1st Edition

Languages, Identities and Intercultural Communication in South Africa and Beyond

By Russell H. Kaschula Copyright 2022
286 Pages
by Routledge

286 Pages
by Routledge

286 Pages
by Routledge

African countries and South Africa in particular, being multilingual and multicultural societies, make for exciting sociolinguistic and applied language analysis in order to tease out the complex relationship between language and identity. This book applies sociolinguistic theory, as well as critical language awareness and translanguaging with its many facets, to various communicative scenarios,... Read more

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Language policies, identities and African nations

‘Language checks and balances’

Chapter 2

Languages, identities, politics and power

‘Speaking back to power’

Chapter 3

Languages, dialects, identities and varieties

‘Tower of Babel: Speaking in tongues’

Chapter 4

Languages, identities and cultures

‘What’s orange for you is red for me!’

Chapter 5

Linguistic prejudice and identities

‘To speak or not to speak?’

Chapter 6

Languages, identities and gender

Wathint’ umfazi wathint’ imbokodo – You strike a woman; you strike a rock!’

Chapter 7

Languages, identities, power, multilingualism and education

Thetha, bua, khuluma, speak: your language or mine?’

Chapter 8

Intercultural communication, identities and workplaces

‘A smile is a smile in any language’

Chapter 9

Languages, power and identity in creative contexts: The Trevor Noah effect

‘Born a Crime’

Chapter 10

Languages and identities: A personal journey

Umntu ngumntu ngabantu – a person exists by virtue of others!’

Chapter 11

Conclusion

Phela-phela ngantsomi, our story is done’

Glossary

Select identity definitions

Further reading

References

Index

Biography

Russell H. Kaschula is Professor of African Language Studies at the University of the Western Cape. His expertise is in the fields of applied language studies and sociolinguistics (specifically related to African languages), African oral and written literature, mother tongue and second language acquisition, and creative writing. He has taught at five South African universities and at an institution in the United States.

This book makes essential and enlightening reading in the context of overcoming the ‘coloniality’-based Northern bias in our perspective on the Global South in general, and on postcolonial Africa in particular, and by giving language its proper place among the most salient factors in the processes of (mental) decolonization, societal transformation and sustainable economic development.                                                                     -- H. Ekkehard Wolff, Emeritus Professor & Chair (African linguistics), Leipzig University, Germany

A ground - breaking and timely contribution to African sociolinguistics. A must-read for anyone who has a keen interest in languages, language practice, multilingualism, intercultural studies and identities …

-- Monwabisi K. Ralarala, Professor and Dean (Faculty of Arts and Humanities), University of the Western Cape, South Africa