Translated for the dogs: Language use in Cape Town signage

Abstract

To what extent do official and non-official signs in Cape Town reflect a multilingual society in which all languages are declared equal? What are the languages and the varieties of language used in official Cape Town signage? What languages are used in Cape Town's tourist areas? What languages are used by informal businesses in townships? This article sets out to answer these questions by examining signage in Cape Town generally and more specifically that which exists in a number of distinct residential vicinities: the ‘tourist’ areas of Sea Point, Muizenberg and Kirstenbosch, and the townships of Langa and Masiphumelele. The analysis is informed by current geosemiotic theories as well as recent research into language shift and educational literacy in South Africa. The tendency to use Xhosa (the most widely spoken African language in Cape Town) for symbolic reasons in commercial and official signage is interrogated and exemplified, as is the use of English for social and economic motivations.

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