Abstract
The influence of language attitudes on the choice of the medium of instruction in South Africa The South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) recognises language as a basic human right and emphasises the right of choice of every individual with regard to the language of learning and teaching (LOLT). In exercising their democratic language choice, the majority of South African learners and their parents reject their right to mother-tongue education and disregard research findings that emphasise the benefits of mother-tongue instruction. From a study of subject-related literature it has become clear that the masses in South Africa believe that a knowledge of English is the key to economic and political empowerment. Against the background of these findings, the article reports on an empirical study on the language attitudes of undergraduate Education and B.Ed. students at the Bloemfontein and Queenstown campuses of the University of the Free State. The study confirms the findings of the subject-related study to a large extent, namely that English is seen as the key to economic and political empowerment. The opposite is, however, proven by literacy and poverty figures, as well as by studies on blacks’ proficiency in English. Proceeding from the economic, political and educational realities, the article offers a few suggestions for the development of African languages as LOLT.
Highlights
Die Grondwet maak daarvoor voorsiening dat elke persoon, waar dit uitvoerbaar is, die reg het om aan te dring dat die staat met hom/haar in die amptelike taal van sy/haar keuse kommunikeer op nasionale valmakp,tealsikoeoktaloep(aprrtoikveinls6i)a.le vlak in enige van die betrokke provinsie se Terwyl die Grondwet die keusevryheid van die individu in die uitoefening van sy/haar taalregte beklemtoon, lê Skutnabb-Kangas (1988:19) klem op die kind se reg om moedertaalonderrig te ontvang
Opvoeders en ouers glo dat die heil van die swart gemeenskap geleë is in hulle vermoë om Engels te kan praat
Die onderrigmediumvoorkeure van die respondente is ’n spieëlbeeld van hulle eie ervaring as leerders
Summary
Sosiolinguiste en opvoedkundiges het verskeie houdings en persepsies geidentifiseer wat tot die positiewe ingesteldheid van die meerderheid Suid-Afrikaanse leerders jeens Engels as onderrigmedium lei/gelei het. Na die Soweto-opstande het die meerderheid leerders Engels en nie Afrikaans nie as onderrigmedium gdeiekiveesr.dArufrkikkeara.n6s is deur baie swart mense geëtiketteer as die taal van. Opvoeders en ouers glo dat die heil van die swart gemeenskap geleë is in hulle vermoë om Engels te kan praat. Die sienings van die leerders, opvoeders en ouers wat ten gunste van Engels as onderrigmedium is, word raak saamgevat deur Bruynse (1996: 30). Die volksmassas in Suid-Afrika glo dus dat kennis van Engels die sleutel tot ekonomiese en politieke bemagtiging is. Volgens die mentalistiese siening kan houdings nie direk waargeneem word nie, maar moet dit van retrospektiewe response afgelei word. Afrikaanse en Engelse vraelyste is beskikbaar gestel aan die deel nemers in ooreenstemming met hulle taalvoorkeure
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