English in South Africa

Question 1

South African English - Today

Answer 1

• English as one of 11 official lge, native of ~10%
• most widely used medium of education, public life, justice system and government
• varieties of South African English: (White) South African English, South African Indian English,
  Afrikaans English, Black South African English

Question 2

History

Answer 2

• British occupation of Cape Colony from 1795 onwards
• 1910 Union of South Africa: bilingual policy is adopted
• Today: Eng has high status and wide usage, since 1994 gradually replacing Afrikaans in all public domains → issue: “Individuals who do not have adequate command of English find themselves excluded from economic opportunity”

Question 3

South African English - Ling. Features

Answer 3

• influenced by heritage lges of different speech communities
• core vocabulary is Southern British, but with local borrowings & innovations: Afrikaans and indigenous African lges are major sources of lexical enrichment
• some formerly local features are now being used in nationwide media, creating a sense of identity,
  belonging and solidarity
• pronunciation variations among SAEng speakers varies on the basis of region & heritage lges