Week 4: Should English and Afrikaans be given equal status as mediums of instruction at SU, or should Afrikaans be removed as a medium of instruction?


Er...

In my honest opinion, English and Afrikaans should definitely be given equal status as mediums of instruction.

Correction: In my honest opinion, ALL South African languages should be given equal status as mediums of instruction.

But of course, that's just me being an idealist.

There are hardly any universities that offer Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. If I were a mother tongue speaker of Afrikaans, I would definitely apply to a university at which I could learn in my mother tongue.

For many Afrikaans-speaking people, that university is Stellenbosch University.

These days, there are many debates surrounding the medium of instruction in classrooms and whether or not African languages should be introduced as mediums of instruction.

Removing Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at SU would be completely hypocritical.

Yes, it's true that many students of colour at SU are at a serious disadvantage as they have little or no knowledge of Afrikaans.

But then again, there are many Afrikaans-speaking people who are in the same boat as they are. They struggle with English, and SU offers them the opportunity to study in a language they understand.

Afrikaans.

It's not fair. I get that. But how are we supposed to achieve inclusivity if we're always excluding others?

I know that right now, non-English and Afrikaans speakers are those being excluded, but exclusion goes both ways.

For some, Afrikaans is the language of the oppressor. For others, it's all they've ever known. Why are we always so intent on punishing many, for the crimes committed by a few?

We as students of SU need to realise that an army is stronger as a whole, than as separate parts. We can all get what we want, once we realise that we all actually want the same thing.

Freedom.

I long for the day when we'll start seeing each other as fellow human beings in need of help.

Until then, I'll keep my ideals to myself.

Week 3: Should South African languages be introduced as mediums of instruction in SA schools? 

 

 

UHM. Yes.

 

But it's not that simple, is it? No. Life's not simple, and neither is this.

 

There are 11 official languages in South Africa, yet hardly any of them are used as mediums of instruction in schools.

 

I find that quite odd.

 

English is a widely spoken language - one that is spoken all around the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that it is a popular medium of instruction.

 

But you'd think that with South Africa having so many non-mother tongue speakers of English, that they'd have made provision for them, too.

 

 

I am aware of two arguments regarding this topic.

 

The first argument is that learners should be taught in their mother tongue and that they can then pick up English at a later stage.

 

Obviously, this has merit. Students who are taught in their mother tongue have an advantage as that is usually also their L1, and thus, the language that they think in. But, once again, it's not that simple.

 

 

 

There is a massive shortage of textbooks in other official languages, not to mention teachers. There is a scarcity of teachers who are sufficiently trained and who are fluent enough to teach in other African languages.

 

The second argument is that learners should be taught in English from the start.

 

This makes sense as many people believe English to be superior to other African languages, and associate the language with success. They are not entirely wrong, with regards to associating it with success.

 

When applying for a job, the applicant who is extremely fluent in English will most likely be chosen over the applicant who is extremely fluent in another language.

 

One of the major issues with the second argument is that non-mother tongue speakers of English spend more time learning the language itself than the actual schoolwork. They have to learn how to read AND write in English; something that even mother tongue speakers of English struggle with.

 

 

 

 

Also, if South African languages were introduced, would they ALL be chosen as mediums of instruction? I think not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can already imagine...

 

 

 

    

   

Week 2: The Marvels of Multilingualism


Let's be honest. English. It's everywhere.

 

 



China, America, Germany, Italy, Narnia. Yes, English would be present.

 

Thus, being a monolingual speaker of English is enough, right?

 

 

 

 

Imagine you're a plumber. Some lady calls in desperate need of your plumbing expertise. So, there you are. Under the sink. There's a leak, and you're just the person to fix it.

 

Or are you?!

 

You're in need of a wrench, but alas! You only have a spanner. One lousy spanner. What do you do now?

 

Cry. Just cry it out. Everything won't be alright. 

 

 

 

 

Sure, it's possible to get by with just English, but is that what we want? To get by?

 

Why doesn't everybody just get on the multilingualism train so that we can depart to a brighter tomorrow? We're all living in the now, and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

But we're struggling. We're struggling to understand each other, and not only in the verbal sense.

 

We have all been affected by the past. We all carry pain from the happenings of the past, and forgiveness does not come easily.

 

Embracing multilingualism might be seen by many as a betrayal. It's understandable. Also, everybody grapples with a fear of the unknown.

 

We don't like change, but we need change. Multilingualism could open so many doors for us.

 

 



 

 

It gives us insight into other cultures. We are also given the opportunity to view our own culture from an entirely different perspective.



 

One of the most amazing benefits of multilingualism is that it allows us to form more meaningful relationships. The insight into other cultures help us understand others on a less superficial basis.

 

And that is awesome.

 

Of course, as we get older, it becomes much harder to learn new languages.

 

Once again, we look towards our children. They are the future, but they are still young and impressionable.

 

We need to ensure that we are not teaching them what we have been taught, but teaching them what they need to know in order to prosper and live contentedly.

 

Remember: Multilingualism is dope. Let's stop saying 'nope'.

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 





  

 

 

  



 











 

 



Week 1: Language, identity, bias, and privilege

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Throughout my last years of high school, I always dreamt of studying linguistics at university. Why?

Because punctuation was my passion.

Now that I am, in fact, studying it, I realise that I was slightly misinformed.

Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure, and it has opened up a whole new world for me. 

"You can tell a lot about someone by their speech."

My reaction to this statement was,"Yes, of course." I didn't even think about it. 

When I was proven wrong, I felt extremely unsettled. 

I have always thought of myself as a non-judgemental person, but am I really? The truth is that when I am speaking to someone and they don't speak like me, I judge them. 

When I talk to someone who speaks the same dialect as I do, I immediately find it easier and more comfortable to converse with them.

In contrast, when I talk to someone who speaks a different dialect, I unconsciously separate us on levels with regard to who is higher and who is lower, in terms of intelligence.

It is something I absolutely despise about myself, but also something that I was only recently made aware of. 

We often make judgements about people based on their speech. 

We judge their level of education, their socio-economic status, their trustworthiness, their race, and their attractiveness. 

Many people believe that non-standard dialects of English are inferior to the standard dialect of English. 

"Do non-standard dialects have a place in the media?"

Once again, I replied with,"Yes, of course." But the truth is, when I hear non-standard dialects of English on TV, I immediately change the channel. 

My heart says one thing, but my actions say another. I need help.

It is not that I don't understand what they are saying, it's that I don't hear what they are saying. 

I hear how they say it.

In my opinion, the main reason non-standard dialects aren't widely represented in the media is because those who work in the media do not wish to displease the majority of people who want only standard dialects.

But hold up people!

We as South Africans need to take a stand. The media representation is crucial for us to learn about different cultures, religions etc. 

This generation is already set in their ways. We NEED to become aware of our own bias in order to ensure that we do not pass it on to the next generation. 

Once we recognise that our way is perhaps not the best way, then, and only then, will we be able to look forward to a brighter day.