Strauss Code 2016

Code-switching and translanguaging inside
and outside the classroom: bi-/multilingual

practices of high school learners in a rural
Afrikaans-setting
by
Stuart Strauss
Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree

MA in Second Language Studies at the University of Stellenbosch
Supervisor: Dr Kate Huddlestone

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Department of General Linguistics
December 2016
Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
DECLARATION
By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein
is my original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise
stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe
any third party rights and that I have not previously, in its entirety or in part, submitted it for
obtaining any qualification.
December 2016
Copyright © 2016 Stellenbosch University

All rights reserved
i
ABSTRACT
The dominance of Afrikaans as medium of communication in the rural town of Upington in

the Northern Cape, South Africa, is reflected in the day-to-day communication practices by the
vast majority of its inhabitants. Confirmation of this statement is revealed in the fact that all
formal educational practices in Upington and surrounding areas use Afrikaans as language of
learning and teaching, both during classes and during extra-mural activities provided for by the
institution itself. However, it is when those learning and teaching at these schools and colleges
engage with English as a first additional language, that the opportunities for cross-language
transfer, especially in the forms of code-switching and translanguaging, usually arise. The aim
of this study is to establish if linguistic strategies like code-switching and translanguaging are
used by senior high school learners and teachers when they communicate in bi/multilingual
settings where English is the target language. Furthermore, the study also investigated the
reasons for using these linguistic strategies, as well as their educational value.
The study focused on investigations into the language practices in two different high school
educational settings (i) in-class activities, namely a teacher’s presentation of a poem and learner
discussions at Pabalello High school, and (ii) after school activities, namely informal debating
practice sessions led by a teacher, at Carlton-Van Heerden High school. In both cases, the
linguistic activities were recorded and orthographically transcribed and, together with data
collected from learner questionnaires and semi-structured interviews conducted with the
teachers, formed the corpus of the material to be analysed.
A significant number of code-switches were observed in the linguistic interaction of

participants at both schools. The reasons for employing code-switching ranged from switching
at word-finding difficulty and maintaining social cohesion in the group, to the very general
switching of codes to explain, to expand, to clarify and to elaborate. Similarly, translanguaging
strategies formed a significant part of the participants’ linguistic repertoire and had been used
to fulfil a number of functions, including reprimanding elaboration of content and exclusion.
Both these linguistic strategies played an important role in simplifying the subject matter and
improving understanding.
ii
From the findings of both investigations, it becomes clear that linguistic strategies like code-
switching and translanguaging are helpful tools in bi/multilingual educational settings, and
that the most important role players in the educational setting, the teachers and learners, are
using these strategies, regardless of the educational policies which favour the monolingual
approach. It is therefore recommended by this study that the notions of code-switching and
translanguaging should be acknowledged as enhancing the educational process and should
therefore be made part of the policies which influence the curricula at our schools.
iii
OPSOMMING
Die dominante gebruik van Afrikaans as voertaal in die landelike gemeenskap van Upington
in die Noord-Kaap, Suid-Afrika, word gereflekteer in die dag-tot-dag gespreksituasies van die
oorgrote meerderheid van sy inwoners. Die bevestiging hiervan word geopenbaar in die feit
dat alle formele opvoedingspraktyke in Upington en omgewing Afrikaans as taal van onderrig
en leer gebruik, beide in klassituasies en gedurende buitemuurse aktiwiteite wat deur die
instituut self gereël word. Dit is egter wanneer diegene wat leer en onderrig gee by hierdie
skole en kolleges gemoeid raak met Engels as eerste addisionele taal, dat geleenthede vir
kodewisseling en translanguaging gewoonlik opduik. Die doel van hierdie studie is om vas te
stel of linguistiese srategieë soos kodewisseling en translanguaging wel deur senior
hoërskoolleerders en onderwysers gebruik word wanneer hulle kommunikeer in
bi/multilinguistiese gespreksituasies waar Engels die teikentaal is. Verder ondersoek die studie
ook die redes vir die gebruik van hierdie srategieë en hul opvoedkundige waarde.
Die studie fokus op die ondersoek van die taalpraktyke in twee verskillende hoërskool
opvoedkundige situasies, (i) klasaktiwiteite, nl. 'n onderwyser se aanbieding van 'n gedig en
die inhoudsbespreking deur leeders by Pabalello Hoërskool, en (ii) buitemuurse aktiwiteite, nl.
informele debatsvoeringsoefeninge gelei deur 'n onderwyser by Carlton-Van Heerden
Hoërskool. In beide gevalle word die taalaktiwiteite van deelnemers op band geneem en
ortografies getranskribeer en, tesame met data verkry vanaf vraelyste wat deur die leerders
voltooi is en semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met die onderwysers, vorm dit die korpus van
die materiaal vir analisering.
'n Beduidende getal kodewisselings is waargeneem tydens die kommunikasiepraktyke by beide

skole. Die redes vir kodewisseling strek oor 'n wye omvang, vanaf kodewisseling wanneer dit
moelik is om die woord in die teikentaal te erken en om groepsidentiteit te behou tot algemene
kodewisseling om te verduidelik, uit te brei en om iets duidelik te maak. Op 'n soortgelyke
wyse vorm translanguaging strategieë 'n noemenswaardige deel van die deelnemers se
linguistiese repertoire en was dit gebruik om 'n hele aantal funksies te vervul, onder andere,
teregwysing, uitbreiding van lesinhoud en uitsluiting. Beide hierdie linguistiese srategieë speel
'n belangrike rol in die vereenvoudiging van vakinhoud en begripsverbetering.
iv
Uit die resultate van beide ondersoeke word dit duidelik dat kodewisseling en translanguaging
as linguistiese strategieë, optree as hulpverleningsinstrumente in bi/multilinguistiese
opvoedkundige situasies en dat die belangrikste rolspelers in die opvoedkunde, die leerders en
onderwysers, gebruik maak van hierdie srategieë, ongeag die taalbeleide wat 'n
monolinguistiese benadering voorskryf. Hierdie studie beveel dus aan dat kodewisseling en
translanguaging erken word as hulpverleningselemente in die opvoedingsproses en derhalwe
deel moet wees van die beleide wat die skoolkurrikulums beinvloed.
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to express my sincerest gratitude for the professional guidance and insightful assistance
from my mentor and supervisor, Dr Kate Huddlestone. I have learnt enormously from the
directives, comments, suggestions, advice and opinions from Dr Huddlestone and was
therefore able to successfully complete this research project. I would also like to thank Helena
Zybrands, who was equal to the task when substituting Dr Huddlestone temporarily. I am
honoured to have been a student of yours.
I would also like to acknowledge the spiritual and mental, but sometimes also the physical
support from my wife Gina; the continual encouraging comments and remarks from Zoeloe
and Kaapenaar and the incomprehensible belief that Boenkies has in me. Your contributions
are appreciated.
I am also honoured to have learnt from an exceptional educator, a competent linguist and an
exemplary family man, the late P.J. Strauss, who became a valuable inspiration for embarking
on this research project.
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................ i
ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................ii
OPSOMMING .......................................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS .........................................................................................................vii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1
1.1 Historical background ................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Linguistic orientation and the dominance of Afrikaans around Upington .................. 2
1.3 Early education in Upington ....................................................................................... 3
1.4 Motivations for undertaking research and the research question ................................ 4
1.5 Chapter outline ............................................................................................................ 5
CHAPTER 2 CODE-SWITCHING .......................................................................................... 6
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 6
2.2 The markedness of codes ............................................................................................ 8
2.3 Types of code-switching ............................................................................................. 8
2.4 Code-switching as an unmarked choice ...................................................................... 8
2.4.1 Sequential unmarked code-switching .................................................................. 9
2.4.2 Code-switching itself as the unmarked choice..................................................... 9
2.4.3 Code-switching as a marked choice ................................................................... 10
2.4.4 Code-switching as an exploratory choice .......................................................... 10
2.5 Code-Switching in South African educational contexts ........................................... 10
2.6 Code-switching in the Southern African educational contexts ................................. 13
CHAPTER 3 TRANSLANGUAGING .................................................................................. 16
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 16
3.2 Historical overview ................................................................................................... 16
3.3 The development of translanguaging within schools ................................................ 18
vii
3.4 Translanguaging in the bilingual educational context............................................... 19
3.4.1 Bilingualism through language separation vs. flexible approaches to

pedagogy .......................................................................................................................... 19
3.4.2 Linear Bilingualism vs. Dynamic Bilingualism................................................. 21
3.5 Multilingual Education and Language Policy in South Africa ................................. 22
3.6 Translanguaging practices in South Africa ............................................................... 24
3.6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 24
3.6.2 Translanguaging within the South African educational context ........................ 26
CHAPTER 4 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 30
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 30
4.2 Research design ......................................................................................................... 30
4.3 Research sites ............................................................................................................ 31
4.4 Participants ................................................................................................................ 32
4.5 Data collection........................................................................................................... 33
4.5.1 Part one: classroom observation at Pabalello High School ............................... 33
4.5.2 Part two: observing discussions prior to formal debate at Carlton-Van Heerden
Secondary School............................................................................................................. 34
4.6 Data-collection instruments and procedures ............................................................. 35
4.6.1 The questionnaire ............................................................................................... 35
4.6.2 Semi-structured interview .................................................................................. 36
4.6.3 Transcription of data .......................................................................................... 36
4.7 Ethical considerations ............................................................................................... 36
CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYSIS .......................................................................................... 38
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 38
5.2 Linguistic repertoires and language experiences ...................................................... 38
5.2.1 Questionnaire data ..................................................................................................... 38
5.2.2 Semi-structured interviews ........................................................................................ 39
5.3 Analysis of participants’ communication inside the classroom ................................ 40
viii
5.3.1 Occurrence and functions of code-switching during classroom activities ................ 41
5.3.2 The use and functions of translanguaging ................................................................. 46
5.4 Analysis of participants’ communication outside of the classroom .......................... 52
5.4.1 Occurrence and functions of code-switching during debating sessions .................... 52
5.4.2 The use and functions of translanguaging outside the classroom ............................. 58
CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION................................................................................................. 63
6.1 Summary of the findings ........................................................................................... 63
6.2 Implications of the study for education in South Africa ........................................... 65
6.3 Limitations of the study............................................................................................. 66
6.4 Recommendations for further research ..................................................................... 66
References ................................................................................................................................ 67
Appendix A .............................................................................................................................. 70
Appendix B .............................................................................................................................. 78
Appendix C .............................................................................................................................. 79
Appendix D .............................................................................................................................. 82
ix
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Historical background
The dry harsh landscape and related extreme weather conditions along the lower basin of the
!Garib River (Orange River) is historically known as a melting pot of cultures, races and
language groups for the past approximately 2000 years (Smith 1995, cited by Lange & Dyll-
Myklebust 2006:1). The San hunter-gathers, whose ancestry can be traced to being the first
inhabitants of southern Africa, came into contact with the cattle-herding Khoekhoe people
migrating south from Namibia and Botswana, and during the course of the 18th century, the
Orange River became a frontier area where the interactions between these peoples were of a
harmonious nature (Penn 1995, cited by Lange & Dyll-Myklebust 2006:1). Also settling on
the banks of the river at the time, were the early Tswanas, who are described as of mixed
Khoe/Ba Tlaping (Tswana) ancestry, and who shared evidence of complex identification with
the Korana, who were residents of an area east of present day Upington. In adding to this
melting pot of cultures, Penn (1995, cited by Lange & Dyll-Myklebust 2006:1) states that it
was not uncommon for Europeans to take Khoekhoe Nama wives in this remote Gariep area,
which was quite distant from the prominence of the Cape. This practice gave rise to the
“Baster” communities, who joined the Korana along the banks of the Orange River from at
least the 1870’s (Legassick 1996, cited by Legassick 2013:2). Baster occupation of this
Gordonia settlement on the north banks of the Orange River was confirmed, and with them
were joined the remnants of Khoekhoe, San and others (Legassick 1996, cited by Legassick
2013). By the early 1880’s, the building of the Upington canal enhanced agricultural
productivity through an effective irrigation system from the river, and this project was
pioneered by the Baster farmer, Abraham “Holbors” September. In 1895, though, the Basters
were dispossessed and reduced to manual labourers on land that rightfully belonged to them
(Legassick 1996, cited by Legassick 2013:2).
During the 1940’s, however, a growing national concern about segregating Black people from
Coloured people was realized, and this led to the residential areas in Upington, Keidebees and
Blikkies (Afrikaans for “tins”, as many of the houses there were constructed with recycled tin
cans) being divided across racial lines. Keidebees, which functioned as an onderdorp, an area
1
where Black people and White people lived together around the emerging businesses in town,
was declared a white residential area. The Black people residing in Blikkies, who had over the
years assimilated and intermarried into the Coloured community, were forcibly removed from
Blikkies and relocated to Pabalello, a single new location for Black people. In 1958, just after
the introduction of the Group Areas Act (1957), the Apartheid government’s intention of
creating separate residential areas for the different races in the country was realized: Keidebees
for White people, Blikkies for Coloured people and Pabalello for Black people.
1.2 Linguistic orientation and the dominance of Afrikaans around Upington
In recounting stories about the Water Snake in the !Garib (Orange River), Lange & Dyll-
Myklebust (2006:3) quotes one of the Upington storytellers, Nana de Wee, relating the
complexity of her origin and the languages she was exposed to:
My oupa-hy is afkomsig van Afrika wêreld van ‘n groot trek deur die land tot in Suid
Afrika. My oupa is ‘n Griekwa-Kleurling, sy taal is Khoitaal, ‘n Namataal. My pa is
ook ‘n Tswana, gemeng met Kleurlingbloed. Sy kinders is almal gemeng Tswana,
Kleurling, Baster, dit bring ons nou uit op Kleurling. Ons kerkverbond issie NG Kerk.
Ons huistaal is Afrikaans.
My grandfather comes from somewhere in Africa and after a trek came to South Africa.
My grandfather is a Grique-Coloured whose language is the Khoe language, a Nama
language. My father is a Tswana mixed with Coloured blood. His children are all
mixture of Tswana, Coloured, Baster, bringing us to Coloured. Our affiliation is NG
(Dutch Reformed) Church. Our home language is Afrikaans.
This extract provides evidence of the various linguistic resources in use alongside the Orange
River during the 19th and 20th centuries. The biggest and most comprehensive linguistic
influence in the territory, however, came from Afrikaans, now the dominant communication
tool in Upington particularly, but also the language mostly used in the Northern Cape.
From the late 18th century, groupings of partially Europeanized Khoekhoe from the Cape
Colony introduced Cape Dutch to the Orange River territory (Stell 2009:87). The Khoe
language had a significant influence on the development of a variant of Cape Dutch, Afrikaans,
because members of the Khoekhoe group and the slaves in the Cape wanted to master Dutch.
2
The Khoe influence is strongly noticeable in Orange River Afrikaans, which historically links
part of Namibia’s Coloured population with Northern Cape Coloured people and constitutes a
variety of Afrikaans used by people who settled in the vicinity of the Orange River (Stell
2009:88). This particular variety of Afrikaans, in addition to the Eastern Cape Afrikaans (which
became the standard variety) and Cape Afrikaans (a non-White variety) formed the three
generally recognized varieties of Afrikaans. It would be fair to state that, despite the
multicultural and multilingual history of Upington and the vicinity of the lower Orange River,
the dominance of Afrikaans has remained steadfast in the linguistic repertoires of its
inhabitants.
In illustrating the Afrikaans orientation of the Blikkies township, it would be apt to refer to
Poppie Nongena, the main character in Elsa Joubert’s (1978) Afrikaans novel, Die swerfjare
van Poppie Nongena, who was a real life resident of the township in the late fifties and early
sixties. From a News24 article (2003-08-13) a veteran Blikkies resident, Auntie Uilers, 64, who
remembers “Poppie” well, had this to say, “Although ‘Poppie’ was a Xhosa girl, she mostly
spoke Afrikaans, still the dominant language of the area today. Her grandmother had often
admonished her not play with the Bushman.” (Boesman in Afrikaans – referring to the
Coloured (mixed race) inhabitants of Upington.)
1.3 Early education in Upington
Approximately around 1885, a classroom with very limited teaching aids and a few learners
became the starting point of schooling in this area and became known as the “Upington Public
School”. This school expanded and was able accommodate learners in higher standards. It was
only in 1949 that the very first primary school, “Op die Voorpos”, was established. However,
Upington High School had already been in operation since 1896. Both these schools only made
provision for White learners and teachers. With the ever increasing population in the early
1940’s, which resulted amidst the discovery of various minerals in the district as well as the
realization of the agricultural and karakul product markets, the need of an institution to provide
secondary education for non-Whites was increasing by felt. In 1942, there were 28 non-White
primary schools in the Upington Municipal area, the largest of these being the Upington United
Coloured School (Statistics obtained from the Upington Municipal Offices). In pursuit of
addressing the need for a high school in Upington, a designated delegation of community
leaders went to Cape Town in 1942 to secure permission to build a high school, but they were
3
denied monetary resources. The delegation was told in no uncertain terms that the community
should provide the building for the school, and as such the Congregational Church was
approached. In 1943, the very first education facility for non-Whites, the Gordonia Coloured
Secondary School, opened its doors to serve communities as far as Calvinia in the south, the
Kalahari peoples to the north and the surrounding rural towns like Prieska, Kakamas, Brandvlei
and Copperton. Carlton-Van Heerden, as the school became known, is today one of seven high
schools in Upington and all of these institutions have retained Afrikaans as medium of
instruction.
1.4 Motivations for undertaking research and the research question
A geographical space with a history rich in linguistic diversity such as Upington, should reflect
this diversity when people communicate. This research project aims to investigate the
communication strategies used by high school learners and teachers when they communicate
in situations where more than one language is used. Such communication practices are most
vibrant and explorative when young people engage in discussions, hence the focus of the
investigation is on learning and teaching activities at high school, during tuition time as well
as during extra-mural activities after school. Furthermore, the study also aims to present
evidence of these bi/multilingual communication activities, taking into account that the
majority of residents are Afrikaans-speaking.
As a teacher of English as additional language for more than thirty years, the researcher himself
had the opportunity of witnessing the linguistic behaviour of senior learners during classroom
activities. In addition, the researcher has also been the convenor and facilitator of the debating
team at one of high schools in Upington. During both the English classes and the formal
debating sessions, learners are required to express themselves in English. It is expected,
therefore, that learners would employ linguistic tools, quite like code-switching and
translanguaging, to alleviate the challenges in situations where English is the target language.
The three decades of teaching English as a second language (L2) to Afrikaans first language
(L1) learners, and particularly the insight and understanding drawn from these learners’
linguistic interactions during and after tuition time, has brought an elevated level of experience
to the researcher’s educational repertoire. During the 1980s, the educational policies of the
previous government favoured the monolingual approach to language learning and it was
4
common, for example, to evaluate a learner’s oral capabilities by assessing the presentation of
a pre-learnt speech and the reading of literature texts prescribed by the teacher. The democratic
processes which unfolded after 1994 brought along new educational policies with effected
changes to the existing approaches to language learning and teaching. According to the
requirements set out by the new curriculum and assessment policies, language teachers had to
rearrange the learning environment to accommodate groupwork. The objective was to foster a
communicative approach to language learning and to assess learner’s oral activities when that
are interacting in a group.
It is this communicative approach, which enables learners to draw on their diverse linguistic
skills and resources, that prompted the researcher to formulate the research question, which is
outlined as follows:
How do Afrikaans L1 learners in the dominant Afrikaans-speaking community of

Upington express themselves in educational communication settings, both inside and
outside the classroom, where the use of English is standard practice?
In response to the research question, this study explores the notions of code-switching and
translanguaging and how senior learners use these communication tools when they face
challenges in bi/multilingual settings.
1.5 Chapter outline
Chapter 2 provides an overview of code-switching and relevant literature linked to its use. In
chapter 3, the term “translanguaging” is introduced and the literature discussed in this chapter
reviews its origin, its roles in bi/multilingual contexts and how it is used within the educational
setting, particularly in South Africa. Chapter 4 sets out the methodology used in order to answer
the research question above. In chapter 5, the data is presented and analysed. Chapter 6
concludes this study by discussing the findings, referring to the implications for education in
general and presenting suggestions for further research.
5
CHAPTER 2
CODE-SWITCHING
2.1 Introduction
A significant number of sociolinguistic research projects in the field of second language studies
focus on code-switching in bi/multilingual communities, particularly within the educational
settings of such communities. These research projects identify two major approaches in their
studies of code-switching: the sociolinguistic approach is to be distinguished from the
grammatical approach, which aims at establishing the syntactic and morphological
characteristics of the constructions being code-switched. The former approach focuses on the
role played by social factors, such as context and speakers’ role relationship. It is important to
note that these approaches are complementary to each other to such an extent that the
grammatical approach identifies the structural features of morphosyntactic patterns embedded
within code-switching grammar, while the sociolinguistic approach builds upon this
framework in explaining why code-switching is viewed as a discourse phenomenon, creating
social meaning in bilingual communication.
Among earlier research examining the role of social factors in code-switching is the work of
Blom and Gumperz (1972), which distinguished between metaphorical and situational code-
switching. The study focused on the two linguistic codes, Bokmal and Ranamal, as used in
Hemnesberget, Norway. Situational code-switching is a result of speakers’ perceptions of one
another’s rights and obligations. This type of code-switching holds that, within a particular
social setting, some linguistic forms may be more appropriate than others. Teachers, for
instance, report that lectures are delivered in the standard Bokmal, while general discussions
in class are performed in the regional Ranamal. On the other hand, metaphorical code-
switching occurs when using two linguistic varieties within a single social setting (Blom and
Gumperz 1972:409). Observations revealed that within a community administrative office,
interactions between clerks and residents showed that greetings took place in the local dialect,
but changed to the standard language when business was conducted.
One of the most influential research studies focusing on the role of social factors in code-
switching, originated from the work done by Myers-Scotton (1993). In order to explain social
6
motivations for code-switching, Myers-Scotton (1993) proposed the Markedness Model. Since
this present study is in part informed by Myers-Scotton’s (1993) Markedness Model the theory
will be discussed in detail here.
Myers-Scotton’s (1993) Markedness Model, which is modeled on Grice’s (1975) co-operative

principle, introduces a “negotiation principle” (Myers-Scotton 1993:113) which underlies all
code choices in the context of code-switching. This negotiation principle concerns the choice
of a linguistic variety in relation to a set of rights and obligations which the speaker expects to
be in place in that particular conversation (Myers-Scotton 1993:113). The term markedness,
according to Myers-Scotton (1998:4), is related to the choice of one linguistic variety over
other possible varieties. The markedness evaluator, therefore, allows a language user to (i)
recognize a continuum of linguistic varieties and (ii) understand that language users will react
differently to marked vs unmarked choices. An unmarked choice is a reference to what
community norms would predict, and what community norms would not predict, is marked
(Myers-Scotton 1998:5). Socially appropriate rights and obligation (RO) sets can be linked to
speaker motivations, which in turn can explain the linguistic choice. Speakers, therefore, can
choose and switch codes to index the different RO sets. As a result, language users are enabled
to design their conversations to be in line with what is expected from the addressees, and they
can also base their linguistic patterns on the linguistic choice of a specific social group (Myers-
Scotton 1998:5).
The Markedness Model further states that speakers have the ability to select the linguistic code
they wish to use based on the context of their linguistic interaction, i.e. the addressees. The
normative basis within the community allows for speakers to know the consequences of making
marked choices (Myers-Scotton 1993:75). Speakers can also make these choices intentionally
with particular social aims in mind. Myers-Scotton (1998:19) states that a speaker will choose
a specific linguistic code with the expectation that the addressee will recognize the choice with
a particular intention. The speaker’s objective would be to enhance the rewards and minimize
the costs of that particular choice. Very often speakers need to use a combination of choices
and assess all available evidence in order to come up with the best strategy for the specific
interaction (Myers-Scotton 1998:20).
7
2.2 The markedness of codes
Any competent user of a language has the ability to assess the acceptability of a given social
context (Myers-Scotton 1993:79). In addition, the Markedness Model includes a markedness
metric which assists speakers in deciding whether the code choice is marked or unmarked for
the context in which the speaker interacts (Myers-Scotton 1993:79-80). In essence, the metric
is a universal feature, since all code choices are viewed in relation to their markedness.
However, the markedness of a specific code choice is only valid in the social context of a
particular community (Myers-Scotton 1993:80).
2.3 Types of code-switching
Markedness, as an organizing device, accounts for all types of code-switching and their social
motivations as one of four complementary types (Myers-Scotton 1993:113). The Markedness
Model has its base firmly rooted in the negotiation principle as well as the maxims which follow
from the principle. These maxims are (i) the unmarked-choice maxim (ii) the marked-choice
maxim and (iii) the exploratory-choice maxim. The virtuosity maxim and the deference maxim
are two auxiliary maxims to the unmarked-choice maxim which direct the speaker to a
seemingly unmarked choice (Myers-Scotton 1993:113). Code-switching, which arises from the
application of one of these maxims, may then be classified as one of four related types namely,
(i) code-switching as a marked choice, (ii) code-switching itself as an unmarked choice, (iii)
code-switching as a sequence of unmarked choices and, (iv) code-switching as an exploratory
choice (Myers-Scotton 1993:113).
2.4 Code-switching as an unmarked choice
When the unmarked-choice maxim is applied, the speaker is directed in the following manner.
The speaker decides on a code choice according to the unmarked index of the unmarked RO
set in a particular speech exchange when he/she wishes to establish or affirm the RO set
(Myers-Scotton 1993:114). The two types of code-switching resulting from the unmarked-
choice maxim are code-switching as a sequence of unmarked choices and code-switching itself
as the unmarked choice. Both these types of code-switching occur under different situations,
but they have related motivations. When unmarked code-switching occurs during a
conversation, the situational factors remain unchanged. However, the presence thereof depends
8
more on the participants’ attitudes toward themselves as well as the social attributes which are
indexed by the codes and their alternation. In both cases, though, code-switching is the
unmarked choice for the unmarked RO set, given the participants and other situational facts.
2.4.1 Sequential unmarked code-switching
When some of the situational factors change as the conversation progresses, the unmarked RO
set may change (Myers-Scotton 1993:114). The unmarked RO set changes when the
composition of the participants making up a conversation changes, or whenever the topic
changes. When the unmarked RO set is changed by such factors, the speaker will switch codes
if he/she wishes to index the new RO set. When the speaker makes the unmarked choice, he/she
is accepting the status quo and acknowledging the indexical quality of the unmarked code
(Myers-Scotton 1993:114). The model predicts that speakers normally will choose to accept or
negotiate the new RO set, and this prediction is motivated by a number of factors, the most
important one being the costs/rewards model (Myers-Scotton 1993:115). The switch in the
markedness of RO sets, which trigger sequential unmarked code-switching, is external, but the
emphasis should still be on the speaker who has the choice to respond to this switch. It should
therefore be indicated that the change in codes is speaker-motivated and not necessarily driven
by the situation.
Myers-Scotton (1993:116) explains sequential unmarked code-switching by referring to a

conversation in an office where two colleagues are having a conversation. While both English
and Swahili are the unmarked choices for both speakers, they address each other in English.
However, when one of the gentlemen addresses his secretary, the unmarked choice code is
Swahili. The speaker switches from one language to another as the person addressed changes
(Myers-Scotton 1993:116).
2.4.2 Code-switching itself as the unmarked choice
In many bi/multilingual communities speakers make use of two languages within the same
conversation, thus following the unmarked choice maxim for such speakers (Myers-Scotton
1993:117). Among urban Africans, switching between the official and indigenous languages is
the preferred unmarked choice in various interaction types, as is the case elsewhere in the
world, but is not particularly true of all communities (Myers-Scotton 1993:117). This type of
9
code-switching differs from the other types in that there is no special indexicality for every
switch in unmarked code-switching but that communicative intent is carried by the overall
pattern (Myers-Scotton 1993:117).
2.4.3 Code-switching as a marked choice
Instead of following the unmarked choice maxim, the speaker takes a different path and
“disidentifies” with the expected RO set (Myers-Scotton 1993:131). Myers-Scotton (1993:131)
states that a speaker makes a marked choice which is not the unmarked index of the unmarked
RO set in an exchange, when he/she wishes to establish a new RO set which is unmarked for
that interaction.
2.4.4 Code-switching as an exploratory choice
Code-switching may also be employed when speakers themselves are not sure of the
communicative intent. The exploratory choice maxim (Myers-Scotton 1993:142) states that
when the unmarked choice is not clear, speakers would use code-switching to make alternate
exploratory choices in order to establish an unmarked choice as an index of an RO set favoured
by them. Although this type of code-switching does not occur very frequently, some of the
reasons for its occurrence are discussed by Myers-Scotton (1993:142):
(i) A clash of norms – a conversation between a brother and sister, but not at home.
(ii) When it is not clear which norms apply – When little is known about the social
identity of a new acquaintance.
It should be noted that the Markedness Model is in operation within Myers-Scotton’s Matrix
Language Frame Theory (1993), which indicates that bilingual speakers alternate between the
Matrix Language (ML) (the more frequently-used language) and an Embedded Language (EL).
The ML, most commonly, is seen as the unmarked choice in an everyday conversation.
2.5 Code-Switching in South African educational contexts
Within the South Africa context, with its eleven official languages, a phenomenon like code-
switching is a natural consequence of communication in communities which allow for speakers
with different native languages. Sociolinguistic researchers of various disciplines have
10
therefore been prompted to investigate these bi/multilingual communication strategies the

speakers apply in order to be effective. Code-switching, as one of these strategies, became a
focal point for many researchers, who particularly turned their attention to linguistic activities
associated with the educational set-up. The studies of two South African researchers whose
investigations focused on Afrikaans-English code-switching have relevance here. Uys (2010)
investigated Afrikaans-English code-switching among teachers and learners in the Northern
Cape, and found that teachers made use of code-switching for academic reasons (clarify,
explaining), for social reasons (maintaining social relationships) and for classroom
management (reprimanding). Rose (2006) on the other hand, investigated Afrikaans-English
code-switching at an all-girl, former white “Model C” high school in the Western Cape, where
code-switching functions included better self-explanation, to express oneself differently and to
be accommodating towards others using a different language. This present study was informed
by the work done by these researchers, particularly referring to the range of code-switching
functions revealed.
Although Myers-Scotton’s (1993) Markedness Model serves as a foundation on which many

research projects focusing on code-switching are built, there are a number of researchers,
among them Auer (1995), who challenge certain aspects of the Markedness Model. Auer
(1995:132) is of the opinion that there is a sequential arrangement of language choice in a
conversation and that the meanings provided for code-switching should be considered
according to conversational context. He produced a “theory of code-alternation” in which he
noted patterns that serve to negotiate language choice between interlocutors, and where one
language is inserted into the other within turns. Auer (1995:124-126) further notes that an
“unmarked” (base) language may be in use in a given conversation but that the interlocutors
sometimes allow for changes to the “unmarked” language. This means that the determination
of the “unmarked code” is not possible. Auer (1995) further challenges the Markedness Model
in that it attaches socio-pragmatic information to the marked/unmarked character of each
language. He argues that a switch itself, regardless to or from which language, is significant,
apart from the socio-pragmatic information attached to a certain language (Auer 1995:119-
120). In a given bilingual community, according to Auer (1995:124-126), one language may
be perceived as being the “base language” or ML in one conversation, but in another
conversation in the same community, the other language appears to be the ML.
11
Following their research into code-switching patterns of a typical multilingual community in

the Gauteng Province, Finlayson and Slabbert (1997:131) identified the most prominent
function assigned to code-switching in the complex, urban context, to be the accommodation
of the addressee. The interpretation of the accommodation function within the Markedness
Model of Myers-Scotton (1993), according to Finlayson and Slabbert (1997:131), is deemed
problematic with regards to expectedness and social distance. In order to explain their
“awareness of what the addressee prefers”, Finlayson and Slabbert (1997) cite the work of
Giles and Smith (1979:46) who call it “the process whereby individuals shift their speech styles
to become more like those with whom they are interacting”. Such an action on the part of the
speaker would correspond with an expected obligation, an unmarked RO set. Furthermore, as
argued by Finlayson and Slabbert (1997:131), when seen as a single code, switching to the
preferred code of your addressee, in most cases his/her first language, would normally be
interpreted as decreasing the social distance between participant, or a marked choice. Finlayson
and Slabbert (1997:132) quote Myers-Scotton herself (1993:147), conceding that the use of
code-switching as a deferential strategy is a violation of the unmarked choice maxim, and is
interpreted as unmarked code-switching. The awareness of what the addressee prefers carries
strong undertones of a deferential strategy, Finlayson and Slabbert (1997:132).
Kieswetter (1995) conducted an investigation into code-switching among African high school
learners in Soweto, KaNgwane and Johannesburg. Kieswetter (1995:96), noted that these
learners manipulated their speech patterns by switching codes during conversations. In the
Soweto school, the conversations of learners display an overall pattern of code mixing as the
unmarked choice, and the dominant language is isiZulu. The learners at the KaNgwane school
use an overall pattern of isiZulu and Swazi as the unmarked choice for their conversations.
Learners at the English Model C school in Johannesburg code-switch between English and
isiZulu, their mother tongue, and this communication serves as the unmarked choice. The
difference in the overall patterns of conversation among the three schools, indicate the code-
switching, rather than code mixing, carries the social meaning (Kieswetter 1995:95).
Kieswetter (1995:22) states that code-switching as a linguistic tool can reinforce and negotiate
social factors such as identity, social positions, interpersonal relationships and solidarity.
Adendorff (1993) investigated code-switching among Zulu-speaking learners and teachers, and
particularly focused on the functions and implications of code-switching. While observing a
lesson where a teacher introduced the poem “Death be not proud” to a class of native Zulu-
12
speaking learners, Adendorff became aware of a number of hampering factors within the
classroom setting: it was the learners first experience with the poem; the overcrowded
classroom accommodated more than sixty learners; a large number of learners appeared
inattentive and disrupting and, lastly, the English code proved difficult to understand. During
the discussions, Adendorff (1993:9) noted the first switch to Zulu in the following line:
(1) When we are asleep, we dream and

yonke into oyiphuphayo
(“all we dream about is recorded in our minds”)
This is followed by laughter and general discussion by learners. The switch to Zulu did not add
any semantic value to the content, according to Adendorff (1993:9), but reinforced the
likelihood that the Zulu words are significant in stimulating discussion and group identity.
During further discussions in the same lesson, another function of switching codes was
identified, namely the language of provocation. The teacher switches to Zulu, provoking the
learners with the question:
(2) Sikhonaisihogo?
(“Is there hell at all?”)
Adendorff (1993) argues that this switch to Zulu has reached everyone in class and therefore
facilitates the teacher’s accomplishment, enabling him to clarify information and involve
learners through provocation.
Many useful and encouraging examples of code-switching within the classroom context, like
the example discussed by Adendorff (1993:9), have also been reported by researchers in the
Southern African region. In the next section, particular reference will be made to code-
switching in Mozambican bi/lingual educational programmes and classroom interference in
Botswana Primary schools.
2.6 Code-switching in the Southern African educational contexts
The research done by Chimbutane (2013) focuses mainly on the use of L1 within second and
foreign language contexts and, with particular reference to L2 learning and L2 medium learning
13
contexts, states that the use of multi/lingual resources in interaction in classroom settings is
often frowned upon (Chimbutane 2013:314). In advancing this argument, Cook (2001) and
Macaro (2001), quoted by Chimbutane (2013:314), discuss the two different perceptions on
code-switching in these contexts: those opposing code-switching, referring to the use of L1 as
interfering in developing the target language, which can be seen as justification for banning L1
from L2 monolingual programmes. In contrast, those who favour the use of code-switching
point out that L1 involvement can increase pupils’ openness to learning the L2 and, in addition,
can facilitate communication since it reduces the degree of language challenge and cultural
shock (Cook 2001; Macaro 2001,2006) cited by Chimbutane (2013:314). When referring to
research literature on interaction in multilingual classrooms, Chimbutane (2013:315) argues
that the use of multilingual resources in teaching and learning is a communicative and
pedagogical strategy that can aid learners’ target language comprehension. The three main
positions about the use of L1 within the L2 classrooms range from total exclusion of L1 on the
one hand to its optimal use on the other (Cook 2001; Macaro 2001, 2009; Turnbull 2001) as
quoted by Chimbutane (2013:315). This “optimal use” is where code-switching in broadly
communicative classrooms can enhance second language acquisition and/or proficiency better
than second language exclusively, and, in addition, presupposes a principled use of L1 in these
learning contexts (Macaro 2009:30), as quoted by Chimbutane (2013:316).
In an ethnographic study conducted by Arthur (1996), who investigated the classroom

interaction between teachers and pupils in two Botswana primary schools, the focus is on the
prestigious position held by English in language education and the consequential
marginalization of Setswana and other indigenous languages in Botswana schools. During the
first four years of primary education in Botswana, children receive education through
Setswana, the national language after Setswana, and other indigenous languages play no
official role in classroom interaction (Arthur 1996:17). After standard four, English is the
language of education and the only officially approved classroom language, and one of the
ground rules of classroom discourse in the classes observed, is that pupils avoided switching
from English to Setswana in the sequences of participant-related code-switches observed by
Arthur (1996:17 and 18). These communication interactions in class, where only teachers have
access to Setswana, have been referred to as an institutionalized phenomenon of recitation
routines (Arthur 1996:18), derived from conventions imposed during colonial rule, which
required the use of a foreign language as medium of instruction. In order to achieve effective
learning and teaching outcomes and promote adequate classroom interactions, Arthur
14
(1996:18) explores the switching from English to Setswana in these classrooms, which offers
insight into teacher-pupil collusion in a face-saving effort.
The teachers observed in the study by Arthur (1996) are ambivalent in their perceptions of
code-switching, since adhering to the language policy implies the exclusive use of English in
classrooms, whereas their personal and professional instincts lead them to code-switch in
response to pupils’ communicative needs (Arthur 1996:21). Teachers would therefore use
discourse-related code-switching to contextualize or give encouragement or to praise (Arthur
1996:21), and this enables them to refine their explanations conveyed to the pupils. The
switches from English to Setswana are confirmed in the use of tag questions, like ga ke ra
(“isn’t it?”) and the use of expressions of solidarity like Buela go godimo tsala ya me (“stand
up my friend”) (Arthur 1996:21). The aim of the switches by teachers is to facilitate the English
contributions by pupils (Arthur 1996:21).
In conclusion, Arthur (1996:21) argues that the unequal access to English, where teachers
display a higher level of competence, is a constraining factor which places pupils in a minor
role during classroom interactions. Throughout the interactions observed in the Botswana
primary schools, Arthur (1996:29) states that it is the combination of routinized teacher-
dominated performances and the use of English-medium instruction that severely hampers the
pursuit of more challenging and culturally congruent interaction with the curriculum.
The literature on code-switching discussed in this chapter shows that the challenges
experienced in the target language can be overcome through the implementation of knowledge
from the individual’s primary language. Switching to the L1 is an attempt to enhance
understanding and this gives rise to a situation where bi/multilingual speakers shift between
languages to optimize meaning making in the bi/multilingual communication set-up. A
discussion on translanguaging will be dealt with extensively in the next chapter.
15
CHAPTER 3
TRANSLANGUAGING
3.1 Introduction
While code-switching, in essence, is reference to a bilingual-mode activity where two linguistic

varieties are used in alternation, and where, typically, the speaker switches between his/her
native language (L1) and second language (L2), translanguaging, according to Lewis, Jones &
Baker (2011:641), is defined as the process of making meaning, shaping experiences and
gaining deeper understandings and knowledge of the languages in use. The difference in the
notions of code-switching and translanguaging, according to Garcia and Wei (2014:22), is that
translanguaging is not merely a shift or shuttle between two languages, but refers to the
speaker’s construction and use of original and complex inter-related discursive practices that
cannot be easily assigned to one or another traditional definition of a language, but that make
up the speaker’s complete language repertoire.
Within the context of bi/multilingual research, a fairly new trend of examining the shuttling
between languages, thereby treating multiple linguistic entities as one integrated system, has
emerged. According to Garcia and Wei (2014:22) translanguaging practices are not here seen
as marked or unusual, but rather taken for what they are, namely the normal mode of
communication. Creese and Blackledge (2010), cited by Garcia and Wei (2014:92) in
reference to translanguaging as a pedagogy, state that both languages are needed
simultaneously to convey the information, each language is used to convey a different
informational message, but it is in the bilingualism of the text that the full message is conveyed.
This chapter has as its aim the discussion of the origin and development of translanguaging and
its application within the educational set-up in South Africa.
3.2 Historical overview
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, a number of European societies, headed by the British
Empire, established colonies throughout the developing world, which brought about conquered
minorities – communities where educational failure could be directly linked to members
16
playing an inferior role in the context of the politics of the day. Consequently, a powerful social
class of English speakers emerged from these indigenous peoples, as a result of them being
taught in English. It was then that leading first world countries, notably the United Kingdom
and the United States of America (USA), began to grasp the importance and mutual benefit of
education for all in order to ensure prosperity as industrialized nations. It became necessary,
according to Garcia and Wei (2014:85), for a country like the USA to educate the many
immigrants coming into the country, as well as the indigenous peoples living there. In order to
keep the tradition of an elite monolingual educational system, English was forcefully imposed
on these non-native English speakers, creating a monolingual nation state.
It was only towards the second half of the twentieth century, during the world-wide ethnic
revival of the 1960’s, that the shift from strictly monolingual schools to more a bilingual
orientation took shape. The relationship between empire and colonies changed, according to
Garcia and Wei (2014:85), and gave rise to many nation states acknowledging their
multilingualism.
The growing awareness around translanguaging surfaced in the 1980’s, stemming from the
linguistic dilemma facing Welsh schools with their parallel monolingualisms, Welsh and
English. Lewis et al (2011:642) noted that this challenge was about the English language
dominance and the Welsh language endangerment, and that this “language struggle” ensured
the revitalization of the Welsh language. Consequently, the opportunities for a bilingual set-up
became a reality, despite the negative views of bilingualism held by learners, educators and
researchers in the past. Lewis et al. (2011:642) cite the studies of Saer (1922, 1923), who found
that bilingualism caused mental confusion, and Peal and Lambert (1962), who showed a few
cognitive rewards for being bilingual. The more important positive side however, as noted by
Lewis et al. (2011:642), was the idea of Welsh and English being seen as holistic, additive and
advantageous, allowing for the emergence of translanguaging to develop within the educational
context. Recent neurolinguistic studies (Thierry and Wu 2007, cited in Lewis et al 2011:643)
show that both languages remain active when just one of them is being used and can easily be
accessed by the bilingual speaker. This is reflected by the idea that bilingual children use both
their languages in order to maximize understanding and performance at home, street and school
(Lewis et al. 2011:643).
17
3.3 The development of translanguaging within schools
Translanguaging therefore originated in an educational set-up and was first elucidated by the
Welsh educationist, Cen Williams, to refer to a pedagogical practice where you receive
information through the medium of one language and use it yourself through the medium of
the other language (Lewis et al. 2011:644). With the emphasis on translanguaging in the
classroom, Williams (2003), cited by Lewis et al. (2011:644), suggests that translanguaging
often uses the stronger language to develop the weaker language, thereby contributing towards
a potentially balanced development of a child’s two languages. This translates into a strategy
for retaining and developing bilingualism rather than the initial teaching of a second language
(Lewis et al. 2011:644), as was the case in the USA, where priority was placed an acquiring a
second language for educational purposes.
The conceptualization of translanguaging was further developed when Lewis et al. (2011:645)
identified four potential advantages of translanguaging within the school set-up:
- Translanguaging promotes a deeper and fuller understanding of the subject matter.
When taking into account that further learning is based on stretching pre-existing knowledge
and that cross-linguistic transfer is enabled through the interdependence of two languages
(Cummins 2008, cited in Lewis et al 2011:645), translanguaging can be successfully employed.
Lewis et al (2011:645) states that to read and discuss a topic in one language and then to write
about it in another language, means that the subject matter has to be processed and ‘digested’.
- Translanguaging improves the development of the weaker language.
When developing oral communication and literacy levels, students are prevented from using
the stronger language to complete the main part of their work, thus developing academic
language skills in both languages.
- Translanguaging facilitates home-school links and co-operation.
Children receiving education in a second language have to reprocess the content to gain deeper
understanding and to place less strain on learning. These mental activities allow for children to
18
discuss what has been learnt in the second language with caregivers at home in the other
language.
- Translanguaging facilitates the integration of fluent L1 speakers and L2 speakers at

various levels of attainment.
When both languages are used strategically and sensitively, the development of subject content
and the second language could take place at the same time.
3.4 Translanguaging in the bilingual educational context
In this section, an examination of translanguaging within a bilingual educational context is

considered.
3.4.1 Bilingualism through language separation vs. flexible approaches to pedagogy
Bilingual education can broadly be captured by Cummins’s (2008, cited by Creese and
Blackledge 2010:103), definition: “the use of two (or more) languages of instruction at some
point in a student’s school career”. The educational perspective on bilingualism has undergone
a significant change, over the years, from the two solitudes assumption (Cummins 2008, cited
by Creese and Blackledge 2010:103), where the two languages are treated separately and
independently from one another, to the innovative and rather recent approach that questions
the validity of boundaries around languages. Quite a number of studies focusing on linguistic
practices at bi/multilingual educational institutes lean towards the latter approach, which
creates opportunities for cross-language transfer. Creese and Blackledge (2010:106) cite the
research by Anderson (2008), who calls for flexible approaches to pedagogy that do not fit into
existing paradigms, Lia and Martin (2005) who have argued for more multilingual and
curriculum research and Arthur and Martin (2006), who mentioned the pedagogic validity of
code-switching.
In a historical sense, language separation had been the strategy used in bilingual classrooms.
Cummins (2005, cited by Creese and Blackledge 2010:105), explains this prevalence of
monolingual instruction by identifying three assumptions underlying this approach:
19
- Instruction is carried out exclusively in the target language without support from the
L1.
- Teaching does not allow for translation between L1 and L2.
- Within L2 immersion and bilingual language programme, the two languages are kept
separate.
These assumptions support the research of Heller (1999, cited by Creese and Blackledge
2010:105), who suggested the term parallel monolingualism, where students learn to become
bilingual in particular ways and that these constructions of bilingualism advantage particular
groups of students. Still referring to the monolingual instructional approach, Creese and
Blackledge (2010:105) note the terms bilingualism through monolingualism; separate
bilingualism and two monolinguals in one body used by Swain (1983), Creese and Blackledge
(2008) and Gravelle (1996) respectively – terms describing the boundaries erected around
languages. These studies mentioned here emphasize the avoidance of movement across the
languages and the absence of notions like code switching and language mixing.
The linguistic diversity of bilingual classrooms, however, calls for an approach that would
consider the development of new languages alongside the development of existing languages
(van Lier 2008, cited by Creese and Blackledge 2010:104). This ecological approach is
reference to the study of diversity within specific socio-political settings in which the processes
of language use create, reflect and challenge particular hierarchies and hegemonies, however
transient these might be (Creese and Blackledge 2010:104). Instead of developing language
policies attempting to hermetically seal languages, Makoni and Mashiri (2007, cited by Creese
and Blackledge 2010:106) suggest the use of vernaculars that leak into one another to
understand the social realities of their users. One example of a pedagogy that explicitly seeks
to develop bilingual strategies based on ecological perspectives, is the study of Hornberger
(2005, cited by Creese and Blackledge 2010:106), which suggests that bi/ multilinguals’
learning is maximized when they are allowed and enabled to draw from across all their existing
language skills (in two + languages), rather than being constrained and inhibited from doing so
by monolingual instructional assumptions and practices.
In summarizing their views around bilingual education, Creese and Blackledge (2010:112)
argue for flexible bilingualism as pedagogic strategy that links learners’ cultural, social and
20
linguistic domains. This flexible bilingual approach is evident in the linguistic practices of
classroom participants investigated by Creese and Blackledge (2010:112-113):
- The use of translation across the existing languages

- Being able to engage audiences through translanguaging
- The use of students translanguaging to establish identity positions
- The recognition that all languages are needed to convey and negotiate meaning
- Recognizing that simultaneous literacies keep the pedagogic taste moving
- The use of languages for different functional goals such as narration and explanation
- The use of translanguaging for annotating text in order to provide greater access to the
curriculum.
3.4.2 Linear Bilingualism vs. Dynamic Bilingualism
The notion of fixed first languages and autonomous second languages is a monoglossic
ideology held in relation to multilingualism (Garcia 2014:108), which has shaped our
understanding of bilingualism as linear, either subtractive or additive (Lambert 1974, cited by
Garcia 2014:102). The former term is reference to students forced to shift to a majority
language, whereas additive bilingualism, the more popular approach in the field of second
language education, refers to one language being added to another in a linear fashion (Garcia
2014:102). In opposing this view, Garcia (2014:109) states that bilingualism is not additive and
linear, but dynamic, and that dynamic bilingualism be defined as the development of different
language practices to varying degrees in order to interact with increasingly multilingual
communities (Garcia and Kleifgan 2010, cited by Garcia 2014:109), suggesting that the
languaging of all bilinguals is complex and interrelated and does not emerge in a linear way. If
language education programmes are able to conform to the superdiverse multilingual
communities we live in, Garcia (2014:112) foresees that second languages would not be taught
in isolation from first language, but that the combination of language and literacy practices that
make up this superdiversity would lead to different language education programmes and
language use expectations that would focus on students’ full linguistic repertoires, and their
dynamic language practices. Garcia (2014:113) concludes this discussion by stating that
translanguaging is the rooted belief that bilinguals and multilinguals select features and co-
construct or soft-assemble their language practices from a variety of relational contexts in ways
21
that fit their communicative needs; that one language and then the other does not exist prior to
or independently of the task content.
These relatively new ways of understanding the dynamics of bilingualism and multilingualism,
particularly within the classroom context, are creating alternative opportunities for language
learning and teaching, and that this translanguaging approach, according to Creese and
Blackledge (2010), as stated by Garcia (2014:112), is increasingly used to sustain the dynamic
languaging of students. The following section will address the multilingual context of
education in South Africa in relation to the provisions made by law.
3.5 Multilingual Education and Language Policy in South Africa
South Africa has an education system which provides for eleven home languages during
children’s first three years of schooling, yet, despite efforts to advance students’ achievement
through multilingual education, recent research showed the declining student achievement
figures (Heugh 2013:215).
The government policies which allow for multilingualism as language policy in the educational
sector do not realize in practice, instead, policy was implemented through an assimilitory drive
towards English (Alexander and Heugh 1999), as stated by Heugh (2013:215). A number of
scholars involved in multilingual educational research, amongst them Stroud and Heugh
(2011), have identified a disjuncture between multilingualism as contemporary education
policy and the multilingual reality of students (Heugh 2013:215). This reality can be attributed
to the different constructions of multilingualism in education policy in relation to
sociolinguistic and educational linguistic considerations and also the contradictory
interpretations of multilingual education in a series of education policy documents. (Heugh
2013:215).
Since the inception of a new, human rights-based democratic dispensation after 1994, the South
African government drove towards an equitable socio-economic order which included the
development and promotion of multilingualism. A national Language Plan Task Group
(LANGTAG), who operated under the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology
(DACST), was tasked to employ linguists, sociolinguists and applied linguists to map out a
new orientation towards multilingualism (DACST 1996), as outlined by Heugh (2013:216).
22
Two distinctive policy documents, introduced to discuss and education policy based on the
principles of equal access, provision and respect for languages, came into being: one for
language (Department of Education [DoE], 1997a) and one for new curriculum policy
(Department of Education [DoE] 1997b), (Heugh 2013:216). It was this language-in-education
policy (DoE 1997a), according to Heugh (2013:216), that gave rise to three iterations of new
curriculum and assessment policy between 1997 and 2012: Curriculum 2005 (DoE 1997a), the
Revised National Curriculum Statement (DoE 2002) and the Curriculum and Assessment
Policy Statement (CAPS) (DBE 2011a).
The nature of South Africa’s linguistic diversity can be traced to its colonial history which saw
colonial migrants competing against indigenous peoples with regards to educational interests.
The government’s education policy, therefore, became an area of contestation, particularly
since 1953, when a segregationist paradigm was embraced by authorities (Heugh 2013: 216),
and certain areas of contestation were identified:
- During the first era, which spanned from 1955 to 1976, ethnolinguistic groups were
kept separate from one another through an education policy which used the mother
tongue as medium of instruction throughout primary school (Stroud and Heugh 2004,
cited by Heugh 2013:217). It has been argued that the Apartheid government’s use of
missionary groups to administer education has led to flawed constructions of African
languages (Heugh 2013:217), thereby enforcing mother tongue education as
representative of the Apartheid ideology.
- A second area of contestation dealt with English being prioritized as language of

education after the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1901) and the consequential resistance from
the white Dutch (Afrikaans) speaking communities, attempting to limit opportunities
for access to English (for Africans) through education (Heugh 2013:217). Between
1955 and 1976, Afrikaans was forcefully imposed as medium of instruction for half of
the African-speaking students’ subjects taken at high school, effectively minimizing the
use of English. The result of Afrikaans, seen as the language of the oppressor, being
part of the African language- speaking students’ curriculum in high school, was one of
the foremost reasons that culminated in the 1976 Soweto uprisings, which, in itself, was
a turning point in the history of language education in South Africa. Apart from their
rejection of Afrikaans as language of learning and teaching, the African resistance
23
against Apartheid education policies in the late 1970’s is also associated with a rejection
of mother tongue education (in upper primary years) and a strong aspiration towards
English (Alexander and Heugh 1999), as stated by Heugh (2013:217).
The constitutional negotiations of the early nineties brought three ideologies, concerning
language, for discussion (Heugh 2013:217):
- A segregationist approach, where the ethnolinguistic rights of each group would be

protected
- An assimilation-to-English approach which advanced the view of English as a language
providing global access to its users
- A third approach that would focus on the functional use of multilingual systems of
communication.
The negotiations resulted in government opting for a combination of the first two approaches:
a segregationist view of languages as separate entities combined with a gradual assimilation to
English (Alexander and Heugh 1999) as quoted by Heugh (2013:217). What transpired from
these negotiations, was that multilingualism, within the educational context at least, be viewed
as multiple forms of monolinguals, or parallel or separate systems (Heugh 2003), as was stated
by Heugh (2013:217). The emphasis was on support for African languages up to the third year
of the African- speaking students’ schooling, according to Heugh (2013:218), after which
students were to be led via the curriculum towards a switch from home language to English
medium education, thus implementing both separatist and assimilation trajectories.
3.6 Translanguaging practices in South Africa
Having examined the general literature on translanguaging, as well as having provided

background on the language policy that governs multilingual education in South Africa, this
section now examines literature on translanguaging practices in South Africa.
3.6.1 Introduction
The multilingual character of the South African society provides a catalytic blanket of
opportunity for the development of translanguaging practices. Since the inception of
24
democracy and the consequential freedom of movement in the early 1990s, black South African
townships, specifically, have become culturally and linguistically diverse residential areas,
accommodating people from different backgrounds, who had been kept apart by policies from
the previous regime. These newly-formed multicultural and multilingual communities in South
Africa have become what Makalela (2013:112), when citing Blommaert (2010) and Mignolo
(2000), calls “a microcosm of superdiversity with spatiotemporal complexes that define global
movement in the 21st century”. Within the multilingual contexts of these societies, hybrid
language forms develop and become an accepted means of communication for these diverse
language users. Towards 2000 and beyond, black township dwellers, despite their diverse
backgrounds, could find common ground when communicating by using these hybrid forms of
language. Makalela (2013:112) refers to these township dwellings as “ekasi”, which have
become “new site(s) of linguistic contact between linguistic communities that were separated
from one another during the apartheid era”. This means of township communication, or kasi-
taal, according to Makalela (2013:112), is not a form of behaviour, but rather wants to
“emphasize weakening boundaries between languages in space...”, the argument being that the
complex rules and norms associated with kasi-taal practices disregard the boundaries of the
monolingual structures that had been in existence previously. Makalela (2013:123) concludes
that the multilingual nature of the townships around Johannesburg is experienced through the
fluid, mobile and flexible ways of language use that transcends traditional African language
boundaries, making designations such as “mother tongue” seem irrelevant to the individuals
from the locations who favour the hybrid language form (kasi-taal), which involves a
confluence of Afrikaans, English, Nguni and Sotho languages.
Another hybrid language form, a South African township argot which is used mainly, but not
exclusively, by Black males in urban centres, is referred to as Flaaitaal/Tsotsitaal (Makhudu
2002:398). According to Makhudu (2002:398) the origins of Flaaitaal/Tsotsitaal can be traced
back to the late 1800’s, when the discovery of minerals on the Reef lured not only the
indigenous peoples of South Africa, but also a huge variety of Europeans, who among
themselves, were speaking all the major languages used in Europe, like English, French, Dutch
and German. Given this multilingual context in the densely populated mining areas of
Johannesburg and elsewhere in South Africa, Makhudu (2002:398) argues that Flaaitaal may
thus have arisen as a “mixed” language on account of Bantu and/or Khoesan-speaking people
attempting to express themselves through one or more of the Indo-European languages that
they encountered. The reason why females are excluded from using Flaaitaal, lies in
25
Makhudu’s (2002:399) argument that the male hostels, accommodating miners for long periods
of time, “would largely exclude women and include the world of work and prison”. One
specific use of Flaaitaal was to denote resistance or defiance, like the commonly used cry of
resistance against the infamous Group Areas Act (1957): Ons dak nie, ons phola hier (literally
meaning ‘we won’t move, we’re staying’) (Makhudu 2002:401). This sentence displays the
interweaving of grammar and lexis of the dispossessor – dak from Afrikaans slang nak (to
leave), or from the English duck(v.) and phola from Zulu ukuphola, which means ‘to be cool,
to sit down and reflect’ (Makhudu 2002:401).
One notable characteristic of Flaaitaal is the inclusion of Afrikaans within its structures.
Makhudu (2002:401) cites a personal conversation with Don Mattera (an African poet) where
it became evident that “coloured male speakers employ a variety of Flaaitaal and have, over
the years, contributed to the association of Flaaitaal with Afrikaans”. With reference to
Tsotsitaal, also known as Iscamto, Slabbert and Myers-Scotton (1996) noted that “prison gangs
are among the socially based groups that have been associated with their use”. Shuring (1985),
cited by Slabbert and Myers-Scotton (1996), attributes the use of Afrikaans to the fact that
some of the leaders of these gangs were Coloured people “who are typically Afrikaans first-
language speakers”. Ntshangase (1995), according to Slabbert and Myers-Scotton (1996),
ascribes the Afrikaans base to the fact that many Africans who moved to the city came from
white farms, and they knew Afrikaans. The use of Afrikaans as medium of instruction in
schools prior to the advent of democracy could be added as another reason for Afrikaans being
used as part of the discursive practices around many communities.
3.6.2 Translanguaging within the South African educational context
The South African education system has language-in-education policies in place which favour
the multilingual context of language practitioners in the educational sphere. These speakers are
allowed to pull from an extended pool of available multiple discursive practices to advance the
particular linguistic aims they have in mind. In a study conducted at the University of the
Witwatersrand, Makalela (2013:114) observed the dialogues of 20 second year education
students, who, among themselves, had exposure to and were using all of South Africa’s official
languages. The results of the study reveal that traditional linguistic boundaries between
indigenous African languages have been re-negotiated, and that semantic shifts and
morphological derivations from Afrikaans and English as source languages are used to create
26
an urban lingua franca which he calls kasi-taal (Makalela 2013:116). One of the themes
explored in the study emphasizes the students’ linguistic flexibility, as is evident in Speaker
A’s utterance in (3) below.
(3) Speaker A: Ai baba. Yiningawe? What is your problem? Hawu

“Hey man. What is your problem?” surprise marker
(Makalela 2013:116)
The utterance of the speaker shows the use of discursive resources from both isiZulu and
English to bring into effect the social function he had in mind, which is typical of a
translanguaging practice. Kasi-taal, as a hybrid linguistic variety, constitutes translanguaging,
which is different from the traditional conceptions of code-switching, according to Makalela,
citing Garcia (2009), in that translanguaging is what speakers do and perform with their mobile
and flexible discourse practices, rather than using a single language as an autonomous skill.
Although South Africa’s language policies are arguably among the most progressive in the
world, and have been praised by scholars such as Skutnabb-Kangas and Phillipson (2001),
(Parmegiani & Rudwick 2014:108), it has also been pointed out that English has been
appropriated by many Black South Africans, who are using it as part of their linguistic
repertoires to express themselves and negotiate power relations (Parmeganni 2008, 2009, 2010,
cited by Parmegiani & Rudwick 2014:108). In a study conducted by Parmegiani & Rudwick
(2014), the implementation of the bilingualization policy at the University of Kwazulu-Natal
(UKZN) gave rise to a level of skepticism among students. The policy strives for the
development of isiZulu as language of learning and teaching (LOLT) and aims for the language
to gain the same institutional and academic status as English (Parmegiani & Rudwick
2014:109). The study focused on 25 isiZulu L1 students who were interviewed over a period
of 4 months about language practices and attitudes in the contexts of their lives and the social
complexities of South Africa (Parmegiani & Rudwick 2014:115). The results suggested that
isiZulu-speaking students have a strong investment in their mother tongue, but regards it with
skepticism as a medium of instruction (Parmegiani & Rudwick 2014:119). The monolithic
notion of the mother tongue as problematic, as argued by Parmegiani & Rudwick (2014),
means that a continuum of languages, dialects and literacies, rather one discreet mother tongue,
might be the most effective medium of instruction to help Black South African students, in
particular, succeed.
27
The paucity of translanguaging research focusing on language practices in schools in South

Africa, is quite concerning, given the opportunities available within the multilingual context of
South Africa. Although all 11 of South Africa’s official languages are equal as far as our
constitution is concerned, the majority of parents prefer having their children educated through
the medium of English, thereby ignoring the resources captured within African languages.
Madiba (2012), who investigated the use of English alongside Tshivenda by Tshivenda-
speaking students taking part in an Academic Development Programme, posits that the
potential role of indigenous languages in South African education has not been fully assessed
with reference to their use for academic purposes (Madiba 2012:15) The study conducted by
Madiba (2012) has as its aim the discussion of various perspectives on indigenous African
languages as languages appropriated for academic purposes, and, citing the work of Prah
(2009), states that no single indigenous African language is used as a medium of instruction
beyond primary education level other than specific language courses, and that is why many
African scholars believe that this could be the reason for the high failure rate of Africans while
attending school. Madiba (2012:24) concludes his study by suggesting the principle of
complementary language use, which provides for English to be used in conjunction with an
African language in order to affect academic language skills.
In an effort to understand learners’ and teachers’ opinions and perceptions about

translanguaging in schools, Shifidi (2014) studied the language practices at three different high
schools in different districts in Namibia. The reason for embarking on this study of
translanguaging in Namibia, as argued by Shifidi (2014:18), was to establish if translanguaging
had the potential for enhancing learners learning and understanding and also their participation
and socialization within the multilingual/multicultural classrooms. Although English is the
official language in Namibia, and the only language of instruction in Namibian secondary
schools, it is rarely used outside classrooms (Shifidi 2014). In fact, it is pointed out by Shifidi
(2014) that Afrikaans is the language most prominently used when learners and teachers are
not at school and serves as lingua franca in these communities. The most prominent reason for
the occurrence of translanguaging at these schools, as was found by Shifidi (2014), deals with
clarifying difficult concepts/terms because many learners find English difficult to understand
and as a result would consort to translanguaging. Shifidi (2014:74) concluded that
translanguaging is not a general tendency among the role players in these schools, nor does it
form an inherent part of the strategies employed to counter the language problems in Namibian
28
high schools yet, but Shifidi (2014) foresees relevant changes, particularly a shift to
accommodate the translanguaging phenomenon in Namibian schools.
The studies discussed in this sub-section have relevance when perceived as alternatives to the
traditional monolingual educational systems which are still in place in the South African
education fraternity. The present research project is informed by these studies and will aim to
further the objectives associated with translanguaging.
29
CHAPTER 4
METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction
This present study focuses on the phenomena of code-switching and translanguaging as

linguistic tools used by senior high school learners to confront the challenges brought about by
bi/multilingual education in the South African context. These young adults, functioning at the
top end of their school career, are explorative by nature and would adapt to linguistic challenges
in an innovative way. A high school environment, which is representative of a bi/multilingual
community, is therefore an ideal location for investigation linguistic interactions by learners
and educators in a setting where more than one language is in use. The objective of this study
project, therefore, is to present evidence of bi/multilingual activities at high schools situated in
a community where the overwhelming majority of residents practice monolingual
communication. The reason for selecting Upington as focal point for bi/multilingual research
among learners, comes from a particular question:
If most of the inhabitants of Upington are Afrikaans mother tongue speakers, and if
Afrikaans is the major language used for learning and teaching in the local schools, how
do learners combat the challenges arising from education beyond mother tongue?
In response to this question, the researcher has selected two high schools from different
residential areas in Upington to investigate the linguistic strategies employed by these
Afrikaans L1 learners when they are facing challenges in their English classes. The aim of this
chapter, particularly, is to present a research design which details the research sites and
participants involved and shed light on the data collection instruments and procedures, as well
as how the analysis of data was undertaken and the ethical procedures adhered to.
4.2 Research design
A research design, according to Kothari (2004:31), refers to the arrangement of conditions for
the collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance to the research
purpose with economy in procedure. To this aim, the present research project adopted a
30
qualitative, ethnographic approach in order to gather all relevant information pertaining to

bi/multilingual activities at the research sites and to explore participants’ views on and
experiences with/in practicing bi/multilingualism. The research done by Myers-Scotton (1992)
and Finlayson and Slabbert (1997), who made use of the ethnographic, qualitative approach as
base for their code-switching research, has been used to inform this research project. As the
researcher, my role in the project was to observe and physically record the learners’ linguistic
activities during both parts of the investigations, and, as an English teacher and debating
facilitator and co-ordinator at one of the research sites, I was able to attend unobtrusively. In
order to gain the maximum output from these investigations, the researcher has employed a
semi-structured interview, a questionnaire as well as audio recorded physical observations
inside and outside the classroom. The use of these sources of information provides a general
overview of the participants’ linguistic capabilities and their perceptions concerning
bi/multilingual education in South Africa.
4.3 Research sites
The two high schools selected for the present research project represent the two communities
in Upington which had historically been disadvantaged by the previous racist government of
South Africa. Carlton-Van Heerden High School, which was founded in 1943, is situated
where the two Coloured townships to the east, Progress (previously the township of Blikkies)
and Rainbow, meet the adjacent Morning Glory and Rosedale and where a predominating
Coloured community found their roots since the implementation of the Group Areas Act
(1957). The school currently accommodates more than 1300 learners, mainly from the
surrounding Coloured townships, but also from the Black township of Pabalello. Afrikaans is
the dominant language used in the townships and is also the school’s language of learning and
teaching. English, as first additional language, is the only other language offered as a subject
at school. The majority of the inhabitants of the townships are lower-income workers and
many are parents of these leaners, playing a significant role as stake-holders in the learners’
educational future. As such, the Department of Basic Education has identified the school as a
quantile 4 unit, serving the impoverished Coloured communities mentioned above.
Towards the end of the 1930’s, the need for a high school in Upington became critical as there
were 28 non-White primary schools in what was then the Union of South Africa’s largest
municipal area, the Gordonia district (statistics obtained from the Upington Municipal Office).
31
The rapid increase in population was due to a number of reasons: the discovery of diamonds in
Kimberley, the discovery of manganese, asbestos and uranium in the district, the full realization
of markets by farmers for their agricultural initiatives and the boom of the karakul industry in
the former South West Africa (statistics obtained from the Upington Municipal Offices). The
plight for the establishment of a high school fell on deaf ears as the Department of Education
refused to co-operate on the grounds that the number of pupils who passed standard six was
too small to justify one (statistics obtained from the Upington School Board Office). It was
only in 1943 that the first non-White high school, the Gordonia Coloured Secondary School,
was established with a roll of 99 pupils and four teachers, including the principal. In 1944 the
school was renamed to Carlton-Van Heerden Secondary School in honour of their founders,
Messrs. J. Carlton and C. Van-Heerden.
The second research site is Pabalello High School in Pabalello, a township whose origins can
also be traced to the introduction of the Group Areas Act (1975) in Upington, when Black
people were forced to move to the demarcated area of Pabalello. The need for a high school in
Pabalello was realized in 1982, when Pabalello High School came into being. The school has
enrolled 863 learners this year and almost all of them reside in Pabalello. The language mostly
spoken by township residents is Afrikaans. The school offers Setswana, isiZulu and Afrikaans
for home language instruction, while English functions as an additional language. The school
currently serves as a ‘no-fee’ school, implying that parents are not burdened with financial
responsibilities towards the institution. The highly impoverished community battles the effects
of unemployment and the school itself has very few facilities to offer its learners.
4.4 Participants
As the focus of the present study is aimed at the observation of learners’ bi/multilingual
activities at high school, the selection of participants is theoretically based on the assumption
that, since both schools offer more than one language of learning and teaching, the teachers
and learners in attendance would express themselves in a bi/multilingual fashion. It was further
assumed that when learners with an L1 different to English, communicate in an English setting,
both codes would be in use in these communication practices, be it within the classroom setting
or elsewhere. In particular, learners in the FET-phase approaching the final stages of their
schooling were targeted as participants in this study since they had been exposed to at least two
languages of instruction for a number of years, and should therefore be able to display a certain
32
level of competency in both. The schools identified for this study offer English as first
additional language and in the case of Carlton-Van Heerden Secondary School, the only other
language of instruction is Afrikaans. In addition to English and Afrikaans, Pabalello High
School also offers Setswana and isiXhosa as subjects, thereby promoting multilingualism, in
accordance with Section 6 of the South African School’s Act 84 of 1996. Afrikaans is offered
as home language at both schools. All the learners participating in this study are 16-21 years
of age.
4.5 Data collection
The data collection procedure included observation, audio-recordings and interviews. This
process unfolded in two parts:
4.5.1 Part one: classroom observation at Pabalello High School
The researcher has purposefully selected to observe English lessons with the aim of
establishing the linguistic varieties in use when the role players in class communicate within
the context of the learning-teaching framework. After vigorous encouragement from the side
of the researcher and whole-hearted co-operation from the grade 12 English teacher from
Pabalello High School, the researcher was able to observe two poetry lessons of 50 minutes
each. The teacher, Mr AM, introduced the researcher and explained the purpose of the study.
The focus of the observation was on learner activities and their responses to the instruction of
the teacher. The learners were divided in groups of four to five learners, and Mr AM had no
hesitation in pointing out the group that could be expected to display encouraging responses.
During both lessons, recordings were made of the pre-selected group (five learners) who were
discussing the contents of the poem “The birth of Shaka” by Oswald Mtshali. After the
observation process, the participants of the identified group were provided with learner
questionnaires and the teacher was asked to complete a semi-structured interview.
The learner questionnaire consisted of questions about learners’ language use at home and in
the community. The data gathered indicates the linguistic capabilities of each individual. The
completed semi-structured interview provides an indication of the teacher’s qualifications in
teaching languages and his experience in teaching in general. Furthermore, it should reveal his
perceptions on translanguaging as opposed to the conventional monolingual teaching practises.
33
The data that was collected, i.e. the transcription of audio recordings, the questionnaires and
the structured interview will be used to establish the occurrence and frequency of
bi/multilingual activities inside the classroom.
4.5.2 Part two: observing discussions prior to formal debate at Carlton-Van Heerden
Secondary School
Debating is offered as one of Carlton-Van Heerden Secondary School’s extra-curricular

activities and is practiced under the auspices of the South African Schools’ Debating Society.
Different institutions, government departments and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s)
present debating competitions at high school level, aiming to focus awareness on a variety of
national and global challenges, thereby expanding knowledge and creating interest. Debating
competitions allow for participants to present an argument, to rebut the opposition’s reasoning
and to summarize the important points made, all within a pre-arranged timeframe.
Adjudicators assess the speeches and a certain outcome is reached.
All formal debates take place in English in order to allow learners from different linguistic
orientations to participate fairly. Prior to such a formal debate, participants are given time to
discuss, do research (mainly using the internet through their cell phones) and plan strategies
for each team member’s speech. It is during these discussions that learners feel free to use their
L1 in addition to the prescribed use of English and, in doing so, they create possibilities for
code-switching, translanguaging and various other bi/multilingual speech activities.
The first team of the school’s debating society, consisting of five girls in the age group 16 to19
years, had been selected for this investigation. While this group was preparing for a formal
debate against a neighbouring school, the researcher used the opportunity to observe three
discussion sessions of roughly one hour each. At the end of these sessions, the researcher
requested the participants to complete a questionnaire to establish their linguistic versatility in
these social situations. The debating sessions take place in a classroom after school. The
debating trainer divides the debaters into groups where they discuss separate topics, usually the
topics relevant to their next competition. The physical environment is very similar to a learning
environment during class and the trainer maintains a formal relationship with the learners,
34
although the communication intent is informal. The researcher, being well-known at school as
a teacher, did not disturb the proceedings and would at times join in the discussions.
The tables below provide a distribution of the linguistic profiles of participants from both parts
of the investigation. In order to comply with ethical commitments, the names of the individuals
are not revealed.
TABLE 1: Participants: Pabalello High

Learner Gender Home Language Other languages individual is able to use
in communication
1 U.M F Afrikaans English
2 A.B M Afrikaans English; isiXhosa
3 J.N F Afrikaans English
4 W.M M Afrikaans English
5 S.G F Afrikaans English
TABLE 2: Participants: Carlton – Van Heerden

Learner Gender Home Language Other languages individual is able to use
in communication
1 C.D F Afrikaans English
2 R.O F Afrikaans English; Setswana
3 E.D F Afrikaans English
4 A.V F Afrikaans English
5 C.I F Afrikaans English
4.6 Data-collection instruments and procedures
In this section the questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedule used in the study are
outlined and a discussion of the data transcription procedure is given.
4.6.1 The questionnaire
A questionnaire, given in Appendix A, was issued to all learners in the study because both parts
are related to the objectives of this study project. After completion of the investigation, the
35
participants were required to complete questionnaires for submission. The questionnaire was
drawn up to establish participants’ overall linguistic repertoire and the languages they are
exposed to when at home, at school or elsewhere in the community. In addition, the
questionnaire also investigates the linguistic influences the participants experienced while
developing their language prior to the educational era. The information captured in the
questionnaire is indicative of the participants’ linguistic capabilities and shows if participants’
early language development had any influence on their present-day abilities.
4.6.2 Semi-structured interview
The semi-structured interview, see Appendix B, was completed by both the English teacher at
Pabalello High School and the debating trainer, who is also a teacher at an intermediate school,
also in Pabalello. When the interviews took place, the same questions were asked to both
parties. The responses to these questions are indicative of the participants’ formal qualifications
in the fields of education and languages and, more particularly, how these languages are utilized
when executing their duties as educator and debating trainer. Furthermore, the semi-structured
interview also investigated their views on bi/multilingual teaching as opposed to the existing
monolingual model of teaching, and how these activities are practiced in their educational
spaces.
4.6.3 Transcription of data
During the investigation in both phases, the researcher provided cellphones with audio-
recording devices, which were placed relatively close to the affected speakers. None of the
participants reported any disturbance in this regard and it was accepted that the presence of
these devices had no direct influence on the activities taking place. After completing the
investigations, the researcher used the audio recordings to identify the content for analysis.
From the content, the researcher wrote down all relevant passages of speech and assessed these
according to the requirements of code-switching and translanguaging.
4.7 Ethical considerations
In order to produce an ethically sound research project, the researcher adhered to the
requirements associated with a research study of this nature. First, permission was sought form
36
the Department of Education in the Northern Cape allow the investigations to take place at the
two identified schools. Such permission was granted by the District Director of the Z.F.
Mgcawu region in Upington. The principals at the respective schools were enthusiastic about
the project and had no reservations about giving permission for the study to take place. To
minimize the challenges of getting hold of parents to sign consent forms, thereby giving
permission to their children to participate in this research project, the researcher paid home
visits to get the task completed without wasting time. The permission letters by the relevant
authorities and the consent forms from the parents and learners have been included in
Appendices C and D. The following chapter will specifically deal with the analysis of the
transcribed data.
37
CHAPTER 5
DATA ANALYSIS
5.1 Introduction
The analysis of data gathered during the investigations at the two high schools will be presented
and discussed in this chapter. The first part of the presentation deals with the participants’
linguistic capabilities and language experiences as reflected by data from the completed
questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The following section will discuss the analysis
of participants’ classroom discourse, both in terms of the occurrence and functions of code-
switching as well as the use of translanguaging strategies to confront the challenges of
bi/multilingual communication. Section.5.4 discusses the analysis of participants’
communication during debating sessions after school, again in terms of both code-switching
and translanguaging, before a conclusion is reached.
5.2 Linguistic repertoires and language experiences
In addition to the data gathered during the observation of language activities in classroom
interactions and debating preparations, this investigation was also able to establish participants’
language orientation during social interactions at home, at school and in the community
through questionnaires for learners and semi-structure interviews for the two teachers. The data
gathered through those procedures provide a clear indication of participants’ bi/multilingual
competency and their use of linguistic tools like code-switching and translanguaging.
5.2.1 Questionnaire data
The first three questions (a, b and c) refer to the learners’ individual homes and the inhabitants
he/she shares the home with. This basic information is relevant in determining the languages
in use in the particular environment that is home to the learner. It also gives some indication of
the socio-economic conditions of the learners, because if caregivers are unemployed, the
burden of children attending school becomes heavier.
38
Questions one to five investigated the learners’ linguistic activities at home, particularly with
regard to their home language and the language choices they make when communicating with
family members at home. In the response to question 1, all learners indicated Afrikaans as
home language except for one learner whose home language is English. One learner indicated
that the language used at home is isiXhosa, because he lives with his grandmother who is very
old, did not receive formal education, and can only speak isiXhosa. One learner added English
as another L1, since he speaks Afrikaans in Upington and English when visiting his father in
Prieska. In summarising the information gathered from questions 1-5, it becomes evident that
the dominant discourse practice in the households of these learners is Afrikaans, and that
Afrikaans had been a major part of their linguistic repertoire throughout their lives.
Questions six to eight focussed on languages used at school, and in terms of language use in
the classroom setting, 70% indicated that Afrikaans is the language used by teachers and 60%
prefer to be taught in Afrikaans. Furthermore, the data revealed that only Afrikaans and English
are used when these learners communicate at school. Seventy percent of the students indicated
that they use Afrikaans and the rest indicated the use of English in the school setting. These
responses again show the dominance of Afrikaans within the school set-up at both research
sites.
Questions nine to twelve are relevant to the languages constituting the learners’ linguistic
repertoire and their orientation towards the changing of codes during conversations. All
participants indicated that switching codes in a single communication setting is part of normal
conversation and in no way does it influence understanding.
5.2.2 Semi-structured interviews
Both teachers who participated in the study completed a semi-structured interview which
provided information regarding their educational training and, more particularly, their language
orientation while teaching and performing extra-curricular duties after school.
Mr AM is a male teacher who has eleven years of experience and is currently teaching English
to three grade 12 and two grade 11 classes. His home language is Afrikaans but he is capable
of using English, isiZulu and Venda quite comfortably. Mr AM holds a teacher’s qualification
that he obtained from North West University and he serves as the Head of Department English
39
First Additional Language at Paballelo High School. Mr AM thinks that learners are coping
well in their performances in the additional language and that by equipping themselves with
knowledge of English, would benefit themselves in future. He is of the opinion that the
difficulties experienced by learners in coping with the additional language have to do with their
shortcomings concerning speaking, spelling and a general disinterest when it comes to
discussions. Mr AM allows for code-switching and is comfortable with learners using
languages other than English in his class, since it enhances their use of the target language.
Mr LM, who is a teacher at an intermediate school in Paballelo, has six years’ experience of
teaching English as an additional language. In addition to teaching, Mr LM is also a debating
trainer, assisting various schools in the district with training and developing learners who are
interested in debating. As a student at Phatsimang Teacher’s Training College in Kimberley,
Mr LM practised debating and was selected to take part in national debating competitions for
tertiary students. His association with Carlton-Van Heerden High School started when he
enrolled there as a learner and continued after he completed his studies, when he was
approached by the school to train the debating team.
In response to the questions from the semi-structured interview, Mr LM indicates that learners
experience difficulty in expressing themselves in English. He is of the opinion that teaching
English as a global means of communication develops learners’ communication skills and
makes them more confident when they speak. He attributes the difficulty in coping with the
additional language to learners’ poor reading skills, which is reason for their inability to express
themselves effectively in the target language. In addressing this need, the teacher makes use
of switching between the home language and the target language to simplify the challenges and
make learners more confident. Mr LM feels that learner performance is negatively influenced
as they shy away from expressing themselves in English.
5.3 Analysis of participants’ communication inside the classroom
This section aims to identify the linguistic tools used by learners in their attempts to make
meaning of the challenges they experience in the target language. The researcher particularly
distinguishes between code-switching, which had been extensively discussed in chapter two,
and translanguaging, of which elaborate reference had been made in chapter three. Apart from
40
identifying these linguistic tools, this section also points out the reasons for employing these
tools.
5.3.1 Occurrence and functions of code-switching during classroom activities
As was discussed in chapter two, the Markedness Model presents a Markedness metric which
assists speakers in deciding whether the code choice is marked or unmarked for the context in
which the speaker interacts (Myers-Scotton 1993: 79-80). When the unmarked code choice is
practised during a conversation, the situational factors remain the same. Code-switching itself
as the unmarked choice is the type of code-switching that is mainly found throughout the
investigations in the class. According to Myers-Scotton (1993:117), this type of code-
switching differs from other types in that the communicative intent is carried by the overall
pattern. In the following two examples of code-switching, it is clear that the speakers’ switches
to Afrikaans served to explain and simplify.
Example 1
After concluding his discussions on the poem, Mr AM allows for the learners to complete the
exercise handed to them. While trying to find the answers to the questions, the five members
of the identified group are discussing line 8 of the poem, particularly the term “claypot of
passion”. In her effort to clarify the word “passion”, SG switches to Afrikaans:
UM: Explain a “claypot of passion”.
SG: His blood is being described as a claypot of emotion want

because
as jy mos passion het, het jy emotion, so Shaka’s blood was full of emotion
if you PM 1 have, have you
JN: So, dan moet ons sê, “a pot of emotions…”

So, then must we say
1
The lexical item mos is a pragmatic marker (PM) that serves, among others, as an indicator of shared knowledge
or to signal new but essential information in a narrative (Jantjies and van Dulm 2012:9).
41
In this passage of speech, SG’s switch to Afrikaans simplified the term and made it easier for
the group to formulate an answer to the question.
Example 2
UM struggles with the meaning of “thongs” because the group must indicate if the comparison
“muscles like thongs” is a good one.
UM: Ek sê yes, because thongs are strong and hurt…can hurt a person…thongs is
I say are
mos steek-goete.
PM poke-things
JN: Nee, thongs is nie steek-goete, thongs is leather-strips…thorns is dorings…

No, are not poke-things are thorns
UM: Wat is leather-strips?

What are
It is evident that SG is under the impression that thongs is reference to thorns (“steek-goete”),
which has the ability to hurt people. The confusion is cleared up by JN with her reference to
leather strips. In the next example, Mr AM asks a question in Afrikaans while handing out
notes to the learners.
Example 3
Mr AM expresses concern about some learners attending class without the notes that had been
handed out the previous day. He explains what should be done if learners are not present to
accept the hand-outs. When switching to Afrikaans (“Verstaan julle mense?”), he seeks
confirmation that the learners would follow his instructions in future. The function of the
switch to Afrikaans is to confirm learners’ understanding.
42
Mr AM: Just go to Meneer’s office and say, “Meneer, I was not at school yesterday and I
Sir’s Sir
understand that there was some hand-outs, so please, furnish me with one or two.
Verstaan julle mense?
Understand you people?
Now, around the poem, is there any question?
The teacher’s question in Afrikaans was met by a concerted “yes” from all groups indicating
that the switch to Afrikaans was understood by everyone.
Towards the end of the lesson, Mr AM required of the learners to indicate the marks they have
achieved in the previous tests and tasks on a form he supplied to them. The switching of codes
in the following two examples involves three different languages but is still understood by
everyone:
Example 4
In the following example of code-switching, the function of the switch serves to expand
learners’ understanding in a situation of difficulty. Since the learners had a number of marks
to be entered on a mark sheet and some of the marks needed calculation, the teacher had his
hands full making himself understood.
While explaining how learners should go about indicating their marks on the supplied forms,
Mr AM switches to Setswana twice (albeit the same word) but does not impede the flow of the
conversation, since the switch is understood by the learners. Even though he was switching
codes, the teacher could still expand his explanation to ensure that everyone was able to follow
his instructions:
Mr AM: You say from Task 5, they’re out of twenty, maybe it’s fifteen. Another out of
twenty…out of thirty-five…something plus total yako Paper I, Paper II, Paper III
from
yako three hundred and twenty-five. Then we say that total is divided by a
out of
hundred.
43
Although the communication in class usually centres around English and Afrikaans, such
switches to Setswana do not influence understanding, and since it is understood by everyone,
it broadens their understanding.
Example 5
In this example, the code-switching function is the request for clarity. Mr AM explains the
calculation of a figure to be entered as a mark on the form supplied. The explanation is quite
lengthy and his repetition of some of the figures caused a mumbling, which resulted in SG’s
request for clarity. The request, uttered in Afrikaans, is understood by the addressee, who
responds in a slower, clearer manner:
Mr AM: You take all those marks and you sum them up. The total is out of thirty…then you
say that total out of thirty divided by…hundred. It is for your… (inaudible)…
mark.
AB: Wait, meneer

sir
SG: Ek verstaan nie

I understand not
Mr AM (speaking noticeably slower): Out of ten, maybe you got five…out of fifty you got
twenty-five…out of forty…
Mr AM’s response indicates that he understood the request in Afrikaans and hence tried to
make himself clear.
The following two examples of code-switching adhere to the requirements of sequential

unmarked code-switching, as identified by Myers-Scotton (1993:114), which occurs when the
unmarked RO set changes. When the unmarked RO set is changed by situational factors, like
a change in speaker composition, for instance, the speaker will change codes if he/she wishes
to index the new unmarked RO set. (Myers-Scotton 1993:114)
44
Example 6
Throughout the poetry lesson, Mr AM mainly communicates in English (except for single
word interjections from other languages) while explaining or responding to questions by
learners. Towards the end of the lesson, though, when the researcher signals his intent to
leave the proceedings, Mr AM switches from one unmarked choice of codes to the other as
he now addresses the researcher:
Mr AM: … and if you have not completed these forms, if I don’t receive these forms by
tomorrow… I know of some of you guys… Oh! Are you going… Baie dankie
Thank you
meneer, ek hoop… vir jou die beste.
sir I hope for you the best.
Stand up everyone.
The conversational situation changes when the teacher starts addressing the researcher, whom
he regards as Afrikaans-speaking, and code-switching occurs as a result of the change in
speaker composition.
Example 7
In the following situation, Mr AM changes the focus of the conversation when he switches to
Afrikaans to rebuke/warn one group whose loud arguing interfered with the proceedings. Mr
AM’s change to a new unmarked RO set occurred because of the change in the relationship
between the speakers. The function of the switch to Afrikaans is to reprimand the disorderly
conduct of the group:
Mr AM: Now before we can jump to the next stanza, can someone please point out the
example of alliteration… in that stanza that we have just… There’s too much
noise… JW, bly julle nou stil, you are too loud, hoe kan die anders hoor?
keep you now quiet how can the others hear?
Learner from another group: Sir, is the alliteration in the …

Mr AM: Just wait… OK, let’s look again to that stanza.
45
The topic and content of the teacher’s speech has changed when he reprimanded the learners,
making this code-switching instance an example of unmarked code-switching.
5.3.2 The use and functions of translanguaging
The observation of the poetry lesson (referred to in the previous examples) in the English class
of Mr AM, revealed that the teacher mainly used English in his explanations and when asking
questions. The learners’ responses were in English as well, except for a couple of Afrikaans
interjections like haai (“hey”) and nee (“no”). When instructed to discuss and find answers for
the written questions supplied to them beforehand, the learners switched between Afrikaans
and English in a way that is indicative of the flexibility of bilingual learners taking control of
their own learning, to self-regulate when and how to use language, depending on the context
in which they’re being asked to perform (Garcia and Wei 2014). The learners, therefore,
employed translanguaging as a resource for meaning-making and clarification, and are thus
able to manage the task at hand. The following examples of translanguaging have been
identified in the transcribed spoken data, and are explained in terms of the metafunctions of
translanguaging, as stated by Garcia and Wei (2014:82).
Example 8
The discussion in this example focuses on Shaka being compared to a lion because of his
physical strength.
UM: Ja, kyk hier, ons kan sê die … the animal is well--- because a lioness, ‘n leeu is
Yes, see here, we can say the a lion is
mos ‘n sterk dier en Shaka is mos ook powerful.
PM a strong animal and is PM also
AB: And that shows a woman’s strength
SG: Wat praat julle mense so Engels?

What talk you people so English
46
In this exchange involving three learners of the group, both Afrikaans and English are used and
they are shuttling between the two languages comfortably: thus translanguaging to benefit
themselves. When she starts to explain, UM begins in Afrikaans, thereby gaining the attention
of the rest of the group. Then she continues in English, but switches to Afrikaans again, this
time to emphasize what had been said in English. Besides the functions of drawing attention
and emphasizing, this extract also reveals another reason for translanguaging: to mediate
understanding among members of the group. The utterance of the second speaker, AB,
indicates that he could extract from both languages in order to understand the link between
Shaka and a lion(ess).
Example 9
In the poem the word “forge” is used, and AB takes it upon himself to explain:
AB: Kyk, daar by forge is mos something out of nature mos, wat ge-create is, soos in steel
See there at is PM PM which PT- 2 is like in
word mos ge-forge, sien jy, nou word hulle in muscles gemaak, muscles is mos
become PM PT- see you now become they in made is PM
sterk gemaak
strong made
AB: ‘n Iets wat mos ge-forge word, is mos soos ‘n horse shoe mos, van ‘n
a something which PM PT- become is PM like a PM from a
blacksmith af, ‘n blacksmith forge mos ‘n horse shoe
from a PM a
WM: Yes
AB: Aweh
Yes
22
The morpheme ge is a past tense (PT) marker in Afrikaans.
47
In the exchange above, translanguaging is used to explain, to clarify and to reinforce (Garcia
and Wei 2014:103). When saying, “Is mos something out of nature mos, wat ge-create is…”
AB explains through the medium of both Afrikaans and English what “forge” means. He then
emphasizes this explanation by linking “muscles” to “steel”, thus reinforcing what he has said.
In his second exchange, AB clarifies the term “forge” with an example of a blacksmith creating
a horse shoe. The word aweh is a term in Setswana (also used in isiXhosa and isiZulu) which
signals understanding.
Example 10
SG: Jy sit hom in ‘n warme pan in…. as jy hom uithaal, dan sny jy hom to your liking
You put him in a hot pan in… if you him take out, then cut you him
en as hy koud raak, kan jy miskien kom to that,… sien jy? dan kom jy na die poem
and if he cold get, can you maybe come see you then come you to the
toe, wat praat van ancestors… is die mense waarin ons glo, in onse badimos,
to, what talk of are the people in whom we believe, in our ancestors
verstaan jy?... so nou het die ancestors vir hom muscles gegee,… nou sê hy is a
understand you…so now have the for him gave… now say he
good image …. example or what?
UM: Ek soek hom in Engels lat ek hom kan afskryf.

I search him in English that I him can write.
WM: Hê batho?
Hey people
The function of translanguaging in the utterance by SG is to elaborate ideas, as she mentions

the involvement of the ancestors. Her explanations conclude with an Afrikaans question,
assessing if the others understood: sien jy?. She continues, by simplifying the term “ancestors”
when she switches to the Sotho term for ancestors, badimos. This switch adheres to the
metafunction indicated by Garcia and Wei (2014:82), namely to construct meaning within
themselves, since the other group members knew what the word meant. UM shows that she
understands when she switches to Afrikaans indicating that she needs help in formulating the
48
answer in English. WM’s response, Hê batho? is a very commonly used Tswana expression,
stating surprise.
Example 11
Another general function of translanguaging, identified by Storch and Wiggleworth (2003,

cited by Garcia and Li 2014:81), deals with task management and task clarification among
students when they are developing their target language. When students want to argue a point
or when helping each other with defining difficult vocabulary and explanations of grammar,
the use of the home language becomes helpful. This function of translanguaging is captured
in the following speech interaction between UM and JN. As part of the group discussion, the
two discusses the meaning of “thongs” in the comparison “muscles like thongs”, which appears
in the poem:
UM: …because thongs are strong and can hurt a person. Thongs is mos steek-goete
is PM poke-things
JN: Nee, thongs is nie steek-goete, thongs is leather-strips. Thorns is dorings.

No is not poke-things is thorns
It is clear that UM had difficulty understanding the meaning of “thongs”, but when JN
explained the meaning through the home language, the confusion is cleared up.
Example 12
The following speech interaction demonstrates how a learner used translanguaging to

demonstrate the knowledge required to clear up a confusing situation:
Mr AM: Which lines contain a simile? Which line contains a simile?

Silence. No response.
Mr AM: Which line contains a simile? Is it line 6, 7, 8 or 9? Two lines contain a simile.
49
Mr AM: It is lines 6 and 7. No, no, lines 7 and 8. Now in line 7, which letter is being
alliterated… Oh, I see…
Learner: Is verkeerd meneer. Is alliteration in line 7. Issie simile nie.

Is wrong sir is in Is not not
Mr AM: You’re right. Line 7 contains an alliteration. Look at the b in “blood is boiled”.
You’re quite right, (name of learner).
When Mr AM abruptly stopped in his explanation of the figure of speech contained in line 7,
the learner who responded displayed his knowledge by supplying an answer through the
medium of both Afrikaans and English. The learner’s translanguaging provided a solution to
the mistake made by the teacher. This function of translanguaging is identified by Garcia and
Wei (2014:82) and is representative of the metafunctions linked to translanguaging.
Example 13
The group discusses the concluding stanza of the poem, specifically focusing on the “white
swallows” coming from over the ocean. While the discussion continues in English, WM
interrupts proceedings with an Afrikaans explanation which brought a different perception, and
a joint understanding is reached afterwards. This example is a combination of the first two
metafunctions of translanguaging, as identified by Garcia and Wei (2014:82), where learners
are able to mediate learning among each other, as well as co-constructing meaning of what the
others are sayig:
SG: The “white swallows” are the white men, die Boere, who come to Zululand. So the
the Boers
swallows is the whites. Must I write…
WM: Nee, nee. Die line is “see white swallows”. So, “see” is soos “visionary sight”, soos
No no the is So is like like
meneer sê, “his eyes are lanterns”, so Shaka kan see beyond his time, wanneer die
sir says so can when the
50
Boere ‘n gevaar raak vir die Zulus.

Boers a danger become for the
SG: So the “white swallows” is symbolies?

symbolic
JN: Ja, it makes sense. Skryf nou, SG.

Yes Write now.
SG: So must we say that Shaka had a symbolic vision of the danger of…of the Whites?
WM: Ja, who came from Europe, over the sea.

Yes
In this example of translanguaging, WM constructs meaning with his Afrikaans explanation,

while at the same time mediates understanding among the rest of the group.
Example 14
The following speech interaction occurred right at the start of the investigation, when the
researcher had just set up the audio-recording devices and was in discussion with the teacher,
while the learners were settling in their groups. It does not become particularly clear what the
identified group was discussing, but the intention of the switch to Tswana adheres to a function
of translanguaging identified by Garcia and Wei (2014 :82), namely that of exclusion:
JN: Akayaze kosi thetha ngaba akathete elweme yethu xa six akaziyaz
He does not understand because he does not speak our language. If we lie he would not
know
(Laughing)
WM: Ahoi mfethu

Friend
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SG: Maar issie mooi nie. We must co-operate. Come guys, meneer says it’s poetry. JN,
but is not pretty sir
waar’s my boek?
where’s my book?
JN’s utterance in Tswana had as its aim the exclusion of someone not familiar with the
language; in this case it was seemingly directed at the researcher, who could have been viewed
as not understanding Tswana. It was however, the only instance of translanguaging that had
the exclusion of others as its function.
5.4 Analysis of participants’ communication outside of the classroom
This section deals with the bi/multilingual strategies used by learners during extra-mural
activities outside school hours. The use of these linguistic strategies enables learners to
negotiate the challenges experienced when interacting in a bi/multilingual communication
setting. Mr LM, the debating trainer at Carlton-Van Heerden High School, manages the
debating practice sessions after school and it is during these practice sessions that learners
strengthen their communicative skills in the target language by incorporating relevant
knowledge from their L1. The two linguistic strategies used by the debaters are code-switching
and translanguaging.
5.4.1 Occurrence and functions of code-switching during debating sessions
The following examples of Afrikaans-English code-switching are again discussed in terms of

Myers-Scotton’s (1993) Markedness Model, which was referred to in chapter two. The
Markedness Model assigns a number of functions to the various types of code-switching
identified by Myers-Scotton (1993), and these functions will be discussed here in relation to
the data gathered during the classroom activities. The first type of code-switching identified
in this section is unmarked code-switching, which has been discussed in chapter 2.
Example 15
The following example, where code-switching functions to clarify and simplify, emanated from
discussions around the roles of the various speakers in a debating contest. Mr LM explains the
52
different roles of the third speaker and the reply speaker in a formal debating session. He
addresses the group in English up to a point where he becomes unsure of their understanding.
When one of the learners switches to Afrikaans, commenting on the difficulty to understand,
Mr LM switches to Afrikaans to simplify his explanation.
Mr LM: So your third speaker rebuts that. The reply speaker, on the other hand, now points
out what was rebutted and what was given as positive matter. I don’t know if that
is clear.
RO: It tells you why your team should win.
Mr LM: It sounds it bit…
RO: Dit klink baie complicated

It sounds very
Mr LM: It’s not as complicated as it sounds. Ok…uhm…yes…ok.

As julle twee stry, dan’s jy die person wat daar gestry het. As sy vir meneer
Strauss gaan sê julle het gestry, dan is sy die een wat nie betrokke was by die
stryery me, maar sy is jou vriendin en sy gaan vertel vir meneer Strauss sodat
dit lyk is haar skuld.
If the two of you argue then you are the person who argued there. If she tells Mr
Strauss that you have argued, then she is the one not involved in the argument, but
she is your friend and she tells Mr Strauss so that it appears she is guilty.
Does that make sense? Huh? Does that make sense?
Switching to Afrikaans in this passage of speech serves to clarify, as the teacher relies on the
learners’ knowledge of their L1 to clear up the difficulty experienced in the target language.
Example 16
While discussing ideas relating to the topic “Digital communication is better than talking face-
to-face”, the following speech interaction took place in one group. The switch to Afrikaans
serves to elaborate and expand understanding.
53
AV: Certain technologies that are used in factories will eliminate the use of humans to… to
do certain work and that would lead to unemployment, soos hongerte en
like hunger and
dood en begrafnis
death and funeral…
ED: Ja
Yes
AV: So ek weet nie hoe om dit in ’n sin te sit nie.

So I don’t know how to put it in ‘n sentence
ED: Modern technology can lead to the reduction of job opportunities for people or
humans…
In this speech activity, AV switches to Afrikaans to expand on the idea of unemployment

caused by certain technologies. She uses Afrikaans examples which prompted the next
speaker, ED, to respond creatively.
Example 17
In many cases participants code-switch among themselves to mark an in-group activity as the
languages in use are understood by everyone. Code-switching occurs as a natural way of
speaking in conversations where English is the target language, but the switches to Afrikaans
enhance the social cohesion within the group and contribute to the code-switching function of
establishing group identity:
Mr LM: Look, if you have the prop-team starting, from there it’s prop-opp, prop-opp.
Right?
Dan was daar nog iets
Then there was something else
Los eers die POI’s. Ek wil hê die ding moet flow.
First, leave the point of information. I want the thing must
54
CI: So South Africa is a rainbow nation. Why do we…Daai sin is nie voltooi nie, RO
That sentence is not completed
RO: En?
And?
AV: So why do we have to conform to just our race and religion?
RO: Google gou. By my download nou ’n boek.

quickly. With me download now a book.
When Mr LM switches to Afrikaans with the statement “Los eers die POI’s, ek wil hê die ding
moet vloei”, he uses terminology which is relevant to the process of debating and therefore
understood by the members of the debating team. The term “POI” (point of information) is a
common term used in debating competitions and which contributes to the establishment of
group identity. It is obvious that this particular switch to Afrikaans, which contains the English
acronym, is not used by the teacher to enhance understanding or assist in explaining; the
function of the switch is rather to confirm group identity.
Example 18
The following speech exchange was observed in the group while discussing the motion “This
house believes that orphaned children should be placed with foster parents of the same race”.
One of the girls, CI, experienced difficulty in finding an appropriate way to complete her
sentence in the target language. She then switches to Afrikaans to express her dismay at the
moment of word-finding difficulty:
RO: The children’s minister said that race should be no barrier to find a child an adoptive
family.
RL: Ek het ‘n moeilike dag op my skouers.

I have a difficult day on my shouders.
55
CI: Ek weet nie. Ons kan se daar kan nie…

I don’t know. We can say there can be no
daar kan nie gewag word…Ek is nie seker nie, my woorde man.
there can be no waiting… I am not sure my words man.
Julle moet my help.
You must me help
R.O: We can’t wait for a family of the same ethnic group as a particular orphan because more
than twenty per cent of all orphans or children in foster care never find a family.
CI’s switch to Afrikaans called upon the assistance from RO, who seemed to have cleared up
the confusion. As this switch to Afrikaans was understood by everyone in the group, it
alleviated the challenge brought about by bi/multilingual communication.
While examples 8 – 11 above discuss unmarked code-switching, the next three examples focus
on marked code-switching, which was observed during the debating sessions. Marked code-
switching according to Myers-Scotton (1993:13), refers to code-switching in order to establish
a new RO set as unmarked for the current exchange, and which usually occurs only in relative
formal conversational interactions.
Example 19
In the following speech exchange, one of the groups is discussing the advantages of euthanasia
in preparation for proposing the topic “The South African Health Profession should allow
euthanasia for terminally-ill patients”. RO advices ED on how to approach the argument as
the first speaker in the team:
RO: You give the definition, you say: euthanasia is the killing of a person who is ill, who is
very ill and who is going to die. We want to stop the dying, stop him from suffering.
And then you look up en kyk hulle in die oë.
and look them in the eyes
ED: Wag, wag, hierdie woord is “opsetlik”. Their view is “opsetlik”.

Wait, wait, this word is deliberately. deliberate
56
RO: Deliberately!
(laughing)
ED: Ag, shut up. You just want to be clever.
The translation of the single word “opsetlik” clarifies the difficulty in constructing an effective
definition. The function of code-switching in this case is to clarify meaning.
Example 20
In the following communication setting, RO is leading the discussions on the topic which
relates to the implications of euthanasia administered to terminally-ill patients. As group
leader, she indicates to every speaker in her team what is expected from them. After responding
to RL’s question, she switches to Afrikaans to confirm that everybody has understood.
RO: It is the killing of a person…kyk, the person is lying in hospital, the person suffers and
see
has a lot of pain, so euthanasia means that living person can be killed because it is
hard…
RL: Who kills this person? Who is the killer?
RO: His family, his wife. Is die mense wat staam leef met hom. If it is a man, his wife is
Is the people who together live with him
the one who says he must die. Verstaan jy? Sien julle dit ook so?
understand you? See you it also so
AV: Ja, maar killing klink soos murder.

yes, but sounds like
RO: No, it’s not…
57
The switches to Afrikaans in RO’s questions “Verstaan julle? Sien julle dit ook so?” is to
establish if the others understood her explanation and if they agreed. The switches fulfil the
function of seeking confirmation from the rest the group members.
Example 21
Still on the topic of euthanasia, RO addresses her group her group in English, but switches to
Afrikaans to add humour to the explanation.
RO: Humanly searched a new level of low…How do we reach a level where we kill our own
guy, simply because of suffering. It suffer emotional stress, but I can’t kill myself. I
can’t ask my mom, Mammie, sit af die masjien…(laughter)
Mommy, put off the machine…
RO: You can use a joke in your speech…
This address by RO takes place in a formal discussion session as she elaborates on the suffering
terminally-ill people and her switch to Afrikaans does not have a social interaction. The code-
switching example here is classified as marked code-switching.
5.4.2 The use and functions of translanguaging outside the classroom
The examples of translanguaging captured in the following transcribed recordings, reveal that
during the translanguaging process, the use of the home language serves a number functions,
according to Swain and Lapkin (2000, cited by Garcia and Wei 2014:81). These functions are
discussed in relation to the examples of translanguaging identified from the transcribed
recordings.
Example 22
In an effort to create a joint understanding of his explanation, the debating trainer switched to
the home language (Afrikaans) to make his point clear. In this exchange, he tries to explain
the order of the speaking turns of the proposition team:
58
Mr LM: Look if you have…. you are the proposition, so proposition starts, then
opposition, proposition, opposition, proposition and then opposition… the third
one… eers die opposition …dan die proposition, verstaan jy my?
first the then the understand you me
right, so the third speaker summarizes…
The switch to Afrikaans clarifies the explanation, after which the debating trainer seeks
confirmation with the Afrikaans question, verstaan jy my? and a joint understanding is reached.
Example 23
RO: Google gou. By my download nou ‘n boek.

quickly. With me now a book
AV: Ek het ‘n moeilike dag op my ……

I had a difficult day on my…
CI: Ek weet. Ons kan sê daar kan nie gewag word nie. We can’t wait for an… uh… to
I know. We can say there cannot waited be not.
find a… Ek is nou nie seker nie, my woorde man. Julle moet my help.
I am now not sure not, my words man. You must me help
RO: We can’t wait for a family from the same ethnic group, because more than…
(inaudible)… bevolkingsgroepe man…
population groups man
CI: Daar’s hy, ethnic family… There’s an urgent need for foster parents in South Africa…
There’s he
The group discusses the placing of a black orphan into a white family when CI experiences a
challenge with completing her sentence in English. Her plea is expressed in Afrikaans my
woorde man Julle moet my help. RO’s response a family from the same ethnic group…
bevolkingsgroep, solves CI’s problem of finding a suitable English term to continue her
argument. The change to Afrikaans bevolkingsgroepe is relevant to translanguaging, allowing
59
for learners to focus on vocabulary and grammatical items, one of the functions of
translanguaging, as identified by Swain and Lapkin (2000, cited by Garcia and Wei 2014:81).
Example 24
The use of the home language during translanguaging activities also fulfils the function of
enhancing interpersonal interaction, according to Swain and Lapkin (2000) as quoted by Garcia
and Wei (2014:81). The following exchange is reflective of the increased levels of excitement
just before the start of a formal debate, and the switch to Afrikaans confirms the more
interpersonal contact among group members:
CI: Uhmm… South Africa is a rainbow nation, so, uh, how can we…
AV: Why should we propose that foster children be put in families with a similar
background… culture as them?
RO: And why do we have to conform to just our race and religion?
CI: So we can mix…
AV: Is nie lekker om so te voel nie. Jy wil iets sê

Is not nice to so to feel not. You will something say
CI: Dan kom die woorde nie

Then come the words not
AV: Dan kan jy nie

Then can you not…
CI: As ek ongemaklik is met mense dan kan ek nie praat nie

If I uncomfortable am with people then can I not talk not
AV: Come help us, RO
60
CI: Groot crowds freak my uit.

Big me out
The switches to Afrikaans in the extract above is indicative of CI’s emotional state and she
feels comfortable expressing these feelings in her home language since AV understands and
supports her, thereby creating a strong interpersonal bond.
Example 25
The following conversation took place between CI and RO while the other group members
listened attentively. The function of translanguaging in this case plays a role in the home
language being useful in defining difficulties in the vocabulary of the target language. The
group is discussing the placing of foster children with families of their own race when AV
experiences challenges with the English terms “physical” and “psychological”:
CI: Hoor gou hierso julle…. RO luister gou….

Hear quickly here you (all) …listen quickly
RO: Second speaker
CI: In South Africa thousands of children… There’s an urgent need for children to
belong… and a stable home… a family. These children have been removed from
their families due to physical and psychological abuse, as well as neglect. They
have an urgent need for becoming part of a family where… they can be loved
RO: CO lat sy gou daai hele ding afskryf

let her quickly that whole thing write-down
AV: Sê weer van physical en psycho… wat?

Say again of and what
RO: Dit gaan oor liggaamlike en mental… sien jy… emosionele probleme wat
It goes about physical and see you emotional problems what
61
kinders verhoed om hul volle potensiaal te gebruik… sien… emotional

children prevent to their full potential to use see
problems
AV: Maar is like an idea, om te wag…to wait for people with a certain background
but is to wait
Mr LM: Time guys
When RO switches to the home language, she defines and explains “psychological”, which
results in the joint understanding being reached. Since the explanation is in Afrikaans, AV is
able to alleviate the difficulty of the facts being presented in English through the intervention
of RO.
The findings from both parts of this study as outlined in this chapter, will be discussed in detail
in the following chapter.
62
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
6.1 Summary of the findings
This study aimed at providing evidence of high school learners’ bi/multilingual practices while
in the classroom on the one hand, and while engaging in extra-mural activities after school.
Their communications are viewed against the backdrop of the dominance of Afrikaans as
discourse linguistic agent in the communities of Upington, with particular reference to the two
identified high schools. In this research project, the selection of participants is representative
of the vibrant youth – the more mobile and innovative members of society – the speakers would
exhaust all possible linguistic resources when expressing themselves. The language practices
of these learners were approached from a holistic angle, taking into account that high school
learners spend at least six hours a day at school, and many more, like the participants from
Carlton –van Heerden High School, who commit to various learning-orientated activities after
school. This study, therefore, has covered an extensive period of the participants’ day- to-day
linguistic engagements, and can thus be useful in constructing a linguistic profile of the learners
involved in the study.
The participants from Pabalello High School only used English and Afrikaans as linguistic
resources when investigated, except for a few utterances from African languages, as was
indicated. From the findings of the learner questionnaire, only one learner indicated the use of
isiXhosa at home since his grandmother is a Xhosa L1-speaker. Except for Afrikaans and
English, none of the participants offer another language as a subject in their curriculum.
Though not captured within the transcribed recordings, some boys in the class were heard using
instances of Kasi-taal (cf. Makalela 2013) like, “hey ta, my broer”; “sharp my bra” (greetings
when meeting and separating respectively), but these were not enough to be of any significance.
It would be fair, therefore, to refer to the learners’ communication as bilingual rather than
multilingual practices.
During the investigation at Pabalello High School, both the teacher and learners employed
code-switching and translanguaging strategies to get the message across. The examples that
had been transcribed and included in chapter 5, together with the communication interactions
63
with other learners in class, confirm that learners very often refer to Afrikaans to provide
solutions to the problems they encounter during the English lessons. In the examples of code-
switching in chapter 5(5.3), both the teacher and learners switched between Afrikaans, English
and Tswana (only once) to explain and simplify, to confirm understanding, to expand, and to
ask for clarity. These examples adhere to code-switching as an unmarked choice, as stated by
Myers-Scotton’s Markedess Model (1993: 114). The last two examples are evidence of
sequential unmarked code-switching, identified by Myers-Scotton (1993:114) and have been
used because there was a change in speaker composition and also because of the teacher’s
rebuke when some learners got unruly. Translanguaging as a linguistic resource had been
recurring in learners’ communication, and served the functions of explaining and emphasizing,
clarification and reinforcement. The switches involving Afrikaans particularly assisted in the
explanations and clarifications and difficulties were cleared up. The functions of task
management and task clarification, which had been alluded to by Storch and Wiggleworth
(2003), as cited by Garcia and Wei (2014:81),as well as the functions of demonstration of
knowledge and the mediation and co-construction of meaning were some translanguaging
functions which had been observed during the investigations at Pabalello High School and, in
the opinion of the researcher, strategies which provide solutions to the challenges they
experience in the English class.
Very similar results regarding the participants’ linguistic choices emerged from the findings of
the investigations at Carlton-van-Heerden High School. The questionnaire data as well as the
transcribed recordings confirm participants’ use of only Afrikaans and English during
discussions prior to the formal debating sessions. It is the opinion of the researcher that
participants act more spontaneously when they engage in learning activities outside school
hours, as was evident in their bilingual discussions where they switched between Afrikaans
and English comfortably – a comfort that disappears when the learner operates within a
monolingual (English) class.
The code-switching examples reflected both marked and unmarked code-switching, which was
referred to in chapter 2. The code-switching functions are very similar to the functions of code-
switching observed in the English class of Mr AM, except for the one dealing with social
cohesion, which was only observed during the debating sessions. In this case, the in-group
activity focused around the technical aspects of debating, as the term “POI” is commonly used
in debating circles. During the debating sessions, ample examples of translanguaging surfaced
64
as the general conversations shifted between Afrikaans and English to create meaning and
foster understanding, and these functions were identified as creating a joint understanding
(when the teacher switched to Afrikaans to deepen learners’ comprehension), a strategy used
at word-finding difficulty, and enhancing personal contact.
The communication strategies used by the participants at both schools are very similar and
indicate their use of the two linguistic strategies which alleviate the challenges of
bi/multilingual communication. When restating the research question, this research project
provides a response which explains and clarifies the linguistic tools used by the participants,
expands on the method employed by the researcher to acquire the data, and the analysis drawn
from the investigations at both research sites.
6.2 Implications of the study for education in South Africa
The results of this present study display the evidence of bilingual linguistic practices at both
research sites. The participants are aware of their strengths regarding their home language and,
when expected to use their second language, they draw on their resources from the L1 to find
solutions. Furthermore, this study highlights the positive influence of translanguaging: by
practically implementing all the linguistic resources at one’s disposal, one can produce an
effective act of communication which can be meaningful and comprehensible.
This study aims to contribute towards a radical change in language teaching, to the extent that
a multilingual approach to language learning and teaching should be adopted: such an approach
should adhere to the following requirements:
• That all official languages of South Africa be granted the opportunity to develop into
academic languages
• That multilingualism be developed into a resource which would enable individuals to
obtain jobs, acquire academic qualifications and social prestige
• That the study of languages must foster the knowledge of multilingualism
• That every South African be able to communicate in at least three languages
65
6.3 Limitations of the study
The very limited research on language use in the Upington area severely hampered the fact
finding processes related to this study. For a town with such a rich linguistic history, too few
linguistic research projects had been undertaken to justify all the available resources.
Retrieving consent forms from minor learners’ parents proved to be a time consuming process,
as was retrieving the completed questionnaires from two participants. These learners went
absent prior to the researcher visiting the school for the collection of these questionnaires.
6.4 Recommendations for further research
The process of translanguaging proves beneficial in communication where two or more

languages are used. Some translanguaging research projects relating to education , particularly
at university level, brought a fresh approach to bilingual and multilingual research relating to
learning and teaching, but such research is conspicuously absent at school level. Further
research focusing on translanguaging activities among bi/multilingual high school learners, at
primary or secondary level, would be an advantage to the education system in South Africa in
general, but particularly to the language teachers and learners.
66
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69
Appendix A
PARTICIPANT QUESTIONNAIRE
INVESTIGATING BI/ MULTILINGUAL PRACTICES AT TWO
RURAL HIGH SCHOOLS IN UPINGTON
Please answer the following questions honestly and completely as it will assist in the
success of the study undertaken
Where have you lived for most of your life?
CITY:……………………………PROVINCE……………………………
MY HOME
a) How many people live at home with you?
......................................................................................................................................................
b) How many children in in your family/living at home with you go to school?
.....................................................................................................................................................
c) How many people living at home with you/in your family have a job?
......................................................................................................................................................
70
MY LANGUAGES
1. Which language(s) do you regard as your first language?
......................................................................................................................................................
2. Which language(s) do you use at home?
......................................................................................................................................................
3. Is this/are these language(s) used by everyone at home? YES NO
If your answer is No, please indicate which other language(s) is/are used at home.
......................................................................................................................................................
4. What language(s) do/did you use when speaking to your parents/caregivers?
......................................................................................................................................................
5. Is your first language different from the language that your parents/caregivers use?
YES NO
If your answer is Yes, please supply reasons for why you use a different first language:
......................................................................................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. What is the main language used at your school by your teachers?
.........................................................................................................................................
7. Which language would you prefer your teachers to use at school?
..........................................................................................................................................
8. Which language(s) do you use when you talk to your friends/fellow-learners at school?
...............................................................................................................................................
9. Which language(s) do you use when communicating with people in your neighbourhood?
..............................................................................................................................................
71
10. Name the language(s) you are able to use
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
11. Are you able to use more than one language at different times?
YES NO
12. Are you able to use more than one language at the same time?
YES NO
Please list the languages that you are able to speak, read, and understand.
Indicate how good you believe you are in each of the languages you list. Your spontaneous and
honest response is important for the success of the study. You are required to indicate your degree
of proficiency/skill/expertise/ability by crossing the appropriate block.
How to rate the blocks:
For example, if you could say:
Block 1 : Excellent : I have no problems with this language and would not hesitate to
enroll in a class where this is the language of teaching
Block 2 : Good : I have some skill in this language and could cope in a classroom
where this is the language of teaching
Block 3 : Average : I am not very good in this language and am not sure if I could do
all my studying if this were the language of teaching
Block 4 : Fair : I know some of the language but would need to do a lot of extra
work to keep up with a class where this is the language of
teaching
Block 5 : Poor : I would never consider attending a class where this is the
language of teaching because I are not good enough in the
language
72
B. Languages I am able to speak:

Mark only one block
with a cross
B1 Afrikaans 1 2 3 4 5
B2 English 1 2 3 4 5
B3 Xitsonga 1 2 3 4 5
B4 isiZulu 1 2 3 4 5
B5 siSwati 1 2 3 4 5
B6 isiXhosa 1 2 3 4 5
B7 Setswana 1 2 3 4 5
B8 Tshivenda 1 2 3 4 5
B9 Sesotho 1 2 3 4 5
B10 isiNdebele 1 2 3 4 5
B11 Sepedi 1 2 3 4 5
B12 Other : List any other language: 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
73
C. Languages I am able to read:

Mark only one block
with a cross
C1 Afrikaans 1 2 3 4 5
C2 English 1 2 3 4 5
C3 Xitsonga 1 2 3 4 5
C4 isiZulu 1 2 3 4 5
C5 siSwati 1 2 3 4 5
C6 isiXhosa 1 2 3 4 5
C7 Setswana 1 2 3 4 5
C8 Tshivenda 1 2 3 4 5
C9 Sesotho 1 2 3 4 5
C10 isiNdebele 1 2 3 4 5
C11 Sepedi 1 2 3 4 5
C12 Other : List any other language: 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
74
D. Languages I am able to write:

Mark only one block
with a cross
D1 Afrikaans 1 2 3 4 5
D2 English 1 2 3 4 5
D3 Xitsonga 1 2 3 4 5
D4 isiZulu 1 2 3 4 5
D5 siSwati 1 2 3 4 5
D6 isiXhosa 1 2 3 4 5
D7 Setswana 1 2 3 4 5
D8 Tshivenda 1 2 3 4 5
D9 Sesotho 1 2 3 4 5
D10 isiNdebele 1 2 3 4 5
D11 Sepedi 1 2 3 4 5
D12 Other : List any other language: 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
75
E. Languages I use regularly on social occasions

Mark only one block
with a cross
E1 Afrikaans 1 2 3 4 5
E2 English 1 2 3 4 5
E3 Xitsonga 1 2 3 4 5
E4 isiZulu 1 2 3 4 5
E5 siSwati 1 2 3 4 5
E6 isiXhosa 1 2 3 4 5
E7 Setswana 1 2 3 4 5
E8 Tshivenda 1 2 3 4 5
E9 Sesotho 1 2 3 4 5
E10 isiNdebele 1 2 3 4 5
E11 Sepedi 1 2 3 4 5
E12 Other : List any other language: 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
76
F. Languages I speak at home and with family members:

Mark only one block
with a cross
F1 Afrikaans 1 2 3 4 5
F2 English 1 2 3 4 5
F3 Xitsonga 1 2 3 4 5
F4 isiZulu 1 2 3 4 5
F5 siSwati 1 2 3 4 5
F6 isiXhosa 1 2 3 4 5
F7 Setswana 1 2 3 4 5
F8 Tshivenda 1 2 3 4 5
F9 Sesotho 1 2 3 4 5
F10 isiNdebele 1 2 3 4 5
F11 Sepedi 1 2 3 4 5
F12 Other : List any other language: 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
77
Appendix B
SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW WITH THE TEACHERS INVOVED IN THE

INVESTIGATIONS
1. In which language do you feel most comfortable expressing yourself clearly to

learners?
2. How do you rate your learners’ English proficiency?
3. Do you think it is necessary for the learners to be taught in English rather than their
mother tongue (Afrikaans)?
4. What do you think are the benefits of English as language of learning and teaching
(LOLT)?
5. How are the learners coping with English as language of learning and teaching
(LOLT)
6. What are the challenges you meet in using English as LOLT?
7. How do you overcome these challenges?
8. Do you think using English as LOLT has an influence on the learners’ academic
performance?
9. Do you use more than one language during lessons?
10. What is the result of using more than one language during one session?
78
Appendix C
79
80
81
Appendix D
82
83
84

Strauss Code 2016

Uploaded by

Strauss Code 2016

Uploaded by

Code-switching and translanguaging inside

and outside the classroom: bi-/multilingual

Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree

Supervisor: Dr Kate Huddlestone

Copyright © 2016 Stellenbosch University

The dominance of Afrikaans as medium of communication in the rural town of Upington in

A significant number of code-switches were observed in the linguistic interaction of

'n Beduidende getal kodewisselings is waargeneem tydens die kommunikasiepraktyke by beide

TABLE OF CONTENTS .........................................................................................................vii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1

1.1 Historical background ................................................................................................. 1

1.3 Early education in Upington ....................................................................................... 3

1.5 Chapter outline ............................................................................................................ 5

CHAPTER 2 CODE-SWITCHING .......................................................................................... 6

2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 6

2.2 The markedness of codes ............................................................................................ 8

2.3 Types of code-switching ............................................................................................. 8

2.4 Code-switching as an unmarked choice ...................................................................... 8

2.4.1 Sequential unmarked code-switching .................................................................. 9

2.4.2 Code-switching itself as the unmarked choice..................................................... 9

2.4.3 Code-switching as a marked choice ................................................................... 10

2.4.4 Code-switching as an exploratory choice .......................................................... 10

2.5 Code-Switching in South African educational contexts ........................................... 10

2.6 Code-switching in the Southern African educational contexts ................................. 13

CHAPTER 3 TRANSLANGUAGING .................................................................................. 16

3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 16

3.2 Historical overview ................................................................................................... 16

3.3 The development of translanguaging within schools ................................................ 18

3.4 Translanguaging in the bilingual educational context............................................... 19

3.4.1 Bilingualism through language separation vs. flexible approaches to

3.4.2 Linear Bilingualism vs. Dynamic Bilingualism................................................. 21

3.5 Multilingual Education and Language Policy in South Africa ................................. 22

3.6 Translanguaging practices in South Africa ............................................................... 24

3.6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 24

3.6.2 Translanguaging within the South African educational context ........................ 26

CHAPTER 4 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 30

4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 30

4.2 Research design ......................................................................................................... 30

4.3 Research sites ............................................................................................................ 31

4.4 Participants ................................................................................................................ 32

4.5 Data collection........................................................................................................... 33

4.5.1 Part one: classroom observation at Pabalello High School ............................... 33

4.6 Data-collection instruments and procedures ............................................................. 35

4.6.1 The questionnaire ............................................................................................... 35

4.6.2 Semi-structured interview .................................................................................. 36

4.6.3 Transcription of data .......................................................................................... 36

4.7 Ethical considerations ............................................................................................... 36

CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYSIS .......................................................................................... 38

5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 38

5.2 Linguistic repertoires and language experiences ...................................................... 38

5.2.1 Questionnaire data ..................................................................................................... 38

5.2.2 Semi-structured interviews ........................................................................................ 39

5.3 Analysis of participants’ communication inside the classroom ................................ 40

5.3.1 Occurrence and functions of code-switching during classroom activities ................ 41

5.3.2 The use and functions of translanguaging ................................................................. 46

5.4 Analysis of participants’ communication outside of the classroom .......................... 52

5.4.1 Occurrence and functions of code-switching during debating sessions .................... 52

6.1 Summary of the findings ........................................................................................... 63

6.2 Implications of the study for education in South Africa ........................................... 65

6.3 Limitations of the study............................................................................................. 66

6.4 Recommendations for further research ..................................................................... 66

1.1 Historical background

1.2 Linguistic orientation and the dominance of Afrikaans around Upington

1.3 Early education in Upington

1.4 Motivations for undertaking research and the research question

How do Afrikaans L1 learners in the dominant Afrikaans-speaking community of

1.5 Chapter outline

Myers-Scotton’s (1993) Markedness Model, which is modeled on Grice’s (1975) co-operative

2.2 The markedness of codes

2.3 Types of code-switching

2.4 Code-switching as an unmarked choice

2.4.1 Sequential unmarked code-switching

Myers-Scotton (1993:116) explains sequential unmarked code-switching by referring to a

2.4.2 Code-switching itself as the unmarked choice

2.4.3 Code-switching as a marked choice

2.4.4 Code-switching as an exploratory choice