Perspectives on managing Afrikaans and English as 'equal' languages of learning and teaching at the University of the Free State

Abstract

This article provides a description of language management at the University of the Free State (UFS) and offers perspectives on two aspects, namely the language management agents involved, and the devices employed to ensure parity in the use of Afrikaans and English, both as institutional languages and languages of learning and teaching. The overview considers the possibilities offered by the two models for managing more than one language in higher education, as proposed by Van der Walt and Brink (2005), namely the protectionist model, comprising a model that ‘safeguards\' a designated language; and the multiculturalist model, a more open model based on the premise of language tolerance. The development of the concept of parallel bilingualism at the UFS is discussed in the main part of the article, in which the language management approach at this institution is considered, as well as its relation to the variety of agents involved and particular devices employed. In problematising the view held by the authors mentioned above, the article concludes by proposing a mixed model and theoretically applying it to the UFS. In the process, it identifies some weaknesses regarding the alignment of the multiculturalist ideals of the UFS language policy with its language strategy as a central language management device.

Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2008, 26(3): 315–332