Click words which isiXhosa, isiZulu and Afrikaans have in common

This article is based on the study undertaken on present-day South African Telugu speakers in Kwazulu-Natal and in Transkei, the former homeland of South Africa, where a few immigrant Telugu speakers have settled. This article briefly focusses on the history of Telugu language in India and South Africa. The major focus of the article is on the dialects of Telugu in Andhra Pradesh and the writer attempts to answers the question ‘how far does the STe resemble the original Telugu dialects that were brought into the country?’. In conclusion, the writer illustrates STe as a separate dialect which developed on its own due to its contact with various languages in South Africa.

Mark Sanders presents a fascinating and thought-provoking historical narrative of the isiZulu (Zulu) language in South Africa, from the colonial (apartheid) period to the present day, which include...

Grounded in ethnography, this monograph explores the ambiguity of English as a lingua franca by focusing on identity politics of language and race in contemporary South Africa. The book adopts a multidisciplinary approach which highlights how ways of speaking English constructs identities in a multilingual context. Focusing primarily on isiZulu and Afrikaans speakers, it raises critical questions around power and ideology. The study draws from literature on English as a lingua franca, raciolinguistics, and the cultural politics of English and dialogues between these fields. It challenges long-held concepts underpinning existing research from the global North by highlighting how they do not transfer and apply to identity politics of language in South Africa. It sketches out how these struggles for belonging are reflected in marginalisation and empowerment and a vast range of local, global and glocal identity trajectories. Ultimately, it offers a first lens through which global scholarship on English as a lingua franca can be decolonised in terms of disciplinary limitations, geopolitical orientations and a focus on the politics of race that characterize the use of English as a lingua franca all over the world. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, World Englishes, ELF and African studies.

Libraries and librarians play a central role in organising and communicating knowledge. They are an important part of the knowledge production and use chain. The development and sustenance of a knowledge-based economy hinges on their ability to facilitate the accessibility, retrievability and usability of the knowledge and information that permeates the information society. Writers and publishers as part and parcel of the knowledge chain are central to the production and distribution of ideas. Language is fundamental to their ability to communicate and get their literal messages, expressions and ideas through. Their preferred language of writing and publishing may mean a difference between the growth and demise of a language of a society and its culture and civilisation. Many indigenous languages around the globe are struggling to survive because of various reasons including neglect by writers and publishers. Publishers and writers as major role players in the knowledge production and reproduction chain may assist in promoting and preserving indigenous languages in general and in South Africa in particular. This may ensure that South Africa's knowledge economy develops without sidelining or discriminating against any culture or language. There are challenges and opportunities that writers and publishers are likely to face in attempting to revitalise and empower indigenous languages in South Africa, but they are not insurmountable. Using a theoretical approach, the purpose of this article is to highlight the role that writers and publishers may play in revitalising and preserving endangered indigenous languages in South Africa. Recommendations are made on how the role players may deal with the challenges that have culminated in the neglect of the endangered indigenous languages.

Rajend Mesthrie (ed.), Language in South Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2002. Pp. xvii, 485. HB $75.00. Language in South Africa (LinSA) is a very handsome book, beautifully edited, carefully proofread, and produced on thick paper in elegant fonts. It is in fact the same book, although revised and updated, as Language and social history: Studies in South African sociolinguistics (Mesthrie 1995). Just looking at the two volumes, side by side on my desk, I could write an essay on publishing and face validity. I am happy that this book has found an international publisher, because it deserves wider reading and better promotion (I never saw the first book reviewed or promoted), but the easy conclusion that the book under review is a better book is not necessarily warranted. As the Irish say about their horses, handsome is as handsome does, and both volumes do handsomely indeed.

Polysystem theory provides a useful, though necessarily limited, entry point for an investigation of the complex relationships that underlie the production of children’s books in various languages in South Africa, and the role that translation plays in this process. In particular, it provides a theoretical means of hypothesizing reasons for the tensions between original production and translation in relation to different language groups, and an explanation of the ways in which tensions between domesticating and foreignizing approaches to translation are perceived by various role players. This paper first argues that there is a systemic relationship between different types of literary texts for children in the various languages in South Africa, and that this provides a possible key for explaining the tensions outlined above. Against this background, the paper presents some findings of a survey conducted among South African translators of children’s literature, focusing specifically on translators’ perceptions of preliminary norms and the basic initial norm. Based on these findings, it is then argued that the dynamics and power differentials among the different languages in South Africa may challenge conventional interpretations of systemic relationships and their effects on norms and (possible) laws or universals of translation, particularly relating to binary conceptions of and conventionally held assumptions about the relationship between source-text and target-culture orientation (or domestication and foreignization) as linked to polysystemic position.

In Divided by the Word, Arndt sets out “to demonstrate when, how, and why language-based notions of Zuluness and Xhosaness first emerged and then entrenched themselves in the consciousness of the region’s population” (8). In addition to providing a rich history of the development of the two most common African languages in South Africa (isiZulu and isiXhosa), Arndt also provides a critical account of the flattening of South African language cultures as colonial interlocutors attempted to make sense of the kaleidoscope of sociolinguistic cultures in what we now know as the Republic of South Africa. Citing the devastating violence of transition-era South Africa, Arndt aims to find explanations for the crystallization of these once amorphous identities through historical interrogation into the divides between the Xhosa and Zulu that came to a head in the violence of the 1980s and 1990s: “To historicize the language-based Zulu–Xhosa divide properly, however, I refrain from imposing the divide on the past. Rather, I use the past to explain the emergence of the divide” (13).Drawing from a diverse documentary source base integrating collections held in the United States, South Africa, and Europe (as well as interviews with members of the AmaHlubi National Working Committee and IsiHlubi Language Board), Arndt’s study ably combines not only different types of historical evidence but also brings insights from other disciplines to shed new light on topics with which historians and scholars of South Africa have grappled in various ways for two centuries. For example, in Chapter 1, Arndt skillfully uses historical linguistics, archaeology, and history to highlight multiple perspectives on linguistic divisions prior to 1800. Instead of privileging the phenomena of encounter and interpretation between Europeans and Africans, this chapter highlights how interactions between different African groups in the region shifted both the linguistic and the socio-political dynamics within the region. Additionally, his use of American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions records in Chapters 5 and 6 adds significantly to pre-existing studies of American–Zulu exchange by scholars like Vinson and Carton.1Arndt contributes new insights into the role of missionary figures in the promotion of a “single literary language” of Zuluness over the multiple coastal languages that proliferated in the mid-nineteenth century by highlighting, through deep reading against the grain, how missionary figures saw utility in upholding certain linguistic traditions over others. Throughout these chapters, Arndt’s critical examination of the documentary record of nineteenth-century South Africa, in particular, highlights a deep knowledge of the available archives about South Africa in this period, as well as a keen ability to bring a critical, interdisciplinary eye to these sources.Although Arndt places great importance on European intellectual production of these ideas, he also highlights the African interpreters and interlocutors who contributed to the standardization, translation, and promotion of the language projects at the heart of this effort: “At crucial moments of linguistic knowledge production, this dependence on African interpreters was particularly intense, which created opportunities for African ideas about language to shape and Africanize the missionaries’ understanding of the ‘Caffre’ language community” (90). The recovery of figures like Klaas Love, Charles Henry Matshaya, Diyani Tzatzoe, Noyi Gciniswa, John M. Nembula, and many others will inspire generations of scholars interested in African contributions to the intellectual development of the region.

The indigenous African languages in South Africa have always been taught in isolation from one another, following a long history of linguistic separation that characterized Apartheid South Africa. Whereas current research is replete with the findings that schools’ monolingual practices contradict the sociocultural milieus in which these languages are spoken, there has been a paucity of studies that have reported on the use of alternative approaches that valorize plural, versatile and fluid educational spaces for integrated multilingual development. This chapter reports on a study undertaken to assess the effectiveness of a teacher training programme that introduced the teaching of African languages to speakers of other African languages with the goal of producing multicompetent and multivocal teachers. Using a translanguaging approach, pre-service teachers were actively encouraged to use multiple home languages in classroom conversations to offset the linguistic fixity often experienced in traditional monoglossic classrooms. The results of the study show strong evidence for mutual intercomprehensibility, expanded transcultural identities of the speakers and heightened metalinguistic awareness. This chapter compares classroom interactions in multiple languages to an African locus of pluralism, an ancient value system covered by the term ‘ubuntu’, finally concluding that successful teaching of multilingual students depends on an affirmation of the fluid heteroglossic resources that the students bring with them to class. At the end of the chapter, the pedagogical implications of this work for multilingual and super-diverse classrooms are outlined to enable others to use this approach.

The Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology Of Lipoid Proteinosis

Indigenous languages in South Africa must be preserved to ensure that they do not lose their identity and become extinct. The four indigenous languages with the fewest speakers among South Africa’s 12 official languages are: Xitsonga, Siswati, Tshivenḓa and isiNdebele. The preservation of these languages in South Africa has been a long-standing challenge because of various social and economic factors. With the advancement of technology, opportunities have arisen to preserve and promote the use of these languages. Therefore, this study explores various technological strategies that can be used to preserve the South African indigenous languages. These languages can be preserved by making them widely accessible to users through various strategies such as localisation of daily used technology, translation through crowdsourcing, digitisation and archiving. Digital learning tools such as machine translation (MT) and creating online dictionaries can also contribute to preserving these languages. Each of these strategies offers benefits on how technology could be employed effectively and facilitate the preservation of indigenous languages. This study demonstrates the significance of technology in preserving indigenous languages and promoting their use around the world.Contribution: This study fills the practical gap in the use of technology to adequately preserve minority indigenous languages of South Africa, namely, Xitsonga, Siswati, Tshivenḓa and isiNdebele. These languages do not receive much attention in terms of preservation using technology in South Africa. Therefore, the study provides practical technological strategies that need to be implemented to preserve the indigenous minority languages. The insight of this study into the use of technology to preserve South African languages fits well within the scope of Literator, which is to publish studies in linguistics and literature with a special focus on South African languages. This publication will bring solutions to how minority languages could be preserved in the context of South Africa.

In terms of the Census 2011 in South Africa, the majority of the South African population use indigenous African languages as mother tongue, compared to the minority that use English, Afrikaans and other languages. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) declared Sepedi (N. Sotho), Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, Siswati, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu as official languages of the Republic of South Africa. Even though in 1996 eleven languages were declared official by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996), English and Afrikaans have maintained their pre-1994 status as de facto languages in the technical and scientific fields. The anomaly of the dominance of English and Afrikaans, particularly in the financial industry, has implication for the development of the majority of the citizens in the country, especially in poverty-alleviation and national development interventions. Without paying a special focus on the dynamics in languages, it could be extremely difficult to understand how issues of power, identity, conflict and resistance are established and maintained within organisations and even governments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate reasons for the persistence of the status quo in the positioning of languages in South Africa in particular regarding financial documents. This paper also looks at some of the challenges the African languages are faced with in making inroads in fields such as the finance, as well as implications for the speakers of the African languages over the two decades after the new dispensation was ushered in. The polysystem theory championed by Even-Zohar assists in putting the role translation can play in the effort of developing African languages and putting African languages into perspective. It is also hoped that this paper will contribute towards the debate on intellectualisation of the African languages in South Africa. Keywords: African languages, financial translation, multilingualism, polysystem, poverty, South Africa.

Language in South Africa (LiSA) debates the role of language and language planning in the reconstruction, development and transformation of post-apartheid democratic South Africa. The 1996 constitution of South Africa is founded on the political philosophy of pluralism and is directed at promoting democratic values, equity and non-discrimination, human rights, national unity and the development of all the country’s communities. The question asked in LiSA is how language planning can contribute towards the attainment of these national ideals. Set against the language political realities of the country — the a-symmetric power relations between the languages; the striking differences in the structural; functional and symbolic adaptation of the official languages; and the many language-related problems in the country — it debates the role of language in state administration, national integration, educational development and economic development. The volume concludes with a discussion of language development and language management.

Introduction: Visual perceptual skills are vital for developing academic skills and contribute to language development and socio-cultural participation. The Developmental Test of Visual Perception 3rd Edition evaluates visual perceptual skills but is only available in English. lsiZulu is the most spoken language in South Africa (24,4%), with English being the fourth. Therefore, the English version of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception 3rd Edition cannot be described as a universally authentic assessment instrument in this context. Methodology: This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Developmental Test of Visual Perception 3rd Edition administration instructions into isiZulu using a five-stage qualitatively driven multimethod sequen tial design. Qualitative feedback on the functional, cultural and conceptual equivalence was obtained at various intervals. Results: This study demonstrated a methodology for translating and cross-culturally adapting the administration instructions of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception 3rd Edition into isiZulu to advance the authenticity of the assessment within the South African context. The isiZulu version was found to be functionally, culturally and conceptually equivalent. Conclusion: This research has demonstrated a framework upon which the cross-cultural adaptations of other assessment instruments and other languages in South Africa can be based. Implications for practice • The rigorous methodology demonstrated in this research can be used as a framework to guide other studies in the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of other assessment instruments and into other languages. • This study demonstrated that multiple contributors from various backgrounds are necessary to ensure equivalence during the process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation. However, an emphasis is placed on the value of including occupational therapists with clinical experience when translating and cross-culturally adapting assessment instruments intended to be used within the field of occupational therapy. • Through the rigorous method used to translate and cross-cultural adapt the DTVP-3, this study enhanced its authenticity as an assessment instrument within the South African context. Having isiZulu administration instructions available could provide equal opportunity to children who may not be as proficient in English as in isiZulu. • Once a distribution agreement has been reached with ProEd Inc., the original publisher and licence holder, the isiZulu administration instructions of the DTVP-3 will be made available for use in South Africa with isiZulu-speaking children.

The present-day Indian languages in South Africa owe their existence to the indentured Indians who brought various Indian languages to Natal. After 137 years of their existence in South Africa, many of the Indian languages have been completely eroded (eg. Kannada, Malayalam among others) and some are in the process of erosion. English, as the language of power and the lingua franca in South Africa, is a dominant “out-group” language for all South African Indians and Tamil is the dominant “in-group” language for the Telugu speakers. Forced by various other factors, the minority Andhras (as the Telugu speakers are also called) have shifted and are shifting their EMT towards English. However, there are some Andhras who are loyal to their EMT and culture, who try their utmost to nurture the Telugu language in the face of socio-economic pressure from the dominant languages. They try to maintain their EMT through their religio-cuitural practices. This paper demonstrates the parameters in which the Telugu language is maintained in the present-day South African situation.

The various ways in which terminologies are being developed in African languages in South Africa are surveyed and the methodological and other problems endemic in the present situation are analysed. Term-development processes such as derivation, semantic transfer, deideophonization, paraphrase, compounding, and borrowing are discussed and standardization problems are outlined. Historico-political developments in South Africa have led to a situation of unco-ordinated efforts to satisfy the ever-increasing need for new terms in the African languages, and to a consequent lack of consensus on methodological principles. The purpose in analysing these problems is to provide information and proposals which may contribute to some amelioration of the situation.