The Parameters of Maintenance of the Telugu Language in South Africa

Abstract

The present-day Indian languages in South Africa owe their existence to the indentured Indians who brought various Indian languages to Natal. After 137 years of their existence in South Africa, many of the Indian languages have been completely eroded (eg. Kannada, Malayalam among others) and some are in the process of erosion. English, as the language of power and the lingua franca in South Africa, is a dominant “out-group” language for all South African Indians and Tamil is the dominant “in-group” language for the Telugu speakers. Forced by various other factors, the minority Andhras (as the Telugu speakers are also called) have shifted and are shifting their EMT towards English. However, there are some Andhras who are loyal to their EMT and culture, who try their utmost to nurture the Telugu language in the face of socio-economic pressure from the dominant languages. They try to maintain their EMT through their religio-cuitural practices. This paper demonstrates the parameters in which the Telugu language is maintained in the present-day South African situation.