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The racial hierarchisation of the isiXhosa language in South Africa: A post-colonial discourse

Author

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  • Mlamli Diko

    (Lecturer, Department of African Languages, University of South Africa (UNISA), South Africa)

Abstract

The reality is that there is a relationship between language and race as advanced and qualified by ethnolinguistics. Such a relationship points to the subjugation of the isiXhosa language (habitually situated in South Africa), among other prescripts, which was fueled by racial hierarchization that ought to be debated within the paradigm of scholarly discourses. The subjugation, distortion and erosion of the isiXhosa language were led by the colonial, apartheid governance and administration that sought to impose censorship. Therefore, this article employs post-colonial theory to argue and scholarly prove that the language and many South African indigenous languages were oppressed based on racial notions that sought to accelerate neo-liberalist and imperialist perceptions. Hypothetically speaking, the isiXhosa language still suffers from the effects of (post)colonialism carried by colonial agents who continue to mock and humiliate the language. The debates and findings underline that such claims (racial hierarchization of the language) must be validated through theoretical and practical discourses. As a result, closing remarks infuse potential recommendations open to public scrutiny regarding the problematised phenomenon and/or conundrum. Key Words:isiXhosa language, South Africa, racial hierarchisation, oppression, post-colonialism

Suggested Citation

  • Mlamli Diko, 2023. "The racial hierarchisation of the isiXhosa language in South Africa: A post-colonial discourse," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 12(2), pages 598-607, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:12:y:2023:i:2:p:598-607
    DOI: 10.20525/ijrbs.v12i2.2318
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nomasomi Hilda Matiso & Bulelwa Makena, 2022. "Rethinking social interaction in English first additional language classrooms during the post Covid-19 era," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(8), pages 312-320, November.
    2. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon & John Knight, 2004. "Race and the Incidence of Unemployment in South Africa," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(2), pages 198-222, May.
    3. Martin Bekker, 2022. "Language of the unheard: police-recorded protests in South Africa, 1997–2013," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(172), pages 226-245, April.
    4. Bell, Griffin J. & Ncayiyana, Jabulani & Sholomon, Ari & Goel, Varun & Zuma, Khangelani & Emch, Michael, 2022. "Race, place, and HIV: The legacies of apartheid and racist policy in South Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
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