The Role of Xhosa in a South African Prison: 'The Situation is Leading You'

Abstract

This article reports on a study which investigated the role and status of Xhosa in a prison located in Grahamstown, a large town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Xhosa, an indigenous African language, and the most widely spoken language in the region, is one of several used for communicative purposes in the prison. The development and promotion of African languages and the promotion of multilingualism in South Africa are two of the main aims stated in the language-related clauses in the country's constitution and also in numerous language-policy documents. The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which members of the prison were aware of these policies, especially with regard to the role and status of Xhosa. It provides a description of the language use patterns which have been implemented in the form of an ad hoc policy by those in the prison in order to solve communication problems. The findings indicate that Xhosa is widely spoken in the prison, by both staff and prisoners, but that its use is limited to informal, non-work-related contexts. English, on the other hand, is used as a lingua franca in the prison in most 'official' situations and during interactions which involve interlocutors who speak different languages. It appears, therefore, that English functions as the 'thread' language in the prison, while Xhosa remains the informal, context-bound choice.