We use the English language in South Africa as an official language. It is the primary language of government, education, business, and the media. In South Africa, English is the most important second language. Many non-Africans also speak as a first language in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The complexities of the English language in South Africa
Using English in South Africa is a complex issue. The country has four main varieties of English: Afrikaner English, Indian English, Standard South African English and New Zealand/Australian-influenced South African English.
The first variety is Afrikaner-English, which is spoken by the descendants of Dutch settlers who arrived in the Cape in 1652. The second variety is Indian-English, which was introduced by Indians who arrived at the Cape in 1820 as part of the British colonial administration. These two varieties are both spoken mainly by white people from middle to upper-class backgrounds.
Standard South African English (SSAE) is spoken by black and white people from all socioeconomic backgrounds and it is often seen as the most neutral variety of English in South Africa because it reflects a mixture of influences from both Afrikaans and Indian languages. New Zealand/Australian-influenced SAE (NZE) has been influenced by these two languages, as well as Maori and Pākehā languages.SAE pronunciation of consonants. The voiceless environment in SAE is different from that in other varieties of English. For example, the word “knifes” is pronounced with a voiceless sound at the beginning of the word:K-n-i-f-e-s (as opposed to “knife”). The vowels are also pronounced differently from other varieties:
