Onyms in South African English in an Ecolinguistic Perspective

Abstract

This article deals with the development of the English language in South Africa which can be regarded as a historically extraterritorial language. The aim of the investigation is to consider the influence of the specific ethnic environment on the lexical system of South African English in the eco-linguistic perspective. A special focus is laid on indigenous onyms which are considered as a means of maintaining the nation's identity in the modern globalized society. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the autobiography of Nelson Mandela "Long Walk to Freedom" (1995). The article begins with a brief outline of a historic background for the formation of the South African variant of the English language. Then the researcher singles out the indigenous onyms employed in the text of N. Mandela's autobiography and classifies them into anthroponyms, nationality names, names of clans, royal houses, and toponyms, including a wide variety of geographical names. After that the chosen onyms are subjected to the analysis in the eco-linguistic perspective, exemplifying the thesis that SAA is not only an extraterritorial, but also a contact-induced variety of English. Methodologically, this paper is grounded on the theory of language ecology as a framework for the study of language as an open synergetic system actively interacting with its environment. The study shows that the English language is in tough competition with the rest of official and national languages of the Republic, which form the unique linguistic environment of English in South Africa.