Linguistic ideologies in multilingual South African suburban schools

Abstract

Existing research on language in South African schooling frequently draws attention to the problematic hegemony of English and the lack of access to quality education in the home language of the majority of learners, often drawing on the metaphor of a gap or a disjuncture between post-apartheid language in education policy (LiEP) and its implementation. We argue that the notion of a ‘gap’ obscures the significant continuities between apartheid and post-apartheid LiEPs, as well as conceptions of what language is and what counts as linguistic competence and capital. Language ideologies and the discursive operation of power serve as an analytical framework to make sense of the continuities between apartheid and present language policies and classroom practices. We argue that without an understanding of the language ideologies informing both policy and practices, we will not be able to shift practices in South African classrooms so that learners' full multilingual repertoires can be legitimately used as resources for learning. The paper presents data focusing on the intersections of language ideologies, discourses and practices in two suburban schools, one primary and one secondary, in the urban metropolis of Johannesburg, South Africa, where black learners have replaced white learners, i.e. in de(re)segregated schools.