Language use in the neighbourhood of Empangeni and Richards Bay

Abstract

This article addresses itself to the study of code choice and language use in the Empangeni-Richards Bay areas. This is largely language choice among Zulu, English and Afrikaans speakers, where 80% of the population of 8 million are Zulu first language speakers, 16% are English first language speakers and the remaining 4% are speakers of other languages (Krige et al, 1994). The varying and overlapping roles of the two main languages, English and Zulu, are considered: first the case of Zulu as a mother tongue of the largest ethno-cultural group and also the lingua franca of the region, and second, the role of English as the powerful and predominant official language of documentation in commercial and technological business. The focus of the paper is also on the linguistic behaviour of Zulu-English, English -Afrikaans speakers, with special emphasis on code switching and code mixing. The functions and impact of code switching on language maintenance are also considered.