Buried voices, hidden languages: The (in)visibility of indigenous South African languages in the South African Journal of African Languages (SAJAL) from 1994 to 2023

Abstract

The South African Journal of African Languages was officially established in 1981 to advance the visibility and intellectualisation of indigenous South African languages as outlined in its aims and scope. Regrettably, greatly entrenched imperialist ideologies obstruct these languages’ comprehensive visibility in this journal. Therefore, this article critiques the (in)visibility (presence or absence) of indigenous languages in SAJAL from 1994 to 2023 using the cultural capital theory. Four notable findings emerge. Firstly, from the same year the journal was established (1981) until 1994, only English and Afrikaans were used in SAJAL, symbolising hegemonic imperialist objectives. Secondly, the use of local language titles during this period (1981, when the journal was established, until 1994, the new dawn of South Africa) suggests the commodification of indigenous South African languages. Thirdly, from 1995 to 1998, some articles and book reviews appeared in Sepedi or Sesotho sa Leboa, but this trend abruptly vanished, only re-emerging from 2015 to 2023, along with articles and book reviews in isiXhosa, isiZulu and Xitsonga. Other indigenous languages remain absent. Fourthly, over SAJAL’s history (at the time of writing this article), only fifty-three publications have been in indigenous languages, compared to hundreds in English and Afrikaans. These findings underscore the demand for authors and reviewers to reconsider language choices, and for SAJAL to address the alarming disparity between colonial and indigenous languages in its publication frequency.