Communication and governance in a linguistically diverse human settlement in South Africa

S. Ngcobo, B. Mvuyana
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Background: Integrated human settlement initiatives are aimed at altering the apartheid housing patterns of the old South Africa that kept people of different races and languages apart.Aim: This article investigated how community leaders and municipal officials interact with their integrated constituencies to determine if the language(s) of communication used are unifying and are conducive for public participation in decision-making.Setting: The study was conducted at the eThekwini region in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa where isiZulu, an African language, is dominant in terms of the number of speakers, but English has prestige as a lingua franca.Method: The study was qualitative in that 15 participants were interviewed on their experiences, observations and perceptions of languages of communication usage in their integrated human settlement. The settlement was used as a case study and the participants were purposefully selected.Results: The findings indicated that isiZulu dominates as the preferred language of communication at meetings and in written documents where it is often presented alongside English. There were speakers of other languages that were not happy with the dominance of isiZulu.Conclusion: The dominant use of isiZulu bodes well for the promotion of African languages as they have in the past not been given the official status they deserve. However, its dominance in a multilingual environment it has the potential to make other community members feel linguistically discriminated against.Contribution: The study undertakes an interdisciplinary approach to provide a deeper understanding on the role of language in the governance of multilingual societies. It raises an awareness on the importance of finding a balance between using the dominant community language and recognising other languages to ensure full participation of all immaterial of diverse linguistic backgrounds.
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南非语言多样性人类住区的沟通与治理
背景:综合人类住区倡议旨在改变旧南非隔离不同种族和语言的人的种族隔离住房模式。目的:本文调查了社区领导人和市政官员如何与他们的综合选区互动,以确定所使用的沟通语言是否统一,是否有利于公众参与决策。背景:这项研究是在南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省(KZN)的eThekwini地区进行的,在那里,非洲语言伊苏鲁语(isiZulu)在使用人数上占主导地位,但英语作为一种通用语享有盛誉。方法:本研究采用定性方法,对15名参与者进行了访谈,询问他们在综合人居环境中对沟通语言使用的经验、观察和看法。该定居点被用作案例研究,参与者是有目的地选择的。结果:研究结果表明,isiZulu在会议和书面文件中占主导地位,通常与英语一起呈现。其他语言的使用者对isiZulu语的主导地位感到不满。结论:isiZulu的主导使用预示着非洲语言的推广,因为它们在过去没有得到应有的官方地位。然而,它在多语言环境中的主导地位有可能使其他社区成员感到语言歧视。贡献:本研究采用跨学科的方法,对语言在多语言社会治理中的作用提供了更深入的理解。它提高了人们对在使用主要社区语言和承认其他语言之间找到平衡的重要性的认识,以确保所有不同语言背景的非物质充分参与。
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发文量
9
审稿时长
22 weeks
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