The University of the Free State (UFS) is committed to the promotion of multilingualism for equitable access to knowledge and academic success for all its students, scholarship of research, inclusivity and social cohesion, and for a strong sense of belonging through the use of five working languages, i.e. Sesotho, South African Sign Language, isiZulu, Afrikaans, and English in various contexts of its operation.
According to the UFS Language Policy (2023), English is the language of instruction at the university, except in language-specific disciplines, modules, and programmes (such as Afrikaans, Arabic, Dutch, German, French, IsiZulu, Sesotho, and South African Sign Language) at undergraduate and postgraduate level on all three UFS campuses. Lectures, study materials, examinations, and related materials are in English, except in disciplines where languages other than English are explicitly taught as subjects of study or used for teaching and assessment purposes.
Contrary to what has recently been reported in the media, Afrikaans is and will remain a language of the UFS and the promotion of Afrikaans is equally important as that of Sesotho, South African Sign Language, isiZulu, and English.
In recent years, priority has been given to the development and intellectualisation of Sesotho and South African Sign Language. However, the promotion of Afrikaans and IsiZulu as UFS languages remains important to ensure that speakers enjoy the right to receive academic support in the languages they best understand and prefer.
Through its Academy for Multilingualism, various projects and initiatives are underway in support of the university’s approach to multilingualism and to guarantee that all UFS languages are promoted and treated with equal importance. This includes, for instance, the provision of Afrikaans terminology lists for various disciplines to match the Sesotho terminology lists developed by the UFS, and isiZulu terminology lists (adapted from the University of KwaZulu-Natal through a Memorandum of Understanding). The UFS is, for instance, already championing the development of terminology for Psychology in South African Sign Language.
VERKLARING: BEVORDERING VAN AMPTELIKE TALE AAN DIE UV
Die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV) is verbind tot die bevordering van veeltaligheid vir billike toegang tot kennis en akademiese sukses vir al sy studente, vakkundigheid van navorsing, inklusiwiteit en sosiale kohesie, en vir ’n sterk gevoel van samehorigheid deur die gebruik van vyf werkstale, dit wil sê Suid-Sotho, Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal, Zoeloe, Afrikaans en Engels in verskillende kontekste van sy werksaamhede.
Volgens die UV-Taalbeleid (2023) is Engels die onderrigtaal aan die universiteit, behalwe in taalspesifieke dissiplines, modules en programme (soos Afrikaans, Arabies, Nederlands, Duits, Frans, Zoeloe, Suid-Sotho en Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal) op voor- en nagraadse vlak op al drie UV-kampusse. Lesings, studiemateriaal, eksamens en verwante materiaal is in Engels, behalwe in dissiplines waar ander tale as Engels uitdruklik as studievakke onderrig word of vir onderrig- en assesseringsdoeleindes gebruik word.
Anders as wat onlangs in die media berig is, is en sal Afrikaans ’n taal van die UV bly en is die bevordering van Afrikaans ewe belangrik as dié van Suid-Sotho, Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal, Zoeloe en Engels.
In onlangse jare is prioriteit gegee aan die ontwikkeling en intellektualisering van Suid-Sotho en Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal. Die bevordering van Afrikaans en Zoeloe as UV-tale bly egter belangrik om te verseker dat sprekers die reg geniet om akademiese ondersteuning te ontvang in die tale wat hulle die beste verstaan en verkies.
Deur middel van sy Akademie vir Meertaligheid is verskeie projekte en inisiatiewe aan die gang ter ondersteuning van die universiteit se benadering tot veeltaligheid en om te verseker dat alle UV-tale bevorder word en met gelyke belangrikheid hanteer word. Dit sluit byvoorbeeld in die verskaffing van Afrikaanse terminologielyste vir verskeie dissiplines om te pas by die Suid-Sotho-terminologielyste wat deur die UV ontwikkel is, asook die Zoeloe-terminologielyste (aangepas vanaf die Universiteit van KwaZulu-Natal deur middel van ’n Memorandum van Verstandhouding). Die UV beywer hom byvoorbeeld reeds vir die ontwikkeling van Sielkunde-terminologie in Suid-Afrikaanse Gebaretaal.
SETATEMENTE: PHAHAMISO YA DIPUO TSA SEMMUSO TSA YUNIVESITHI YA FREISTATA
Yunivesithi ya Freistata, e ikemiseditse ho phahamisa botemengata mabapi le ho fumana tsebo ka mokgwa o lekanang ekasita le ho bona katleho ya baithuti bohle ditabeng tsa thuto, boithutong ba diphuputso, kananelo ya batho bohle le ditabeng tsa phedisano, ho kgothaletsa maikutlo a kutlwano ka tshebediso ya dipuo tse hlano tse sebediswang maemong a fapaneng mona yunivesithing, e leng Sesotho, Puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa, isiZulu, Afrikaans, le English.
Ho ya ka Leano la Puo la Yunivesithi ya Freistata (2023), English ke puo ya thuto mona yunivesithing, ka ntle le moo thuto e leng ya puo eitseng, moo mojolu e leng wa puo eitseng, le moo lenaneho la thuto e leng la puo eitseng (jwalo ka puo ya Afrikaans, Arabic, Dutch, German, French, isiZulu, Sesotho le Puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa), haholo boemong ba dithuto tse tlase le boemong ba dithuto tse hodimo, dikhemphaseng tse tharo tsa Yunivesithi ya Freistata. Dithuto, dingodilweng tsa thuto, dihlahlobo le tse ding, di ngotswe ka puo ya English, ka ntle le dithuto tsa dipuo tseo e seng tsa English, tsona di rutwa le hlahlojwa ka dipuo tsa tsona.
Ho fapana le se tlalehilweng masedinyaneng, puo ya Afrikaans ke puo mme e tla dula e le teng Yunivesithing ya Freistata, phahamiso ya Afrikaans e bohlokwa jwalo ka dipuo tse kang puo ya Sesotho, Puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa, puo ya isiZulu le puo ya English.
Dilemong tsa moraorao tjena, puo ya Sesotho le puo ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa, di behelletswe ka sehloohong mabapi le ho ntshetswa pele ekasitana le ho ntlafatswa hore di sebediswe boithutong ba diphuputso le mahlale. Le ha ho le jwalo, phahamiso ya puo ya Afrikaans le puo ya isiZulu jwalo ka dipuo tsa Yunivesithi ya Freistata, e tla dula e le ntho ya bohlokwa ho etsa bonnete ba hore beng ba dipuo tsena, ba na le tokelo ya ho fumana tshehetso ya thuto ka dipuo tseo ba di utlwisisang le ho di rata.
Ka tshebediso ya Akhademi ya Botemengata, diprojeke le meralo ya ntshetsopele di motjheng ho tshehetsa mokgwa wa Botemengata yunivesithing ekasitana le ho nnetefatsa hore dipuo tsohle di a phahamiswa mme di tshwarwa ka tsela e lekanang. Mohlala, taba ena e kenya diprojeke tse kang ntshetsopele ya mareho a puo ya Afrikaans bakeng sa dithuto tse fapaneng ho latela tshwano e teng marehong a puo ya Sesotho a entsweng ke Yunivesithi ena ya Freistata, hape le ho latela tshwano e teng marehong a puo ya isiZulu (a nkilweng Yunivesithing ya KwaZulu -Natala ho ya ka Memorandamo ya Kutlwuno). Yunivesithi ya Freistata, ha re etsa mohlala, e se e ntse e tswela pele ho etsa mareho a thuto ya Saekholoji ka puong ya Matsoho ya Afrika Borwa.
ISITATIMENDE-MBIKO: UKUQHAKANJISWA KWEZILIMI EZIGUNYAZIWE ZE-UFS
INyuvesi yase-Free State (UFS) izibophezele ekuqhakambiseni ubuliminingi ngenhloso yokunikezela ngolwazi ngendlela elinganayo nokuphumelelisa abafundi bayo bonke, ukuphumelelisa ezocwaningo, ukuqhakambisa umoya wozwano nokuhlanganyela, kanye nomuzwa onamandla wokuthi umuntu-nomuntu azizwe eyilunga eliqavile ngokusebenzisa izilimi ezigunyaziwe okuyisiSuthu, Ulimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha, isiZulu, isiBhunu, kanye nesiNgisi eminxeni yayo ehlukahlukene yezinhlelo zayo.
NgokweNqubomgomo yoLimi ye-UFS eyethulwa ngowezi-2023, isiNgisi yilona limi lezinhlelo zonke zenyuvesi, ngaphandle kwemikhakha, kwezifundo kanye nezinhlelo ezivele ezisebenza ngezinye izilimi (njengesiBhunu, isi-Arabhu, isiDashi, isiJalimane, isiFrentshi, isiZulu, isiSuthu kanye noLimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha) emabangeni aphansi (undergraduate) naphezulu (postgraduate) kuwo wonke amakhempasi ayo. Izethulo, izinsiza-kufunda/-kufundisa, izivinyo zokuphothula izifundo kanye nolunye ulwazi oluhlobene nakho kungolimi lwesiNgisi, ngaphandle kwemikhakha lapho khona kusebenza ngqo olunye ulimi njengesifundo noma njengolimi lokufundisa nokwenza imisebenzi yezifundo.
Ekubhekeni okuphambene okusanda kubhalwa izintatheli, isiBhunu siwulimi futhi sisazoqhubeka sibe ulimi lwe-UFS, kanti futhi ukuqhakanjiswa kwaso kubaluleke ngendlela efanayo nalokho kwesiSuthu, Ulimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha, isiZulu kanye nesiNgisi.
Eminyakeni edlule injolozela ibihlonywe kakhulu ekuthuthukiseni nasekuvanyisweni kwesiSuthu kanye noLimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha. Noma kunjalo, ukuqhakanjiswa kwesiBhunu nesiZulu njengezilimi ze-UFS kusabalulekile ngesizathu sokuqinisekisa ukuthi abanikazi bazo lezi zilimi bayalithakasela ilungelo lokuthola ukusizakala ngokwemfundo ephakeme ngezilimi abazizwa kangcono futhi abazincamelayo.
Ngokusebenzisa ihhovisi lesikhungo sobuliminingi sayo i-Academy for Multilingualism, izinhlelo ezahlukahlukene nemizamo ehlabahlosile sekuvele kusemgangathweni ngenhloso yokwelekelela umhlahlandlela wenyuvesi wobuliminingi kanye nokuqinisekisa ukuthi zonke izilimi ze-UFS ziyaqhakanjiswa futhi ziphathwa ngokubaluleka okulinganayo. Isibonelo, lokhu kubandakanya ukunikezelwa kohlu lwamatemu esiBhunu oluchuma imikhakha enhlobonhlobo ngenhloso yokuhambisana nohlu lwamatemu esiSuthu aqanjwe i-UFS, kanye nohlu lwamatemu esiZulu (athathwe eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu Natali ngendlela yesivumelwano esisayinwe izinhlaka zombili). Isibonelo, i-UFS isivele isiqalile iphethe uhlelo lokuthuthukiswa kohlu lwamatemu ezifundo eziphathelene nomqondo, phecelezi iPsychology isebenzisa Ulimi lweZandla lwaseNingizimu Afrikha.
Issued by:
Lacea Loader
Senior Director: Communication and Marketing
University of the Free State