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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 248

Part of General Paper Session (Other abstracts in this session)

The role of language policy in linguistic landscape changes in a rural area of the Free State Province of South Africa

Authors: du Plessis, Lodewyk Theodorus
Submitted by: du Plessis, Lodewyk Theodorus (University of the Free State, RSA, South Africa)

Following on a paper about the role of language policy in the multilingual city of Bloemfontein and capital of the Free State Province of South Africa (Du Plessis 2010), in which evidence was found of a systematic anglicisation of the urban linguistic landscape (LL), the question arose whether similar tendencies were present in the rural landscape of the same province. The process of urban anglicisation was shown in this study to be linked to the language strategies of the new ruling party, the African National Congress, which also controls most of the rural municipalities of the province. But what is the case in a rural setting? Does the same tendency apply? In pursuance of these questions a comprehensive LL survey was conducted during 2008 and 2009 in three major towns of the Kopanong Municipality, a rural regional municipality in the Southern Free State. The survey was conducted in three of the largest towns of this municipality, eg. in the capital (Trompsburg), the first white residential town of the area (Philippolis) and a historically English-speaking town (Springfontein), all situated within a 100km radius of each other. The data were analysed in terms of three aspects: the regulatory framework of official language visibility on public signs that are found in the area, the realisation of language visibility on regulated public signs and the language attitudes of citizens from the three towns. A central finding is that significant changes in the LL of the three towns are being introduced by external role-players, such as provincial and national government agencies. The removal of Afrikaans from the LL is one of the prominent features of this change. However, the external intervention does not necessarily lead to a systematic anglicisation of the LL in similar fashion as is found in the city of Bloemfontein. Consideration is given whether this apparent discrepancy can be attributed to rural forces and to a lack of urbanisation in the area. The study offers insight into the dynamics of the management of language visibility as a factor in constructing a new rural identity.

References:

Du Plessis, T. 2010. Bloemfontein/Manguang, “City on the Move”. Language Management and Transformation of a Non-representative Linguistic Landscape.  In Shohamy, E.,Ben-Rafael, E. & Barni, M. (Eds). Linguistic Landscape in the City. Multilingual Matters:74-95.