South Africa is a multilingual country but with officialised and non-officialised indigenous languages. The officialised languages enjoy public radio coverage and each of the officialised languages has its own specific radio station. This creates issues of exclusion, particularly regarding representation, power dynamics, and public participation of non-officialised indigenous language speakers. This chapter addresses the challenges speakers of marginalised or non-officialised languages face on Thobela FM, which broadcasts in Sepedi. Drawing on Multilingual Accommodation Theory and Cultural Proximity Theory, the study focuses on language use at Thobela FM, utilising an explanatory research design with interviews as the primary data collection tool. The findings reveal that non-officialised indigenous languages, such as KheLobedu, SePulana, and SeTlokwa, are largely excluded from Thobela FM’s programming, yet they are in the regional context of the radio broadcast. This exclusion highlights deeper issues of linguistic inequality, demonstrating how dominant language ideologies marginalise certain communities and limit their participation in the public radio space. The study calls for multilingual programming to enfranchise languages in the regional context of public radio.

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Beyond Officialised Languages in South Africa: A Case of Thobela FM

  • Matsobane Lehlogonolo Masuku,
  • Kealeboga Aiseng

摘要

South Africa is a multilingual country but with officialised and non-officialised indigenous languages. The officialised languages enjoy public radio coverage and each of the officialised languages has its own specific radio station. This creates issues of exclusion, particularly regarding representation, power dynamics, and public participation of non-officialised indigenous language speakers. This chapter addresses the challenges speakers of marginalised or non-officialised languages face on Thobela FM, which broadcasts in Sepedi. Drawing on Multilingual Accommodation Theory and Cultural Proximity Theory, the study focuses on language use at Thobela FM, utilising an explanatory research design with interviews as the primary data collection tool. The findings reveal that non-officialised indigenous languages, such as KheLobedu, SePulana, and SeTlokwa, are largely excluded from Thobela FM’s programming, yet they are in the regional context of the radio broadcast. This exclusion highlights deeper issues of linguistic inequality, demonstrating how dominant language ideologies marginalise certain communities and limit their participation in the public radio space. The study calls for multilingual programming to enfranchise languages in the regional context of public radio.