Prof Vic Webb

Vic Webb is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Pretoria and Director of CentRePoL. He has taught linguistics at a number of South African universities, including the University of Natal, the Rand Afrikaans University and the University of Port Elizabeth. He obtained a D Litt et Phil at the University of South Africa (1976) and currently teaches the politics of language and sociolinguistics at the University of Pretoria. His fields of specialisation are: politics of language, language and development, multilingualism, language planning, language policy and language in education. His publications include Language in South Africa. The Contribution of Language to the Transformation, Reconstruction and Development of South Africa (2002) and English as a Second Language in South Africa's Tertiary Institutions: A Case Study at the University of Pretoria. World Englishes, Vol 21 (1), pp. 49-61.

Presentation

English in Higher Education in South Africa: The Dilemma of the Minoritised

In African terms, South Africa appears to have been a reasonably successful country since its democratisation over the past 14 years. And in many ways this is certainly the case, especially as regards the de-racialisation of the rich and the powerful. However, over the past 14 years, English, with its exceptional power, has also strengthened its grip on the country and this has, arguably, had serious consequences for the people of the country as a whole: inequality has continued, educational, economic and political development has not really occurred to a meaningful extent, the intellectualisation of previously marginalised communities has been limited and national integration has been constrained. In addition, there is the threat of cultural alienation and the danger of the country losing the wealth of its diversity.

Obviously, these negative consequences can not all be blamed on the hegemonic role of English alone, and there are certainly other causal factors involved (such as the destructive effects of apartheid and, particularly, apartheid education). However, the lack of significant linguistic transformation, I would argue, is a contributing factor.

Given that the above argument has some validity, the question is obviously how language planning can contribute towards the reversal of the negative consequences listed. From a language political perspective, the answer is clearly that linguistic transformation needs to take place: minoritised languages need to develop educational, economic, political and social value, and linguistic pluralism has to be established.

In the presentation, the contribution of language in tertiary education to the linguistic transformation of South Africa will be examined.