The decline of academic bilingualism in South Africa : a case study
Date
2009-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Language policies in South African higher education were formalized
between 2000 and 2002, just prior to a major restructuring of the higher education
system. During this period institutions of higher learning were expected to formulate
both a language policy and a detailed language plan. National policies on language
in education are intended to substantiate the constitutional commitment to using and
developing the 11 official languages. Gaps between official commitments to
‘multilingualism’ and actual language practices are nevertheless evident at national
and institutional levels. In this article I explore the concepts ‘bilingual university’
and ‘academic bilingualism’, as a prelude to a contextualized discussion of the
decline of English-Afrikaans bilingualism at the University of Port Elizabeth (which
after the January 2005 merger with the PE Technikon, became part of the Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University). I explore the emergence of a gap between formal
policy pronouncements and actual institutional practices. I then situate this local
trend within the wider context of post-1994 political and socio-economic changes
and the emergence of a new official discourse on ‘multilingualism.’ I explain the
ostensive shift from a ‘dual medium’ to a ‘multilingual’ policy at UPE in terms of
broader trends and contradictions in the national field of higher education. The
article employs a theoretical framework, which—drawing on the work of Bourdieu—
seeks to (a) situate the case within a wider national field of higher education,
and (b) theorise ‘academic bilingualism’ as form of cultural capital within this field.
In terms of this framework, the analysis of the case raises specific questions about
current institutional language policies in South Africa and more general questions
about the nature of bilingualism in higher education.
Description
The original publication is available at http://www.springerlink.com/
Keywords
Academic bilingualism -- South Africa, Bilingual universities -- South Africa, Language in higher education -- South Africa, Cultural capital -- South Africa, Language policy -- South Africa, Language planning -- South Africa, Economics of language -- South Africa, Afrikaans, isiXhosa
Citation
Hill, L. B. 2009. The decline of academic bilingualism in South Africa: a case study. Language Policy, 8 (4), 327-349, doi:10.1007/s10993-009-9148-5.