Mastering others languages: the difference it makes in South Africa

MASTERING OTHERS’ LANGUAGES: THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Dr Tessa Dowling, School of Languages and Literatures, University of Cape Town

Friday 30 January  3.00 pm  COURSE FEES R115; Staff and students R58

A light-hearted but thoughtful look at what happens when non-Black South Africans can speak even a few words of an African language – let alone when they become more fluent. A few language-learning tips will be given.

Recommended reading

Dowling, T. 2006. African Voices: Speak Xhosa With Us. Cape Town: African Voices.

TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/performance.aspx?itemid=1575862260

Dr Tessa Dowling lectured in the African Languages Section of the School of Languages and Literatures from 1998 until her retirement at the end of 2025. She began her study of Xhosa at the age of twenty-five, and since then has taught and published widely on the linguistic and socio-linguistic aspects of isiXhosa.

She has won numerous awards: thrice for for the best academic article in linguistics, and the presitigious UCT Distinguished Teacher Award She has appeared regularly on radio and televison on the subject tof isiXhosa linguistics and published numerous articles in the print media She is the founder director of African Voices – a multimedia language development company.Tessa is living proof that an English-speaking South African adult can master an African language.