Multilingualism and Decoloniality in The English Language in South Africa

The word multilingualism can be used to refer to the use or maintenance of more than one language in a certain context. In this regard it may refer to the fact that many languages are spoken in South Africa but also that many South Africans know more than one language. Here the focus will be on the use of various languages by South Africans. In South Africa we are constantly faced with flaws and failures in our education system regarding articulatory production in linguistic and knowledge categories. Multilingualism is the ability of an individual to speak more than two languages.

Since English speakers came to South Africa from 1795 onwards the language has had an influence. Especially after the political power shifted from the Dutch to the English speaking colonists during the British occupations in the 1800s. From 1814 the language has been an official language. English has experienced two - almost conflicting - sources of support. Firstly, as language of political power it was seen in high regard by European colonists (apart from a strong Dutch/Afrikaans movement that existed at the same time). Secondly later as language of the struggle in resistance to Afrikaans which was seen as the language of Apartheid. This was especially due to the Apartheid laws forcing the teaching of Afrikaans and the subsequent riots in Soweto. In the African countries as the English language becomes more standardised is may become a threat to the communal nature of African indigenous languages and education as they fall out of existence.

There are many theorists as well as the public in countries like South Africa, who are interested in the concept of decoloniality. This process involves the inclusion of original African languages like Zulu, SeSotho etc. In a developing country like South Africa we are regarded as the Global South. Post-apartheid there hasn’t been any significant differences, especially in language. There is a struggle that we are facing in order to get African languages in school. The University of Witwatersrand has implemented a new language policy in which you are required to take an African language as a subject in order to graduate. There may be multiple critiques but it is important to keep language diverse. Multilingualism is most common in South Africa and in order to understand and to be able to communicate properly in these languages it needs to be taught and therefore implemented in schools.

Since after African countries have moved away from colonialism, there must be a way of changing the way we live and speak. The English language is a former colonial language. The idea isn’t to completely demolish western ideas and influences but to incorporate African ideals. Language policies in South Africa are slowly changing and evolving. This involves the concept of language planning, African languages need to be strategically implemented in order to become a language medium of instruction like English and Afrikaans. It is argued that multilingualism or bilingualism has negative effects on language acquisition, development as well as cognitive abilities, whereas others believe that it broadens the human brain with the ability to communicate in various languages. An important aspect for a bilingual or multilingual speaker is that they are able to code-switch. This means that they are able to relate to their first language and relate it to other languages that they learn.

In urban communities it is common to have bilingual and multilingual learners. The difficulty in language is implementing them in other subjects like mathematics, with no proper understanding of one language, it will become difficult to use it in other subjects. African languages need to be used in the work environment as well, otherwise there is no actual use of implementing these African languages if they will never be needed. Multilingualism is based on the region you work and live in and the language of your parents (mother-tongue). There are also many dialects in which the English language is spoken in South Africa depending on the community you come from and your socio-economic status.

South African higher education currently undergoes critical juncture in implementing the promotion of the institutional status for nine African languages, English and Afrikaans in the South Africa’s multilingual language policy. South Africa’s post-apartheid Constitution of 1996 embraces language as a basic human right and multilingualism as a national resource that raises languages to national official status including: English, Arikaans as well as the nine African language: isiNdebele, Sesotho, siSwati, XiTsonga, Setswana, TshiVenda, Sepedi, isiXhosa and isiZulu. Teachers in multilingual classrooms are required to teach English but it is up to them as to how they change the way they speak to multilingual students. It will be difficult for a child to learn an African language in a subject that is as difficult as mathematics because they have to first understand the subject and then understand the language in which the subject is spoken in.

Multiple theorists believe that it is harder for an older child or adult to learn a new language. Today as English is seen as a very important international language and its domination of science, media and the Internet is unquestionable. In South Africa the language is associated with power and financial prosperity. English is also the language most often used in the media and even by politicians or government officials even though attempts have been made to promote multilingualism. In almost every country world-wide, English is the standard language in school, universities and the workplace. It was brought upon by the Europeans and enforced upon other religions or cultures. English in South Africa is the standard language for instruction in schools and universities. South Africa is a multilingual country; therefore, it is important to communicate information across languages. According to Child’s this does not mean that the individual has insufficient knowledge in languages and has the need to use two languages

South African education lacks resources and learning material for multilingual learners which leads to work in English-medium school’s environment. Teachers are faced with a major problem in teaching multilingual students and this leads to code-switching. The internet has become a great source in translating languages and is currently frequently used world-wide. We are still facing multiple inaccuracies as there are many African languages which are absent in electronic media. African language options are limited in many electronic aspects.

The importance of languages, dialects, the environment and evolution of language in education policies can be employed by ethnographic monitoring of multilingual language policies. The new South African multilingual policy developed socio-political and implemented spaces for disregarded African languages. Communicative resources are developed when multilingualism in classrooms are investigated and adhered to. Post-apartheid South Africa has allowed black African learners to effectively use their home languages in academic learning and socio-economic promotions due to the new South African multilingual language policy which focuses on multilingual education alternatives. Language inequality should never be taken for granted and this is supported by Hymes, towards the ethnographic monitoring in the South African higher education language policies.

To conclude, serious language difficulties evolve as the learner cannot communicate in their first language in classrooms. Codeswitching is expected to occur for a child to understand their educator and communicate at home. Although it is important for first language to be used as a form of communication in the classrooms, it is difficult. Rural schools that teach in English is a way of bringing in new ideas and assessing multilingualism. Therefore, language policies need to harness students use of their first language and instead of imposing it in universities and high schools, this needs to begin in pre- or primary schools. South Africa has faced many difficulties during the apartheid era but this is no excuse for the integration of African ideals. After approximately 25 years of democracy we are expected to move forward from colonialism and implement strategies to increase the relationship between western and southern ideals.

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