How can South African situation broaden students’ notions of language and identity, as they become “world citizens”?

My experience in America before this trip, was that language has very little to do with culture and identity. But through this trip I was able to see that language is a part of the whole idea of identity and culture. Cultural identity is a phrase that is hard to define without mentioning language, whether its difference in dialect, accent, rhythm, or just sound in general. It makes sense that different languages would lend itself to different cultures and cultural identities. Language can be looked at as a burden to “world citizens” because it can impede understanding. Though this is true, if there was only one world language the culture of the world would be altered drastically. South Africa is in a sense a symbol of the world as a whole. With so many cultures and languages all united under one main identity, it is important that when people deal with situations in South Africa they approach it with that in mind. Simply entering the country of South Africa will broaden your mind immensely but the more you sift through its culture the more you will truly learn. South African national identity is so hard to define because it is so encompassing and including. As Nkhelebeni Phaswana portrays in Contradiction or affirmation? The South African language Policy and the South African national government “prior to negotiations, African languages were only used as official languages in the various homelands…. But now they are used country wide” (Pahaswana 113). I think that that statement portrays the effort of the government to include all cultures under one nation. It also portrays the national identity of forgiveness and open-mindedness that is so prevalent throughout South Africa.

As a citizen of the world it is incredibly important to accept and try to learn the language of the place you are visiting. Specifically in South Africa, since there are so many languages, it is important to put forth an effort in understanding the language. It not only makes your experience more vivid but it also gives you a true looking glass into the culture that you are entering. Through learning about cultural we, as citizens, broaden our perspective on our own culture as well become more open to understanding. I think being a good world citizen means that you are open-minded and accepting of the culture you are entering.

~Joe Mistretta

Why are eleven official languages?

South Africa, much like every other part of the world, has an immensely diverse population. But unlike most of the world it has eleven official languages. While there are many reasons for the surplus of languages I think there is one that stands out: identity. As Neville Alexander suggests in his article Language Politics in South Africa “it is very important that we understand the fluid relationship between global, nation, sub-national group and individual identities” (Alexander, 146). I think he is suggesting that by knowing our identity people are able to build community; and through that people come together to create great nations. Building community is what every nation has to do if they want to compete in the global world and succeed in general. And the easiest place to create community is by “caulking” the divisions. In South Africa there many different cultures, but they can be boiled down into eleven distinct cultures. All of these cultures differ but there most obvious difference is in their language. With this many differences the best way to unify them all is threw empowerment. All eleven cultures and languages are equal, as far as South Africa is concerned; and that is shown through making each of the languages official. It is a subtle yet powerful way of opposing the apartheid divisions by unifying all eleven languages under one flag.

Throughout my time in South Africa I only spoke English and I was completely understood one hundred percent of the time. So the question is, why isn’t English the sole official language? Well I would argue that English is the lingua franca; but by no means the only language deserving of the title “official”. It is the exact same way in America. There is no official language, but English is the most dominate so if one were to visit all they would need to know is English. It seems as though English is a global language for a multitude of reasons, but that means that the culture of the English language is greatly diluted. As an American I never had associated my language as a part of my heritage or culture, but in South Africa it is a prized and primary part of culture. And one of the main ideas behind government and countries in general is unifying differences under one flag. The most obvious way to do that is to make each culture represented in your government/country. In South Africa the government took the most apparent differences between the cultures (language) and made a point to unify them by making them all equally indorsed by the nation

~Joe Mistretta

Why are eleven languages recognized as "official" languages?

South Africa is a very multicultural and multilinguistic country. Based on my observsations I would definitely refer to South Africa as a melting pot. While I was in South Africa studing for a few weeks, the language that I attempted to learn was Xhosa, I instantly faced language barriers. I never knew when to use Xhosa, and I didnt want to make any assumptions. While in Pretoria I noticed that not many people spoke Xhosa. Different languages have always been interesting to me, but the thought of one country having eleven official languages is mind bottling. Yes, South Africa has eleven official languages, however many of them could face extinction. Due to language shift, speech communities whose native languages are threathened because their intergenerational continuity is proceeding negatively, with fewer and fewer users (speakers, readers, writers, and even understanders) or uses every generation, some languages are more "dominent" than others. Instantly I noticed that english and afrikaans were the most commonly used languages. After talking to South Africans it seemed as if the more wealthy and more educated people spoke english or afrikaans. In the beginning I couldnt really grasp why there were eleven official languages when it seemed as if only two were widely used. I shortly realized that although the indigenous languages were obviously the minority, it was still important that they had their own distinct social identity. So the the question is, why are eleven languages recognized as "official languages"? It is because South Africa is a melting pot and all of the languages, even the native ones, have their own distinct identity and should be recognized.

~Kenya

How can the South African situation broaden students' notions of language and identity as they become "world citizens"?

Getting the chance to visit South Africa truely was a once and life time oppurtunity. Being able to learn in depth about the countries history was an eye opening experience. Before my visit to South Africa I was familiar with the countries history and apartheid, but visiting the country made everything so much clearer and real. Seeing how the students were so passsionate and connected to their countries history was really astonishing to me. No matter what tribe they were from or what their religion was they were deeply rooted. After talking to the students in Soweto, it was so interesting getting to know their views on politics and the United States. What really shocked me was how they presieved Americans to be greedy and to only participate in global affairs when benificial to their self interest. It was shocking, to hear such, and it really made me think. The students were so globally conscious and were concerned about matters that didnt even effect them. At times I felt ignorant because I was only aware of matters thats affected me. This trip opened my eyes to so much it taught me to appreciate the importance of global awareness, and it also strengthened my conviction to help my fellow man.

One thing that really stood out for me was the pride the South Africans had when they sang their National Anthem. Inspite of everything they have endured, they were so proud to be South African. With South Africa being a melting pot with so many religions and cultures, it can be rather difficult sharing one common identitiy. When speaking to a "colored", South Africans refer to biracial individuals as such, she took pride in her identity and was offended when called black. However, not because black is a derogatory term, but because that was not her identifier. In South Africa there were so many identifiers, in some cases it was your gender, while other times it was your language or location. My question is can a country that has so many factors that help form your identity, really come together and be one?

~Kenya

To Be or Not to Be an Educated World Citizen?

In the Shoes of a Student Walking around South Africa....

Me attempting to do a Zulu dance at the "Gold" restaurant in Cape Town

Before you can ask how the South African situation can help you better understand language and identity, you must ask yourself what exactly their situation is. This is a country of many diverse cultures and I would even go as far as to say that South Africa is more diverse than America. With eleven official languages communication is very challenging on a national level, but not impossible. South Africans’ just went through a massive civil rights movement less than twenty years ago due to a horrible oppressive force that tormented them for years, otherwise known as the Apartheid. It is because of this past traumatic event that most of the youth are confused about their identity. Some South Africans feel that they should show anger and hatred toward the Apartheid, while others feel like they should show remorse and move on from the Apartheid toward a new “rainbow nation”.

My friends and I holding tradtional Zulu dancing items

Now take all of these past issues and apply them to an American lifestyle. Our civil rights movement took place about 150 years ago and almost none of the American public is still upset over this issue. Also America has no official language but everyone seems to communicate through one language in particular, that language being English. Going to South Africa takes this narrow minded American mind and opens it to the complex world. South Africa is one of the best places for a student to realize that the world is not so simple and that language/communication is a key part in any society. Language is a valuable tool that needs to coexist with a person’s identity. Linguistic identity can represent a person’s heritage. For example, in South Africa a person raised in the Zulu tribe is taught the language from their ancestors which shows that this person comes from a tribe (which can be considered a huge part of a South African’s heritage). A South African’s identity is affected in great amounts by language and can show students that identity is multifaceted and not just a single notion. For example, most South Africans speak several different languages that were taught to them in the part of the country they come from. This can show a student that language can identify where you come from and that it can also tell someone a lot about you. It opens a student’s mind to the thought of a linguistic identity, which is something most American students don’t really consider because most only know English. This is how South Africa can broaden a student’s mind on the topic of language and identity.

~Kory

Language and Identity.... Best friends or Enemies?

Identity is a complex word that describes a person’s “self- title” or “lifetime personality”. One day, the group and I attended a community engagement activity at the University of Johannesburg. This activity entailed pairing up with a student from the University and spending the entire day with them, discussing various subject matters such as, culture and politics. I was fortunate enough to have, not only one, but two partners that day. Their names were Moremi and Bonginkosi. The questions never stopped that day touching on various subject matters ranging from things like religion all the way to the socks that I had been wearing. Various political questions came about and several stereotypes were soon broken as we got to know each other in more detail. It wasn’t until much later that I brought about the question of identity and asked them how many languages each of them spoke. Moremi, impressively, knew how to speak six different languages, while Bonginkosi only knew how to speak three different languages. This led me to ask if the lack in languages Bonginkosi knew set a sort of linguistic barrier between him and certain parts of his community. Bonginkosi explained to me that the part of South Africa he comes from is very rural and it is because of this that so few languages are required to communicate with his fellow townspeople. Moremi comes from the city which is way more linguistically diverse than the rural parts of South Africa, requiring him to know many more languages just to get around his community. This aspect of language and location creates a sort of linguistic identity for my two new friends and is a very huge part of their identity in relation to a national level.

When we arrived in Cape Town many days later in the trip, my friends and I met a couple of German South Africans. They talked to us about how they are always mistaken for Afrikaners and how German South Africans are considered a minority. Their heritage had a colossal role in affecting their national identity. These men also claimed to have had very little in common with most South Africans and how there is a mammoth language barrier between them and most of South Africa. Therefore, their heritage had a major role in affecting their linguistic identity separating them from a common majority of South Africans.

~Kory

Examples of South Africa's Inclusive Society

South Africa's Language and Identity, and how it relates to you and I

Language and Identity are ever present in every part of the world, in South Africa this is manifested in their 11 official languages as well as the countries popular culture. Since 1994 South Africa has created a society based on racial inclusion instead of the previous apartheid regime, which was based exclusion. The new “rainbow nation” has created a culture in which all forms of people are accepted. This has caused some people to question the existence of a true “national identity” however having been in the country, I believe that the nations true has a true national identity and it can be found in the way the different cultures mesh together.

Reading about South Africa in a book and experiencing it are two entirely separate entities, before I went I had heard so much of South Africa’s transition towards democracy. Though many of the things I read were accurate it was difficult to fully grasp what it all meant until I was in the country. While in the country I had the opportunity to meet with many students from different universities. These students came from all different backgrounds and spoke different languages or were even different races. However when you spoke to them they all identified themselves as South African. This shows that there are different levels of identity. The large umbrella of national identity contains the smaller units of group identity (ex Xhosa speakers) and finally personal identity (ex you!)

The banner of national identity can be seen throughout the country in various ways, the most noticeable is in the nations sports programs. During our time in South Africa the country was partaking in the Tri-Nations cup rugby tournament(http://fournations.rugbyweek.com//), it was fascinating to see South Africans from all different races and walks of life to come together and support their national colors. This also shows how far the country has come since the transition of 1994. What is the most interesting is how quickly the national identity was established. In just 17 years the country has laid the groundwork for a firm national identity, I think because its so new people often have a difficult time differentiating it from the various group identities.

South Africa’s group identity is incredibly visible, even to the untrained eye such as my own. South Africa’s 11 official languages have created an opportunity for groups to manifest themselves. The group we studied heaviest was that of the isiXhosa people. The contrasts between a group like the Xhosa and the Afrikaans are very evident. Though they both call South Africa home the language they speak is night and day and the way they go about their daily lives also differs. This difference isn’t just between the Xhosa and the Afrikaans its like this with all of the different cultures of South Africa.

South Africa’s culture and identity go hand and hand. Everywhere you go their presence can be felt, weather it be their multi-lingual newscasts or the nations sports teams. South Africa has a unique identity based upon their prior experiences and a sense of national pride.  

~Kevin

My experience in South Africa!!!

How the South Africa Experience can make us global citizens

South Africa’s Situation is one unique to the world, not since America in the 1960’s has such a major player in world affairs undergone such a radical transformation as south Africa has in the past 25 years. South Africa has become its own melting pot society, since 1994 South Africa has added 9 more official languages bringing the total to 11. The 11 languages is a great symbol of inclusion and acceptance. Not only learning the languages but also understanding each languages cultural tradition is very important in our quest to become world citizens.

Culture is not something that can be easily understood, especially on just a short two-week excursion. However due to our many activities I was able to get a good gauge on how South Africa’s different languages and culture’s can broaden my own horizons. One of the activities that really opened my eyes in terms of language was the movie tsotsi. The movie was mostly in Tsotsitaal, a language often spoken by South Africa’s youth. This added another dimension to the film, instead of just being a cinematic experience it added another dimension and gave me a n insight into what its like to be a poor youth in South Africa. Though we as American’s and those from more privileged parts of the world can not easily experience nor see this struggle that plagues millions every day movies like Tsotsi can open our eyes.

Another thing that helped me better understand the culture of South Africa as well as other countries was the articles we encountered as well as our class discussions. One thing found very interesting was the idea of unilinguazation an idea posed by Neville Alexander and spoken about by our professor. The idea was that South Africa and other nations all around the world were heading towards a society in which there is a single unifying language. While this may be the current trend I certainly hope that this does not come fruition. It is important that we preserve the language as well as the culture that accompanies it. I think that unilingualism while convenient does not make us true “global citizens” a true global citizen makes an effort to understand other cultures and not just their own. That’s one of the most important lesson’s I learned in South Africa, though you can read about other cultures in books the best way to understand someone is to immerse yourself in their lifestyle.

The entire experience in Africa has certainly broadened my horizons and made me understand how important a person’s culture is to their identity. As Americans we are always told that we have no true identity, however the more I experienced of other cultures the more I found out what my own identity was. This is the true value of being a global citizen.

~Kevin