Ongelukkig word die debatvoering oor taal dikwels afgemaak as minder belangrik en word dit eerder as 'n irritasie gesien. As daar egter gekyk word na wat onlangs in Belgi gebeur het, waar die regering so te s ineen gestort het primr as gevolg van die taalkwessie in die land, wys dit hoe belangrik taal inderdaad is.
Taal is tot 'n groot mate wat 'n mens definieer. Dit s wie jy is en hoe jy jouself sien. Hierdie aspek het duidelik na vore gekom tydens die onlangse openbare verhore wat die parlementre Gesamentlike Grondwetlike Hersieningskomitee in Limpopo gehou het om te bepaal of Sepedi of Sesotho sa Leboa die amptelike taal moet wees wat in die Grondwet verskyn.
Uit die voorleggings was dit duidelik dat taal en identiteit onlosmaaklik aan mekaar verbind is. Sprekers van beide tale het te kenne gegee dat hul taal 'n aanduiding gee van hul geskiedenis sowel as hul status. Daar was ook duidelike ervarings van marginalisering, vervreemding en aanstoot wat geneem word ten opsigte van die naam van die amptelike taal. Daarom is dit, aan die een kant, belangrik dat die tale wat die burgers van die land praat, erken en gerespekteer word en, aan die ander kant, dat die sprekers van die tale erken en gerespekteer word.
Eersgenoemde het te make met die meganismes wat die regering in plek stel om te verseker dat alle tale, soos erken in ons Grondwet, hul regmatig plek en status geniet. Dit beteken dat alle amptelike tale dieselfde status geniet en dat die reg om daardie tale op alle vlakke van die samelewing te gebruik, deur die regering verseker en beskerm word. Dit is in hierdie verband waar die regering moet toesien dat daar voldoende wetgewing is om hieraan uitvoering te gee. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Minister, one of the most important objectives of your department is national reconciliation and social cohesion or togetherness, as you have also mentioned. These are, however, two issues that have sustained serious damage recently because of irresponsible pronouncements and the singing of offensive songs.
On Freedom Day the President also referred to South Africans who do not know or understand each other's traditions, cultures, religion and customs. This is really important if we want to live and work in peace as citizens of this country.
However, it is also not sufficient to make such statements from a podium on national days. It is of such importance that the government should actually take the lead by taking action, and this is where your department should lead the way.
Even though there are various aspects associated with culture, traditions, religion and so forth, language would most probably be one of the more prominent aspects to which attention should be given in this regard. This can be gauged in the heated debate around language. The concerns with regard to the survival of the status of Afrikaans as a language of instruction in higher education, the absence of our indigenous languages at institutions of higher learning, the need for mother-tongue education at school and insufficient access to service delivery as a result of language, for example at police stations, hospitals, clinics and municipalities, where citizens of this country are not attended to in their own language, are illustrative of this.