To be Xhosa or not to be Xhosa … That is the Question

Abstract

It has long been recognised that indigenous languages are endangered because of powerful social, political and economic pressures. In South Africa, the legacy of apartheid has left its indigenous languages particularly vulnerable, and since 1994 huge efforts have been made to reverse the situation. Despite the new language policy and accompanying legislation, it would seem that many Xhosa speakers themselves want English, and not Xhosa,for their children. This paper reports on a multi-faceted quantitative and qualitative survey in and around Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province, which focused on the steady trickle of speakers of Xhosa into English-medium schools in thearea, and examined the reasons underlying decisions to send Xhosa children to these schools and the subsequent linguistic and psycho-social effects of the move on the children. Results present evidence of a steady shift to English taking place among the wealthier and more privileged members of the local Xhosa community, both on a practical level and on a socio-psychological level. In addition, there is evidence of considerable internal conflict in the minds of both the parents and children undergoing this shift as to the future role of the Xhosa language and culture in their lives.