Page 234 - Handbooks of Applied Linguistics Communication Competence Language and Communication Problems Practical Solutions

212 Christiane Meierkord

Besides using the two former colonial languages, speakers have established
other forms of language which proved useful for interactions in multilingual set-
tings. On the sugar-cane plantations of South Africa, a pidgin, Fanakalo, orig-
inated and has, since, stabilized through continuous use in the gold and diamond
mines. Fanakalo “probably originated from contacts between English people
and Afrikaners with Zulus in the province of Natal in the mid-nineteenth cen-
tury” (Mesthrie et al. 2000: 288). Its status, however, is often associated with
exploitation, since its use for efficient communication among mine workers of
diverse linguistic background also meant “that, as workers were not given the
opportunity to learn English (or Afrikaans) adequately, they were severely re-
stricted with respect to job prospects” (Webb and Kembo-Sure 2000: 10).

4.2. The status of English in South Africa
Although South Africa’s constitution provides the necessary background for an
appraisal of all languages, the historical position of English and Afrikaans is
difficult to alter in practice. The two languages are, at present, still the languages
used by the economically powerful white upper middle and upper class. And
also those black citizens who have managed to establish their own businesses
often value English highly. But the public sector has a policy of providing equal
opportunities for coloreds and blacks, which may eventually lead to a better rep-
resentation of the indigenous Bantu languages in governmental offices and en-
terprises. Also, a number of financial institutions have started to use the Bantu
languages for their information leaflets and for the instruction screens displayed
on automated teller machines.
The use of English in South Africa and the status which the language has
gained as a lingua franca throughout the country’s population has been dis-
cussed with reference to both its positive and negative aspects. Although a very
large number of black South Africans report to have a speaking knowledge of
English, the individual proficiency levels range from a basic knowledge of for-
mulaic utterances only through to full grammatical and communicative compet-
ence.
The problem of language choice is particularly pronounced in the education
sector. As Mesthrie et al. (2001: 413) point out, the Curriculum 2005, which has
been effective since the mid 1990s, promotes the use of more than one medium
of instruction in schools. This would be in fulfillment of the constitutional provi-
sions, but up to date most schools have failed to go beyond mere teaching of the
Bantu languages as second languages and to truly provide multilingual class-
rooms with more than one medium of instruction. Mesthrie et al. (2000: 413)
state that “so far there are few teachers adequately prepared for the teaching
practice in such multilingual schools, and teaching materials are not yet avail-
able for higher grades”.