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58-532: South African English ( SAfE , SAfEn , SAE , en-ZA ) is the set of English language dialects native to South Africans. British settlers first arrived in the South African region in 1795, when they established a military holding operation at the Cape Colony . The goal of this first endeavour was to gain control of a key Cape sea route, not to establish a permanent settler colony . Full control of

116-511: A post-creole continuum for the second-language Black South African English spoken by most Black South Africans : a high-end, prestigious " acrolect " and a more middle-ranging, mainstream " mesolect ". The "basilect" variety is less similar to the colonial language (natively-spoken English), while the "mesolect" is somewhat more so. Historically, BSAE has been considered a "non-standard" variety of English, inappropriate for formal contexts and influenced by indigenous African languages. According to

174-628: A broad national or regional dialect, various more localised sub-dialects can be identified, and so on. The combination of differences in pronunciation and use of local words may make some English dialects almost unintelligible to speakers from other regions without any prior exposure. The major native dialects of English are often divided by linguists into three general categories: the British Isles dialects, those of North America , and those of Australasia . Dialects can be associated not only with place but also with particular social groups. Within

232-524: A diverse variety of English dialects . These last two waves did not have as large an influence on South African English (SAE), for "the seeds of development were already sown in 1820". However, the Natal wave brought nostalgia for British customs and helped to define the idea of a "standard" variety that resembled Southern British English. When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, English and Dutch were

290-453: A few phonetic/syntactic exceptions; and mesolect speakers fall somewhere in-between. In recent decades, the dialect has come much closer to the standard language through the model taught in schools. The result is a variety of English which mixes features of Indian , South African, Standard British , creole, and foreign language learning Englishes in a unique and fascinating way. ISAE resembles Indian English in some respects, possibly because

348-484: A given English-speaking country, there is a form of the language considered to be Standard English : the Standard Englishes of different countries differ and can themselves be considered dialects. Standard English is often associated with the more educated layers of society as well as more formal registers . British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in

406-722: A result of English being pushed by the colonizers of the region, the British, English became widespread in the South African region after it became necessary for indigenous African communities to use for success under the British. Much like in other colonies of the British, English became a necessity for advancement and economic security in the colony for indigenous Africans. According to the Central Statistical Services, as of 1994, about seven million black people spoke English in South Africa. BSAE originated in

464-540: A result, the English spoken in black schools developed distinctive patterns of pronunciation and syntax, leading to the formation of BSAE. Some of these characteristic features can be linked to the mother tongues of the early BSAE speakers. The policy of mother tongue promotion in schools ultimately failed, and in 1979, the Department of Bantu Education allowed schools to choose their own language of instruction. English

522-578: A significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both larger varieties than does Canadian English. South African English , New Zealand English and Irish English are also distinctive and rank fifth, sixth, and seventh in the number of native speakers. English language in Europe English language in England : American English : Canadian English : Indian English : These dialects are used in everyday conversation almost all over

580-399: A system of three sub-varieties spoken primarily by White South Africans , called "The Great Trichotomy " (a term first used to categorise Australian English varieties and subsequently applied to South African English). In this classification, the "Cultivated" variety closely approximates England's standard Received Pronunciation and is associated with the upper class; the "General" variety

638-524: Is a language that is still being studied due to its strong cultural and traditional ties to its mother tongues. Historically, BSAE has been considered a "non-standard" variety of English, perceived as inappropriate for formal contexts, and influenced by indigenous African languages. BSAE, or Black South African English, has its roots in European colonialism of the African continent in the 19th century. As

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696-589: Is a social indicator of the middle class and is the common tongue; and the "Broad" variety is most associated with the working class, low socioeconomic status, and little education. These three sub-varieties, Cultivated, General, and Broad, have also sometimes been called "Conservative SAE", "Respectable SAE", and "Extreme SAE", respectively. Broad White SAE closely approximates the second-language variety of ( Afrikaans -speaking) Afrikaners called Afrikaans English. This variety has been stigmatised by middle- and upper-class SAE speakers (primarily those of British origin) and

754-484: Is changeable, and vowel length can be understood as stress placement, with some deviation from Standard English. An example of this is in the word "sevénty", which has primary stress on the penultimate, rather than the initial, syllable. Additionally, BSAE differs from other forms of dialect by "having shorter tone/information units and having lower pitch and decrease intensity as the sentence concludes." Certain words such as "maybe" are used as conditional words that imply

812-404: Is considered a vernacular form of SAE. Black South African English, or BSAE, is spoken by individuals whose first language is an indigenous African tongue. BSAE is considered a "new" English because it has emerged through the education system among second-language speakers in places where English is not the majority language. At least two sociolinguistic variants have been definitively studied on

870-852: Is pursued by a sub-commission established under the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) , sponsored by the African Union (AU) (successor body to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) ). In late 2003, the 53 signatory states of the ACHPR adopted the Report of the African Commission's Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities and its recommendations. This report says in part (p. 62): The adoption of this report at least notionally subscribed

928-576: Is still a prominent feature in both varieties, especially in more colloquial sub-varieties. About 20% of all coloured people in South Africa speak English as a home language . They are primarily concentrated in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and northeastern parts of the Eastern Cape in the former Transkei with some transplants being found in Johannesburg . Many people from these regions migrated to Durban and Pietermaritzburg , where

986-771: The Vaal ). These rivers mainly flow across the central places in the east and west off the coast until they reach the Atlantic Ocean through the Namibian border. Indian South African English (ISAE) is a sub-variety that developed among the descendants of Indian immigrants to South Africa . The Apartheid policy, in effect from 1948 to 1991, prevented Indian children from publicly interacting with people of English heritage. This separation caused an Indian variety to develop independently from white South African English, though with phonological and lexical features still fitting under

1044-512: The Western Cape (20.2% of the provincial population), Gauteng (13.3%) and KwaZulu-Natal (13.2%). English was found to be spoken across all of South Africa's ethnic groups. A breakdown of English speakers according to the conventional racial classifications used by Statistics South Africa is described in the following table: The examples of South African accents in the list below were obtained from George Mason University : All four of

1102-750: The 18th and 19th centuries (Zimbabwean, Australian, and New Zealand English are also Southern hemisphere ET varieties). SAE resembles British English more closely than it does American English due to the close ties that South African colonies maintained with the mainland in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, with the increasing influence of American pop culture around the world via modes of contact like television, American English has become more familiar in South Africa. Indeed, some American lexical items are becoming alternatives to comparable British terms. Several white South African English varieties have emerged, accompanied by varying levels of perceived social prestige . Roger Lass describes white South African English as

1160-462: The 1978 Dictionary of South African English, which adopted a more conservative approach in its inclusion of terms. This dictionary did include, for the first time, what the dictionary writers deemed "the jargon of townships", or vocabulary terms found in Black journalism and literary circles. Dictionaries specialising in scientific jargon, such as the common names of South African plants, also emerged in

1218-426: The British influence on this variety: A range of SAE expressions have been borrowed from other South African languages, or are uniquely used in this variety of English. Some common expressions include: The South African National Census of 2011 found a total of 4,892,623 speakers of English as a first language, making up 9.6% of the national population. The provinces with significant English-speaking populations were

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1276-682: The Cape Colony governor, Lord Charles Somerset , declared English an official language in 1822. To spread the influence of English in the colony, officials began to recruit British schoolmasters and Scottish clergy to occupy positions in the education and church systems. Another group of English speakers arrived from Britain in the 1840s and 1850s, along with the Natal settlers . These individuals were largely "standard speakers" like retired military personnel and aristocrats. A third wave of English settlers arrived between 1875 and 1904, and brought with them

1334-453: The Central Statistical Services, as of 1994 about seven million black people spoke English in South Africa. BSAE originated in the South African school system when the 1953 Bantu Education Act mandated the use of native African languages in the classroom. When this law was established, most of the native English-speaking teachers were removed from schools. This limited the exposure that black students received to standard varieties of English. As

1392-563: The English language in South Africa. In 1924, the Oxford University Press published its first version of a South African English dictionary, The South African Pocket Oxford Dictionary. Subsequent editions of this dictionary have tried to take a "broad editorial approach" in including vocabulary terms native to South Africa, though the extent of this inclusion has been contested. Rhodes University (South Africa) and Oxford University (Great Britain) worked together to produce

1450-516: The South African English umbrella. Indian South African English includes a " basilect ", " mesolect ", and " acrolect ". These terms describe varieties of a given language on a spectrum of similarity to the colonial version of that language: the "acrolect" being the most similar. Today, basilect speakers are generally older non-native speakers with little education; acrolect speakers closely resemble colonial native English speakers, with

1508-442: The South African school system when the 1953 Bantu Education Act mandated the use of native African languages in the classroom. When this law was established, most of the native English-speaking teachers were removed from schools. This limited the exposure that black students received to standard varieties of English. As a result, the English spoken in black schools developed distinctive patterns of pronunciation and syntax, leading to

1566-520: The UN. In 2008, IPACC was composed of 150 member organisations in 21 African countries. IPACC identifies several key characteristics associated with indigenous claims in Africa: With respect to concerns that identifying some groups and not others as indigenous is in itself discriminatory , IPACC states that it: At an African inter-governmental level, the examination of indigenous rights and concerns

1624-483: The United States tend to follow American English conventions. Many of these countries, while retaining strong British English or American English influences, have developed their own unique dialects, which include Indian English and Philippine English . Chief among other native English dialects are Canadian English and Australian English , which rank third and fourth in the number of native speakers . For

1682-464: The accent to be one of the most distinctive in Southern Africa. A particular variety or sub-spectrum of South African English is Cape Flats English , originally and best associated with inner-city Cape Coloured speakers. In 1913, Charles Pettman created the first South African English dictionary, entitled Africanderisms . This work sought to identify Afrikaans terms that were emerging in

1740-747: The acrolectal variety, though there is no consistent change among speakers. One difference in the acrolect in comparison to the mesolect is that it often uses [ʌ] in place of [a]. In addition, many vowels that are normally diphthongs in most varieties are monophthongs in BSAE. For example, "FACE" in General White SAE is typically pronounced as /feɪs/, but in BSAE is typically pronounced /fɛs/. Black South African English analysis has not been researched or utilised enough due to its contrasting methods to Southern British norms. BSAE has contrasting pronunciation and organization of vowels and consonants compared to

1798-666: The alphabet"; and by-heart , which means "to learn off by heart"; these items show the influence of Indian English teachers in South Africa. Phonologically, ISAE also shares several similarities with Indian English, though certain common features are decreasing in the South African variety. For instance, consonant retroflexion in phonemes like /ḍ/ and strong aspiration in consonant production (common in North Indian English) are present in both varieties, but declining in ISAE. Syllable-timed rhythm, instead of stress-timed rhythm ,

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1856-579: The coast from the high inland plateau. In some places, notably the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the east, a greater distance separates the coast from the escarpment. Although much of the country is classified as semi-arid , it has considerable variation in climate as well as topography . The total land area is 1,220,813 km (471,359 sq mi). It has the 23rd largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 1,535,538 km (592,875 sq mi). The South African Central Plateau only contains two major rivers: The Limpopo and The Orange (with its tributary,

1914-667: The colony was wrested from the Batavian Republic following the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806. The first major influx of English speakers arrived in 1820 . About 5,000 British settlers, mostly rural or working class, settled in the Eastern Cape . Though the British were a minority colonist group (the Dutch had been in the region since 1652 when traders from the Dutch East India Company developed an outpost ),

1972-805: The contemporary global sense of the term. For example, in West Africa , the Dogon people of Mali and Burkina Faso , the Jola people of Guinea-Bissau , The Gambia , and Senegal , and the Serer people of Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau , and Mauritania , and formally North Africa, have faced religious and ethnic persecution for centuries, and disenfranchisement or prejudice in modern times (see Persecution of Serers and Persecution of Dogons ). These people, who are indigenous to their present habitat, are classified as indigenous peoples . The history of

2030-411: The displacement of many indigenous cultures. Since the end of World War II, indigenous African cultures have been in a state of constant flux, struggling to maintain their identity in the face of Westernization and globalization. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in traditional cultures and many African countries have taken steps to preserve and promote their indigenous heritage. In

2088-493: The dominant political and economic structures of the nation. Since the late 20th century, these peoples have increasingly sought recognition of their rights as distinct indigenous peoples, in both national and international contexts. The Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC) was founded in 1997. It is one of the main trans-national network organizations recognized as a representative of African indigenous peoples in dialogues with governments and bodies such as

2146-441: The dominant state systems. Their traditional practices and land claims have often come into conflict with the objectives and policies promulgated by governments, companies, and surrounding dominant societies. Marginalization, along with the desire to recognize and protect their collective and human rights , and to maintain the continuity of their individual cultures , has led many to seek identification as indigenous peoples , in

2204-526: The first indigenous people that made a ''new'' English South Africa and developing speaking their tongue version of English and deciding not to speak South Africa's native language of English, which is mostly exclusive for them due to it not being the majority language. In SAE it is primarily used for publicizing the differences between British and other forms of tongue speaking for native speakers in various communities of South Africa. The local native language of Black South African "new" English would lean more on

2262-441: The formation of BSAE. Some of these characteristic features can be linked to the mother tongues of the early BSAE speakers. The policy of mother tongue promotion in schools ultimately failed, and in 1979, the Department of Bantu Education allowed schools to choose their own language of instruction. English was largely the language of choice because it was viewed as a key tool of social and economic advancement. South Africa occupies

2320-512: The indigenous African peoples spans thousands of years and includes a complex variety of cultures, languages, and political systems. Indigenous African cultures have existed since ancient times, with some of the earliest evidence of human life on the continent coming from stone tools and rock art dating back hundreds of thousands of years. The earliest written records of African history come from ancient Egyptian and Nubian texts, which date back to around 3000 B.C. These texts provide insight into

2378-648: The most Anglophone coloureds can be found. Anglophone coloureds with European heritage have ancestry mostly from the British Isles , which, along with originating in regions with very few Afrikaans speaking people, contributed to English being the main language of the coloured people in the region. The accent of Anglophone coloured people is influenced by their multiracial background, being descended from Europeans (British, German , and Afrikaners), blacks ( Zulu and Xhosa ), Indians (both Dravidian and Indo-Aryan ) as well as other mixed people like St. Helenians , Mauritian Creoles and some Griquas . This has influenced

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2436-402: The most part, Canadian English, while featuring numerous British forms, alongside indigenous Canadianisms, shares vocabulary, phonology and syntax with American English, which leads many to recognise North American English as an organic grouping of dialects. Australian English, likewise, shares many American and British English usages, alongside plentiful features unique to Australia and retains

2494-426: The official state languages, although Afrikaans effectively replaced Dutch in 1925. After 1994, these two languages along with nine other Southern Bantu languages achieved equal official status. SAE is an extraterritorial (ET) variety of English, or a language variety that has been transported outside its mainland home. More specifically, SAE is a Southern hemisphere ET originating from later English colonisation in

2552-407: The ones in more commonly used languages such as other varieties of English. Due to English being an official language of South Africa, dialects that have contrary methods in language and pronunciation to English become isolated from the speech in that area. For instance, "it lacks the tense/lax contrast and central vowels in the mesolectal variety." In Black South African English, the length of vowels

2610-420: The post-colonial period, the concept of specific indigenous peoples within the African continent has gained wider acceptance, although not without controversy. The highly diverse and numerous ethnic groups which comprise most modern, independent African states contain within them various peoples whose situation, cultures, and pastoralist or hunter-gatherer lifestyles are generally marginalized and set apart from

2668-503: The rest of the world, excluding countries in which English is spoken natively such as Australia , Canada , Ireland , and New Zealand . In many former British Empire countries in which English is not spoken natively, British English forms are closely followed, alongside numerous American English usages that have become widespread throughout the English-speaking world . Conversely, a number of countries with historical ties to

2726-487: The result of something if a thing or event were to happen. Another distinctive trait of BSAE is the use of the word "that" as a complementizer. Furthermore, BSAE has a high frequency of the retention of question word order which is 0.86 per 1000 words. Other findings show that the Cultural Linguistic explorations of World Englishes have been evaluating BSAE based on its cognitive sociolinguistic principles. It

2784-466: The signatories to the concepts and aims of furthering the identity and rights of African indigenous peoples. The extent to which individual states are mobilizing to put these recommendations into practice varies enormously, however. Most indigenous groups continue to agitate for improvements in the areas of land rights, use of natural resources, protection of environment and culture, political recognition and freedom from discrimination. On 30 December 2010,

2842-529: The societies of the time, including religious beliefs, political systems, and trade networks. In the centuries that followed, various other African civilizations rose to prominence, such as the Kingdom of Kush in northern Sudan and the powerful empires of Ghana , Mali , and Songhai in West Africa. In the late 15th century, European colonization began, leading to the enslavement of millions of Africans and

2900-594: The southern area of Africa, its coastline stretching more than 2,850 kilometers (1,770 miles) from the desert border within Namibia on the Atlantic (western) coast southwards around the tip of Africa and then northeast to the border with Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. The low-lying coastal zone is narrow for much of that distance, soon giving way to a mountainous escarpment ( Great Escarpment ) that separates

2958-521: The speakers in this list have English as their first language. List of dialects of English Dialects can be defined as "sub-forms of languages which are, in general, mutually comprehensible ." English speakers from different countries and regions use a variety of different accents (systems of pronunciation) as well as various localized words and grammatical constructions. Many different dialects can be identified based on these factors. Dialects can be classified at broader or narrower levels: within

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3016-526: The subvarieties of BSAE, and the distinctions between them are not yet fully defined. However, there are some notable pronunciation differences in the mesolect and acrolect . The vowels in BSAE can be realized as five key phonemes: /i/, pronounced in words like "FLEECE" or KIT, /u/ in "FOOT" or "GOOSE", /ɛ/ in "TRAP", "DRESS", or "NURSE", /ɔ/ in LOT or FORCE, and /a/ as in CAR. /i/ may occasionally be pronounced [ɪ] in

3074-498: The syllable side and would lean less on stress timing; due to this, the speech of the language would be affected by the length of vowel deduction in "new" English. BSAE emerged from the influence of local native languages on the British English variety often taught in South African schools. After dispersing BSAE has been seen as three distinct subvarieties: the basilect, mesolect, and acrolect. Not much has yet been studied on

3132-421: The twentieth century. However, these works still often relied on Latin terminology and European pronunciation systems. As of 1992, Rajend Mesthrie had produced the only available dictionary of South African Indian English. SAE includes lexical items borrowed from other South African languages . The following list provides a sample of some of these terms: SAE also contains several lexical items that demonstrate

3190-456: The varieties contain speakers with shared mother tongues or because early English teachers were brought to South Africa from India, or both. Four prominent education-related lexical features shared by ISAE and Indian English are: tuition(s), which means "extra lessons outside school that one pays for" (i.e. "tutoring" in other varieties of English); further studies , which means "higher education"; alphabets , which means "the alphabet, letters of

3248-479: The vast majority of Native Africans can be considered to be "indigenous" in the sense that they originated from that continent and nowhere else (like all Homo sapiens ), identity as an "indigenous people" is in the modern application more restrictive. Not every African ethnic group claims identification under these terms. Groups and communities who do claim this recognition are those who by a variety of historical and environmental circumstances have been placed outside of

3306-417: The world, and are used as lingua francas and to determine grammar rules and guidelines. Indigenous African The indigenous people of Africa are groups of people native to a specific region; people who lived there before colonists or settlers arrived, defined new borders, and began to occupy the land. This definition applies to all indigenous groups, whether inside or outside of Africa. Although

3364-450: Was largely the language of choice because it was viewed as a key tool of social and economic advancement. BSAE has contrasting pronunciation and organization of vowels and consonants compared to the ones in standard English. For instance, "it lacks the tense/lax contrast and central vowels in the mesolectal variety." The difference between Black and White South Africans is based on their ethnic backgrounds, with them, as BSAE, being originally

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