South Africa's changing linguistic frontiers: Latin mottoes in schools and universities

Abstract

Latin mottoes seem to be commonplace in everyday life, but do they retain any real meaning for those who might still read them? Secondary (high) schools and universities in South Africa have a proportionately high profile of such mottoes, although it is more than likely that the vast majority of their students have never studied Latin, and therefore cannot appreciate or even understand what their institution's motto means. The discussion which follows looks at a selection of schools’ and universities’ Latin mottoes and offers some background to these phrases and why these (mostly exhortations) have been adopted. In conclusion, the questions addressed are whether these mottoes have any relevance for the students who attend these institutions; whether they continue to be of interest in a modern South Africa; or whether they have so far escaped being involved in the changes which are occurring in the South African linguistic landscape.

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