Abstract:
This paper reports on the findings of a project that profiled the linguistic resources of learners with an
Afrikaans-English bilingual background in order to determine features of a perceived process of
language shift. The language repertoire and decisions on school enrollment of learners from Afrikaans
homes that are registered in the English first language classes were investigated in a historically white,
Afrikaans-only High School where recently English medium classes were introduced. During the past
couple of years the language of learning and teaching in this school has been adjusted to fit the
educational requirements of learners from linguistically and racially diverse backgrounds. Considering
also the link between language and ethnicity, the linguistic preferences and patterns of language choice
and language use of a selected group of 15- to 18-year-old learners were traced. Reported uses of
English and Afrikaans in domains beyond the school, notably at home with relatives, are taken as
indicative of linguistic identities. The patterns and preferences of learners from "coloured"
communities indicate an extensive process of marginalisation of Afrikaans in families that formerly
had a decidedly Afrikaans identity.
