Talking about Language: Zulu Students' Views on Language in the New South Africa

Abstract

The post-apartheid South African government has in principle instituted a new language policy, which changes the country from one with two official languages to one in which there are eleven. The previously ignored indigenous languages are to have equal status with English and Afrikaans. This paper explores the views of some members of an indigenous language group about the language question. Two focus groups were conducted, with Zulu-speaking students at the University of Cape Town. One group contained only male students and the other female students. The discussions of the focus group were translated into English by the second researcher. The translations were thematically analysed. Some of the themes that emerged in the discussions were issues such as the practicality of the language policy, the multiple versus single language debate, ‘tribalism’, the meaning of language and its role in identity. In general, three major positions on the language issue were apparent, one favouring the increased status of the Zulu language, one favouring the pre-eminence of the English language, and one supporting a diglossia position.

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