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South African English: oppressor or liberator?

- Silva, Penny

Authors: Silva, Penny
Date: 1997
Language: English
Type: text , conference publication
Identifier: vital:7013 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013236 , https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/content/dsae/documents/articles/Silva_article.pdf
Description: preprint , [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.
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Date Issued: 1997

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Report of the Conference on Women and Gender in Southern Africa, 30 January to 3 February 1991

- Gender Research Group Conference Planning Committee, University of Natal

Authors: Gender Research Group Conference Planning Committee , University of Natal
Date: 1991-02-03
Subjects: Women – Political activity – Africa, Southern -- Congresses , South Africa -- Politics and government , Government, Resistance to – South Africa , Women – Social conditions – Africa, Southern -- Congresses , Women in development – Africa, Southern -- Congresses
Language: English
Type: text , conference publication
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/58278 , vital:27139 , This item is held at the Cory Library for Humanities Research at Rhodes University. For further information contact cory@ru.ac.za. The digitisation of this image was made possible through a generous grant received from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 2014-2017.
Description: Women’s studies and courses which incorporate gender into their analysis have slowly, over the last five or six years, been gaining a toe-hold at South African universities. More and more academics, most of them women, are doing research in the area. Despite this, Women’s and Gender Studies are often marginalised and lecturers have to fight for the space to teach them. Papers on women tend to be ghettoised at conferences. Thus at its first meeting in 1989 the Gender Research Group (GRG) felt the need to celebrate this growing area of work being produced under difficult conditions by organising a conference. The purpose of the conference was to stimulate further research and provide a forum for the work people were already doing. The organising committee wanted the conference to be a place for debate with an emphasis on research and theory. The Conference was organised around four main themes: * Race, class and gender * Culture and ideology * Organising women and policy * Everyday life. It was the first academic conference in South Africa to focus directly on women’s and gender issues. It was attended by participants from most southern African countries as well as southern Africanists from the USA, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands. There were sixty-four papers, some presented in plenary discussion and others in smaller parallel sessions. In addition, two panel discussions were organised, one on ‘Conceptualising gender’ and the other on ‘Organising women’ The conference was followed by two one-day workshops - ‘Teaching Women’s Studies’ and ‘Gender and Popular Education’.
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Date Issued: 1991-02-03

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