The Assumption That Speaking ‘Excellent English’ Makes You Better Is A Fallacy.
This baseless ostracization is not limited to the award-winning musician, but appears to be widespread in South African society. In social situations and within some families, whoever with the most appealing English accent is considered the brightest or most skilled.
A Fallacy.
Speaking with The Citizen Dr. Nhlanhla Mpofu, Chair of the Department of Curriculum Studies and Associate Professor in Language Education at Stellenbosch University, believes that societal pressures to maintain a certain level of English stem from perceptions that see English proficiency as a marker of intelligence, education, or social status.
This attitude may stem from historical, cultural, and economic influences that elevate the importance of English in those contexts, Mpofu went on to say.
However, this perception is a fallacy created by the elevated status of English as the primary mode of communication in academic, legislative, business, and entertainment spheres.
There are jokes about how late Kwaito star Mandoza, who mostly rapped in isiZulu and Township slang, mispronounced “Everybody say scream” instead of appropriately inciting the crowd to scream for him
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Even if their fame is built on using a language other than English, individuals lacking proficiency in English within these domains are often subjected to ridicule, Mpofu said.
It says a lot about a people who make fun of themselves for not being able to communicate in a foreign language.
It represents a problematic reality and an internalised negative attitude toward our own cultural identity. Ridiculing someone for not knowing a single language, especially when they can speak in three or four others, demonstrates our unwillingness to treat our home languages with same respect and dignity.
Not unique to Mzansi.
A meme that has gone viral for several years depicts a lady’s mouth with gold-plated teeth.
Various explanations have accompanied this photo, but the common thread is that the girl in the shot represents women from the township who do not speak English fluently.
The aforementioned women would be teased for their inability to use the pronoun ‘it’ correctly, mistaking the possessive form (its) for its contraction counterpart (it’s).
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