Voorsitter, ek wil graag begin deur my waardering uit te spreek dat ons wel vandag 'n debat oor hierdie belangrike kwessie voer. Vir te lank is dit 'n onderwerp wat gegnoreer is of waarvan weggeskram is. Die tragedie is egter dat dit hoegenaamd nodig is om in 2011, 17 jaar in ons nuwe bedeling in, debat te voer oor die hervitalisering van ons inheemse tale.
Dit is inderdaad 'n ernstige aanklag teen die regering van die dag dat ten spyte van ons Grondwet, waarin daar besliste bepalings is oor die beskerming en bevordering van alle amptelike tale in ons land, daar nou nog nie gevolg gegee is aan die bevordering en beskerming van ons inheemse tale nie. Soveel so dat dit 'n hofbevel gekos het om die regering so ver te kry om taalwetgewing te implementeer. Ek verwys hier spesifiek na die Suid- Afrikaanse Talewetsontwerp, wat nog ter tafel gel moet word.
Die vraag is dus: Hoe ernstig is die regering werklik oor die bevordering en dus dan ook die hervitalisering van die tale van Suid-Afrika en, in besonder, die inheemse tale? Hoekom word daar na redes gekyk waarom tale nie beskerm en bevorder moet word nie, eerder as waarom dit moet gebeur? Indien ons werklik ernstig is oor die hervitalisering van ons inheemse tale, moet ons deeglike introspeksie doen oor ons eie ingesteldheid jeens die tale van ons land. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Dr A LOTRIET: Chairperson, I would like to start by expressing my appreciation for the fact that we are indeed debating this very important issue today. For too long now this has been a matter that has been ignored or avoided. The tragedy, however, is that it is still necessary to debate the issue of the revitalisation of our indigenous languages in 2011, 17 years into our new dispensation.
It is indeed a serious indictment of the government of the day that in spite of our Constitution, which contains definitive provisions for the protection and advancement of all official languages in our country, adherence to the advancement and protection of our indigenous languages has still not been followed through on. So much so that it required a court order to get the government to implement legislation in respect of language. Here I am specifically referring to the South African Languages Bill that must still be tabled.
The question is therefore: How serious is the government really about the advancement and therefore, as a consequence, the revitalisation of the languages of South Africa, and the indigenous languages in particular? Why are we searching for reasons why languages should not be protected and advanced, rather than why it should happen? If we are really serious about the revitalisation of our indigenous languages, we should do thorough introspection regarding our own predisposition towards the languages of our country.]
The reality is that, despite the wonderful provisions in our Constitution, a crisis is looming in South Africa regarding the promotion and preservation of our indigenous languages. Unfortunately, we are faced with the situation where our university students are turning their back on studying African languages. Departments of African languages are closing down because there has been a drastic decline in student numbers. Why is this happening?
There are a number of reasons, such as parents and the community at large, for equating education with competency in English and, in the process, the value of our indigenous languages is diminished. The fact is that these languages are not regarded as adequate for higher-order functions. In other words, indigenous languages are not seen as being capable of being languages of business and the academic world. These languages are deemed not to be of economic value. The reason for this is that it is claimed that indigenous languages do not possess the requisite registers for science and scholarship or other high-order functions.
We therefore relegate these languages to the periphery as having value only in our social communication at home or with friends and not as an important facet of education and personal development. We believe that our languages will survive in this kind of environment and we tend to view language as nothing more than a means of communication.
In truth, language is much more than that. Language is who we are, our culture, our beliefs, our history. It is the footprint of where we come from and where we are going. It is part of our social, psychological and cultural make-up. It gives us a sense of social identity, self-confidence and emotional security.
Language, therefore, is much more than purely something of economic value. When we disrespect a person's language, we disrespect much more than only a means of communication. When we talk of the revitalisation of indigenous languages, we have to be serious and cognisant of the integral part language plays in how we view and experience ourselves. When we talk about revitalisation, it has to be a holistic approach. A few token gestures will not ensure the survival of these languages. We have to start right at the beginning, with education, right through to the workplace, making indigenous languages an economic option.
Let us look at what we are doing at present with our current educational dispensation. What is the message that we send to a child when he goes to school and we tell him or her that, unfortunately, his language is not considered good enough for him to be taught in? We are saying to the child: "You, your culture and your history are inferior". What kind of person will we produce when this is the message we are giving our children? We are creating generations of children who have to deal with the underlying message that who they are and where they come from are inferior and has no economic value.
If we want to talk about revitalising our indigenous languages, we have to start by looking at our own attitudes, our own preconceived ideas of the role of language and what constitutes value. The language sector is most probably one of the most undervalued sectors in the economy. We focus on maths and science, while we have a treasure trove of linguistically gifted people. Whole industries can be created in the field of language, such as those translators, interpreters, editors, writers, document designers, language technologists, and not only teachers, as we have always thought. The potential for job creation in the language field has not even begun to be considered and it is enormous.
The inconvenient truth is, however, that if we do not commit wholeheartedly to the revitalisation and true empowerment of our indigenous languages, the outcome is bleak and sad. What we have to remember is that, according to projections, 95% of the currently spoken speech forms in the world will be extinct in the next 100 years. This does not refer to languages such as English, French or Chinese, but languages such as our own indigenous languages. This happens when there is no support and interventions to protect and, importantly, to promote these languages. The tragedy is that the moment our indigenous African languages become extinct, culturally, as Africans, we cease to exist. We vanish into history. Culturally we become part of the world whose languages we have adopted. The question is: What are we, then?
We have to realise that for true nation-building and social cohesion to prevail in our country, we need a genuinely multilingual citizenry. This can only be achieved if we promote and protect the languages of our country. [Applause.]