After a long fight for democratic freedom, in 1994 the first free elections in South Africa took place. The land lived through more than 40 years of Apartheid, the separation of black and white people. But in real life, there are still problems. In the heads of many people, Apartheid is still alive.
The English language plays a big role in South Africa. Alongside with other languages like Afrikaans and Xhosa, it is an official language. At school, pupils have to speak English. All lessons are held in English, that´s why English is very important for young people in S.A.
How English found its way to South Africa
The English language came to South Africa at the time of the British conquest. In september 1795 the cape was given to a Great Britain. 1803 -1806 Holland get power back. That´s why South Africa was influenced by the languages of Holland. 1814 the Cape of good hope was given back to Great Britain by a formal seperation. The population consists totally of Non- Britains. That´s why the government tried to anglisize the country. They wanted to eliminate the Holland language. There were no protests and 1820 the first 5000 emigrants from Waterloo reached South Africa. 1899 there´s a war, because gold was found in the country. 1902 also Transvaal and Oranje became British colonies. 1910 the colonies get their independence from Great Britain.
What's the status of English there today?
Official languages are Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, Sesotho (Southern Sotho), Sepedi (Northern Sotho), siSwati, Xitsonga, Setswana, Tshivenda, isiXhosa and isiZulu. Afrikaans is the home language of about 7 million people, mostly in South Africa and Namibia.
A virtual trip to South Africa
