Language in South Africa

Language in South Africa (LiSA) debates the role of language and language planning in the reconstruction, development and transformation of post-apartheid democratic South Africa. The 1996 constitution of South Africa is founded on the political philosophy of pluralism and is directed at promoting democratic values, equity and non-discrimination, human rights, national unity and the development of all the country’s communities. The question asked in LiSA is how language planning can contribute towards the attainment of these national ideals. Set against the language political realities of the country — the a-symmetric power relations between the languages; the striking differences in the structural; functional and symbolic adaptation of the official languages; and the many language-related problems in the country — it debates the role of language in state administration, national integration, educational development and economic development. The volume concludes with a discussion of language development and language management.

Christopher Stroud, National University of Singapore, in Language and Education 19:4, 2005:
This volume is an impressive piece in many ways. It is well-intentioned, comprehensive and contains a wealth of useful detail and good ideas. Its main contribution is to firmly situate language planning in South Africa in an encompassing sociopolitical and economic framework, and its main failing the lack of an adequate theorisation with which to do this. Perhaps most importantly, it could be read as a statement on the limitations of trying to pursue a politics of democratic social transformation within a framework of conventional language planning.