Springboks - Afrikaans or English?

[McGee]

Wondering... so when the Springboks are training, getting a team talk, etc. would it be in Afrikaans or English?

Just a question that popped into my head.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

I know the tactical communication (i.e. lineouts) is in Afrikaans, since opponents have trouble understanding. It's a clever way to outsmart opponents.

The overall communication is in English though

 

[TRF_heineken]

I know the tactical communication (i.e. lineouts) is in Afrikaans, since opponents have trouble understanding. It's a clever way to outsmart opponents.

The overall communication is in English though

Well, the communication is a bit different since HM took over. He has one-on-one sessions with each player regularly. And he speaks Afrikaans, English, Venda and a bit of Zulu. He was a high school teacher before he became a full time rugby coach. And on several rugby programmes I've seen him talk in all those languages. The players also said that he tries to speak with them in the language the player(s) are most comfortable in.

It's only team talks that are usually in English, But the management can speak all the languages and will translate if needs be. On the Field most of the tactical talking will be in Afrikaans yes.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

remember when we used to have Dan Vickerman in the Wallabies who understood Afrikaans and worked out the Springboks lineout.

 

[TRF_heineken]

remember when we used to have Dan Vickerman in the Wallabies who understood Afrikaans and worked out the Springboks lineout.

Yeah. But since then the calls have evolved a bit, and most of the calls are made even before the lineout starts. Especially in this year's WC will it be even more important not to use easy calls as Scotland, England & Ireland have guy(s) that understands Afrikaans.

 

[TobesHodges]

Is SA like most other countries in that you'll learn Afrikaans at a very early age, then be rigorously taught English after that and only really speak Afrikaans at home?

 

[TRF_heineken]

Is SA like most other countries in that you'll learn Afrikaans at a very early age, then be rigorously taught English after that and only really speak Afrikaans at home?

no not really.

South Africa has 11 official Languages:

English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Ndebele, Venda, Tswhana, Swazi & Tsonga.

My home language is Afrikaans. I went to school at Afrikaans medium schools, where English was a second language subject. I even had Northern Sotho as a compulsory subject in grade 7 & 8. But then the Education system changed a bit.

It depends mostly about the school you are going to. Afrikaans-Medium, English Preparatory, Double-Medium (Afrikaans & English), or Private School or Any other Language as the Majority language for that school. The school decides on the languages they teach. Some schools even teaches German, Portuguese and Mandarin.

 

[unrated]

The large majority of schools in South Africa is public schools. In all these schools English is Compulsory and then learners have a choice between
other African languages where its compulsory to choose one. In majority of cases (not everyone) The Afrikaans speaking people choose Afrikaans as first language with English as second language and the English speakers choose English with Afrikaans as second language mainly because they find it easier to learn than the some of the other options they have. But as Heineken said there is quite a bit of different languages and a large majority of South Africa chooses not to learn Afrikaans in the first place and rather chooses something like Zulu.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Is SA like most other countries in that you'll learn Afrikaans at a very early age, then be rigorously taught English after that and only really speak Afrikaans at home?

Yes and/or no but it all depends on your location and preferences.

Mostly, a person with non-English parents would get in touch with English in the bigger urban sentras, in traditionally Anglo-African areas and through TV if that is the shows your parents watch.

In rural areas or the less 'Anglified' urban areas (Bloemfontein etc) you're actually not very exposed to much English at all. Even in the area I live (20 minutes' drive from Cape Town CBD) its a rare day you'll use English for any form of verbal communictaion depending on your vocation. English will probably be very much a 2nd language for Afrikaans speaking whites and non-whites areas away from the major urban sentras.

Less and less though you can go through life and the education system without learning a word of English; its rapidly changing with the ANC but especially the more radical types strong-arming Afrikaans out of the education system and as a... 'bedryfstaal'.. (sorry, I'm struggling for the English term here)... language-to-do-business-in ??

I'm in the minority (for Afrikaans-speakers of my generation) having gone to a traditionally Afrikaans-medium school where they provided a choice for English as either a 2nd language or 1st language subject and I was one of only 5 students (out of ~120 in my year) who opted take up the subject as a 1st language from early primary school grades.

 

[TRF_heineken]

The large majority of schools in South Africa is public schools. In all these schools English is Compulsory and then learners have a choice between
other African languages where its compulsory to choose one. In majority of cases (not everyone) The Afrikaans speaking people choose Afrikaans as first language with English as second language and the English speakers choose English with Afrikaans as second language mainly because they find it easier to learn than the some of the other options they have. But as Heineken said there is quite a bit of different languages and a large majority of South Africa chooses not to learn Afrikaans in the first place and rather chooses something like Zulu.

Yup. And in hindsight, I'm a bit sad that the system changed when it did. It would have been so beneficial for me to have kept on learning Sotho.

My wife is a teacher at my old high school, which is an Afrikaans-medium public school. Afrikaans is the first language and then all the students has english as a second language. Some of the students has extra-curricular subjects which they take in the afternoon after school and I know a bunch of them are learning Portuguese as an additional language subject.

 

[TobesHodges]

Has it ever been put forward to unite under just 1 or 2 languages? I can imagine with so many language barriers it can make a country quite divided.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Has it ever been put forward to unite under just 1 or 2 languages? I can imagine with so many language barriers it can make a country quite divided.

That will never happen. Our Constitution has the freedom of speech etched into it's core, and Different traditional cultures/tribes has the right to speak their own languages.

With all our racial issues, it's interesting to know that we are one of the countries with the most national languages and one with the most diverse form of religious freedom in the world.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Yeah. But since then the calls have evolved a bit, and most of the calls are made even before the lineout starts. Especially in this year's WC will it be even more important not to use easy calls as Scotland, England & Ireland have guy(s) that understands Afrikaans.

true Heineken, Rugby has evolved somewhat since those days