Deconstructing language myths: which languages of learning and teaching in South Africa

Dalvit, Lorenzo; Murray, Sarah; Terzoli, Alfredo

Title: Deconstructing language myths: which languages of learning and teaching in South Africa
Creator: Dalvit, Lorenzo
Creator: Murray, Sarah
Creator: Terzoli, Alfredo
Subject: To be catalogued
Date Issued: 2009
Date: 2009
Type: text
Type: article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431260
Identifier: vital:72759
Identifier: https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/91537059/Deconstructing_language_myths_which_languages_of_learning_and_teaching_in_South_Africa.sflb-libre.pdf?1664136385=response-content-disposi-tion=inline%3B+filename%3DDeconstructing_language_myths_which_lang.pdfExpires=1714984902Signature=dj35y~SObsQq0TnqD-oDUj3CX7lgNnKJcMAchC7rarU74xqfrMlVfOwi-MZrNZvWvpxyzquBsmr1veH-ggRVXQP7TX4eKQq3tXV-gJZg3xyo7QJoGwrGPTjC4btF2kNrVJc6TQulzuPFEz47GtjQ6Nint4SmE7A30EMUMd8j25KgCUdtzqwx9kjBs-niKu~z-pk-Xon5YOolMTepbOwNr9wKGj8JafblTdnFs-H8CZ-Et4BD2mYV3GxnR0QLfgawFgDYkOSZnYhkl6wFsXG~Euwlhcvtp0EgUOfP4id~Ov9hhA-rSQxl81X2Dh1BdMuT3GSsK6VNmO7TikSC7NeGlQ__Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
Description: In this article we argue for the use of African languages as Languages of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) for native speakers of such language in South Africa. We believe that both public and academic debate is in-fluenced by a set of ‘language myths’: 1) only one language should be used; 2) the earlier one starts using English as LoLT, the better; 3) us-ing English as LoLT improves English proficiency. These myths be seen as a direct manifestation of Western hegemony, and English-functional arguments are often the terms of reference. We will try a dif-ferent approach by highlighting the advantages of using an African lan-guage (ie isiXhosa) as LoLT and, whenever possible, we will try to put English on the ‘defence stand’. The purpose of this paper is not to ad-vocate the substitution of English with an African language. We believe that bilingual education is the appropriate choice for South Africa, but in order to achieve full equality between English and the African lan-guages in education, arguments in support of the latter must be put forward proactively. With our paper, we hope to contribute to this new perspective.
Format: 23 pages
Format: pdf
Language: English
Relation: Journal of Education
Relation: Dalvit, L., Murray, S. and Terzoli, A., 2009. Deconstructing language myths: which languages of learning and teaching in South Africa. Journal of Education, 46(1), pp.35-46
Relation: Journal of Education volume 46 number 1 35 46 2009 2515-5741
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Sage Journals Terms and Conditions Statement (https://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/terms-of-use)

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Terzoli, Alfredo (Prof)

Dalvit, Lorenzo (Prof)

Murray, Sarah (Mrs)

RU Department of Computer Science

RU Department of Education

SDG 09. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 04. Quality Education

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