South African Language Rights Monitor 2011 Suid Afrikaanse Taalregtemonitor 2011

The SALRM 2011 provides a rich source of information on a range of language-related subjects. A prominent issue remains the changing of street and place names, including the Pretoria/Tshwane and Louis Trichardt/Makhado sagas. Language in education remains a thorny issue; as medium of instruction at school and tertiary level, and the proposal that passing an African language should be a requirement in order to obtain a tertiary degree in South Africa. In terms of language legislation, the draft version of the National Language Act was proposed. The language of record in courts also received attention in the media.

This is the ninth annual report on the situation pertaining to language rights and language matters in general in South Africa. It cultivates an awareness of language rights and promotes a culture of taking proactive measures in order to oppose violations of language rights. Such awareness could lead, on the one hand, to the further democratisation of the community, and on the other, to increasing participation in public life.