Language Research

1. Legislation: Legislation dealing with the use of languages

The Constitution of South Africa (Section 6, 9, 29-31, 35, 185, 186, 235)

Multilingualism Bill (May 10, 2000)

Statement By Prof Sme Bengu, Minister of Education on a New Language Policy in General and Further Education (July 14, 1997)

Pan South African Language Board Act (October 4, 1995)

Republic Of South Africa South African Schools Bill (1996)

Updated (September 2002)

As it is clear from the Constitution (Article 6), eleven languages can be used for official functions in the country (two of the apartheid era languages - Afrikaans and English and nine major Bantu languages).

The Constitution:

• Prescribes parity of esteem and equitable treatment for all official languages

   

• Includes linguistic human rights as a cornerstone of public life

   

• Prohibits discrimination

   

• Commits the government to the promotion of all non-official languages commonly used by communities (including sign language, religious languages, and the country’s first languages - Khoi, Nama and San)

   

• Gives explicit recognition to the principle of linguistic diversity

Together, these constitutional stipulations express a philosophy of political pluralism.

Following the announcement to recognize eleven languages as official, a committee called “LANGTAG” (the Language Task Group) was appointed in 1996 to produce a framework for the development of a comprehensive national language policy. Subsequently, several workshops and seminars were organized by the government to discuss national language planning issues.

Concurrently, also a national body, called “PanSALB,” (Pan South African Language Board) was established to promote the country’s languages and to monitor the implementation of the language stipulations. Since its inception this body has established national and provincial language committees, lexicographical units and commissioned a language survey and funded research.

Furthermore, “DACST,” the state department responsible for managing language policy development, appointed a special language planning Advisory Body to propose a national language policy. The proposal of this committee in March 2000 became a basis for the South Africa Languages Bill, which will be presented to the Cabinet in the current session of the National Assembly.

The constitutional language stipulations have been criticized in at least three ways:

• The first, rather commonly expressed criticism is that it is impossible to implement a policy of eleven official languages because it will cost too much and cannot be implemented in practice.

  These critics obviously assume that the intention of the Constitution is to use eleven languages in all official domains. However, it is not the case. Firstly, the stipulations state explicitly that both the national government and provincial governments must use at least two official languages for government business, and secondly, the stipulations include a number of qualifying conditions (such as usage, practicality, expense, regional circumstances, and the balance of the needs and preferences of the population), which must be considered to decide on specific policies.

  In case of third-level government, a number of languages is not specified, suggesting that they may use only one language for official purposes. Therefore, whilst full multilingualism is in the spirit of the Constitution, the language stipulations also recognize the principle of functional and demographic differentiation, and the need to separate domains and levels of language policy development.

   

• A second criticism of the language stipulations is that the principles they espouse (parity of esteem, equity, language promotion) are in potential conflict with the qualifying clauses (sometimes negatively called “escape clauses”), making it possible for state institutions to avoid adopting and implementing language policy in the spirit of the Constitution.

   

• The third criticism is that state institutions become more monolingual in practice (that is, more English), which means that the government acts in contrary to the spirit of the Constitution.

THE SOUTH AFRICA LANGUAGES BILL

The second document, which must be considered, is the proposed Languages Bill. This bill begins with a list of its strategic goals:

(a) To facilitate individual empowerment and national development

(b) To develop and promote the Bantu languages

(c) To provide a regulatory framework for the effective management of the official languages in the public service

(d) To facilitate economic development via the promotion of multilingualism

(e) To enhance the learning of the South African languages

(f) To develop the capacity of the country’s languages, especially in the context of technologization

The bill proposes the following policy decisions:

1) The national government should use not less than four languages for official work

2) These languages should be selected from each of four categories of official languages on a rotational basis, namely:

- The Nguni languages (Ndebele, Swazi, Xhosa and Zulu)

- The Sotho languages (Pedi, Sotho and Tswana)

- Venda and Tsonga/Shangaan

- Afrikaans and English

3) Governments at provincial and local level as well as institutions which perform public functions should be subject to the policy provisions of the bill

4) The policy should be applicable for legislative, executive and judicial functions

5) Language units should be established for each department of the national government and each province, to implement and monitor policy, to conduct language surveys and audits in order to assess existing language policies and practices, and to inform the public about the policy

6) Regulations concerning a language code of conduct for public officials should be produced

The bill also proposes a plan of implementation (what has to be done, by whom, for whom and when) for selected core activities, such as the establishment of language units, the development of a language code of conduct, and language audits. An important facet in the preparation of the bill is the question of costs so cost-estimation has been undertaken for selected state departments.

The proposed bill is obviously not intended as an explicit policy for individual state institutions. At most it provides a framework within which further policy development must take place. Each state department (at whatever level) will need to determine its own specific policy and a plan of implementation on the basis of the functions it has to perform and the types and levels of communication in which it needs to be engaged in fulfilling its functions.

Acceptance of the bill by the cabinet and the national assembly will not mean its immediate and full implementation at all three levels of government and in all state departments. In fact, effective policy implementation could take several years, depending on the political commitment of the heads of state departments, and national and provincial budgetary constraints.

Source: World Congress on Language Policies, Barcelona, April 16-20, 2002, “Language Policy Development in South Africa,” by V. N. Webb, Center for Research in the Politics of Language, University of Pretoria, http://www.linguapax.org/congres/taller/taller3/webb.html

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Updated (August 2007)

NEW EDUCATION PLAN WILL BREAK THE LANGUAGE BARRIER

A new language education plan is to be implemented in the Western Cape province – all pupils who have just started schools should be able to speak the province's three main languages by grade 9.

At present national legislative requires pupils to be taught in their mother tongue only for the first three years in schools. Cameron Dugmore, MEC for Education in the Western Cape, has said they plan to implement a six–year program instead from 2008.

At first, all pupils would have to be taught in their mother tongue until grade 6, while at the same time develop skills in an additional language. In grade 7, they would be introduced to a third language, and by grade 9, all pupils would be able to speak English, Xhosa and Afrikaans.

In regard to the plan, the Minister said: “If English speakers and Afrikaans speakers are all also learning Xhosa and Xhosa–speakers add Afrikaans to their curriculum then some of the barriers that we now experience will fall away.”

Based on the 2006 evaluation results of grade 3 and 6, which has shown the majority of pupils could not read, write or count to the required standard, the plan is meant to improve the low literacy and numeracy in schools.

Results in township schools, where Xhosa pupils were taught in English, were the lowest. According to researchers, the bad results reflected the reality – pupils did not receive education in their mother tongue.

The plan has already been piloted at 16 schools across the province and shown positive results. Teacher unions, governing body associations, language organizations and academics, have also welcomed it.

Source: IOL (Independent Online Ltd.), South Africa News, August 22, 2007 by Candes Keating http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20070822112244108C753322

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