Rajend Mesthrie, South African linguist: “Trying to make the world a better place with a monolingual system doesn’t work.”

Rajend Mesthrie (Cape Town, 70) grew up on a farm in a village called Umkomaas, which in Zulu means "place of the great female whale." It's so named because 100 years ago, large mammals used the estuary to give birth, but it seems almost a nod that a village with such an evocative name is the home of this prestigious South African sociolinguist.

Since childhood, the expert has been passionate about the blending and origin of languages ​​in countries like his own, where language has been seen as a tool of domination and later of liberation and diversity. Meshthrie was an Indian child in apartheid South Africa, where his great-grandparents and grandparents were brought by the British to work the land. “We grew up among Indian languages ​​like Hindi, a bit of English, and a bit of Zulu,” says Meshthrie in an interview with this newspaper in Salamanca, where he recently taught a seminar at the Faculty of Philology.

This mix and the political context in which he lived led him to investigate how language is influenced by racial segregation and how language and dialects can unite or separate, "tell and question" history and "put pressure on power structures."

“Apartheid meant that Indians could only go to Indian schools and could only be taught by Indian teachers,” he says. Mesthrie walked eight kilometers every day to reach his school, a small educational center without electricity or running water intended solely for Indian children. As he walked, he reviewed his Latin vocabulary, and on that journey, which lasted several years, he fell in love with languages ​​forever. “Those of us who came from the farm couldn’t speak Afrikaans , the official language along with English at that time. So we studied Latin,” he explains.

The language chosen or access to a language is definitely a question of power and not of ability.

The renowned sociolinguist now suspects that many people at the time thought that the little boy "spoke poorly" due to the influence of several languages.

“When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, apartheid fell, and they could no longer control what young people did,” Mesthrie notes. A “ quiet linguistic revolution ” then took place, leading him to investigate how the English pronunciation of young Black people had changed by the time they were able to attend private schools, which had previously been reserved for white people.

A question of power

South Africa has more than 10 official languages: English and Afrikaans, which were present during the era of segregation, plus nine African languages ​​such as Xhosa and Zulu, and sign language. Languages, the expert insists, reflect and reproduce power structures, racism, and inequalities. “The language one chooses or access to a language is definitely a question of power, not ability,” he insists.

As an example, the expert paints a portrait of his country: “People who speak English as their mother tongue represent 10%, those who speak Zulu, 30%, and Xhosa, 20%,” he explains. The education system is changing to balance multilingualism with the need for a common language like English. At the same time, Black people “have made it clear that they don't want Afrikaans because it's associated with colonial rule and apartheid,” he points out.

"It's clear that education is moving away from being dominated by Europeans and toward becoming multicultural. This is a change that threatens the elites and those who haven't been educated to love and defend African culture," he concludes.

However, parents of students often choose English "because of the job and social opportunities" it offers. "That doesn't mean their own mother tongue isn't useful," he adds. As a teacher himself, he encourages his students to work with African languages ​​without abandoning English. In his case, English was the gateway to satisfying his desire to research.

"In South Africa, politicians learned that you can only have equality if you allow diversity to continue. Trying to make the world a better place with a monolingual system doesn't work," he says.

Language and migration

In recent decades, Mesthrie has also researched Fanakalo , a pidgin or variety that arises from the mixing of languages ​​for practical use among people of different linguistic backgrounds, which was used as a “colonial tool in gold and diamond mines.” “The name itself is a kind of mockery. It would mean something like 'this way.' It's used to force employees to work and is associated with unequal labor conditions. For example, speaking to an employee in Fanakalo without teaching her English is keeping her in a position of inferiority,” she explains.

In South Africa, politicians learned that you can only have equality if diversity is allowed to continue.

Mesthrie has also studied the role of migration in multilingualism and South African identity, having taught for 14 years in the Department of Migration, Language, and Social Change at the University of Cape Town.

The expert asserts that one of the greatest challenges for migrants is how to maintain their country's language and culture and adapt to those of the host country. After several generations, the descendants of migrants often lose command of their native language, even if they may retain some vocabulary. In his case, as part of the Indian community, he feels "proud" to have a dual identity: Indian and South African. "The youngest no longer speak the language of their grandparents. Some things are being lost, but others, like music, are preserved. Some people can use it when singing or praying," he opines.

Mesthrie laments that "the world is moving so fast" and that globalization is directly affecting culture and language. "The crux of all this globalization is how we can improve it culturally," he believes.

In his case, and that of other South African linguists, he believes they have been able to contribute positively. “We have played a fundamental role in pushing for the belief that all languages ​​can be equal, and they have been important for identity. We cannot let globalization run the show,” he concludes.