The Global Significance of South Africa's National Languages

            It is important for students to look at the South African perception of language as they work towards becoming "world citizens", because South Africa as a nation ties language to politics, culture, and most importantly, identity, in a way that no other country does. Language has been a key factor throughout South African history for all groups involved, from the cultural significance of African languages, to the development of Afrikaans, to the dominance of English and Afrikaans in major cities. It is important that we look at this from a historical perspective as well as a modern-day point of view, so that we understand how a country comes to have eleven official languages and the effect that has on its citizens, whether positive or negative.
            As a student in a country with no official language, attending schools where all of the students understand the same language, studying a country with eleven languages and a very broad multilingual population has broadened my understanding of the importance of language in every aspect. Although there are obviously multilingual families and students in every country, South Africa is a unique case because everyone in cities is expected, almost required to be at least bilingual. The difference in the way South Africa treats language is clear in day to day interactions such as job interviews in both English and Afrikaans, but I think that it is more important in the way it affects South Africa’s political structure. The question of unilingualization has been posed many times, but there are strong arguments for both sides. Some, such as Nkoko Kamwangamalu, suggest that having one language (perhaps English) would establish a sort of “we-code” for the entire country and help to unify the country at an essential time. Others argue that the eleven languages are part of individuals’ identities and that it would be wrong to take that away. This argument may not have a right or wrong side, is beneficial for students to study in order to be able to further examine the impact language has on their own identities, and beneficial for countries to observe as they deal with any of their own conflicts with multiple languages, even on smaller scales.
            In conclusion, the South African situation with language is crucial to examine on both personal and national levels, at the very least. In asking the question of unilingualization, we also ask whether it is more important to unify the country or preserve the traditional and cultural sides of individual identities. If language continues to be a barrier and a source of conflict, it is possible that South Africa will have to reconsider its stance on having so many official languages, but it is doubtful that the country could make such a change to its constitution without political unrest. Since South Africa is in such a state of transition, it is essential that we observe as students the way they handle the issue of language now as well as in the future.

The start of our very first isiXhosa lesson at UNISA!

~Allie Bunch