ROLE OF ENGLISH IN SOUTH AFRICA

https://www.southafrica.com/culture/languages/english/

Of the two European languages which were brought to South Africa during the early days of
colonization, English is undoubtedly the most widespread. Because of the prevalence of this
language, English is the main language used in government and business. Though English is not
the first language of many individuals, it is usually spoken and understood by a large portion of
the population. Many television programs which are broadcast nationally are in English and you
will almost always find English speakers in most parts of the country.

Of all the official languages in the country, English and Afrikaans are the most widely used since
they cross the various cultural barriers more easily than most other native languages. Each
province uses English, Afrikaans and the most predominant African language in their province
for official documents. Because the English spoken in South Africa is derived from the British
Settlers who immigrated to the country en mass in the 1820s, schools teach the language based
on the British grammatical system. However, as a spoken language, English has taken on several
peculiarities as it has become mixed with a variety of accents and words taken from other
languages. Several expressions that are specific to South Africa have emerged and are used
across the country. ‘Howzit?’ is a common greeting – a contraction of the words “How goes it?”
A common reply would be ‘lekker’, which is Afrikaans slang for ‘great’. This is just one
example of how the language has not only taken on several twists in South Africa, but how it has
been influenced by the widespread use of words from other languages.

If you are planning a trip to the country soon but are unsure of which languages to familiarize
yourself with, English would be a safe bet. Even if they cannot read or write it, most South
African’s can usually speak and understand the language. What’s more, it is spoken in several
other countries across the world which makes it a convenient language to know. So come to
South Africa and find out more about the country’s unique brand of English first hand.
 THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN SOUTH AFRICA

https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/english-language-south-africa

We South Africans live in a polyglot society, which under our Constitution, has 11 official
languages that “must enjoy parity of esteem and must be treated equitably”. Mother tongues
range from Afrikaans to IsiZulu, from isiXhosa to Setswana, however to stop us being a modern
Tower of Babel we largely use one language to communicate between each other and that is
English. In doing so we are reflecting a world wide trend. In today’s world English has become
the “Lingua Franca” replacing French as the language of diplomacy and German in the field of
science. It has also become one of the essential languages for global trade.

In 21st century South Africa, English is used in many walks of life, in media and advertising, in
education, law, commerce and government. English is the language of the big city especially
Johannesburg, South Africa’s financial capital. Although should one drive 50 miles (80 km) in
any direction out of “Egoli”, you are more likely to hear Afrikaans or an African language being
spoken. How is it then that a European colonial language has managed to become so influential?

To answer this question a look at South African history from the beginning of the 19th century is
needed.

The English language first came to the southern tip of Africa 1795 when the British occupied the
Cape of Good Hope in order to protect their trade with India and the Orient. They left in 1803 as
part of the terms of the Treaty of Amiens, but in January 1806 they returned for good, after what
was a brief interlude when the Batavian Republic (a French aligned administration) held the
Cape. At the time of the Second Occupation, the British had no real policy on the matter of
exploring and developing the hinterland and for many years Cape Town remained the “Tavern of
the Seas”, merely a port of call between Europe and the East. The people who had the
adventurous spirit were the Trek Boers, born of Africa of Dutch descent and even before British
annexation they had fanned out to establish farms and settlements in the Overberg to the east of
Cape Town and as far afield as Graaff-Reinet and Uitenhage. By 1837 these Trek Boers could no
longer stomach British rule and hitched their ox wagons leaving the Cape Colony for good on
what is now known as the Great Trek.

The end of the Napoleonic Wars came when the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon
Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo on the 18th June 1815. Although it was widely celebrated, its
aftermath brought about an economic recession in Britain which in turn created unemployment
and political turmoil. The British government of the day looked to emigration from Britain, to
her colonies, as a way to alleviate unemployment. The Colony of the Cape of Good Hope was
seen as a suitable destination for those wishing to start a new life as the climate was not too
dissimilar to that of the British Isles. And so it was that in 1820 the first settlers arrived in Algoa
Bay to farm what is now called the Eastern Cape. The land was not unoccupied as the pastoral
Xhosa tribe (Nguni speaking) were already well established and for many years to come there
would be outbreaks of war between the British and Xhosa (the Border Wars) over the right to
land.

In the 1840’s the British decided to develop a second colony – the Colony of Natal, which was
usurped from the Voortrekkers, who were forced to trek back up country to what became known
as the Orange Free State. This action set the tone of relations between the two European
colonisers which would end in all out war to determine who would control South Africa – The
Boer War 1899-1902.

In truth it was not until the mineral wealth of the interior of South Africa was discovered that
Britain took a keen interest and when they did the might of Victorian Britain (the leading
economy of the 19th century) financed firstly Kimberley (1870) and then Johannesburg (1886);
both were English speaking cities from the word go.

Johannesburg was an English speaking enclave within a Boer state – the South African Republic
(a.k.a. Transvaal)  - and it would be the powder keg which would ignite the Boer War, a war that
so easily could have been avoided, but for intransigence on both sides. The outcome of the war
was a British victory at the cost of many lives lost and a lasting resentment by those who had
been defeated, which would create the spectre of Afrikaner Nationalism.

At the formation of the Union of South Africa, on the 31st May 1910, exactly eight years after
the Boer War had ended, English and Dutch were accorded equal status as official languages. No
African language was considered worthy by those who had come together at the National
Convention (1908-1909) to “horse trade” for the future of South Africa. Although Dutch (and
later Afrikaans) were given parity, in reality English remained the language of power and
influence mainly due to the fact that South Africa was part of the British Empire (Pax
Brittanica).

The rise of Afrikaner Nationalism which heralded the Apartheid era (1948 to 1994) pushed the
Afrikaans language to the head of the table. On 31st May 1961, exactly 51 years after Union,
South Africa was declared a republic and left the British Commonwealth – a long held dream for
Afrikaner hegemony.
During the struggle against Apartheid, South Africa’s Black majority, made up of many
language groups, needed a unifying force to rally around and the English language was seen as
the ideal instrument to spread the word (internationally) of the injustices that they incurred.

Then it happened, the hubris that the Afrikaner leadership deluded itself with, brought about
rioting in June of 1976. The lid on the pressure cooker of resentment finally blew off over the
dictate that Afrikaans would be, in future, the medium of instruction in township schools
(replacing English). The rioting and the government crackdown that followed will not be
elaborated upon suffice to say it was a turning point in South Africa's history and it mortally
wounded the Afrikaner hegemony that would eventually expire in 1994.

On 11th February 1990 Nelson Mandela walked out, a free man, from the Victor Verster Prison
in Paarl, 27 years 6 months and 6 days after his capture near Howick Natal. When he spoke from
the balcony of the Cape Town City Hall, he spoke in English, so that the world would hear his
message “Apartheid has no future”.

The English language has both virtues and vices and I feel fervently that the virtues in the 21st
century far outweigh the vices.  The case of the Republic of Ireland (Eire) may be illuminating
for us. The country had strong anti-English sentiments and on gaining its independence from
Britain in 1922 (as the Irish Free State) sought Gaelic (Irish) as being the official language to set
it apart from its former masters. However, commercial interests and cultural ties (including
family) between Ireland, Britain and the United States meant that Gaelic really was a non-starter.
Although taught in schools, its relevance to modern everyday life in Ireland is no longer evident.
Despite this, it is still a rich source of inspiration for music, poetry and artistic thought and
enriches English by association.

The Irish example I hope will apply to the future of South Africa and that local languages
(Afrikaans included) will still be robust in keeping culture and traditions alive. In my view, the
most practical way forward in a globalised world is for all South Africans to speak at least two
languages:  their mother tongue and English*. This means that one has the best of both worlds,
your home language tells you where you come from and English tells you where it is possible to
go.