Overview

The book is a sociolinguistic case study of District Six, an inner-city neighbourhood in Cape Town characterized by language mixing and switching of English and Afrikaans. Its early inhabitants included indigenous people, freed slaves of African and Asian origin, and immigrants from Europe and elsewhere. The ravages of apartheid affected the residents' attitudes towards their languages in various ways, which are described. The book examines the norms and practices regarding language choice for various functions and domains in the only surviving sector of District Six. It also contains detailed analyses of extended bilingual conversations showing a range of social, linguistic and discourse features. Of particular interest is the paradoxical polarization and blending of the two languages. They are strongly polarized symbolically and functionally, yet they are also habitually blended in vernacular speech through lexical borrowing and intrasentential language switching. This paradox has interesting implications for the construction of individual, community and language identity.

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9780198235545

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Reviews

... fine example of sociolinguistic research. Journal of Sociolinguistics Chapter 2 provides a fascinating account of the history of language contact in the Cape Town area. Journal of Sociolinguistics 'Kay McCormick has not just produced a multilayered and skilful analysis of code-choice and language contact. She has provided one of the most insightful analyses of how sensitive an index language is of developments in society. District Six being a historically and politically sensitive site, the book has relevance to a community far wider than (socio)linguists. Indeed it will be welcomed by anyone interested in South-Africa's social history as a grassroots study of how communities adapted to dramatic changes under apartheid.' Jan Blommaert, Ghent University 'This is a first-rate work of sensitive and probing scholarship, informed by meticulous research, intelligent analysis, and commendably clear prose. Kay McCormick's fine study will be of particular interest to urban and social historians concerned with the structuring power of language in defining individuals' life-chances, identities, and sense of community meanings.' Bill Nasson, University of Cape Town 'This is a magnificent study of the ways in which everyday use of language reflects the complex history and society of Cape Town's famous District Six in the years spanning apartheid and its aftermath. Kay McCormick not only makes an innovative contribution to sociolinguistic studies of code switching and language attitude, but also provides a lively insight into the nature of identity and community which is of exceptional value to historians and social scientists. It is sure to be a path-breaking work.' Nigel Worden, University of Cape Town 'Language contact continues to be one of the most exciting and challenging branches of sociohistorical lingusitics. Here is a case study of intimate bilingualism that challenges our preconceptions about the boundaries between languages. Kay McCormick's work on Afrikaans-English bilingualism in District Six, Cape Town is set amidst the complexities of apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. Her study is noteworthy for its detailed sociohistoric documentation, its political sensitivity, ethnographic awareness, careful data presentation and its sociolinguistic analyses of code choice, and language switching. This is an important contribution to contact linguistics and to Southern African sociology. Rajend Mesthrie, University of Cape Town

Author Information

Kay McCormick is Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Cape Town. Her first degree was in languages and postgraduate studies were in education and linguistics. Her research is in the fields of sociolinguistics at speech community level, language policy, and discourse analysis.

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