Languages of South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, according to its first democratic constitution, officially speaks 11 languages, of which there are two West-Germanic languages (Afrikaans and English), and nine Bantu languages (isiNdebele, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, isiXhosa and isiZulu). Due to such diversity, South Africa represents a highly valuable source of information for studying the phenomenon of multilingualism. The essay will first focus on South Africa’s peculiar historical background, which formed the contemporary linguistic landscape. Then it will discuss the interaction between languages in South Africa with an emphasis on English and its place in the South African society. Lastly, the opinion will be stated in regards…

new country. In our past assignments, we specifically explored the potential of a U.S. company going into business in South Africa and into the wine industry. Perhaps the most important things to keep in mind when doing business in South Africa are the culture, language difference and communication styles of the country in contrast to the U.S. Communication can directly…

The first time South Africa was colonized was in 1652 by the Dutch for its many raw materials and precious metals like gold; this colony was first fully established by the Dutch-East-India trading company. Over time the Dutch empire weakened and fell leaving the precious country open for the taking, and the English took advantage of this opportunity. In 1899, the English first colonized the South African ports and gold mines; this was a very important colony at the time since many of the…

In order to increase revenue, it is important for the population in South Africa to know about Zya Coffee. Therefore, as a short term goal Zya Coffee will have to make television and radio advertisements to market its products. The company will also contact advertising companies in South Africa to analyze and understand consumer buying trends. It is also important for Zya Coffee to have good consumer relations, so one of Zya Coffee’s most important short term goals is to receive at least 95%…

October 2015 South Africa South Africa is located south of the equator in the southern hemisphere, its absolute location is 30 degrees South and 25 degrees East. South Africa is bordered by Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland, as well as the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Diversity is a huge feature in South Africa because it has about 11 official languages as well as many different cultures and ethnic groups. South Africa has one of the continent's largest economies, and also is the only country…

Furthermore, food in South Africa in nothing like the food I was used to in Rwanda. Most of the food in Rwanda is naturally grown and domestic animals, such as cows, goats and sheep are fed on natural crops. This means that meat is natural and there is no use of chemical fertilizers in order to increase the amount of crop harvest. However, meat in South Africa is got from genetically modified animals and also chemical fertilizers are used to boost crop harvest. I remember the first time I went…

Education in South Africa vs United States Education is an institution found in nearly all cultures around the world. Education varies in ranking in what is fundamentally important within a culture. There are different learning styles, educational pathways and perceptions of education that are influenced based upon a culture’s language, norms, values, symbols and beliefs. Such a case of variation between cultures is seen in the educational practices and systems in South Africa and the United…

When performing any kind of research it is the idea of the writer to project what they have seen or read and through this information help guide those reading it have an understanding of what is being portrayed. The writer should know who his or her audience is in order to ensure that the correct information is provided. The project for this paper will be on the country South Africa which geographically is positioned on the south most tip of the African continent. South African has a very…

South Africa is a country located on the southernmost tip of the African continent. It is bordered by northern African countries such as Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique. Furthermore, as stated by the World Atlas (2015), South Africa covers 1 214 470 square kilometers of land and 4 620 square kilometers of water, making it the 25th largest nation in the world with a total area of 1 219 090 square kilometers. Because of its large population consisting of many…

Caucasian Americans. My sister, my foster-brother, and I are all Black South Africans. I even have a brother-in-law who is Taiwanese and Paraguayan. There is a good chance that sixty years ago my family would not be out in public together. There is a good chance we would not exist. However, if we did exist as a family, there would be no shortage of obstacles and difficulties meted out by society. Fortunately, the year is 2016 and families that look like mine are not condemned or doubted as…