english in south africa les 2

8/12/2019 English in South Africa Les 2

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English in South Africa- Historical Background, Global Context -


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Before British involvement

History of languages in South Africa is always a history of economyand social conditions.

Especially the history of European languages serve as an obviousway to understand access to resources and economic life

1652Dutch settlers

Cape Colonycentred around Western Cape

Some British influencetraders, and for example group ofshipwrecked traders with Zulus (late 17th century)

Durban

Xhosa loreEnglish speaking castaways late 18th century

clan abelungu


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The British needed the Cape

1795First British Occupation

1803retaken by the Batavian republic

strongly dependent on French state Napoleon takes Holland in Napoleonic wars (1805-15)

1806British take Cape Colony

Settlement1820Eastern Cape area~4000 settlers


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The Settlers

Political movement by Tory government (traditional, conservative as opposed to Labour)

to stave off pressures for more radical reform in Britain

July of 181950 000 pounds to assist people to emigrate

to the Cape to a better life

government seen as aiding the people of Britain

also to stop flow of British citizens to America (which wasthen independent)

to increase the English-speaking population of the capeand create a buffer zone (Zuurveld)


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Organisation

Men with capital form parties 10 or more men and their families

pay deposits (that you get back in instalments on arrival)

free transport and food to the Cape

head of the party allocated land according to number of men

full title to land after 3 years of occupation and cultivation

Double situation desire to send men with money there

but also system of poverty relief

Some wealthy men, but mostly people with just enough to pay thedeposit and form joint parties

the idea of the leader didnt come into being majority were working class people, and skilled craftsmen

Mostly English, but also Irish and Scottish contingents e.g. Thomas Pringle, Bonaparte Blenkins!

located in different areas to avoid conflict between people of

different tastes and manners e.g. Irish-English


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A Leap in the Dark

The Colonial Department had no idea of the conditionsthey would face

conflict with Xhosa

lack of knowledge

misrepresentation no government support

natural disasters (drought in South Africa) Extremely stressful, and the whole idea was really an

irresponsible scheme on the part of the Britishgovernment

I am an afflicted stranger in a strange land


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Roots of South African English

Roots of SAfE:

the first childhood groups of the children of the 1820 settlers

first generation born in Africa

Their English:

almost half from London and Home Counties (surroundingLondon)

of lower-middle and working-class backgrounds

Southern English

Thirty regional and social dialects (cockney, Sloane english, etc.)developed into a homogenous speech pattern

promoted by social levelling and stressful conditions in seriouslyimpoverished frontier society

no stratification in language

shared schools and rural communities


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The Second Wave

1848 to 1862:

Natal settlements (Byrne settlers)

Attempt to settle land after British conquered Kwazulu-Natal(map)

Craftsmen, professional people, struggling aristocrats, retiredmilitary personnel

sources more from Midlands and north of England

strong desire to remain English, and a more positive association withEngland

social life, identity, behaviour

conservative English

Byrne was uninformed about the SA reality

land had been sold to speculators

too far from towns

not enough


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The Third Wave

1866discovery of diamonds (Kimberley)

1886discovery of gold (Johannesburg)

This caused an inflow of immigrants from all over

the world Standard southern British Englishwell educated, high

social status

to other areas of the country (diamond and goldfields)

overshadowed local Englishes with authority this influence maintained until World War 2

Conservative English (next class)not common today


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Local influences

Influences of Black, Indian, Afrikaans and Coloured Englishes especially from Afrikaans

proximity of communities:

The advance of the 19th century saw Cape Settler society becomingprogressively less a product of its history and more of its environment. Inter-marriage and social mingling with the Afrikaner community did not efface the

English identity of settler descendants, but contributed towards modifying theirsocial values towards frontier values [...] The social forces behind suchimitation [of phonological variables] was the accommodation of, for example,a Settler son to the Afrikaans-English of an Afrikaner wife. [...] Through moreextensive contact, particularly in the Cape Midlands, Settler descendant andAfrikaner had grown to resemble one another to an extent that, ironically, theyshared the same social image in the early days of the mining cities [of the1860s] (- Lanham)

The net result is that we can distinguish three Englishes Conservative

Respectable

Extreme


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Anglicisation

2nd occupation: aggressive policy of anglicisation 1814: English firmly established as official language of the colony

Ban on Dutch in schools and official use

Lord Charles Somerset: they were only about 30000 in number, and itseems absurd that such a small body of people should be allowed toperpetuate ideas and customs that were not English in a country that had

become part ofthe British Empire 1822proclamation that all documents to be in English from 1825

all government posts and communication in English

juries for instance only in Englishexample of justice system problems andtranslation

importing Church of Scotland clergy in Dutch Reformed Church anglicised Scots

Mission Education in black schools

Imperial history in schools, teachers required to coerce studentstowards English


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Language Politics - historically

Anglicisations effect on language politics:

Contributed to many issuesGreat Trek, Anglo-Boer War

Policy of anglicisation until 1910

English and Dutch official languages

not in reality accepted by rulers British official: the principle of the equality of the two languages had

consistently been rejected by us from the start

Anglicisation until 1948National Party win and instituteAfrikanerisation policies

1953: Bantu Education Actimposing Afrikaans in black schools(rather than English)

reactionpreference for English

1976 Soweto uprising

English became seen as the language of liberation


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Classification of SAE

Northern hemisphere Extra Terrestrial Englishes (ETEs)

America (1607), Canada (1583 and 1713), Irish in a sense (somefeatures)

17th to early 18th century

Southern hemisphere ETEs SAE, Zimbabwean, Australia (1788), New Zealand (1792)

Different relationships

e.g. America cut itself off

developed own vocabulary too

gas, drugstore, muffler current cultural dominance is changing this again


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Southern English

This doesnt refer to the southern hemisphere rather to the part ofEngland where it has its origin

The term is not very informative

We will not study the source in detail

Some features

Vowel categories (Wells standard lexical sets) STRUT/FOOT distinction (strutcut) (foot - good)

TRAP/BATH distinction (trapcat) (bathhalf)

The earlier an ETE was established the more archaic the features will be.

American English has no TRAP/BATH distinction

Southern hemisphere ETEs are typically non-rhotic

Southern ETEs are in most ways typically British, as opposed to American.Not only in pronunciation.


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Vocabulary

BRITISH SAE USA

petrol petrol gas(oline)

bum, arse bum, arse ass

dustbin dustbin garbage-can

chemist chemist drugstore

silencer silencer muffler

dinner-jacket dinner-jacket tuxedo


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Sources for studying Early South African English

Mostly letters and diaries The best known is one called the Chronicle of Jeremiah

Goldswain sawyer from Buckinghamshire

emigrated to eastern Cape in 1820

kept detailled diary

linguistic fame for his personalised spelling system used to make deductions about

vowel shifts in SAfE

use of adjectives as adverbs

various other linguistic phenomena Also missionary accounts

not common mans language


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Sources: Letters to the Governor

Everyday language

Very far from the Queens English

distinction:

letters by common man letters by professional letter writers

exploitation

language as powerful social excluder

real letters much more interesting

uneducated writing strongly influenced by speech patterns (which is not to say that we should look only at this, or

underestimate the importance of educated teachers etc)


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Letters to the Governor: Examples

Its with the Depost umility I take up my unworthy pen to adrees you Butfeeling fuley asurd that God has emplanted in your simpathesingmind to much of his Blessed Sons example to be angry with anorphen like me who now humbley Beags that your kind Benovelentwill Grant me a Colonial Pass at it is my Determination to Bind myselfas an aprentice for three years But inconsiquence of having noColonial pass I cannot. I have apied to Captn Camble and to CaptnSomerset in his time and now remain in Mr H Huntly Employ atGrahamstown. If your Goodness will grant the foresaid Believe me Ishall feel my self in duty bound to pray for your Honnours wellfair

So I remain your humble and h servant

To his Excelence the Governer - CO158(130)


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Letters to the Governor: Examples

I have been visited by Gika once this year who conducted himselfvery friendly while present but very differently after his departurewhile he was here some one of the institution informed him that aforce was coming against him from the colony to regain the cattlewhich his people had stollen. Is ... to demand recompence for themurders which his people had done on his leaving this he felt

very unhappy and after remaining three days he departed whenhe went according to the custom of this country some of the

poeple who reside here went with him what they call half wayaccordingly when they came to the first Caffre Kraal the [Xhosas]came all together to salute him

- Joseph Williams, 1818


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Input survivals in SAE

Traits that can be found in settler letters, and stillexist

In L1 speakers (e.g. continuous use) and L2speakers (transferred/evolved use)

Some examples: Adjective with infinitive

I am lazy to acquire the skills

They are incapable to provide for themselves in an agriculturalpursuit

I have a wife and two children in London who have objected toaccompany me here (replaces gerund)

Never instead of didnt (usually not ever)

but I never got any pass yet


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Input survivals in SAfE

Omission several categories, typically determiners, e.g.

She explains me then I write it (preposition)

The men hockey club (possessive s)

We came back from holiday last week (article/noun-determiner)

Prepositions

by used for besides, at, with He left it by the house.

for used for of Im scared for these exams.

in used for at She was very good in this job.

over used for about He complains over it.

under used for among Sickness under the flock.

with used for along She has insisted that Tome come with.


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Input survivals in SAfE

Also in L2 Englishes e.g. Cape Flats English

Dative of advantage I bought me a car

Unstressed do I do think that it would be a good idea.

He did present a letter to the magistrate.

Double negative no man never was more embarassed

Noun plurals progresses, evidences, sufferings

It is difficult to say with certainty at which point these deviationsstartedare they from the source, or from later influence (e.g. by

Afrikaans) Complex situation of language learning in South Africa

Next: sociophonological description of South African English (Thetrichotomy)


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South African English Vocabulary

bakkie- a utility truck, pick-up truck

bergie- refers to a particular subculture of vagrants in Cape Town (fromAfrikaans 'berg', mountain, originally referring to vagrants who shelteredin the forests of Table Mountain.) Increasingly used in other cities tomean a vagrant of any description.

bioscope- cinema, movie theatre (now dated)


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billion- as in the UK this officially means a million million. Nowadays theAmerican usage (one billion is one thousand million) is almostexclusively used.

biltong- dried meat, similar to jerky

biscuit- same as American cookie, in South Africa, cookieis used forcupcake

boerewors- spicy sausage from (Afrikaans) "farmer-sausage" (usuallymade with beef)

bonnet- hood of a car


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braai- a barbecue, to barbecue (from Afrikaans braaivleis)

brinjal- eggplant (from Portuguese berinjela, also used in IndianEnglish)

bundu- a wilderness region, remote from cities (from Shona bundo,meaning grasslands)

bunking- playing hooky, skipping school/class

bunny chow- loaf of bread filled with curry, speciality of Durban,particularly Durban Indians

cafe- when pronounced "caffee" refers to a convenience store not acoffee shop (originally such stores sold coffee and other basic items)


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South African English Vocabulary cool drink, cold drink- soft drink, fizzy drink not necessarily

chilled

cubby hole- car glove compartment

dagga- marijuana

donga- a ditch of the type found in South African topography(from Zulu, 'wall')

dorp, dorpie- small town, off the beaten track

erf plural erven - a plot of land for a building (from CapeDutch).

flat- as in Britain this is used for an apartment


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South African English Vocabulary how's it- hello, how are you, good morning (despite being a

contraction of 'how is it', howzitis almost exclusively a greeting, andseldom a question)

Go so long- from Afrikaans gaan solank

is it?- an all purpose exclamative, equivalent to "really?", "uhuh

indaba- conference (from Zulu, 'a matter for discussion')

jam- a fruit preserve spread whether containing pieces of fruit ornot, never called ajellyin South Africa

just now- idiomatically used to mean later, or in a short while

Now now- from the Afrikaans nou-nou in a little while

koki, koki pen, a fibre tip coloured art pen (from a local brand name) kombi- any type of minivan (from the Volkswagen 'Kombi' van)


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lobola- traditional African bride-price

location- an urban area populated by black, coloureds orIndians (dated, replaced by the term township in commonusage)

main road- what is generally called a high streetinBritain

matric- school-leaving certificate or the final year ofhighschool or a student in the final year, short formatriculation

mielie- an ear of maize (from Afrikaans mielie)

mielie meal- used for both maize flour and the traditionalporridge made from it similar to American grits, the latteralso commonly known by the Afrikaans wordpap


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muti- traditional medicine

naartjie- a tangerine (from Afrikaans)

now now- idiomatically used to mean soon (sooner thanjust now)

robot, robots- besides the standard meaning, in South Africa this isalso used for traffic lights. The etymology of the word derives from adescription of early traffic lights as robot policemen, which then gottruncated with time.

samoosa- Indian samosa

shebeen- illegal drinking establishment (also used in Scotland)

shongololo- millipede (from Zulu and Xhosa, ukushonga, to roll up)

sosatie- a kebab on a stick

spanspek- a cantaloup (from Afrikaans)


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sucker- used for both a popsicle (frozen sucker) and a lollypop

takkies- sneakers, trainers (from Afrikaans tekkies)

taxi- shared taxi (usually a minibus taxi) as well as taxicab

township- large residential suburb lacking city infrastructure, in

particular the areas allocated to non-white South Africans underapartheid

veld- wide open rural spaces

english in south africa les 2

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