Diversity and Inclusion Seminar: Bridging the Language Gap

On September 27, 2022, the Department of Library Services' Transformation Committee held a seminar on "Diversity and Inclusion: Bridging the Language Gap" in collaboration with the Unit for Academic Literacy. The seminar's primary objective was to discuss language as a divider as it was flagged as a concern in the Institutional Culture Survey results.

Dr. Trish Cooper's address was titled "English: A Barrier or a Bridge," and she demonstrated the importance of home language in cognitive development, cultural understanding, and human history. She advocates for the preservation of one's native language at all costs, owing to the ease with which one can transition from one's native tongue to another. To bridge the language gap, the UN has designated six official languages. She emphasised how English, as a spoken and written language, provides an advantage and facilitates access. As publishing is done in English, there is an advantage in terms of information access. Access to information enables social mobility and financial independence. Although English can be a bridge, it can also be a barrier; for example, voice recognition devices work well with standard English.

Dr. Oscar Eybers spoke about "The Real Language Gap and What We Can Do to Reduce It in Higher Education." He advocates for the study of indigenous languages because language is an important component of human identity, history, and expression. The presentation highlights the claim that the marginalisation of South Africa's indigenous languages, which sustains the erasure of African culture in Institutions of Higher Learning, the dislocation of African languages, which dehumanises the speakers of those languages, and the invisibility of indigenous languages all contribute to the destruction of South Africa's original languages which he termed linguicide. His presentation highlighted African writing systems that existed before 3,200 B.C. Two critical questions are raised: how does the Bill of Rights speak to how we interact, how we teach, learn, and build knowledge through languages, and how do we communicate? What about educational opportunities? There is a need for collegial multilingualism in the place of work for social cohesion, and the following tips were shared: capturing phrases in each other's languages, sharing meanings and histories of our names, creating posters to write and interpret words across our languages, and sharing uplifting words across languages in staff or tea rooms. He suggests solutions to the language issue:

• How we activate South Africa and Africa and global languages reflect our recognition of each other’s humanity.
• Languages provide some of the deepest expressions of African cultures.
• Multilingual cultures at work/UP are essential to reduce erasure, invisibility, and linguicide among staff, and students.