Language and Legislature: An Overview of our Findings
The premises of Constitutional Court of South Africa can be seen to contain a wide variety of different signs, which serve various purposes. Throughout the analysis represented within this blog, it is evident that despite the establishment of the court on the basis of the Constitution, in which the equal use of all official languages and previously marginalised languages is enshrined, the de facto language policy within court signage can be seen to contain a majority use of the English language. Thus decreasing the extent to which this institution is able to truly redress the injustices caused by the language policy of Apartheid.
Despite the high levels of English within the official signage, the Constitutional Court cannot be characterised as disregarding the language policy of South Africa, as various instances of the use of official languages and other forms of communication such as braille, are evident throughout the signage presented and analysed within this blog.
The linguistic landscape of the Constitutional Court and surrounding areas can be seen to reflect the diverse nature of South African society. This is evident in the presence of many different languages within the various signs, including foreign and indigenous language, and the presence of various discourses within these signs, such as nationalist discourses in contrast to the transgressive discourses presented within the few instances of graffiti. The court can also be seen to depict the contemporary democratic nature of South Africa, as is apparent in the signs containing symbolism which perpetuate ideologies of equality and transparency.
The signage present within this premises can also be seen to reflect the nature of this area as highly regulated tourist destinations. This regulation is evident in the high levels of top-down signs, in conjunction with the smaller presence bottom-up signs which are restricted by regulations created by the court administrative body. The nature of this premises as a tourist destination is also highly evident in the use of foreign languages and English within official signage, however, the presence of signs in official South African languages can also be seen to illustrate the fact that this area is also frequented by South African civilians.