History
The History of the English language in South Africa can
be traced back to the first British occupation in 1795. English was considered
to be the civilized language and the upper classes, even those from the
Dutch stock used it in their everyday life. A number of British settlers also
came to the Cape in 1820. The early South African academics who did
not study in The Netherlands, studied in England (Oxford or Cambridge). Since the death of Cecil J. Rhodes his wealth was basically spent on anglicization
of promising students - bequests were made to enable them to study in Britain.
During the early occupation days, especially after the second occupation
when British rule became more permanent, the language of the government,
schools, legal system and business was English. Today we have the colourful
choice of 11 official languages but without exception most people will
opt for English as lingua franca.
CLASSIFICATION:
Family: Indo-European
Group: Germanic
Subgroup: West Germanic
VARIETIES: Black South African English (BSAE), Indian English, Coloured English, Afrikaans English
More information: English in
South Africa (Gough)
Speakers
Around 3 457 467 people use it as their home language in
South Africa. English is also
widely used in South Africa's neighbouring countries as second and third
language.
Books
Internet Links
ETHNOLOGUE:
English
Arguments for Black South African English as a distinct ‘new’ English
Black South African Englishes - towards a variationist account
Dialects,
Standards, Myths
Dictionary
Unit for South African English
South African English: Oppressor
or Liberator
South African English
pronunciation
South African English is lekker
© J. Olivier (2009)
SAlanguages.com
