Issues from the 2001 Language Rights fellowship

Issues identified by the 2001-02 Language Rights fellowship include the following:

• In most countries of the region, language policies are seldom implemented. With a few notable exceptions, there are hardly any practical steps taken to change the hostile and negative attitudes towards indigenous languages, as former colonial languages (English and Portuguese) are regarded as a passport to a better future.
• Research tends to be academic and therefore has little or no impact or bearing on the lives of communities. Practical research, which helps to solve concrete problems in the communities and influence their attitudes towards indigenous languages is either not being done, or its results are not taken seriously when initiatives aimed at developing, promoting and using these languages are taken.
• There is lack of resources and little or no political will to address the language issues, and go beyond mere declarations of intent.
• There is a poor culture of reading in indigenous languages, and there are very limited programmes that are being initiated or promoted to reverse this.
• At the level of both public and private sectors, there is a lack of meaningful and deliberate efforts to develop and use indigenous languages effectively.
• The lack of funds impacts particularly on the production of reading material in indigenous languages for both education and leisure purposes. Such material would, for instance, help instil the culture of reading in these languages.
• There is a dire lack of proper formal and in-service training for teachers and personnel working in both electronic and print media in indigenous languages.
• There is an inadequacy of database of terminology used in electronic and print media. This constraints the production of reading, radio, and television materials for mass society.
• Although important contributions have been made to the development of harmonised orthographies, there is a need to institute appropriate mechanisms for the effective dissemination and use of such orthographies. The development and use of harmonised orthographies continues to be a slow process and this hinders the production of materials that benefit from economies of scale.
• Over the past few decades, the unfavourable international economic climate and reduction in social spending by the State have led to the withering and even the elimination of key language programmes and institutions which were part of the post-colonial democratisation and development project.