A Project by the English Academy of Southern Africa
At the Gala Dinner of the English Academy Conference held at the Bloemendal Restaurant in Durvanville on , Athol Fugard, distinguished South African playwright, actor and producer, was awarded the English Academy Gold Medal for 2011 on 22 September this year.
Many second- and additional-language English speakers in South African high schools are reluctant to read and study English literature, especially poetry. Reasons for this resistance include language and comprehension difficulties, a lack of personal and critical engagement with texts, rigid or outdated methodologies, poorly trained or unenthusiastic English teachers and the allure of non-print media. Hillis Miller maintains that literature “gives access to a virtual reality not otherwise knowable” (2008, 28).
Being from Nigeria, a country rumoured to have hundreds of indigenous languages and endemic inter-ethnic rivalries, I am fascinated by the apparent ease with which the average South African negotiates this country’s multi-lingual setting. As a postgraduate student, writing consultant and tutor of an academic literacy module at a leading university, I have also very keenly followed the debates on the dire challenges faced by students at all levels in South African schools and universities with regard to language proficiency and literacy
The Institute for the Study of English in Africa (ISEA) at Rhodes University felt honoured to be invited to deliver the opening speech at the launch of a reading club at Toise High School in King William’s Town on 4 May 2011, a few days after World Book Day.
English, as anyone knows it, has long been “notorious” for its spelling, which is said to be “unreliable”, or even “deceitful”: In one way it is spelled, but in quite another pronounced (just as meant to trap people)
The pronunciation of English is not easy. The spelling system is far from phonetic. The spelling of Afrikaans and the indigenous African languages gives a much clearer indication of pronunciation.
The following are some multiple-choice questions that can be set for group discussions. Note that more than one answer may be appropriate – the aim of the exercise is to stimulate discussion.
1. Draw a rough, labelled plan of Mr Tom’s house (exterior only) and its immediate environs.
The violence on the island follows the pattern of the violence in the adult world:
Readers have nominated Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird as the book they would most like to see given away as part of next year’s World Book Night.