Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe - Supplement 1, June 2006
Supplement 1, June 2006
"Is dit ons erns?" Taalregtekwessies in die onderwys is ondergeskik aan periferale taalkwessies
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 1 –11 (2006)
How serious are we? Matters of linguistic rights concerning education are subordinate to peripheral linguistic matters
Although the Constitution aims to balance on the one hand the insistence of speakers of Afrikaans for mother-tongue education, and on the other hand the demand for entrance of learners in the language of their choice (read: English), the government's approach appears to favour the right to free entrance. In spite of the seriousness of the conflict, speakers of Afrikaans, as was the case in 1905 when Hofmeyr held his famous speech "How serious are we?", display an apathy on matters of linguistic rights concerning education, and are more interested in peripheral linguistic matters. This claim is substantiated by an analysis of reporting in the print media in 2002 and 2003.
Jacobus Christoffel (Jaap) Steyn se lewensiklus toon onderskeibare arbeidshoogtepunte op veral die taalakker. Sy betrokkenheid by taal en kultuur blyk duidelik uit sy navorsing as taalsosioloog en sy besorgdheid spesifiek op die gebied van minderheidstale ook met die verskyning van die boek Tuiste in eie taal (1980). In 'n moderne wêreld waar globalisering, tegnologie en die dominansie van een wêreldtaal 'n wesenlike bedreiging is vir kulturele diversiteit en bydra tot die marginalisering en uitsterf van minderheidstale, is Jaap Steyn deur sy publikasies en rubrieke 'n meningsvormer van wie kennis geneem word.
Moedertaalonderrig : voorwoord
Authors: Angelique Van Niekerk and Annette De Wet
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 2 –5 (2006)
Gedurende die afgelope jare - veral in 2004 en 2005 - was daar in Suid-Afrika ongekende taaldebat rakende moedertaalonderrig en taalbeleid. In Augustus 2005 is 'n beraad aangebied op die kampus van die Universiteit van die Vrystaat, waartydens verskeie kundiges opgetree het.
Die beraad en hierdie publikasie (en 'n beoogde populêre bydrae geskoei op die publikasie) het ten doel om ouers en onderwysers te bemagtig met kennis in antwoord op die foutiewe populêre aannames rondom moedertaalonderrig en die rol van byvoorbeeld Engels in die opvoeding van kinders in Suid-Afrika en elders in die wêreld. Die uiteenlopende benaderings en aanpak tot die navorsing wat hier aandag ontvang, het voorts juis ten doel om verskillende aspekte in die moedertaaldebat te belig, wat insluit taalbeplanning en taalgeskiedenis, opvoedkundige praktyk en beginsels, regeringsbeleid en taalbeleid, politieke klimaat en taalverandering asook regsimplikasies en taalbeleid.
Die breë debat (1994-2005) oor die toekoms van Afrikaans : enkele temas en inisiatiewe
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 12 –36 (2006)
The broader debate (1994-2005) on the future of Afrikaans : some themes and initiatives
This article focuses on some of the most prominent themes and initiatives on Afrikaans that have emerged during the period 1994-2005. On the one hand, a short overview is given of the kind of pressure Afrikaans had to withstand during this period and on the other hand, pertinent themes are discussed. One of the most prominent initiatives that emerged from the Afrikaans Language Conference convened in August 2004, has been the effect on the Afrikaans debate since this conference. The heated debate regarding the importance of mother tongue education and the role it plays in current language discussions is highlighted as a central theme.
Perspektiewe op moedertaalonderrig
Author Vic Webb
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 37 –50 (2006)
Perspectives on mother-tongue instruction
This article deals with the advantages of mother-tongue education at all levels of formal training. It departs from the point of view that the medium of formal instruction can be a facilitator or a barrier to educational development and, later, to one's basic rights and privileges as well as political and economic participation. Accepting that the concept of mother-tongue instruction has problematic dimensions, educational and non-educational arguments are presented in support of mother tongue instruction, followed by a brief overview of empirical research that demonstrates its fundamental role in education. The article concludes with a list of obstacles that need to be addressed if the principle of mother-tongue instruction is to be effectively marketed to educational decision-makers.
Moedertaalonderrig en tweetalige onderwys - perspektiewe op die voertaalvraagstuk in Suid-Afrikaanse skole
Authors: J.H. Snayers and L.T. Du Plessis
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 51 –62 (2006)
Die eerste na-apartheidse taal-in-onderwysbeleid van Suid-Afrika maak voorsiening vir toevoegende tweetalige onderwys, 'n vorm van tweetalige onderwys wat 'n prominente rol aan die moedertaal regdeur 'n leerder se skoolloopbaan veronderstel. Hierdie vorm van tweetalige onderwys staan teenoor afnemende tweetalige onderwys waar die moedertaal uitfaseer word. Hierdie artikel plaas die huidige debat rakende moedertaalonderwys in Suid-Afrika binne die konteks van tweetalige onderwys. Dit ondersoek die rol van moedertaalonderwys in verskillende modelle van tweetalige onderwys. In navolging van internasionale tendense, onderskei die artikel tussen swak modelle van tweetalige onderwys (wat effektief lei tot eentaligheid) en sterk modelle van tweetalige onderwys (wat effektief lei tot tweetaligheid en tweetalige geletterdheid). Die artikel bespreek ook twee stelle beginsels wat kan bydra tot sterk tweetalige onderwys en ondersoek die teenwoordigheid van hierdie beginsels in die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwyssisteem. Die artikel toon dat moedertaalonderrig 'n noodsaaklike komponent is in die verkryging van suksesvolle tweetalige onderwys in Suid-Afrika. Dit sluit af met die aanbeveling dat erken moet word dat daar 'n behoefte bestaan aan die herbesinning van die huidige debat rakende taal in onderwys.
Mother tongue education and bilingual education - perspectives on the question of medium of instruction in South African schools
The first language-in-education policy of South Africa provides for additive bilingual education, a form of bilingual education that assumes a prominent role for the mother tongue throughout the learner's school career, as opposed to subtractive (bilingual) education, where mother tongue instruction is phased out. This article places the current debate on mother tongue education in South Africa within the context of bilingual education. It investigates the role of mother tongue education in different models of bilingual education. Following international trends, the article distinguishes between weak models of bilingual education (which effectively lead to unilingualism) and strong models of bilingual education (which effectively lead to bilingualism and biliteracy). It also discusses two sets of principles that may contribute to strong bilingual education and investigates the presence of these within the South African education system. The article demonstrates that mother tongue instruction is an essential component in ensuring successful bilingual education in South Africa, and concludes with the recommendation that the need to redirect the current debate on language in schools should be recognised.
Die prisma vertroebel : taalonderrigbeleid geïnterpreteer in terme van kurrikulumverandering
Author Kathleen Heugh
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 63 –76 (2006)
Clouding the prism : language education policy interpreted through curriculum change
This article demonstrates that the original principles, which guide language education policy, arising from the Constitution (1996) and the Department of Education's language policy (1997), have been systematically undermined in official documents and curriculum change since 1999. The principles at risk include equity, non-discrimination, promotion of multilingualism, mother tongue education and meaningful access to optimal cognitive development in education. Education research, evidence and experience, especially in relation to psycholinguistics and second language acquisition, are being ignored. This is to the detriment of the whole education system and the socio-economic development needs of South Africa.
Moedertaalonderwys en meertaligheid : praktiese oplossings vir Afrikaans en ander Afrikatale
Author Peter Pluddemann
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 77 –88 (2006)
Mother-tongue education and multilingualism : practical solutions for Afrikaans and other African languages
This article addresses the mismatch between official multilingualism, on the one hand, and the current hegemony of English in South African education, on the other. The specific focus is on a number of issues faced by a schooling system still struggling with a dual legacy. The first is African-language speakers' historically-induced suspicion of mother-tongue education, despite its universally-acknowledged benefits. Coupled to this is the belief that only an English-medium education can provide a quality education. Together with the state's sometimes clumsy attempts to provide access to good schools for the historically disadvantaged, black parents' aspirations to enrol their children in Afrikaans single-medium schools have put pressure on the latter to accommodate English-seeking learners, often in a parallel English-medium stream - to the chagrin of some Afrikaans-speaking communities. This paper argues that the legitimate right to mother-tongue education should not be conflated with single-medium institutions. Furthermore, the notion of dual-medium education is explored as a viable alternative to the current delayed submersion into English, with implications for teacher training. Other aspects dealt with include the need to rehabilitate African languages via language subjects, teachers' language proficiency and the formal recognition of multilingual competence, as well as the decentralisation of schooling that has allowed schools to take pedagogically irresponsible decisions about language policy. Crucially, the realisation of a home-language based education system depends on the meeting up of language planning "from above" with progressive initiatives and pressures "from below".
Tolking as afleweringsmodus in universiteitsklasse. 'n Bespreking en analise van die Dagbreektrusttolkprojek aan die Potchefstroomkampus van die Noordwes-Universiteit
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 89 –99 (2006)
Interpreting as delivery mode in university classes. A discussion and analysis of the Dagbreek Trust Interpreting Project at the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University
It is evident that transformation within the higher education landscape in South Africa necessitates new and creative ways of language management for the tertiary sector. The Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University embarked on a classroom interpreting project for engineering students in April 2004 with the aim to broaden access and success within the so-called expensive teaching programmes with limited seats. The aim with this article is to describe and analyse the classroom interpreting services, as well as to explore the initial findings of the accompanying research. The article will present evidence that ongoing and feasible rendering of interpreting services will benefit Afrikaans as a language of higher learning. It will also demonstrate that simultaneous interpreting does not have a negative impact on classroom management. The overriding aim, however, is to verify how classroom interpreting for university purposes contributes towards the establishment of a multicultural institutional culture where mutual respect and tolerance are nurtured.
Tweetalige hoëronderwys vir Suid-Afrika? Taalbeleidsontwikkeling by histories Afrikaans-medium universiteite as gevallestudie
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 100 –111 (2006)
Bilingual higher education for South Africa? Language policy development at historically Afrikaans-medium universities (HAUs) as a case study
This article investigates the demand for an appropriate model for the introduction of an indigenous language as an additional medium of instruction in higher education in South Africa. Two models of bilingual higher education are considered, namely institutional bilingualism (dual monolingual education or parallel bilingualism) as against integrated bilingualism (individual bilingualism). The policy of the HAUs concerning institutional bilingual education is dealt with as a case study. It was found that the HAUs have opted for a differentiated approach to the issue of the medium of instruction. Although parallel-medium education serves as the preferential model, the HAUs are making provision for diverse deviations from this model, depending on the mode of service delivery and in accordance with the requirements of the different campuses. It appears that the consistent application of parallel bilingual higher education, essentially institutional bilingualism, may be difficult to sustain in the long run. It is recommended that the individual bilingual higher education model would probably prove to be more beneficial as a framework within which an indigenous language can be implemented as an additional medium of instruction. Some of the implications hereof are considered.
Afrikaans in die onderwys : resultate van 'n ondersoek na die houding van ouers
Authors: Hermann Giliomee and Lawrence Schlemmer
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 112 –124 (2006)
Afrikaans in school education : results of a survey on the attitude of parents
The recent debate about Afrikaans medium education and the future of Afrikaans as a public language, has taken place within the context of an education policy that stresses access through the medium of English to all public schools and universities and widespread dissatisfaction among minorities with the government's education policy. In February and March 2004 the authors undertook a survey with fieldwork by the firm MarkData on parent attitudes towards the quality of school education and mother-tongue education. It found the greatest dissatisfaction about the former among Indian parents, followed by white Afrikaans parents and white English parents. Indian parents are also more concerned about the preservation of a particular cultural heritage and ethnic identity than parents of the two white communities. While the majority of parents are worried about the increasing use of English, a sizeable minority accepts the practical value of this. Only when Afrikaans is no longer available as a medium of instruction, will Afrikaans parents consider strong action.
Politieke transformasie in Suid-Afrika - 'n konteksbepaling vir onderwys en moedertaalonderrig
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 125 –142 (2006)
Political transformation in South Africa - a contextual orientation for education and mother tongue education
This article provides a brief description of political transformation in its South African context as a background to the implementation of, and problems related to the transformation mode in post-apartheid South Africa. Some of the transformation in South African education since 1994, with its resultant successes, trials and tribulations, are highlighted. Others are just mentioned in passing. The approach of the South African government to Afrikaans-medium schools as part of its attempt to ensure success to basic education is highlighted as contrary to its epic 1994-statement that:"Coercion is a recipe for disaster. South Africans know this by bitter experience, and we ignore the lessons of our educational history at our peril."
Die publiekregtelike hantering van meertaligheid
Source: Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe 46, pp 143 –150 (2006)
The Public Law regulation of multilingualism
This contribution starts with an overview of the influence the idea of the state and state formation had on the politics of language over time and how it contributed to the instrumentalisation of language in the interest of specific political ideals. This is contrasted with the attempts at accommodating multilingualism in modern times under the influence of the constitutional democracy ideal. Against this background developments in South Africa under the new constitutional dispensation are analysed and commented on.