Residents’ perceptions on Sepitori, a mixed language spoken in greater Pretoria, South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.33643Keywords:
mixed language, urban marker, social perception, lingua franca, Sepitori, South AfricaAbstract
This article investigates, from the residents’ viewpoint, perceptions on the role and usage of Sepitori, a mixed language which originated in greater Pretoria (South Africa). Based on the thematic coding of two focus group interviews (18 participants in total), our data show that although Sepitori acts as a salient urban marker, important differences are observed between insiders (brought up in greater Pretoria) and outsiders (brought up outside greater Pretoria). While insiders corroborated that Sepitori is the L1 of many residents regardless of their age or social status, outsiders tended to regard Sepitori as any combination of languages associated with stereotypical features of gangsterism and Tsotsitaal. Signi?cantly, testimonies underlined a prevalent use of this variety in a growing number of social contexts due to its important role in facilitating intergroup communication.
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Satyo, S. (2008) A linguistic study of Kwaito. The world of music 50(2): 91–102.
Schuring, G. K. (1985) Die Omgangs-Sotho van die Swart Woongebiede van Pretoria. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Pretoria: University of South Africa.
Slabbert, S. (1994) A re-evaluation of the sociology of Tsotsitaal. South African Journal of Linguistics 12(1): 31–41. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10118063.1994.9724344.
Velupillai, V. (2015) Pidgins, Creoles and Mixed languages: An Introduction. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1075/cll.48.
Webb, V. (2010) The politics of standardising Bantu languages in South Africa. Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa 41(2): 157–174. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2010.500674.
Webb, V., Lafon, M. and Pare, P. (2010) Bantu languages in education in South Africa: An overview. Ongekho akekho!– the absentee owner. The Language Learning Journal 38(3): 273–292. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730903208389.
Aycard, P. (2010) How the youth of Soweto have turned language into a transformable object in the context of a changing society. In M. de Bruijn and D. Merolla (eds) Researching Africa: Explorations of Everyday African Encounters 31–55. Leiden: African Studies Centre.
Beal, J. C. (2009) You’re Not from New York City, You’re from Rotherham. Journal of English Linguistics 37(3): 223–240. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0075424209340014.
Beyer, K. (2014) Urban language research in South Africa: Achievements and challenges. South African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 32(2): 247–254. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2014.992643.
Blommaert, J. and Backus, A. (2013) Superdiverse repertoires and the individual. In I. de Saint-Georges and J.-J. Weber (eds) Multilingualism and Multimodality: Current Challenges for Educational Studies 11–32. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-266-2_2.
Bristowe, A., Oostendorp, M. and Anthonissen, C. (2014) Language and youth identity setting: A multimodal repertoire approach. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 32(2): 229–245. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2014.992644.
Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2011) Research Methodology: Business and Management Contexts. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Busch, B. (2012) The linguistic repertoire revisited. Applied Linguistics 33(5): 503–523. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/ams056.
Calteaux, K. (1996) Standard and Non-standard African Language Varieties in the Urban Areas of South Africa: Main Report for the Stanon Research Programme. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council.
Coupland, N. (2007) Style: Language Variation and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511755064.
Ditsele, T. (2014) Why not use Sepitori to enrich the vocabularies of Setswana and Sepedi? Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 32(2): 215–228. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2014.992652.
Ditsele, T. (2017) The promotion of Setswana through Hip Hop and motswakolistas. Journal of the Musical Arts in Africa 14(1–2): 1–14. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2989/18121004.2017.1410990.
Ditsele, T. and Mann, C. C. (2014) Language contact in African urban settings: The case of Sepitori in Tshwane. South African Journal of African Languages 34(2): 159–165. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2014.997052.
Ditsele, T. and Hurst, E. (2016) Travelling terms and local innovations: The tsotsitaal of the North West province, South Africa. Literator 37(2): 8pp.
Finlayson, R., Calteaux, K. and Myers-Scotton, C. (1998) Orderly mixing and accommodation in South African codeswitching. Journal of Sociolinguistics 2: 395–420. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9481.00052.
Gumperz, J. J. and Hymes, D. H. (1972) Directions in sociolinguistics: The ethnography of communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Hill, J. H. (1999) Styling locally, styling globally: What does it mean? Journal of Sociolinguistics 3(4): 542–556. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9481.00095.
Hurst, E. (2008) Style, Structure and Function in Cape Town Tsotsitaal. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Cape Town.
Khumalo N. (1995) The Language Contact Situation in Daveyton. Master’s dissertation. Vista University (Soweto Campus), South Africa.
Malimabe, R. M. (1990) The Influence of Non-standard Varieties on the Standard Setswana of High School Pupils. Master’s dissertation, Johannesburg: Rand Afrikaans University.
Matras, Y. and Bakker, P. (2003) The study of mixed languages. In Y. Matras and P. Bakker (eds) The Mixed Language Debate: Theoretical and Empirical Advances 1–20. Berlin: de Gruyter. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110197242.1.
Matubatuba, E. N. (2002) The Sotho-Tswana language group and harmonisation. In K.K. Prah (ed.) Speaking in Unison: The Harmonisation and Standardisation of Southern African Languages 249–258. Cape Town: CASAS.
Meakins, F. (2013) Mixed languages. In P. Bakker and Y. Matras (eds) Contact Languages: A Comprehensive Guide 159–228. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781614513711.159.
Mhlambi, T. (2004) Kwaitofabulous: The study of a South African urban genre. Journal of the Musical Arts in Africa 1(1): 116–127. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2989/18121000409486692.
Mojela, V.M. (2002) The cause of urban slang and its effect on the development of Northern Sotho lexicon. Lexikos 12: 201–210.
Montaruli, E., Bourhis, R. Y. and Azurmendi, M. J. (2011) Identity, language and ethnic relations in the bilingual autonomous communities of Spain. Journal of Sociolinguistics 15(1): 94–121. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2010.00474.x.
Morgan, M. (2002) Language, Discourse and Power in African American Culture. New York: Cambridge University Press. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511613616.
Mufwene, S. S. (2001) The Ecology of Language Evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511612862.
Nkosi, D. M. (2008) Language Variation and Change in a Soshanguve High School. Master’s dissertation, Pretoria: University of South Africa.
Ntuli, N. (2016) Gesture and Speech in the Oral Narratives of Sesotho and Mamelodi Lingo Speakers. Master’s dissertation, Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand.
Rampton, B. (1995) Crossing: Language and Ethnicity among Adolescents. New York: Longman.
Rudwick, S. (2005) Township language dynamics: isiZulu and isiTsotsi in Umlazi. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 23(3): 305–317. Doi: https://doi.org/10.2989/16073610509486392.
Satyo, S. (2008) A linguistic study of Kwaito. The world of music 50(2): 91–102.
Schuring, G. K. (1985) Die Omgangs-Sotho van die Swart Woongebiede van Pretoria. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Pretoria: University of South Africa.
Slabbert, S. (1994) A re-evaluation of the sociology of Tsotsitaal. South African Journal of Linguistics 12(1): 31–41. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10118063.1994.9724344.
Velupillai, V. (2015) Pidgins, Creoles and Mixed languages: An Introduction. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1075/cll.48.
Webb, V. (2010) The politics of standardising Bantu languages in South Africa. Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa 41(2): 157–174. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2010.500674.
Webb, V., Lafon, M. and Pare, P. (2010) Bantu languages in education in South Africa: An overview. Ongekho akekho!– the absentee owner. The Language Learning Journal 38(3): 273–292. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730903208389.
Published
2019-05-02
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Álvarez-Mosquera, P., Bornman, E., & Ditsele, T. (2019). Residents’ perceptions on Sepitori, a mixed language spoken in greater Pretoria, South Africa. Sociolinguistic Studies, 12(3-4), 439-459. https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.33643
