Abstract:
The research for this dissertation concerning
the social stratification of Afrikaans in the Coloured community of Cape Town, was conducted within
the theoretical framework of Variational Linguistics,
according to the research procedure developed by
William Labov (1966a) for his analysis of English
in New York City.
It is an analysis of the frequency with which
the stigmatized and high-status allophones of four
phonemes i.e. (r), (ui), (j) and (k), are used in
various specific styles by Cape Coloured respondents
of three different social classes. The aim of the
r research was to determine whether the Afrikaans of
the Cape Town Coloured community is stratified along
the same lines as the speech community in New York.
In chapter l the motivation for this study is
given, as well as the criteria for empirical research
as defined by Lyons (1972).
In chapter 2 the basic concepts contained in
the title of the dissertation are defined and proof
is cited of the social stratification of the Cape
Town Coloured Community. It is indicated that the
Cape Coloureds, who are the mixed descendants of Europeans, slaves and various indigenous groups, have
developed a system of social stratification directly as a result of their precarious position in the
racial set up of South Africa, and that this system
of social stratification greatly esteems the lifestyle of Europeans while it stigmatizes the life
style of Coloureds belonging to the Working Class.
This research determined whether the process of
esteem and stigmstization is also prevalent on the linguistic level where coloureds switch to and fro
between "typical" Standard Afrikaans and "typical"
Coloured Afrikaans allophones (and lexical items),
sometimes within the same sentence, and whether this
leads to the social stratification of Afrikaans in
the Coloured Community of Cape Town. In chapter 3 existing research concerning
Coloured Afrikaans is reviewed briefly. It is
followed by a short analysis of Coloured Afrikaans
and the factors which influence it.
Chapter 4 contains a summary of Labov's research procedure and findings during his analysis
of English in New York City as well as the results
of similar studies, and an explanation of the re=
search procedure used in this analysis of Coloured
Afrikaans in Cape Town. It is explained why the
allophones of (r), (ui), (j) and (k) are studied,
how the respondents were selected, how the field
work was done and holU the recordings on the
cassettes were quantified to be represented by stratification-graphs.
In chapter 5 the results of the research are
given. It is indicated that the Afrikaans of the
Coloured community is socially stratified with regard to such social factors as religion, status
and age; These factors influence the rate at which the Coloured Afrikaans of Cape Town is evolving toward Standard Afrikaans.