The Language of Class: Southern Sotho and Zulu Meanings of ‘Middle Class’ in Soweto

Abstract

‘Class’ as a word or concept cannot be accurately translated into any of South Africa's indigenous languages. This article explores the relationship that language has with class by analysing responses drawn from a recent research study conducted in Soweto. There were two kinds of responses from a cross-section of Sowetans: a) the meanings which non-English speakers associate with the English word ‘class’, when they themselves recognise and understand the word (at least to some extent); and b) the words and connotations from their native language that non-English speakers use to approximate or substitute for the English word ‘class’ when they themselves do not know it, but have had it explained or glossed by field researchers. The term ‘middle class’ was disproportionately used among Sowetans to describe themselves in terms of class, and therefore this article places greater emphasis on the term. The findings have indicated the importance of language, and that ‘class’ in African languages has multiple meanings attached to it, which are completely different from the English. ‘Middle class’, switched into African languages, means ‘in the middle’ whereas ‘in the middle’ can denote the middle of a space or a social position.

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