Linguistic segregation in urban South Africa, 1996

Indexes of dissimilarity were calculated for 18 standard metropolitan statistical areas in 1970 and 1980. The indexes measured the level of residential segregation of persons 65 and older, 65 to 74 and 75 and older. Results indicated a significantly higher level of segregation for persons 75 and older than persons 65 to 74 in both 1970 and 1980. The difference in the level of residential segregation between persons 65 to 74 and 75 and older significantly increased from 1970 to 1980. When measured as a single age group aged 65 and above, there was no significant change in the level of residential segregation from 1970 to 1980. This result indicates that failure to disaggregate the elderly population into two distinct age groups would have resulted in missing changes in the level and trend of residential segregation among the elderly population.

South Africa is a multilingual country, in which most spoken languages are African and most frequently published languages are English and Afrikaans. Literary translingualism regularly occurs among especially African language speakers and sometimes Afrikaans speakers, who often write in English. There are a number of reasons for this, including an extremely small market for African language books in the trade sector and authors trying to reach a wider audience to have bigger impact. This research focuses on the unique situation regarding translingualism in the South African publishing industry.

It is widely acknowledged that different communities, such as language groups and socio-economic status (SES) families, practice literacy in different ways. Certain language communities of low SES observe literacy interactions differently from the traditional “schooled literacy”, which may influence learners’ reading literacy. However, the link between language communities, SES and reading literacy has not been extensively researched, especially in the South African context where there are 11 official languages and wide socio-economic disparities. This article examines students’ social literacy in relation to their reading literacy levels, and reveals that the literacy gap between indigenous South African language (ISAL) speakers, a number of whom are from low SES families, and speakers of English and Afrikaans is further widened at the tertiary level due to the mismatch between the social literacy practices of the different language groups and the education system that operates in the country. Recommendations are made on how educators could employ strategies such as social relevance and culturally sensitive teaching to bridge the academic literacy gap among the language groups.

According to ecological theory, the socioeconomic status of a minority group is inversely related to the group’s level of residential segregation from the majority group. This article determines whether the level of black socioeconomic status is related to the level of black residential segregation in the city of Detroit and Detroit’s suburbs. Data were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Census, 1990 Summary Tape Files 4-A. The methods employed to measure residential segregation were the indexes of dissimilarity D and isolation P*. Indexes were computed by census tract to measure segregation and isolation between blacks and whites at the same level of occupation, income, or education. The results revealed that residential segregation between blacks and whites remained high (i.e., above 50%) in both the city and the suburbs despite comparable socioeconomic status. Blacks in the suburbs were more segregated and isolated than blacks in the city at each socioeconomic level.

African languages have played an important role in the development of linguistic theory but their role in the fields of historical linguistics and linguistic typology has been less prominent. Africa’s linguistic diversity has been long underestimated given the dominance of the four-family model proposed by Joseph Greenberg. Criticism of this model has long held among specialists in some of Africa’s smaller and lesser-known language families, but has only recently become more widely acknowledged among linguists. Archaeologists, geneticists, and others continue to model African prehistory based on African linguistic classifications, which are outdated and which have failed to withstand scrutiny. This teaching and learning guide suggests a program to train scholars in recognizing and evaluating the standards by which various African language classifications have been made. Africa’s linguistic diversity will be shown to be far greater than what is suggested by the four-family model.

Thobeka V. Mda, Issues in the Making of South Africa's Language in Education Policy, The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 66, No. 4, Education in a New South Africa: The Crises of Conflict, the Challenges of Change (Autumn, 1997), pp. 366-375

Segregation and Neighborhood Quality: Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in the San Francisco Metropolitan Area

Section 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 recognises eleven official languages of the Republic and further requires the State to take practical steps to advance the use of African languages. The Statistics South Africa 2017/18 report shows that most South Africans’ first language are African languages. Despite this reality and the constitutional imperatives, the South African Bachelor of Laws (LLB) curriculum does not prescribe any African language as a compulsory course, and very few sources of law are in an African language. Some law schools do offer some African languages as an elective. However, it is submitted that this is not sufficient. Experience has shown that the inability to articulate oneself in English can be a barrier to completing the LLB degree in regulation-time and admission to legal practice. Furthermore, it is submitted that the Chief Justice 2017 Directive, in which Chief Justice Mogoeng declared English as the only language of record in South African courts, does not address the language problems experienced by court staff. Instead it simply perpetuates the Eurocentric legal system. This is because it counters the advancement and use of African languages envisaged by the Constitution. This article investigates how the failure to advance multilingualism in the current LLB curriculum can disadvantage law students going to practice. It is proposed that law schools begin to address this issue by introducing two innovations. First, it is suggested that law schools make at least one African language a compulsory course. For English first language speakers in particular, this arrangement will strengthen their understanding of the sociological context in which the law operates. Second, it is proposed that each law school should choose an African language that is predominantly spoken in their geographical area and partner with schools of languages to translate sources of law. For African first language speakers in particular, this will assist them in understanding legal concepts better. Translations of legal texts may also allow for law schools to teach the law in the local African language.

The foreign population has become a structural trait of Italian society, and its territorial integration a key factor in social sustainability. Mixed couples, an emerging phenomenon in the Italian context, are leading to a change in social space and residential geography of the local environment. Encouraging an improvement in the level of territorial integration of the foreign population, by the host, plays an important role in understanding demographic changes. This chapter proposes a theoretical reflection on the importance of territorial integration of foreigners and an assessment of the dimensional effects it presents to the host societies’ social cohesion, and an empirical application to examine the relationships between foreigner residential integration and mixed couples. Results indicate that the increase in mixed couples leads to a weakening of residential segregation and therefore to greater territorial integration of the foreign population in the host society. Taking level of segregation of other ethnic groups under control, the effect of mixed couples on the level of residential segregation remains negative, while at the same time, the level of residential segregation of a given foreign community is positively correlated with other foreign community’s level of residential segregation. The territorial integration of foreigners is, thus, strongly linked to the local, social environment in context of multi-segregation. From this perspective, the growth of mixed-race couples, at least within a territorial dimension, can represent an agent of change in the social space modifying the majority and minority groups’ residential geography.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is vital for promoting economic participation and growth. However, the prevalence of English as the main language of ICT presents a significant hurdle for many individuals, especially in Africa, hindering their full involvement in the digital economy. Language is essential for understanding and interaction, and as industries increasingly move to digital platforms, integrating South African indigenous languages into ICT has become necessary for wider participation. Despite extensive research emphasising the need to incorporate African languages into ICT, highlighting key advantages and challenges, a considerable gap remains in examining practical approaches for implementation and a focus on a country perspective with South Africa as one of the examples. This qualitative study aims to explore the reasons behind the slow uptake of South African indigenous languages in ICT and suggest potential strategies for their integration. Data was gathered through a desktop review. The findings reveal a strong demand for incorporating African languages into ICT; however, there is limited investment to support this initiative. The study also highlights issues with language translation, as many African languages lack support from commonly used translation tools, underscoring the need for greater involvement from South African indigenous language speakers in the development and application of these tools. Additionally, the motivation to embrace South African indigenous languages is often insufficient, as many South African language speakers may not fully appreciate the value of their languages due to the longstanding prevalence of English in global communication. The research suggests that highlighting the significance of these languages, enhancing their perceived worth, employing South African indigenous language speakers for ICT development, and securing increased investment are crucial steps for successful integration.

At the end of the eighteenth century, between 250 and 700 languages were spoken on the Australian continent. No genetic link has been proven between these languages and those elsewhere, and there was remarkably little contact between speakers of Australian aboriginal languages and others during the tens of thousands of years that intervened between the first occupation of the continent and the arrival of English speakers. Although there are many hallmarks of Australian phonologies, morphology and syntax, as well as recurrent themes in semantic categorization and the linguistic reflexes of cultural preoccupations, there is considerable current debate over which of these may be attributed to shared inheritance from a common ancestor and which to more recent contact between linguistic groups. A course on the aboriginal languages of Australia might cover: (i) the structural features typical of Australian languages (highlighting those that are atypical in global perspective); (ii) whether and how these can be related to typical features of Australian cultures; (iii) the particular challenges Australian languages have posed to linguistic theories and typologies developed on the basis of other languages; and (iv) the genetic relationships between Australian languages and how well these are modelled by traditional methodologies.

Purpose of work. The article examines the linguistic situation in modern South Africa after the end of Apartheid. One question is the importance of a concept of mother tongue education in the RSA. What difficulties Afrikaans speakers, mainly the Afrikaners and the Coloureds, have regarding the use of their mother tongue in education and how such challenges can be addressed; does this provide a basis for building a new common cultural, national identity. Materials and methods. The author analyzes several aspects and measures taken by the South African government, by universities and various public organizations in the sphere of education that affect the status and functioning of the Afrikaans language in modern conditions in order to determine the degree of their influence on the linguistic situation in the country. Results. The study showed that the measures taken by the government in the field of language policy, especially with regard to Afrikaans, are clearly at variance with the Constitution, guaranteeing the right to education in the mother tongue, Since the government’s goal is not to support Afrikaans and other language speakers in their desire to preserve linguistic identity, but to impose the English language, the minority language on the multilingual country, which in turn causes discontent among the Afrikaans speakers, that leads to the establishment of civil society organizations and movements for the defense of the mother tongue and the development of secessionist activities among Afrikaners and other linguistic communities among the country. Conclusion. Based on the facts provided, the author concludes that without joint efforts and cohesion of the Afrikaners and the Coloureds, without a shared perception of their linguistic and cultural identity, Afrikaans in the long run will simply become just a home language with further complete and utter oblivion.

The authors construct a regional model of residential segregation in the South, using demographic and socioeconomic variables. Based on an analysis of the age, size, percent black, and occupational and income differentials in 32 southern cities, the findings show that: (1) age is still the strongest predictor of residential segregation; (2) socioeconomic factors need to be examined in their traditional southern context as indicators of residential segregation; (3) occupational-not income-differences have the greater effect on levels of residential segregation; and (4) changes in socioeconomic status for blacks in the South have not been accompanied by concomitant changes in residential segregation. Problems of developing and testing causal models of segregation are discussed, combined with specific suggestions for future research. Residential segregation in southern cities has long been recognized as distinctly different, for various historical, social, and economic reasons. Levels of segregation have been higher in southern cities, and for several decades-especially the forties and fifties-these cities increased in residential segregation more rapidly than cities elsewhere (cf. Taeuber and Taeuber). In addition, black-white socioeconomic differences have traditionally been greater in southern cities (Bahr and Gibbs; Jiobu and Marshall). Greater inequalities in housing, education, occupations, and income have led many to speculate that the social and demographic correlates of segregation differ for the region. But whether distinctively southern segregation patterns persist in the 1970s is an open question. Preliminary calculations by Sorenson et al. show that the average residential segregation scores for southern cities are lower in 1970 than in 1960, indicating, at least for central cities, a reversal in the 30-year trend of increasing racial separation. The South is also becoming increasingly indistinguishable from the rest of the nation in macro-structura7characteristics. Evidence on industrialization, urbanization, education, income, and occupational structure indicates that change is occurring more rapidly in the region than in the society as a whole, transforming it into an integral part of American society (cf. McKinney and Bourque; Reissman). These changes signal important shifts in opportunities for *This paper reports on research funded by the National Science Foundation, Grants G-41243 and Soc. 75-03438. An earlier version was presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society, 1975. We would like to acknowledge the technical assistance of Jerry Wilcox in the data analysis and the helpful comments and suggestions of Joel Smith, T. 0. Wilkinson, Hilda Golden, Terry Roof, and two anonymous reviewers.

ObjectivesIndigenous populations in Mexico, comprising roughly one-fifth of the population, face significant unique cognitive health challenges in older adulthood. This study examines cognitive performance differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous language speakers and evaluates whether the cognitive benefits of educational attainment differs between these populations.MethodsWe analyzed the 2018 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS, n = 16,199), a nationally representative study of Mexicans 50+. We assessed the association between educational attainment and cognitive performance, both general and domain-specific, for Indigenous and non-Indigenous language speakers.FindingsWhile Indigenous language speakers scored lower overall, they experienced significantly greater improvement with more years of education in Verbal Learning, Visual Scanning, and Visuospatial Ability.ConclusionsIncreasing educational attainment may improve cognitive functioning in Mexico, but especially for Indigenous populations. Further research is needed to explore mechanisms driving these stronger returns for Indigenous populations and to inform culturally responsive interventions and policies.

This article presents a review of cross-cultural influences on Wechsler IQ tests, together with a preliminary investigation into WAIS-III test performance (English administration) for a southern African sample (age range 19–30) stratified for white English first language and black African first language, level and quality of education. (‘African language’ is the term used to denote the indigenous languages of black populations in southern Africa). A two-way ANOVA revealed highly significant effects for both level and quality of education within the black African first language group. Scores for the white English and black African first language groups with advantaged education were comparable with the US standardization, whereas scores for black African first language participants with disadvantaged education were significantly lower than this. Thus indications from this research are that normative studies should take account of the influential variable of quality of education, in addition to level of education. Alternatively faulty conclusions may be drawn about the effects of ethnicity, with the potential for neuropsychological misdiagnosis.