SA risks losing indigenous languages
PanSALB, this week released a Comprehensive Report on the Use of Official Languages Act 12 of 2012, during a media briefing in Tshwane.
SOUTH Africa runs the risk of losing its indigenous languages, says Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) Project Manager, Dr Sally Maepa.
This has been attributed to the lack of the implementation of the Use of Official Languages Act 12 of 2012 (UOLA) by government department as well as citizens.
“We need to ensure that our languages are promoted, developed and equally used so we must ensure that the departments are complying,” Maepa said.
PanSALB, this week released a Comprehensive Report on the Use of Official Languages Act 12 of 2012, during a media briefing in Tshwane.
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According to Maepa, almost all departments perceived UOLA and the multilingual language policy implementation as sheer provision of translation and interpreting services, rather than creating equitable space for the official language to grow and create value.
“Most godepartments admitted to not having done anything about implementing UOLA. There appeared no inclination to allocate sufficient human and financial resources towards multilingual language policy development and implementation,” she said.
Maepa said departments unequivocally displayed a strong preference to default to English on the assumption that it is easier, logical and common scenically the only language inherently able compared to others.
She said there is a lack of understanding of why the promotion of all 11 official languages and status elevation of previously marginalised official languages are important.
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“The government departments should construct acceptable multilingual language policy with time-framed implementation plan. Both the language policy and its implementation plan should be strategically biased towards the development and creation of business space for the indigenous South African official languages,” Maepa said.
She said the departments should in tandem make solid provision for sufficient resources to enable language policy implementation.
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