_UFS academic: Parents must teach children home languages to protect culture and heritage_
By Emily Setona
QWAQWA – “Any scorn for another person’s language is a scorn for the people who speak it.”
That was the warning from Dr Elias Nyefolo Malete, Head of the Department of African Languages at the University of the Free State, as he called on families to teach children their home languages with confidence and pride this Heritage Month.
In an exclusive interview with _The Guard_, Dr Malete said language is more than communication. It is the mirror of a community’s identity, culture and heritage.
“Language serves as a reflection of a community’s inner world. It encompasses the way people think and imagine, their emotions and ability to express themselves, as well as the richness of their vocabulary,” he said.
Quoting Nelson Mandela, he added: “When you talk to a man in a language he understands, it goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language it goes to his heart.”
Dr Malete said African societies have for centuries passed down knowledge of astronomy, medicine, philosophy and history through language.
“This clearly demonstrates that knowledge existed among African language speakers.”
*ENGLISH STILL DOMINATES*
While African languages have been recognised in policy, Dr Malete warned they have not received the same investment.
“English continues to function as the primary language of power, mobility and cultural capital, often to the exclusion of other official languages,” he said.
He cautioned that language discrimination leads to shame, marginalisation and eventually the death of a language.
“Language reflects and mirrors your identity. If our languages do not give us confidence, it means we see ourselves through a cracked mirror, giving us a distorted image of ourselves.”
**LEARNING STARTS AT HOME*
Dr Malete said the fight to save indigenous languages begins in the home.
“Every child is born with the innate potential to know and learn any language,” he said.
Parents must provide vocabulary, guidance, storytelling and indigenous games to build competence before school strengthens it.
He also called for African languages to enter the digital space and AI.
“Language has the capacity to grow and adopt technical knowledge. The use of Sesotho and other African languages on digital platforms exposes them to Artificial Intelligence algorithms.”
As Heritage Month is celebrated, Dr Malete’s message is clear: Speak it. Teach it. Love it. Before the mirror cracks.
