General Linguistics: Language and Diversity
Table of Contents
General Linguistics: Language and Diversity ........................................................................... 1
Statement 1: “People are judged on the way they speak.” .............................................................3
Statement 2: “Non-standard dialects should not be used in the media.”.........................................5
Statement 3: “It is bad to mix your languages.” .............................................................................7
Statement 4: “It is sufficient to speak one language, if that language is English.” ............................9
Statement 5: “English and Afrikaans are oppressive languages.” .................................................. 11
Statement 6: “SA children should be taught in English as soon as possible to ensure their success in
school and in their future career.” ............................................................................................... 13
Statement 7: “Children who are taught in their mother tongues for as long as possible have an
advantage over children who are not.” ........................................................................................ 15
Statement 8: “At least one African language should be compulsory for all SA scholars.” ............... 17
Statement 9: “SU should keep Afrikaans as a language of tuition.” ............................................... 19
Statement 10: “SU should not keep Afrikaans as a language of tuition.” ....................................... 20
Statement 11: “African languages will become mediums of tertiary education in next 50 years.” .. 22
- Linguistic power, privilege, oppression, inequality, discrimination,
violation of linguistic rights, transformation, harmony
- Chapters 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16 in book
- 10 statements:
1. People are judged on the way they speak
2. Non-standard dialects should not be used in formal domains
3. It is bad to mix your languages
4. It is sufficient to speak one language if that language is English
, 5. English and/or Afrikaans are oppressive languages
6. At least one African language should be compulsory in all SA
schools
7. Children should be taught in English as soon as possible to ensure
their success in school and in their future career
8. Children who are taught in their mother tongues for as long as
possible have an advantage over children who are not
9. Stellenbosch University should keep Afrikaans as a language of
tuition
10. African languages will not become mediums of tertiary
education in our lifetime
2
, Statement 1: “People are judged on the way they speak.”
- People are typically judged on the following sociolinguistic variables in
their speech
1. The languages they speak
2. Dialects they speak (particular form of language which is peculiar to
a specific region or social group)
3. Their accents (way someone pronounces their vowels +
consonants, combo of pitch, stresses and rhythm of their speech)
4. Their pronunciation
5. Word choice
6. Tone + register
7. Body language
8. Literacy level
9. Spelling
- People also then make judgements based on
1. Where the speaker comes from
2. Race / ethnicity
3. Gender / sexuality
4. Socio-economic statues
5. Level of education
6. Height + general looks
7. Religiousness
8. Honesty, trustworthy, ambition, self-confidence, sociability
- Judgements are based on language ideologies, which are shared
beliefs about language varieties that develop over time and shape the
way people view those varieties + their speakers
3
Table of Contents
General Linguistics: Language and Diversity ........................................................................... 1
Statement 1: “People are judged on the way they speak.” .............................................................3
Statement 2: “Non-standard dialects should not be used in the media.”.........................................5
Statement 3: “It is bad to mix your languages.” .............................................................................7
Statement 4: “It is sufficient to speak one language, if that language is English.” ............................9
Statement 5: “English and Afrikaans are oppressive languages.” .................................................. 11
Statement 6: “SA children should be taught in English as soon as possible to ensure their success in
school and in their future career.” ............................................................................................... 13
Statement 7: “Children who are taught in their mother tongues for as long as possible have an
advantage over children who are not.” ........................................................................................ 15
Statement 8: “At least one African language should be compulsory for all SA scholars.” ............... 17
Statement 9: “SU should keep Afrikaans as a language of tuition.” ............................................... 19
Statement 10: “SU should not keep Afrikaans as a language of tuition.” ....................................... 20
Statement 11: “African languages will become mediums of tertiary education in next 50 years.” .. 22
- Linguistic power, privilege, oppression, inequality, discrimination,
violation of linguistic rights, transformation, harmony
- Chapters 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16 in book
- 10 statements:
1. People are judged on the way they speak
2. Non-standard dialects should not be used in formal domains
3. It is bad to mix your languages
4. It is sufficient to speak one language if that language is English
, 5. English and/or Afrikaans are oppressive languages
6. At least one African language should be compulsory in all SA
schools
7. Children should be taught in English as soon as possible to ensure
their success in school and in their future career
8. Children who are taught in their mother tongues for as long as
possible have an advantage over children who are not
9. Stellenbosch University should keep Afrikaans as a language of
tuition
10. African languages will not become mediums of tertiary
education in our lifetime
2
, Statement 1: “People are judged on the way they speak.”
- People are typically judged on the following sociolinguistic variables in
their speech
1. The languages they speak
2. Dialects they speak (particular form of language which is peculiar to
a specific region or social group)
3. Their accents (way someone pronounces their vowels +
consonants, combo of pitch, stresses and rhythm of their speech)
4. Their pronunciation
5. Word choice
6. Tone + register
7. Body language
8. Literacy level
9. Spelling
- People also then make judgements based on
1. Where the speaker comes from
2. Race / ethnicity
3. Gender / sexuality
4. Socio-economic statues
5. Level of education
6. Height + general looks
7. Religiousness
8. Honesty, trustworthy, ambition, self-confidence, sociability
- Judgements are based on language ideologies, which are shared
beliefs about language varieties that develop over time and shape the
way people view those varieties + their speakers
3
