Browsing by Author "Hammond, Ashley Brandon"
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- ItemEnkele faktore wat die formulering van voertaalbeleidsrigtings ten opsigte van die onderwys in veeltalige situasies beinvloed met spesifieke verwysing na Namibie(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1999) Hammond, Ashley Brandon; Van der Merwe, G. S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages.ENGLISH ABSTRACT This assignment focuses on various factors that have a bearing on the formulation of a language policy for schools in Namibia. It is asserted that the ethnic and linguistic heterogeneity of the Namibian population combined with the lack of adequate research into the socio-linguistic features of the indigenous languages pose a grave impediment to this venture. This situation is further compounded by the highly politicised interpretation of the available data. Hence the first chapter is devoted to an explanation of relevant concepts against the backdrop of the Namibian context. The assignment then proceeds to investigate the decisive impact of local language attitudes in the engineering of a language policy. By means of several case studies it is firstly revealed that language attitudes are subject to periodisation. Secondly it is shown that the vernacular languages of Namibia are generally perceived in a negative way. This attitude, it is argued, also applies to Afrikaans which currently still functions as the lingua franca in the better part of the country. In the same vein it is attested that an inclination towards English is discernible among especially the economically productive and politically progressive sectors of the population. The opinion is advanced that this propensity towards English stems from the misplaced and purported association of Afrikaans with apartheid which was the official policy of the Afrikaans speaking white ruling minority until the attainment of independence in 1990. The subsequent historical survey of language policies during colonial times indeed reflects that indigenous languages have been grossly ignored by the South African authorities during their occupation of Namibia. Instead, Afrikaans was promoted at the expense of the Bantu and Khoisan languages of Namibia. It therefore came as no surprise that the new democratic government sought to curtail the use of Afrikaans in the education system by depriving it of its official status. Slavishly following the recommendations of the UNIN Report, English was hastily implemented as the sole official language. Ironically, careful scrutiny of the new language policy betrays that a rather subordinate role has been assigned to the indigenous languages which is nothing but a continued disservice to the Namibian child and a perpetuation of past imbalances in the formal education system. The validity of psycholinguistic arguments in favour of the extension and expansion of mother tongue instruction has been grossly discarded by the policy-makers. Serious objections can thus be raised against the immersion policy according to which the new language of instruction was implemented shortly after independence. Not only was "immersing at full speed" the order of the day but the cycle of implementation had only been conducted once. Hence it is strongly recommended that an alternative model of implementation (Appendix 3) be introduced. This implementation cycle will stretch over six years (Grade 4 - Grade 9) and is aimed at affording the indigenous languages their proper place in the classroom as is provided for in Article 3 of the Namibian Constitution.