Language planning and politics in South Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID4179544
AuthorsVic Webb (corresponding author)
Year1996
Volume118
Issue1
Publication date1996-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of the Sociology of Language (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0165-2516 • E-ISSN: 1613-3668
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/ijsl.1996.118.139
OpenAlexW2030524220
LanguageEN
Citations received14

The article discusses the wie of language policy and language planning in the establishment of democracy and nation building in a postapartheid South Africa. Given the country's history of colonialism and apartheid, language in South Africa has played a central r ole in dividing the country, in raising its conflict potential, and in establishing a contextfor manipulation and exploitation in many domains of public life. On April 27, 1994, the country's new Interim Constitution came into ejfect, with a Government of National Unity in office. The constitutional language stipulations, though framed within the principles of democracy, human rights, equity, nonracism, nonsexism, and affirmative action, are obviously insufficient in themselves for the establishment of a meaningful democracy and the promotion of national unity. This article debates the contribution of language policy and language planning to the democratization of South Africa and its nation-building process

Colonialism · Constitution · Democracy · Democratization · Interim · Language planning · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Linguistic research and analysis · Multilingual Education and Policy · Public Administration · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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