We've Always Been Doing It | Simangele Mashazi on Multilingualism, Translanguaging and Linguistic Range in South Africa
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Language is wealth — and South Africa is rich. On this episode of SiyakhulaLive on Lunch, host Dr Katlego Letlonkane sits down with Stellenbosch University lecturer in general linguistics Simangele Mashazi — a familiar voice to MFM listeners — for a wide-ranging conversation on what it really means to live and move through the world in multiple languages.
Simangele unpacks the difference between linguistics and polyglottery, explains why translanguaging is something Africans have always done, and makes the case that the average South African should aim to speak at least three languages. She also takes on the outsized dominance of English, the vulnerability of speaking imperfectly, and why "purity" is the enemy of connection.
Whether you code-switch in every conversation or you're just starting to pick up the language of the province you now call home — this one is for you.
In this episode:
- What linguistics actually is (hint: it is not about collecting languages)
- Translanguaging — and why we have been doing it all along
- The role of vulnerability in building linguistic community
- English as the language of "equality" that quietly stifles the rest
- How schools and universities can do better
- One piece of advice for anyone who wants to become multilingual
SiyakhulaLive is a social justice and diversity conversation series on MFM 92.6's Lunch Club, powered by Stellenbosch University's Centre for the Advancement of Social Impact and Transformation and the HR Division.
Simangele unpacks the difference between linguistics and polyglottery, explains why translanguaging is something Africans have always done, and makes the case that the average South African should aim to speak at least three languages. She also takes on the outsized dominance of English, the vulnerability of speaking imperfectly, and why "purity" is the enemy of connection.
Whether you code-switch in every conversation or you're just starting to pick up the language of the province you now call home — this one is for you.
In this episode:
- What linguistics actually is (hint: it is not about collecting languages)
- Translanguaging — and why we have been doing it all along
- The role of vulnerability in building linguistic community
- English as the language of "equality" that quietly stifles the rest
- How schools and universities can do better
- One piece of advice for anyone who wants to become multilingual
SiyakhulaLive is a social justice and diversity conversation series on MFM 92.6's Lunch Club, powered by Stellenbosch University's Centre for the Advancement of Social Impact and Transformation and the HR Division.
