Elizabeth Costello : I believe in what does not bother to believe in me.──J. M. Coetzee

2013/06/18

南アフリカで使われている言語の状況

メール&ガーディアンにこんな記事が掲載されていました。
「英語を使って授業を」という日本の状況と正反対の動きです。というか、長いあいだのヨーロッパ人による統治下で、最初はアフリカーンス語が、さらに現在では英語があらゆる状況下で圧倒的に優勢になっている国での動きとして見ていく必要があるわけですが。



The people shall speak ... their own languages

In a country dominated by English, how equal, in fact, are South Africa's languages, and how willing are we to fight for our respective tongues?

The issue of language has been a sensitive one since June 16 1976, when Soweto pupils rose up against Afrikaans as a primary language in schools.
South Africa’s Constitution, which came into effect on February 4 1997, recognises 11 official languages, to which the state guarantees equal status.But in a country that is dominated by the use of English, how equal, in fact, are these languages? And how willing are South Africans to fight for their respective tongue?