Language planning and the politics of compromise: A critical analysis of the South African language policy

This dissertation investigates the impact of politics on language planning. The study focuses on multilingual South Africa by providing a critical analysis of the South African language policy to show discursive practices introduced by the transition to a democratic state.;The South African government declared 11 languages as official to replace the former apartheid language legislation which privileged English and Afrikaans as the sole official languages in the country. Declaring 11 languages as official can be viewed as a political decision. This has raised major concerns about whether this language policy could be implemented. In this dissertation it is argued that as a result of a compromise, the policy reflects contradicting interests of various language and political groups. This suggests a struggle that is taking place over acceptance of the discursive practice. The government is in the process of nation-building. To achieve the purpose of unity, the discourse used in formulating the policy is consistent with compromise politics which allows divergent views from various interest groups that exist in the country.;The study draws on various theoretical and conceptual frameworks including critical discourse analysis, social practice and political choice theories. The concept of linguistic market describes language situation in terms of social practice in South Africa. Other concepts such as hegemony, political choice, and compromise describe the challenge faced by the South African government in the decision-making process. The study is an interdisciplinary contribution to the field of language planning and policy.