South Africa is diverse in culture but could be unified in language
South Africa is diverse in culture but could be unified in language. English should be South Africa's unifying language. It is necessary to understand what nationhood is, so that you the reader realise that a national language does not alter a nation. It binds the nation. I will also discuss South Africa's diverse cultures and how a unifying language can merge these cultures. Lastly, I will demonstrate the links between language and identity. The concept of a nation is not easily defined."Nationalism is a deeply contradictory enterprise." (P Brooker, 1999,148). Our nation is one that has been formed over many years and languages have been brought to us through imperialism, immigrants and time. We have to accept that, "for most nations of the world to escape the profound experience of imperialism would be in fact to escape their own actual history" (P Brooker, 1999,148). We cannot deny that there is an assortment of language, which abound this nation. However, we need to choose one unifying language, which we can all use. This is essential for purposes of communication and mediation, which I will discuss later. This national language would be the only official language and English would be the unifying language.
(1980) 'The pragmatics of non-native varieties of English', Macmillan, 194-210· Wade, JP. A national language will help to merge the variety of cultures in South Africa and this unifying language will help to create our South African identity. This means that an Indian teacher, who maybe speaks Tamil at home, can teach students, who might speak Zulu at home, using a common language, (S. I am saying that our literature should include all the diversities of our nation and it should be understandable to all the people of our nation. In conclusion, it is quite clear that south Africa has a wide variety of cultures and that these cultures need to have a national identity. We need to form our own South African identity however:"Some now yearn to fold themselves back in to traditional ethnic or racial identities now that colonialism is over, but many others desire instead to unfold themselves to emerging and developing modern South African identities that, while less certain, look to a progressive future for their articulation that opens itself to the world's complexity"(Wade JP, 1999,The Mercury). Literature is a means of uniting people. "Contemporary identities can therefore be fluid or consciously delimited. "Indeed, South Africa is one of the most hybridised countries on the continent, a collage of interacting cultures"(Wade JP, 1999,The Mercury). We may be diverged in culture but we can be united in language. Critics may argue that English as the official language of South Africa will mean a loss of culture however Kachru (1980, 127) notes that English has become a part of the culture of south Asia . South Africans sexuality, class, gender, race and even language determine our identity. In English-medium schools, for example, English is used as a medium for the study of a wide range of subjects.
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