Language policy and linguistic landscapes at schools in South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT Language policy and Linguistic Landscapes (LL) are a highly contested area in South Africa. Due to Apartheid, the education system constitutes the core of such contestation. In Post-Apartheid South Africa the new Constitution of 1996, the South African Schools Act (SASA) and recent political initiatives such as the Use of Official Languages Act of 2012 form the foundation of language policy at schools. The Constitution declares 11 official languages on a macro-level. Nevertheless, English dominates the LL in South Africa. African Languages are significantly underrepresented in the public sphere. The vast majority of research emphasises the urban or semi-urban areas. This research tries to close the existing research gap with a broad comparative study in three research provinces. With data from over 300 schools, the aim was to analyse language policy and LL and see how language policy documents regulate the LL at public schools. Fieldwork included an ethnographic approach and semi-structured interviews. Results revealed that significant inter- and intra-provincial differences exist. The quality of school language policy documents vary. There are also differences between school mottoes, information leaflets and the LL in classrooms and administrative buildings.