The use of English is becoming increasingly common, especially among younger South Africans, while proficiency in Afrikaans among the youth is on the decline.
So says Eighty20 Consulting, which has explored the role of language in South Africa.
The analysis, based on the General Household Survey and MAPS, a representative survey of 20,000 people produced by the Marketing Research Foundation, reveals the complexity of language use in the country.
This comes as some South Africans grapple with the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) bill, which was recently signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
An outcry over schools’ language policy has seen Ramaphosa delay the implementation of two clauses, 4 and 5, by three months to allow further parliamentary discussions.
According to a TimesLIVE report, to promote inclusivity the new law guides schools on the development of codes of conduct that take into account respect for religious and cultural beliefs and addresses the issue of language policy.
DA leader John Steenhuisen argued Afrikaans-medium schools constitute less than 5% of the country’s schools and therefore don't contribute to the country's education crisis.
“Their existence in no way contributes to the crisis in education and turning them into dual-medium or English-medium schools will not help improve the quality of education for South Africa’s learners.”
AfriForumYouth believes Bela is a threat to mother-language education in South Africa, and especially to Afrikaans mother-language education.
The MAPS survey shows nearly 31-million people can read and understand English, followed by 16-million for isiZulu and 11-million for Afrikaans.
According to the survey, “language use patterns indicate speakers of indigenous languages are more likely to know other languages compared to English and Afrikaans speakers. For instance, over half of isiXhosa speakers also speak English, and among speakers of Xitsonga, more than half speak another indigenous language in addition to English.”
Among the findings of the survey:
- English is increasingly becoming more common, especially among younger generations;
- For baby boomers (average age 66), less than half can read and understand English while 81% of Gen Z (average age 21) can;
- Conversely, proficiency in Afrikaans is declining among younger people, however, in contrast 39% of Gen Z can speak isiZulu, highlighting the importance of indigenous languages.
“Primary language usage correlates with education and economic status. Among the upper-income group (LSM 8-10), 55% speak English or Afrikaans most often, while in lower-income groups (LSM 1-5), isiZulu or isiXhosa prevails.”
The survey also looked at how food transcends cultural and language barriers through South Africans' grocery shopping habits. It revealed intriguing language trends based on where people buy their braai essentials
The survey also looked at how food transcends cultural and language barriers through South Africans' grocery shopping habits. It revealed intriguing language trends based on where people buy their braai essentials.
When it comes to Checkers and Woolworths, English is the dominant language among shoppers, but Checkers has nearly double the penetration in the Afrikaans market compared to other retailers.
The survey also found isiZulu showed consistent penetration across most stores, with the lowest at Checkers (15%) and the highest at Boxer (32%).
Spar appeals to Xhosa speakers, with 25% of its customers identifying as such — 10 percentage points higher than any other chain.
Pick n Pay, Shoprite, and Spar reflect South Africa’s diverse demographic due to their wide reach in both urban and rural areas.
“While 38% of Checkers shoppers and 34% of Woolworths customers primarily speak English, nearly two-thirds communicate in another language at home.
“This presents a valuable opportunity for retailers to connect with South Africa's diverse population by embracing multilingual communication and catering to a rich tapestry of cultural identities.” says Andrew Fulton, director at Eighty20.
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