Mother tongues versus an ex-colonial language as media of instruction and the promotion of multilingualism: the South African experience

Moyo, Themba

doi:10.1080/02572117.2002.10587506

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Perhaps assuming that tertiary learners experience fewer issues negotiating these linguistic dilemmas, scholars have focused less on evaluating the impact on these students. The predominance of English as the language of instruction in tertiary education (Moyo 2002) is largely unchallenged, with the silence surrounding its normative status masking how language education policies operate as ideological representations to support the dominant social order (Pennycook 2007). In the end, research continues to demonstrate significant racial and class disparities in throughput rates in tertiary education, particularly important at a time when the employment and economic realities for those failing to obtain a degree are dire (Branson, Leibbrandt, and Zuze 2009 Thus, in addition to the possibility of enhancing opportunities for Black South African students, progressive linguistic policies and practices can help in the liberatory process to 'repair from colonial subjugation and entertain a new African consciousness' (Mutasa 2002, 242).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘When I hear Afrikaans in the classroom and never my language, I get rebellious’: linguistic apartheid in South African higher education

Greenfield

2010

Language and Education

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Language policies in South African education have historically been inextricably woven within the fabric of larger sociopolitical realities and have supported the interests of those in power. With the dismantling of the apartheid regime and subsequent Constitutional statements addressing the importance of promoting the status and use of indigenous languages, progressive linguists and educators envisioned the possibilities of ushering in a new era of linguistic equality. However, especially at the tertiary level, educational practice continues to privilege the colonial languages, at the particular expense of Black South African students. In contrast with previous research that highlights more supportive sentiments among Black students regarding this hegemonic condition, this study incorporates 'deep interviewing' to identify the presence of more covert negative attitudes that have profound implications for educational performance. Implications for further scholarly work as well as plausible strategies for reform are considered.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘When I hear Afrikaans in the classroom and never my language, I get rebellious’: linguistic apartheid in South African higher education

Greenfield

2010

Language and Education

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“…There has to be efficacy and practicality in implementing multilingual education, hence Moyo (2002), Alexander (1989), Nhlapo (1945) and Prah (1998) suggest harmonising the Nguni (Zulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele and Siswati) and Sotho (Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi) cognates so as to form two language clusters. This, in their view, would reduce the cost of producing teaching and learning materials and also reduce the number of languages for teaching and learning purposes.…”

Section: Multilingualism At Tertiary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This, in their view, would reduce the cost of producing teaching and learning materials and also reduce the number of languages for teaching and learning purposes. The notion of 'harmonising' Nguni and Sotho languages is supported by Condauh (1997( , in Moyo 2002, though he warns that hard-core ethnocentric individuals would also have to be persuaded, and the idea of harmonisation must also be explained clearly to the masses so that the idea is accepted at grass-roots level as well. To develop African languages in education to be on par with Afrikaans and English, wide consultations among researchers and academics should be undertaken (Moyo 2002, Foley 2004.…”

Section: Multilingualism At Tertiary Institutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

University students’ perceptions of multilingual education: A case study of the North-West University Mafikeng campus

Hlatshwayo

Siziba

2014

Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus

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The dominant position of neo-liberal monolingual medium-of-instruction practices has created myths and fallacies about the utility of English as the sole language of skills development and training in South Africa (Ndhlovu 2013:33). As a result, most tertiary institutions are reluctant to implement multilingual education for purposes of teaching and learning because they want to create "globally relevant" students. This argument is based on myths and has been proven by many scholars to be delusive. Current research has proven that the use of multilingualism in higher learning contributes to the learner's conceptual and pedagogical development as well as his/her communicative competence. However, despite this evidence, the NorthWest University's (NWU) Mafikeng campus is failing to implement a language policy that promotes multilingualism. A commonly-heard argument is that the students at NWU have a negative attitude towards the use of their indigenous languages for teaching and learning purposes. It is in light of this that the researchers set out not only to interrogate the NWU language policy, but also to go a step further and investigate the students' perceptions of multilingual education as a factor contributing towards the lack of practical implementation of the university's language policy. This study will also highlight the ill-preparedness of students for an English-only teaching and learning environment. The tentative empirical data prove that the students also feel that they are at a linguistic disadvantage when entering the tertiary institution. This paper returns to the knotty question regarding language-in-education policies for multilingual societies, which is an ongoing topical issue in national and international contexts.

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“…Recent studies on language policy and education have continued to emphasize the significance of the learners' first language as the language of instruction ( Lopez, 2000;Seepe, (2002) ;Moyo, (2002); Muthwii (2002); King'ei, (2002) ;Banda, (2003), but the bulk of the researches on the English medium in Kenya fall under second language acquisition studies and error analysis. These studies focus on establishing the learning / teaching strategies at the various levels in the educational system and examining the various difficulties learners at various stages face with the use of the various structures of the English language.…”

Section: Studies On Media Of Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A case for teaching English as a service subject at universities in Kenya

Kioko¹

2009

Journal of Language, Technology &Amp; Entrepreneurship in Africa

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Language plays an important role in teaching and learning activities whether the teachers and learners are conscious or unconscious of this. Thus language and communication are the most important components of the school curriculum (Lopez, 2000, p.1). This is because there is a very close relationship between language and thought. As Muthwii (2002, p. 1) notes, "special problems arise in multilingual communities where learners frequently join the school system equipped with home languages that are often different from the languages of education". A consequence of this is that the learner is expected to acquire and utilize skills using a language he or she is not quite proficient in. It is, however, usually expected that by the time students join university they have enough of the language of instruction to function effectively in their major areas of study and to interact with the acquisition and propagation of knowledge at that level. Recent studies on learner English have, however, shown that the language of high school graduates, (Nyamasyo, 1992) and even that of university students (Njoroge, 1996) have the same type of errors as those observed in the English of learners at lower levels of education. If many students entering the universities today have not attained the expected English level, what should be done to counter this challenge? Using an analysis of students' performance in an English Placement Test, this paper discusses the English language needs of Kenyan students at the time of entry to the university; appraises the programs which are put in place to address this need in the local universities; and makes recommendations on what universities in Kenya ought to be doing in order to produce students that can compete internationally and fit in the global academic field. The 'Foreign' Media of Instruction Why do we have a 'foreign' language medium of instruction in most Third world countries? This question has been the subject of debate for many decades and despite the many resolutions agreed upon in many national and international forums to promote indigenous languages for use as media of instruction, the practice has continued to be the use of a 'foreign' language even as early as lower primary. Most of the times we have sought the answer to this question in our colonial past: that the colonial masters brought modern education wrapped in their mother-tongues and colonized our minds to such an extent that we have been unable to separate the two.

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Mother tongues versus an ex-colonial language as media of instruction and the promotion of multilingualism: the South African experience

Cited by 12 publications

References 5 publications

‘When I hear Afrikaans in the classroom and never my language, I get rebellious’: linguistic apartheid in South African higher education

‘When I hear Afrikaans in the classroom and never my language, I get rebellious’: linguistic apartheid in South African higher education

University students’ perceptions of multilingual education: A case study of the North-West University Mafikeng campus

A case for teaching English as a service subject at universities in Kenya

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