‘It’s time for Afrikaans to go’ . . . or not? Language ideologies and (ir)rationality in the blogosphere

Abstract

Unlike most existing scholarship, which highlights the highly emotional, nearly irrational component of media debates surrounding the Afrikaans language, this article argues that rationalisation is present in even the most heated language ideological scenarios, taking several conflicting guises that are particular in nature. To this end, the article investigates a small-scale, self-contained discussion in the ‘new media’ that can be seen as a manifestation of enduring and deeply rooted beliefs about the role of Afrikaans in today's South Africa.

Keywords:

• Afrikaans
• blogs
• critical discourse analysis
• language ideological debates
• new media
• South Africa