the world SA’s press is
controlled by the money makers who
prefer English.
 Teachers, parents are pitted against
media bias, an uphill battle.
 “only 30% to 35% of South Africans
have enough English language skills to
engage in a meaningful political
conversation in English or to understand
an English news broadcast”.(Swanepoel 1995)

10. The changing African landscape
“It is a pity that many educated elites in Africa feel
that their children speaking fluent English and
neglecting their mother tongues is another way to prove
that they are civilized people. I grew up in south
western Nigeria, where Yoruba is spoken, a language
that is very rich. But you will discover that nowadays
many children cannot even greet in Yoruba language”.
Kolawole Elufisan, Pretoria, South Africa
Taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4536450.stm

11. Factors influencing the choice of English as language of learning and teaching
(LoLT)
— a South African perspective
Corene de Wet
 On the cultural front:
“The possibility exists that if English is
the African child's most important
LoLT, the child can become anglicised
— at the expense of his/her own
cultural heritage”

12. Factors influencing the choice of English as language of learning and teaching
(LoLT)
— a South African perspective
Corene de Wet
“it is ironic that English is regarded as the
language of trade, because it is spoken by a small
minority and it thereby excludes a large
proportion of the population from participating
in the economic mainstream. Despite this
discrepancy, English is still acknowledged as the
language of economic empowerment”.

13. So what about the other langauges?
 According to UNESCO Africa is the most
linguistically diverse continent.
 Many of the 2000 languages have been lost
already and this continues today.
 Unless something is done the progress of a
global language is inevitable.
Prediction
English will become more powerful and
indespensible but this can only be
accomplished at the expense of indigenous
langauges.
This phenomenon is not unique to Africa

14. How big is the problem really?
It’s not only Africa that’s
under threat. This is
happening across the
world!!!

15. Right now in Europe
According to the Council of Europe Advisory
Committee, governments must develop inclusive
language policies to ensure that everyone is granted
the right to use minority languages, while also
providing equal opportunities in education and
access to the labour market.
Taken from the Council of Europe website
The global giant marches on
…