Africa’s linguistic diversity goes largely unnoticed in research on multilingualism: The African continent is home to some of the world's most multilingual societies. Roxane 134/Shutterstock Language is a uniquely human skill. That’s why studying how people learn and use language is crucial to understanding what it means to be human. Given that most people in …
Multilingualism must be celebrated as a resource, not a problem: There are 11 official languages in South Africa. AfricanGoals2010/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND February ought to be a joyful month for South African languages. It’s been declared “language activism month” by the Pan South African Languages Board, a constitutionally established body tasked with the promotion and development …
Listen with ears and hearts wide open: lessons from Rastafarian multilingualism: Language and herbs travel thanks to the Rastafarian community around Cape Town. David Harrison/Mail & Guardian The marketplace of Bellville in Cape Town is an unlikely place to find an example of everyday multilingual diversity applied in an ethical way. But you have to …
How the Queen’s English has had to defer to Africa’s rich multilingualism: English has been reshaped in Africa's exceptionally multilingual context. johannekekroesbergen/flickr For the first time in history a truly global language has emerged. English enables international communication par excellence, with a far wider reach than other possible candidates for this position – like Latin …