You’re Damned if You Do, You’re Damned if You Don’t: Coloured Township Learners Caught in the English-Afrikaans Debate

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper explores the complexities of language and identity in contemporary South Africa. The on-going English-Afrikaans debate points to broader issues of power and identity. Several scholars have convincingly shown Afrikaans as inextricably linked to Afrikaner nationalism. During apartheid, Afrikaans was contentious as the language of the ruling elite and tool for Black oppression. This paper investigates how Afrikaans-speaking Coloured learners are caught in the debates around language and racial hierarchies. Results of the study show some scepticism about learning English in a predominantly Afrikaans-speaking Coloured township community. While a “progressive” part of the community strongly associates English with elitism and power, a more “conservative” part views English as a threat to the preservation of Coloured identity. The study concludes that in spite of Afrikaans’ awkward position in South Africa’s linguistic historiography as the language of the oppressor and the oppressed, it should be considered a marker of Coloured identity. Finally, this study adds to our understanding of racialized identities and in-betweenness as regards language (and cultural) identities in South Africa.