The study investigates the reasons for the non- implementation of multilingual policies
and plans with special reference to South Africaâs language policy and planning
implementation scenario. The study identifies four categories of explanations for the non-implementation
of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa, namely political;
economic; sociolinguistic; and theoretic explanations. Of particular interest is the
adequacy of these explanations in explaining the non- implementation of multilingual
policies and plans in South Africa.
Chapter 1 introduces the study, discounts political, economic and sociolinguistic
explanations as inadequate in explaining the non- implementation of multilingual policies
and plans in South Africa and establishes the theoretic category as the core category to
explain the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa. The
chapter provides a preliminary review of language planning literature that explores the
inadequacy of language planning theory in providing approaches that can be used to
facilitate multilingual policy and planning implementation as well as statement of the
research problem and questions, the aim and objectives of the study, overview of research
methodology and outline of the thesis.
Chapter 2 provides the background to the study. The chapter discusses the macro
framework for language policy and language planning in South Africa as provided by the
Constitution. The chapter elaborates on South Africaâs constitutional language
developments as from the early 1990s and the socio-political and historical contexts that
led to the evolution of the 1993 Interim Constitution and the 1996 Constitution. The
chapter elaborates on the theoretical, ideological and discourse foundations of both the
1993 Interim Constitution and the 1996 Constitution and points out that the multilingual
dispensation envisioned by the 1996 Constitution is in tandem with the project of
transformative constitutionalism and advanced cultural politics espoused by the
Constitution. The chapter concludes by pointing out that the obligations imposed by the
Constitution with respect to language in South Africa must be fulfilled. Its attendant upon language planning actors in South Africa to formulate approaches that can be used to
facilitate multilingual policy and planning implementation based on plausible theoretical
premises.
Chapter 3 discusses the research methodology. The research method used in the study is
Grounded Theory Method. The chapter elaborates on the appropriateness of Grounded
Theory Method as a method for the development of approaches from qualitative data and
how the method was applied to the three elements of the study, namely, literature review;
the development of an alternative approach to multilingual policy and planning
implementation; and the case study.
Chapter 4 reviews literature on language planning theory and models using Eastman
(1983) framework. The review establishes the weaknesses of language planning theory
and models. These weaknesses account for the inadequacy of language planning theory
and models to provide approaches that can be used for multilingual policy and planning
implementation. The chapter concludes by discussing how the inadequacies of language
planning theory and models have contributed to the non- implementation of South
Africaâs multilingual policy and plan.
Chapter 5 develops an alternative approach to multilingual policy and planning
implementation. The study names the approach âThe Language Management Approachâ.
The approach specifies the theoretical basis for the new approach; the purpose;
impediments; the variables; and the methodologies and strategies for multilingual policy
and planning implementation.
Chapter 6 presents a case study which was used to develop some aspects of the new
approach as well as test the new approach. The case study demonstrates that the new
approach facilitates multilingual policy and planning implementation. Chapter 7 outlines
the conclusions and recommendations.
The study contributes towards the resolution of the theoretic and practical dilemmas
facing multilingual policy and planning implementation in South Africa and elsewhere.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-09302005-100916 |
| Date | 30 September 2005 |
| Creators | Mwaniki, Modest Munene |
| Contributors | Prof LT du Plessis |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-09302005-100916/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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