Attitudes towards varieties of a language have been an issue in educational contexts. For example, it is generally said that societies have a positive attitude towards the standard variety and a negative attitude towards the non-standard varieties of a language. The attitudes towards language varieties can affect their use in education and can have an impact on learners’ learning and achievement. In some contexts, learners hold a view that dialect-speaking learners have lower academic potential than learners speaking the standard dialect. The learners’ attitudes have significant implications for the use of dialects in the classroom as it can determine the value and emphasis given to the dialect in education. Therefore, this article establishes the attitudes held by learners towards the recognition and development of isiBhaca in the education space in Umzimkhulu. Using mixed methods, the study followed a survey research design. Data were gathered from 128 purposively selected learners from Grades 6 and 7 at six schools in Umzimkhulu. Mean scores about the belief statements were calculated in order to analyse the quantitative data, whereas the qualitative data were analysed thematically. The study found that learners held positive attitudes towards the recognition and development of isiBhaca in the education space, although they were unsure as to whether this recognition should extend to the language being given official status in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, where it has a significant number of home language speakers.
Foley (
Babich (
People who identify themselves as members of the following tribes – Xhosa, Thembu, Xesibe, Ntlangwini, Gcaleka, Bomvana, Mpondomise, Mpondo, Hlubi, Cele, and Bhaca – are all classified as amaXhosa and are presumed to be home language (HL) speakers of isiXhosa, which has official status in South Africa. In Umzimkhulu, isiXhosa and/or isiZulu are taught to HL speakers of isiBhaca. While the two languages are mutually intelligible with isiBhaca, HL speakers of isiBhaca do not ordinarily speak isiXhosa and/or isiZulu at home or when they socialise among themselves. For example, the dialect of isiBhaca differs from standard isiXhosa in terms of vocabulary; for instance, in isiXhosa, ‘African beer’ is called
The role of dialect in education has been the focus of research by local scholars, Mtsatse and Combrinck (
This study sought to establish learners’ attitudes towards the recognition and development of isiBhaca for learning purposes in Umzimkhulu. To achieve the study’s objectives, we will seek to establish the following:
Whether learners hold positive or negative attitudes towards the introduction of isiBhaca in their education.
Whether learners believe that the introduction of isiBhaca in their education would be beneficial or detrimental to their education, as opposed to the retention of isiXhosa and isiZulu in their education.
Whether they are conscious about language rights as they pertain to isiBhaca being recognised and developed for the purposes of learning.
Identity is about how individuals or groups see and define themselves and how other individuals or groups see and define them (Dumitraskovic
Research has shown that learners’ first language is the optimal language for literacy and learning throughout primary school (Ball
Sailzmann (
Dumitraskovic (
Perloff (
This research employed an explanatory mixed-method approach, that is, quantitative data were analysed first, followed by qualitative data. Johnson and Turner (
The study sample comprised 128 respondents who were purposively selected from Grades 6 and 7 at schools identified as ideal for the study. Creswell and Plano Clark (
Self-developed closed- and open-ended questions were used to gather data from the respondents. With regard to closed-ended questions, 12 Likert-type scale statements were put before the respondents and they were asked to mark the option which best suited them from the following five options: (1) strongly disagree or SD; (2) disagree or D; (3) not sure or NS; (4) agree or A; and (5) strongly agree or SA. To determine their ‘aggregate attitudinal tendencies’ using ‘mean scores’, the scales which appear in
Scalar units, scores and aggregate attitudinal tendencies.
Scalar units | Scores | Aggregate attitudinal tendencies |
---|---|---|
4.50 –5.00 | 5 | Strongly agree |
3.50–4.49 | 4 | Agree |
2.50–3.49 | 3 | Not sure |
1.50–2.49 | 2 | Disagree |
1.00–1.49 | 1 | Strongly disgree |
We deemed ‘mean scores’ and not a deeper statistical analysis (e.g. standard deviation) to be adequate for reaching conclusions on ‘aggregate attitudinal tendencies’ because more emphasis was placed on qualitative data as opposed to quantitative data.
Ethical clearance was obtained. Before the data-gathering phase, learners’ parents and guardians signed
Ethical clearance was issued by Tshwane University of Technology’s Research Ethics Committee on 19 March 2016, with ethical clearance number FCRE/APL/STD/2016/03.
IsiBhaca was spoken by an overwhelming majority of the respondents (79.7%) and that rendered ‘home language’ as an unusable variable because the other two languages, isiXhosa and isiZulu, comparatively had too low percentages. That left ‘sex’, ‘age’ and ‘school’ as the three variables that were used for data analysis.
To achieve the study’s objectives, 12 Likert-type scale belief statements, which were put before 128 learners, were split into the following three categories: (1) Using isiBhaca in the education space; (2) Recognising and developing isiBhaca; and (3) Matching isiBhaca against isiXhosa and isiZulu. For each category, ‘mean scores’ and ‘aggregate attitudinal tendencies’ were presented in tables, followed by an analysis of individual belief statements, and lastly, a summary of each category.
Belief statements 5, 6, 8 and 11 belong to this category and are presented in
Using isiBhaca for educational purposes.
Number | Belief statements | Mean scores | Aggregate attitudinal tendencies |
---|---|---|---|
5 | IsiBhaca is only relevant for discussing matters, such as lobola negotiations and not for educational purposes. | 2.20 | Disagree |
6 | Learners in Umzimkhulu perform poorly in school because they are taught in isiXhosa or isiZulu, and not in isiBhaca. | 3.96 | Agree |
8 | The pass rate at school would improve if learners in Umzimkhulu were taught in isiBhaca. | 3.98 | Agree |
11 | Language rights of learners in Umzimkhulu are violated if they continue to be taught in isiXhosa or isiZulu, and not in isiBhaca. | 4.13 | Agree |
- | Aggregate (for the category). | 3.57 | Agree |
This belief statement scored a ‘mean’ of 2.20, which means that the respondents
Both male (mean = 2.38) and female (mean = 2.05) respondents
In this belief statement, the respondents recorded a ‘mean score’ of 3.96. This indicates that they
Female (mean = 4.08) and male (mean = 3.75) respondents
The respondents’ ‘mean score’ was 3.98 in this belief statement, which indicates that they
There was an insignificant difference between female (mean = 4.14) and male (mean = 3.52) respondents, as both recorded ‘mean scores’ which showed that they
The purpose of this belief statement was to find out whether the respondents felt that their rights as learners in Umzimkhulu were violated, as they were taught in isiXhosa instead of isiBhaca. A ‘mean score’ of 4.13 indicated that they
Female (mean = 4.14) and male (mean = 4.07) respondents
From the four belief statements under this category, it is concluded that the respondents believed that isiBhaca was relevant beyond being used for cultural and traditional events, and that being taught in this language would see learners in Umzimkhulu improve their school performance. Their favourable attitudes towards isiBhaca were also reflected in their belief that not being taught through isiBhaca violated their constitutional right of being taught in their HL. There was an ‘aggregate attitudinal tendency’ of 3.57 for the category, which suggests that the respondents
As
Recognising and developing isiBhaca.
Number | Belief statements | Mean scores | Aggregate attitudinal tendencies |
---|---|---|---|
4 | IsiBhaca should not be given official recognition because the people of Umzimkhulu use very few words that are different from isiXhosa or isiZulu ones. | 2.77 | Not sure |
7 | Even if isiBhaca is related to isiXhosa or isiZulu, it should be developed as a separate language. | 3.90 | Agree |
10 | Developing study material in isiBhaca will be a waste of government resources. | 2.25 | Disagree |
12 | IsiBhaca should not be developed for use in any form of schooling (e.g. primary school, high school or university). | 2.21 | Disagree |
- | Aggregate (for the category). | 2.78 | Not sure |
This belief statement sought to find out whether the respondents felt that isiBhaca should not be given official status in areas where it was spoken. With a ‘mean score’ of 2.77, the respondents indicated that that they were
There was an insignificant difference between male (mean = 2.98) and female (mean = 2.60) respondents, as both recorded ‘mean scores’ that showed they were
In this belief statement, the respondents scored a ‘mean’ of 3.90, which indicates that they
Female (mean = 3.98) and male (mean = 3.78) respondents
In this belief statement, the aim was to establish whether the respondents thought that it would be a waste of time if government developed isiBhaca and provided study material in the language. A ‘mean score’ of 2.25 was recorded, which means that the respondents
The spirit of the Constitution of South Africa is that of encouraging people to use their HLs where it is practical. This possibly explains why the respondents supported the idea to have academic resources being made available in isiBhaca, a move that would see it being developed. While this belief statement can also be classified under Category 1, the researchers felt that it should be discussed under Category 2 because it is primarily about ‘language development’ as opposed to ‘language in education’ (a secondary consideration).
Both male (mean = 2.43) and female (mean = 2.15) respondents
In this belief statement, the aim was to determine whether the respondents felt that isiBhaca should not be developed for use in any form of schooling. A ‘mean score’ of 2.21 was recorded, which implies that respondents
A possible reason for this stance is that even if isiXhosa is mutually intelligible with isiBhaca, the respondents may be of a belief that the ideal language to be used for educational purposes is a people’s HL (isiBhaca in this case) and not an L2 (isiXhosa in this case). Just like in Belief statement 10, this belief statement can also be classified under Category 1. Likewise, the researchers felt that it should be discussed under Category 2, because it is primarily about ‘language development’ as opposed to ‘language in education’ (a secondary consideration).
There was a negligible difference between female (mean = 2.23) and male (mean = 2.15) respondents as both recorded ‘mean scores’ which showed that they
From the four belief statements under this category, it is concluded that the respondents were of the view that isiBhaca should be developed for educational purposes and also as a separate language from isiXhosa and isiZulu, a move that would be beneficial to its L1 speakers, particularly learners. Nevertheless, they were
Belief statements 1, 2, 3 and 9 belong to this category and presented in
Matching isiBhaca with isiXhosa and isiZulu.
Number | Belief statements | Mean scores | Aggregate attitudinal tendencies |
---|---|---|---|
1 | The manner in which the people of Umzimkhulu speak is influenced by the area being in KwaZulu-Natal and close to the Eastern Cape. | 4.48 | Agree |
2 | There is a big difference between isiBhaca and isiXhosa or isiZulu. | 2.50 | Not sure |
3 | IsiBhaca is close to isiXhosa, but not to isiZulu. | 2.51 | Not sure |
9 | IsiBhaca is close to isiZulu, but not to isiXhosa. | 2.82 | Not sure |
- | Aggregate (for the category). | 3.08 | Not sure |
An aggregate mean score of 4.48 shows that the respondents
Female respondents recorded a higher ‘mean score’ of 4.57, which means that they
This belief statement sought to establish whether the respondents believed that there was a big difference between isiXhosa or isiZulu and isiBhaca. With a
Of the three ‘ages’, the youngest group (12 years old), with a ‘mean score’ of 2.47, was the only group that
This belief statement was asked to find out if the respondents believed whether isiBhaca was more closely related to isiXhosa than it was to isiZulu. The
Male respondents scored a ‘mean score’ of 2.73, while female respondents scored a ‘mean score’ of 2.40, which means that the former were
A mean score of 2.82 indicates that the respondents were
There was a negligible difference between female (mean = 2.88) and male (mean = 2.77) respondents as both recorded ‘mean scores’ which showed that they were
With an ‘aggregate attitudinal tendency’ of 3.08 for the category, a conclusion could be reached that the respondents were
Eight questions were put to 128 learners who were asked to answer YES or NO first, followed by a ‘motivation’ for their choice of answer. Answers to the eight questions were also split into the three categories presented in the section above. In analysing the data, we used percentages to illustrate the frequencies of the respondents’ answers, followed by prominent reasons they provided as motivation for the reasons they advanced. It is also important to note that their motivations were grouped for the purposes of coherence.
Questions 1, 2, 6 and 7 belong to this category and they are discussed below.
A minority of them (25%) did not believe that learning through isiXhosa or isiZulu affected Umzimkhulu’s learners. The most common reason they presented was ‘we are used to isiXhosa because our education is given through the language when we start school’.
Likewise, a minority of them (13.3%), who believed that results would not improve were they to be taught in isiBhaca, also provided the most common reason that they started school being taught in isiXhosa, thus they were used to this language.
A minority of the respondents (32.8%) were of the view that adults in their families would not encourage them to study isiBhaca if it were taught at their school. Many of these respondents came from families where isiXhosa and isiZulu were spoken as HLs, thus were not open to the status quo being challenged. In addition, they stated that adults in their families held negative attitudes towards isiBhaca.
Nearly three-quarters of the respondents (73.2%) stated that they would discourage learners in Umzimkhulu to continue to study in isiXhosa and isiZulu if isiBhaca were to be introduced at their school the following year. The most prominent reason they gave was that it was only fair and logical to introduce isiBhaca in the education space because most families spoke the language at home, as opposed to isiXhosa and isiZulu. The less prominent reason they mentioned was that the introduction of isiBhaca at their school would stop the violation of their constitutional right to be taught their HL at school.
From the four questions presented above under this category, a conclusion could be reached that an overwhelming majority of the respondents believed that there would be enormous benefits for using isiBhaca in the education space in Umzimkhulu. This finding is consistent with ones made in Belief statements 6, 8 and 11.
The discussion below focuses on Questions 3 and 4, which belong to this category.
A minority of them (21.1%) thought that it would not be a great idea to develop study material in isiBhaca for use at school. One of the prominent reasons they submitted was that it was too late in the day to go this route because over many years, learners in Umzimkhulu had been taught isiXhosa and government had already invested a lot of money in the development of this language.
A small minority of the respondents (15.6%) were opposed to the idea. Some of them noted that the percentage of HL speakers of isiBhaca was so low in the two provinces that it would not make sense to grant it official status.
Responses to Questions 3 and 4 suggest that the respondents overwhelmingly supported the recognition and development of isiBhaca, while a small minority of respondents were not supportive of the idea. There is consistency between Belief statement 10 and Question 3. In Belief statement 10, the respondents
There is a discrepancy between their response to Belief statement 4 and Question 4 on whether isiBhaca should be granted official status or not. A major difference between the two lies in being general as opposed to being specific. In Belief statement 4, the respondents were
Questions 5 and 8 belong to this category and they are discussed below.
Differences between isiBhaca and isiZulu.
isiBhaca | IsiZulu | English equivalents |
---|---|---|
Andati | Angazi | I do not know |
Edasi | Ezansi | Down there |
Khamba or ukukhamba | Hamba or ukuhamba | Walking or going |
Ndiyakhuphuka | Ngiyakhuphuka | To walk up |
Ngesheya | Ngaphesheya | Over there (across) |
A small minority of the respondents (4.7%) thought that there were no differences between isiBhaca and isiZulu.
Differences between isiBhaca and isiXhosa.
isiBhaca | isiXhosa | English equivalents |
---|---|---|
Bekuhum | Bekundim | It was me |
Bheka | Jonga | To look |
Leyanto | Lanto | Thing |
Ndiyakhamba | Ndiyahamba | I am going or leaving |
Ndiyakutshena | Ndiyakuxelela | I am telling you |
Ndiyawatsha | Ndiyahlamba | I am washing |
Hukudla | Ukutya | Food |
Huyisiphukuphuku | Usisibhanxa | You are stupid |
Layo or lana | Apho or apha | There |
Shuba | Ggqiba | To finish |
Tshetsha | Khawuleza | Hurry up |
A small minority of the respondents (5.5%) held a view that there were no differences between isiBhaca and isiXhosa.
The respondents recorded very high percentages (viz. more than 94% for Questions 5 and 8) in arguing that there were differences between isiBhaca and isiZulu, and isiBhaca and isiXhosa. They also provided examples of such differences as illustrated in
In comparing these findings made in Belief statements 3 and 9 against Questions 5 and 8, one notices that in the belief statements, the respondents were
When it comes to Questions 5 and 8, the respondents were not asked to match isiXhosa against isiZulu, but to focus on each language at a time, as it relates to isiBhaca. That fundamental difference saw them being unequivocal that there were lexical, morphological and phonological differences between isiBhaca and isiZulu, as well as between isiBhaca and isiXhosa.
As indicated in the study’s introduction, we sought to establish learners’ attitudes towards the recognition and development of isiBhaca in the education space in Umzimkhulu. Having analysed and discussed the study’s quantitative and qualitative data, we now provide answers to our research questions.
Firstly, we sought to establish whether learners held positive or negative attitudes towards the introduction of isiBhaca in their education; our conclusion is that they held positive attitudes towards isiBhaca. Secondly, we sought to establish whether they believed that the introduction of isiBhaca in their education would be beneficial or detrimental to the same, as opposed to the retention of isiXhosa and isiZulu in their education; we conclude that they believed that the introduction of isiBhaca would be beneficial to their education. Thirdly, we sought to establish whether they were conscious about language rights as they pertain to isiBhaca being recognised and developed for the purposes of learning; our conclusion is that they were conscious about language rights and held views that HL speakers of isiBhaca were denied such rights.
Beyond these conclusions, it is worthwhile to note minority views. The study comprised 20.3% of the respondents whose HLs were isiXhosa and isiZulu, against 79.7% of those whose HL was isiBhaca. Evidently, HL speakers of isiXhosa and isiZulu felt threatened by the notion of introducing isiBhaca in education because such a move would threaten the current status quo of their HLs being favoured over isiBhaca in education; they would prefer that things remain as they are.
We move from a premise that researchers should establish from HL speakers about the status of their language, that is, is it a language in its own right or a dialect of another language. In the case of isiBhaca, its HL speakers hold a view that it is neither a dialect of isiXhosa nor of isiZulu, but a language in its own right, which, as an Nguni language, is mutually intelligible with the latter two languages. Language is a sensitive matter, and dictating to speakers that their HL is a ‘dialect or ‘non-standard variety’ which is not an acceptable language in formal and significant domains, can only alienate them and build resentment towards the ‘standard variety’ being imposed upon them.
Moving from a premise that learners in Umzimkhulu expressed an appetite for the recognition and development of isiBhaca, we are of the view that future research needs to be conducted on the feasibility of developing isiBhaca to be a language that could be used in education. Such future research may be beneficial to other languages having no recognition as languages in their own right.
The authors wish to express their sincere appreciation to the 128 respondents (Grades 6 and 7 learners) from Umzimkhulu who participated in this research study.
The authors declare that they do not have any financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
This article was written out of Mr Y.L.P. Majola’s Master’s research project under the supervision of Dr T. Ditsele, and co-supervision of Prof. M. Cekiso. Mr Y.L.P. Majola drafted the article, while Dr T. Ditsele and Prof. Cekiso revised and finalised it.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the authors.