SAALT Newsletter: September Edition
A Month of Reflection and Connection
We are happy to share our September newsletter with you. In the month of September, we have so much to celebrate. We start with International Literacy Day (8 September) and in this month’s newsletter, Dr Connie Makgabo shares the significance of this day for the teaching of African Languages. Furthermore, September is also the month in which we celebrate International Translation Day (20 September), and International Day of sign languages (23 September)…
We are privileged to work and live in a country with such linguistic wealth and diversity and to connect with one another using the precious resource of multiple languages. We end the month with the celebration of Heritage Day (24 September), so to kick off our newsletter this month, Dr Malephole Sefotho shares her thoughts on the gift of multilingualism that enables us to navigate and experience our world through multiple cultural and linguistic lenses:
“The relationship between language and identity is a strong unbreakable relationship (Alshehri, 2023:156). As we are celebrating our heritage, it is important therefore to look back and consider who we are. Does your language reflect your identity? Language is an important facet through which we determine who we are and identify ourselves as belonging. Identity is “how people understand their relationship to the world, how that relationship is constructed across time and space and how people understand their possibilities for the future” (Norton 1997:410). In the era of multilingualism, due to globalisation, we are able to identify ourselves through multiple cultural lenses which allow us to meander in different social contexts and understand each other in our different ways. This means we become one in our different social and cultural contexts, and admire and appreciate each other’s language and identity.”
International Literacy Day
by Dr Connie Makgabo
International Literacy Day is an opportunity for African Languages in education educators to reflect on the linguistic diversity across the continent and the literacy-associated challenges. These languages are still lagging behind in many ways. African Languages in education and their development is an ongoing endeavour, and it encompasses how languages are taught, learned, and utilised in various disciplines and academic settings. As language is a tool for critical thinking, analysis, and engagement with academic content, promoting linguistic diversity, inclusivity, and equity can contribute to a more harmonious and culturally rich global society.
The promotion of these African languages involves creating an environment that fosters effective communication. Promoting literacy in African languages is not just about teaching people to read and write; it is about fostering a deeper understanding of cultural heritage and enabling individuals to engage fully with their communities. As Rita Mae Brown said, “Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. Therefore, for these languages to show the real roadmap, the African languages educators need to be intentional in teaching, developing and promoting them”. As literacy is often defined as proficiency in other languages, especially English in South Africa, it tends to overlook the value of being literate in one’s mother tongue. Being literate in one’s mother tongue is crucial for cultural preservation, identity formation, and cognitive development.
According to The National Language Policy Framework (2003), universities are urged to make African languages the languages of teaching and learning by developing and integrating them into formal programmes (DHET 2017). This promotion encourages the learning of these languages for equitable use. International Literacy Day can serve as a platform to advocate for the inclusion of teaching African languages the African way and to emphasise the need for appropriate educational resources, aligned teacher training programmes, and curricula that support literacy in these languages. Furthermore, this day can be used as a platform to raise awareness about the challenges that delay the literacy development in African languages, such as the lack of acceptable quality written materials and a limited digital presence as well as changing negative attitudes towards these languages
How do we advance the literacy in African languages?
Through the professional development of educators and by updating their teaching skills and knowledge concerning African languages through introduction of in-service training (continuing training). A culture of ongoing learning encourages different teaching strategies, reading proficiency and promotes and develops writing skills. The integration of technology to enhance language learning should not be left behind. There is a need for the development of language learning apps and compatible digital presence in African languages. In addition, African Languages should be taught through an Afrocentric lens.
Ke a leboga
Ke a leboha
Inkomu!
Ro livhuwa
Dankie
Siyabonga
Nguyathokoza
Ngiyabonga
Enkosi
Thank you
SAALT Special Interest Groups (SIGS)
Don’t forget to join one of our Special Interest Groups (SIGS). Please go to:
You can also follow this link to join our SAALT WhatsApp community:
Congratulations!
We would like to congratulate Dr Joyce West and her husband on the birth of their baby boy, Carter West. He already attended the SAALT Conference this year in utero and we know that he was born for great things!
Become a reviewer for the Journal for Language Teaching
SAALT’s official outlet for scholarly publications in our field is the Journal for Language Teaching. It is an accredited publication on the books of the Department of Higher Education, so academics writing in this journal may apply for subsidy after successfully publishing their article. The journal’s editor-in-chief is Dr Kabelo Sebolai. “The JLT is publishing an ever greater diversity of articles, the latest issue on the teaching of African languages being a good illustration of this. We are therefore constantly looking to increase both the membership and the expertise of our reviewing panels”. Not feeling quite ready yet to take this on? The JLT will also provide mentorship on how to review consistently and productively. Step up to the challenge, and contact the editor at sebolaik@cput.ac.za, or register for that role by following the steps at
Upcoming Event: 25 September - Webinar
Webinar: Write well with Rinelle - How to write a paper
Passcode: SF9hKG
Exciting opportunities: Coursework MA Applied Linguistics at the University of Pretoria
One of the most exciting pieces of news this year: a newly conceived and developed MA in Applied Linguistics will be offered at the University of Pretoria from 2025.
South Africa is in dire need of professionals who can design responsible interventions to solve our many language problems. In fact, as Albert Weideman, chairperson of the Inter-institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA) points out: “We have more language problems crying out for designed solutions than can be solved in a lifetime.”
ICELDA, a four-university consortium for devising designed solutions in language curriculum, test and policy design, is supporting this to the hilt. ICELDA’s hope is that this may be the start of the formation of a large corps of experts that can bring solutions to the vexing language problems that beset us. The consortium has generously made funds available to ensure the success of this new programme. It has made scholarships available for prospective students, and it hopes that its request to SAALT to match these will also be successful. Their network of professional expertise is available to fill in where the University of Pretoria needs it. We may also look forward to seeing other institutions following suit: there is a good chance of it being offered at North-West University in good time, and in Afrikaans at Akademia.
The course will be a taught course, with compulsory modules and electives. For the mini-dissertation, a wide panel of supervisory professionals is standing ready.
Interested in gaining a qualification of undoubted quality? Get in touch with Dr Avasha Rambiritch (avasha.rambiritch@up.ac.za).
