Strategies to promote language use in multilingual South Africa

1
Strategies to promote language use in
multilingual South Africa

• Mtholeni N. Ngcobo
• Department of Linguistics UNISA
• ngcobmn_at_unisa.ac.za

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Introduction

• Promoting the use of all official languages - one
  of the aims of National Language Policy Framework
• Impediment inadequate development for some of
  these languages
• Pressure the government (policy implementation)
  and people (attitudes)
• Solutions modern strategies
• Availability of information and language use in
  communication

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Intro

• Information and medium, i.e. ICTs for modern
  society
• Reaching wide audience
• an endangered language will progress if its
  speakers can make use of electronic technology.
  (Crystal 2000141)
• Pre-democracy and language status ideological
  motivation
• Underlying line of argument modern approach
• Normalisation extending the use of language
  into an optimum range of domains, i.e. the public
  sector and technology (Williams, 1993)

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Intro

• Data extracted and adapted from PNC on ISAD
  draft report, through structured interviews
• Theory Language Management Behaviour-towards-
  language language is considered as
  communication (the process of language use)
• Communication is a process between people and
  people want to communicate (Jernudd, 2001)

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The language management perspective

• Represents an independent alternative to language
  planning (LP)
• Considers macro language planning (government
  sanctioned) and micro language planning
  (individuals) a dialectic relationship
• Organised management vs. simple management
• Origins, Neustupny (1978) interactions
  (discourses) are a source of language problems.
• LP starts with language problems in discourse and
  LP is complete if the removal of problems is
  implemented in discourse

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The LM perspective
IMPLEMENTATION (Individual interaction)
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION (Individual interaction)
ADOPTION OF MEASURES (Planning institution)
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The LM perspective

• Stages of LM development- deviation from a norm,
  notation of deviation, selection of adjustment
  plan, implementation of a plan.
• Two processes which characterise language use-
  1. production and reception of discourse 2.
  activities aimed at the production and reception
  of discourse, i.e. metalinguistic activities
  (Language Management)

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Distal, Proximal and Immediate circumstances

• LP in SA is at macro level micro is obscured
  but the two dimension of social phenomena
  should elaborate on one other (Nevakpil and
  Nekula, 2006)
• Social structure as condition and consequence of
  the production of interaction (Giddens, 1993)
  Explained in terms of distal (e.g. gov.
  regulations), proximal (e.g. planning by schools)
  and immediate circumstances (correction by
  teachers in particular interactions) Visa versa
  problems from interactions can lead to a gov.
  legislation

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A comprehensive LM programme

• Status corpus spread
• Spread linguistic landscape, signage, place
  names (toponyms), street names (odonyms),
  language used on radio, TV and press.
• Perceptions can be changed through value

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Factors that influence perception (Robbins 2001)
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circumstances

• Language as a perceived object
• The role of information and communication
  changing perceptions
• Transformed expectations

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Promoting language use through information and
technology

• As a strategy
• Not provision only, but also access
• What does access mean? What arrangements do we
  need to ensure public access to information and
  services? How do we monitor and review access to
  information and services?
• Information that is linked to services

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information

• English dominance vs. little understanding
  exclusion
• Language preference

African 64
English 26
Both 9
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information

• Mediums/tools
• ICTs fastest and largest depositories
• Access to ICTs

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information
Radio 96
TV 83
Cell phone 63
Landline 52
Internet 9
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information

• Localizing content
• Language use vs. ICT use
• Empowerment, participation in development,
  building an information society
• Encouraging information exchange and
  communication
• Access to information as a basic human right

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information

• Websites with local content acknowledge, raise
  awareness, facilitate and promote the use
• Dependency on language facilitated through ICTs
  (an innovation that facilitates adoption, Norman,
  1999)
• ICTs and content external activators.
• Increased valence (relative attractiveness)
  encouraging choice

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information

• SA Constitution of 1996 emphasis on equal rights
• Government interventions
• Institutions
• Problems

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Communication and the role of public service
figures

• The role of government figures
• Communication essence
• Communication as the process of language use
  (Jernudd, 2001)
• Preferred medium

Face-to-face 65
Telephone 19
More than 1 16
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Communication

• English a de facto language of government
• The violation of equity
• Communication difficulties
• Creating subjective conditions
• Expectancy as a motivational factor an internal
  activator

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Conclusion

• What became apparent majority of information
  readily available in English, Inaccessibility,
  ICT potential and increased value, the importance
  of the role of public figures (a motivational
  expectancy).