The high prestige of English and the negative social meaning of the African languages in high-function public contexts have led to a strong preference for English as medium of instruction.
September marks the annual Heritage Month in South Africa, a month which recognizes aspects of South African culture which are both tangible and intangible: creative expression such as music and performances, our historical inheritance, language, the food we eat as well as the popular memory.
It’s time we tell our African stories in an African manner, so to promote our African languages. It’s true that English is a medium of instruction and it’s a language that is understood globally, however, that does not mean we should neglect telling our stories in our African languages.
I’ve been observing with wonder as to whether our latter generation would be able to speak, read and write indigenous languages thoroughly. Social media has managed to make people use English when writing their tweets or Facebook newsfeeds, which has resulted to language evolution.
An example would be words such as LOL instead of Laughing Out loud or HUD instead of How are you doing, Which is prohibited in the corporate Promotion of our own African Languages.
Social Media can help us learn more about our different cultures and heritage by using our African languages will help us have less typographical errors and typos and assist us to have clear communication.
People are failing to express themselves appropriately due to peer pressure and the perception that English has become so fashionable compared to African languages.
Expressing yourself in your own languages can increase your fan base as they can relate to you better.
I am yet to see the day when Facebook, twitter and social networking sites settings will be written in indigenous languages.
You can connect with me @MxoMP or Mxolisy Nzimande on Facebook.
