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Problem with mother tongue
08/05/2008 11:30
I don't totally agree with you that children should be taught in the their mother tongue. We are moving towards a world, where we will all be brown and talk 1 language. It is inevitable, and will also allow the world to live in harmony. The more divisions we have in terms of culture, the racism will remain. - Jacques |
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pie in the sky
08/05/2008 11:34
Anyone hoping to attend university or enter the wrold of business has to be proficient in english. There is no other way becasue the no. of zulu/xhosa/tswana etc speakers pales in comparison globally to the no. of english/french/mandarin chinese speakers. Also, do we have the resources to guarantee everyone mother tongue eductaion? - VG |
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Agreed
08/05/2008 11:40
As an English speaker, I am proud of my European ancestry. As a South African I am ashamed my local dialect goes as far as passable Afrikaans and Yebo. My daughter must learn the language of her ancestors, but I feel she must also learn at least 2 other South African language to be able to remain current and applicable in our country. A common language that is applicable world wide is - I feel - needed, but you must know and be proud of where you come from. - CraigB |
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Language yes, culture no.
08/05/2008 11:41
Learning your ancestors languages are fine but the only way to catch up to the civilised world is to drop your culture and pick a new one up. - Shiznit |
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Mother Tongue
08/05/2008 11:51
I agree that children should be taught their mother tongue and culture. They cannot expect to be taught in a language that is not useful and universal if they want acceptance. Parents need to do this. Many families speak their mother tongue and follow traditions at home. (Greek, Portuguese, German etc.) - Birdman |
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Too true
08/05/2008 11:58
I have to agree, I am a black South African with English as my first and only language, and i find it incredibly difficult to engage with black non english speaking South Africans. To ensure that children are not isolated purely because of the language they speak it is important for them to be bilingual if not multilingual. - DM |
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Why only limit to 1 language?
08/05/2008 11:58
Your mother language, then English. Then, Zulu or Xhosa. We do NOT have to limit ourselves to just English. In fact, as Africans, shouldn't we be learning Mandarin too? - Sinudeity |
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Importants of Education in home languages
08/05/2008 12:02
I always use the example of the Russians that can send a space capsule into space without speaking a English word. If you can master maths in your home language, you know your maths in Russian, French, etc. The principle is the same. Afrikaans people developed SASOL, Koeberg, ... transplanted a heart without knowing English. As a Engineer I speak to Engineers in Germany, etc skeef en krom. The subject we speak about is well known and we were taught in our respected home language. - Hendrik |
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never 1 language
08/05/2008 12:11
We should celebrate the diversity in our country and the different heritages that exist. Conforming to one language - English - is to let go of our individuality. A user has commented that the world is moving towards a monolingual society, this is ridiculous however, it's only the hollywood propaganda machine that makes us think that. There are entire continents, Asia, Europe and Africa that do not speak english as first language and are not making any move to let go of ther ancestral tongue. - Andrew |
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Agree 100%
08/05/2008 12:13
I'd like to point out immediately that Funnybones did NOT say discard English in favour of mother tongues, he just highlighted the value of appreciating your mother tongue as an educational tool. And Jacques (of the 1st comment), I doubt whether you'd have had the same argument had you been born and raised in a different culture or society. I personally appreciate the fact that my culture & language sets me a little bit apart from the rest of the 6.7 billion out there. - Jaco |
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Agreed, and...
08/05/2008 12:14
I must agree with Craig here, Give it another 10 years and you won't be able to spot the difference between English and Afrikaans. Now, being born as a white Afrikaans kid in the 80's, I spent my primary school days in Afrikaans, and my secondary time in an English school. I agree with Funnybones, for the sake of maintaining everyone's culture, allow everyone the opportunity to have their primary schooling in their mother-tongue. - Danny |
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Mother tongue - definitely
08/05/2008 12:14
I as an English speaker, and my hubby as an Afrikaans speaker, were given the choice when children to be taught in our respective languages. I see absolutely no problem with children being taught in their mother tongue, with English as a second language. Why not? They have ever right. The only problem now, is educating teachers to TEACH in those languages. - Chez |
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Home language first!
08/05/2008 12:26
I am highly proficient in English and I can make presentations in Afrikaans yet my first languages are Sesotho and Isizulu. I learnt my mother tongue first. English is highly overrated. I bet you Naledi Pandor, Chinua Achebe and Eskia Mphahlele learnt an African language first before English. Language and culture are linked, let's keep our culture alive. - dini |
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Pride vs Use
08/05/2008 12:27
By all means, be proud of your roots and never forget them - BUT ensure that ALL our children are more than simply proficient in English and/or French as language. These are the languages used in the global world of business. Training/schooling on all levels must reflect what is happening in the global business world. What you use at home should be up to the parents! - MJS |
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Home language first!
08/05/2008 12:27
I am highly proficient in English and I can make presentations in Afrikaans yet my first languages are Sesotho and Isizulu. I learnt my mother tongue first. English is highly overrated. I bet you Naledi Pandor, Chinua Achebe and Eskia Mphahlele learnt an African language first before English. Language and culture are linked, let's keep our culture alive. - dini |
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Pride vs Use
08/05/2008 12:30
Nothing wrong with mother tongue use - BUT ensure that ALL our children are more than simply proficient in English and/or French as language. These are the languages used in the global world of business. Training/schooling on all levels must reflect what is happening in the global business world. - MJS |
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Pride vs Use
08/05/2008 12:30
Nothing wrong with mother tongue use - BUT ensure that ALL our children are more than simply proficient in English and/or French as language. These are the languages used in the global world of business. Training/schooling on all levels must reflect what is happening in the global business world. - MJS |
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@hendrik
08/05/2008 12:32
Hendrick - so what language did the French speak that assisted with the construction of Koeburg or the Israelies with Project Melba, or the Germans with SASOL?! - Vlad |
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@ Funnybones, what do you mean wuth this article?
08/05/2008 12:37
I agree in concept to aspects related to Language, Culture, etc. in your article, BUT waht I fail to understand is what you propose in terms of the implcations of this. Are you indiacting a return to old schooling practices and "Own" schools, or still enforce this in "New" or currently forced integrated schools? If OLD, then agree, If NEW, then cannot agree. Education and training MUST occur and serve communities in which they add value. Imagine Afrikaans school in Soweto. This will fail. - Matrix |
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Agreed
08/05/2008 12:39
Totally agreed, everyone should be proud of where they come from and where they're going. Culture and language in part defines who you are. - Werner |
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what can be wrong.
08/05/2008 12:40
we need our children to be clear with their mother languages.this thing is long overdue,they must not be like us by promoting english and afrikaans as if they're only the eleven languages at our work places. - BETHUEL |
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The facts
08/05/2008 12:40
firstly, Talking in Tongues is a Spiritual Gift from God. It refers to your prayer language with God.
secondly, the world international standard in English. Children will only be done a dis-service if taught in anything other that English... - Dazz |
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Kids learn faster in their mother tongue
08/05/2008 12:50
It's a well known educational fact, that children taught in their home language at Primary School level, learn everything faster and master maths faster.My kids are taught in Afrikaans at school and I'm impressed how fast they're mastering concepts I mastered at a far older age.They learn English from the tv and at school in any case. They'll take at least 1 other African language when they reach that stage, unlike me who was forced to take German by my eurocentric mother.My brother took Latin. - Doc Lize |
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Yes Funn-B but..........
08/05/2008 12:52
How many times do our childern have to learn to speak their mother tounge after nature has done the honours..?Think Physics & Maths in Tswana/Xhosa & gimme the results.Cultures must begin to be learnt from home then the school will just be a reminder!! - Les-Maada |
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Dazz, correction
08/05/2008 12:53
Tongues are languages (used to minister the gentiles),which is why when the ppl started speaking in tongues (in the book of Acts) there were a few who recongized some of their own EXISTING languages. Which is why Paul also says that speaking in tongues is useless if there's no one there to interpret - implying the language exists (and not made up)! - Athi |
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English and only English
08/05/2008 12:54
We should bring up the children in the global language of english so that they can communicate with all races in SA and be able to undertand what people say when others speak another language.It's easy to say learn zulu, sotho etc, unreasonable to expect a person to learn all 11 official languages. Until everyone speaks english in the open, the racial divide will never close. Learn the home language as well to speak to relatives who may not understand english and at home. english for all. - cc |
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I agree 100%
08/05/2008 12:56
A friend of mine onced said to me "she doesn't want to confuse her son, by teaching him Zulu and English, and that Zulu is not important" It really sadness me to see two or more non-white kids speak in English and not utter any of their home languages. English is important in order for us to communicate, at the sametime our own languages are also important. Here at work there is a white brother who teaches Xhosa, and that to me means a lot to see other people show interest in our languages - masingita |
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Agreed!
08/05/2008 13:06
Funnybones, very well written! I agree! Also, it's far easier to teach a young child a new language, kids pick it up very quickly. My white Afrikaans sister could speak Sotho before Afrikaans! And thank you for the reference to Afrikaans, it's nice to see a black man able to speak about Afrikaners without dragging in hate speech and racism. - Chantelle |
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Agree with you who say ...
08/05/2008 13:14
Children could be taught in their mother toungue for primary school and then english for high school as well as a third language (preferably an African Language) these are languages unique to South Africa and shouldnt be lost because we are all trying to be "American" - proudly saffer |
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