South African English: oppressor or liberator?

Silva, Penny

Title: South African English: oppressor or liberator?
Creator: Silva, Penny
Date Issued: 1997
Date: 1997
Type: text
Type: conference publication
Identifier: vital:7013
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013236
Identifier: https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/content/dsae/documents/articles/Silva_article.pdf
Description: preprint
Description: [From Conclusion] The advent of Nelson Mandela’s government in 1994 brought about rapid changes in the balance between English and Afrikaans in government and the media, and also increased the use of African languages on television. English remains the politically ‘neutral’ language for public use: President Mandela’s speeches are almost invariably in English; national conferences are held largely in English; in Parliament, although all official languages may be used, English is predominant; tertiary education is in English, with the exception of some of the Afrikaans-language campuses. Multilingualism is entrenched in the constitution, and supported as an ideal, but with its massive translating, interpreting, and printing implications, it is beyond the reach of the South African economy while there are urgent needs in health, housing, and education. The status of English as an international language, and as one which is politically more neutral than any other South African language, and its choice by the ANC, seems to ensure its ever-increasing dominance at a national level. At this level English is a national asset and ‘liberator’, in that it offers international access and a tool for communication between language groups. However, this dominance is likely to result in a growing resentment of English, particularly among those who have an ‘old’ political agenda, or who do not have access to becoming proficient in the language. To these South Africans, English will certainly be seen as ‘oppressor’. English in South Africa has long since passed out of the hands of mother-tongue speakers. With its increased public use by the new black elite, and in the electronic media, it seems likely that standard SAE is entering a period of accelerated change. This has already led to an intolerant reaction from some conservative English-speakers, and ‘standard’ is likely to become an increasingly difficult issue. If English is to be seen as ‘liberator’ by the average second-language speaker, the attitudes of mother-tongue speakers are significant. Triumphalism, arrogance, and irritation towards second-language speakers result in resentment. If it is to be ‘liberator’, English should be a resource to be appropriated and owned by all South Africans, not just the elite, to be used as a gateway to the wider world. For this to happen, creative solutions (and massive expenditure) would have to be applied to the teaching of English, particularly in black rural schools. Simultaneously, SAE will hopefully be claimed as the colourful and particularly local creation of an increasingly multi-ethnic company of first-, second-, and third-language speakers, and be used even more extensively than at present as the national language of communication. If it offers itself (and is perceived) as servant and liberator rather than oppressor, English will provide the linguistic ‘glue’ to bond a diverse and complex society.
Format: 8 pages
Format: pdf
Language: English
Relation: The Major Varieties of English (Maven 1997)
Relation: Silva, Penny (1997) "South African English: Oppressor or Liberator?" in The Major Varieties of English, Papers from MAVEN 97, Vaxjo, 20–22 November 1997
Relation: The Major Varieties of English (Maven 1997) November 1997
Rights: Silva, Penny
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of The Major Varieties of English [Maven 1997] Self-archiving Policy

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