Buried voices, hidden languages
The (in)visibility of indigenous South African languages in the South African Journal of African Languages (Sajal) from 1994 to 2023
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21490892 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mlamli Diko (0000-0001-8516-3586, University of South Africa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 84-94 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | South African Journal of African Languages (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0257-2117 • E-ISSN: 2305-1159 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02572117.2025.2520526 |
| OpenAlex | W4412842990 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 37 |
The South African Journal of African Languages was officially established in 1981 to advance the visibility and intellectualisation of indigenous South African languages as outlined in its aims and scope. Regrettably, greatly entrenched imperialist ideologies obstruct these languages’ comprehensive visibility in this journal. Therefore, this article critiques the (in)visibility (presence or absence) of indigenous languages in SAJAL from 1994 to 2023 using the cultural capital theory. Four notable findings emerge. Firstly, from the same year the journal was established (1981) until 1994, only English and Afrikaans were used in SAJAL, symbolising hegemonic imperialist objectives. Secondly, the use of local language titles during this period (1981, when the journal was established, until 1994, the new dawn of South Africa) suggests the commodification of indigenous South African languages. Thirdly, from 1995 to 1998, some articles and book reviews appeared in Sepedi or Sesotho sa Leboa, but this trend abruptly vanished, only re-emerging from 2015 to 2023, along with articles and book reviews in isiXhosa, isiZulu and Xitsonga. Other indigenous languages remain absent. Fourthly, over SAJAL’s history (at the time of writing this article), only fifty-three publications have been in indigenous languages, compared to hundreds in English and Afrikaans. These findings underscore the demand for authors and reviewers to reconsider language choices, and for SAJAL to address the alarming disparity between colonial and indigenous languages in its publication frequency
Biology · Ethnology · Geography · Indigenous · Languages of Africa · Linguistics · Sociology · Visibility · Anthropology · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · History · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Ecology
SisiXhosa osikhathalele ngantoni na esi ude usindwe ziincwadi ezingaka? Why do you care about isiXhosa so much that you are overwhelmed by so many books
Incazelo nomlando oqukethwe emagameni aqanjwe abesifazane abashade ngaphambi konyaka we-1990 esigodini sakaGcaliphiwe eMaphephetheni
Ukuphuhliselwa ezobuNgcali kweeLwimi zaseAfrika
Family language policy
Perceptions about the development of Black South African languages for use in basic education in South Africa
Dominant Language Constellations in Multilingual Repertoires
A compromise of rights, rights of language and rights to a language in Eugene Terreblanche’s (ET) trial within a trial
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
The struggles over African languages
The Intellectualisation of the Indigenous Languages of South Africa
Cultural capital theory vs. cultural policy beliefs
The politics of language planning in post-apartheid South Africa
The Sacred Door and other Stories. Cameroon Folktales of the Beba
Exploring the History of the Writing of isiXhosa
Commodification of African languages in linguistic landscapes of rural Northern Cape Province, South Africa
Global Englishes, Rip Slyme, and performativity
The Commodification of the Body and its Parts
Building a Research Agenda for Indigenous Epistemologies and Education
Decolonizing Research in Postapartheid South Africa
Colonial Linguistics
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |