Since 1996, South Africa is a country of 11 official languages. Some of them interfere more than others but each of them contributes to creating the South African English . SAE “is an established and unique dialect, with strong influences from Afrikaans and the country's many African languages.”(SA info) So when all South Africans speak their lingua franca and their mothertongue they are at least bilingual if not multilingual. What I want to find out here, is whether bilingualism means obtaining several cultures in South Africa or if the use of the powerful SAE, which is also called ‘killer-language’, leads to a loss of cultures.
English, of course, seems to be a global lingua franca and therefore it is powerful and it intends a higher education of its speakers. In South Africa, “fewer than ten per cent of people speak English at home.”(Spot on) but “all South African pupils learn English, and it’s the language most schools use to teach other subjects.” (Spot on). That is a great chance for the pupils but problems arise when some children speak better than their teachers who learned their mothertongue or the former official language, Afrikaans, themselves.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Multilingualism in South Africa
- South Africa's official languages
- Development of Language Use in South Africa
- Definition Bilingualism / Multilingualism
- Identity and Language
- Definition Identity
- Language Value and Power
- South African Identity
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the relationship between language and identity in South Africa, a country with 11 official languages. It aims to investigate whether the dominance of English, a global lingua franca, leads to a loss of cultural diversity or whether multilingualism fosters the integration of various cultural identities.
- Multilingualism in South Africa
- The role of English as a global lingua franca and its impact on South African identity
- The significance of indigenous languages in preserving cultural diversity
- The concept of 'mother tongue' and its application in a multilingual context
- The relationship between language and power in South Africa
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: The introduction establishes the context of South Africa's multilingualism and raises the key question of whether the dominance of English leads to a loss of cultural diversity. It highlights the presence of South African English (SAE) and its influence from Afrikaans and other African languages.
- Multilingualism in South Africa: This chapter provides a detailed overview of South Africa's eleven official languages, including their historical development and current usage patterns. It analyzes the government's efforts to promote multilingualism and discusses the challenges associated with defining 'mother tongue' in a multilingual context.
- Identity and Language: This chapter explores the intricate relationship between language and identity. It defines the concept of identity and examines how language shapes and reflects individual and collective identities. The chapter further discusses the power dynamics associated with language use and how language can be used to both empower and marginalize individuals and groups.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
South African English, multilingualism, language and identity, cultural diversity, global lingua franca, mother tongue, language value and power, Afrikaans, indigenous languages, education, South African identity.
- Quote paper
- Daniela Kröner (Author), 2007, Language and identity in South Africa, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/78869
