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

Klerk, Vivian de

doi:10.1080/01434630008666401

Cited by 61 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…De Klerk (1996Klerk ( , 2000 has shown that African parents and learners prefer English as the medium of instruction. She discusses in detail the dilemmas and conflicts arising from this preference, particularly considering isiXhosa as a vehicle of cultural transmission for amaXhosa.…”

Section: L1 or L2 As Medium Of Instruction: Dilemmas And Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I can’t really think in English’: Translation as literacy mediation in multilingual/multicultural learning contexts

Banda¹

2011

Per Ling.

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Section: L1 or L2 As Medium Of Instruction: Dilemmas And Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I can’t really think in English’: Translation as literacy mediation in multilingual/multicultural learning contexts

Banda¹

2011

Per Ling.

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“…In this regard, poor achievements of learners from African language speaking homes have been blamed on the early transition to instruction in English (Alexander 2005). Others have focused on what they see as negative attitudes by parents towards African languages which makes it difficult to enforce mother-tongue education (De Klerk 2000;De Wet 2002;Dyers 2004). Then there are studies that have focused on the apartheid legacy and unequal distribution of skilled personnel, resources and management, which make former white schools best-performing, followed by coloured and black schools being the worst in terms of learner academic achievement (Banda 2008;Pluddemann et al 2004).…”

Section: Multilingualism As Classroom Practicementioning

confidence: 96%

Defying monolingual education: alternative bilingual discourse practices in selected coloured schools in Cape Town

Banda

2010

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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This paper explores how bilingual learners and teachers challenge the monolingual discourses prescribed in language education policy and models in pursuit of voice and agency in classroom interaction. Through an examination of observation, interview and classroom interaction data in selected coloured primary and secondary schools in Cape Town, the paper investigates the tension between bilingual discourses of learners and prescribed models of education that value monolingual discourses. This entails an evaluation of the suitability of dominant Western models and notions of multilingualism, which it is argued do not fit the multilingual contexts in Africa. The paper concludes that in the multilingual education contexts of Cape Town learning often takes place outside the official models and languages of education; hence the argument for multilingual education models in Cape Town and Africa, generally, that take into the account local linguistic diversity and community repertoires.

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“…I believe that the thrust towards validating as many languages as possible is a valuable one, especially in primary education. In particular, it is inconceivable that black pupils should go too soon, or even straight into English as a medium of education, as some of their parents seem to want (De Klerk, 2000;Msimang, 1992: 143). Most applied linguistics endorse a period of about six years of mother-tongue instruction for children who are dominant in, e.g.…”

Section: Some Positive and Achievable Multilingual Practicesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Necessary Versus Sufficient Conditions for Using New Languages in South African Higher Education: A Linguistic Appraisal1

Mesthrie

2008

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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This paper critically examines one particular issue against the background of changes in South Africa's higher education system consequent upon the advent of a non-racial democracy Á the possibility of implementing multilingual instructional polices that include indigenous African languages in its universities. Currently, a great deal of applied linguistic work is being carried out on the creation of word lists and dictionaries, via translation and term creation. This paper concurs that this is a necessary step in language adaptation for the task envisaged. It uses Saussurian semantics to show that translation and/or creation of terms is not a relatively transparent activity. An examination of Saussure's notion of 'semantic value' leads to a post-structuralist concern with use and function. This orientation to language is considered further in light of the discourse-oriented work of M.A.K. Halliday and J.R. Martin on the language of science in Writing Science, Literacy and Discursive Power, published by Falmer Press in 1993. Such discourse unfolds within a community of practice. The practices required for a translated science involve semiotic inculcation, and can be compared to the efforts of 19th-century Christian missionaries who worked on expanding Xhosa for religious purposes. These efforts show the complexities of developing Xhosa as a possible language of science, which any language planner will have to face.

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

Cited by 61 publications

References 8 publications

‘I can’t really think in English’: Translation as literacy mediation in multilingual/multicultural learning contexts

‘I can’t really think in English’: Translation as literacy mediation in multilingual/multicultural learning contexts

Defying monolingual education: alternative bilingual discourse practices in selected coloured schools in Cape Town

Necessary Versus Sufficient Conditions for Using New Languages in South African Higher Education: A Linguistic Appraisal1

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