Mark b pres.ppt
- 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 …