Language choices and identity in higer education: Afrikaans-speaking students at Unisa

Abstract

Worldwide globalisation has led to the anglicisation of higher education. This is also the case in South Africa since the advent of a new dispensation. Whereas theorising and research on language issues in higher education focuses predominantly on instrumental functions of language, this study investigates the symbolic functions of language as an identity marker. A survey was conducted among 2 794 Afrikaans-speaking students at the University of South Africa (Unisa). Students, who studied in Afrikaans, identified more with South Africa and their ethnic and racial groups than Afrikaans students who studied in English. They also identified more with all categories related to the South African and African contexts. Furthermore, these students identified significantly more with the institution and felt more at home at the university. Implications for the role of universities in processes of social identification and the potential impact of language policies and concomitant language choices are discussed.