Language attitudes towards Afrikaans - a reconnaisance from a theoretical point of viewThe main aim of this article is to investigate the language attitude issue from a viewpoint embedded in the theory of language planning. This study was initiated by the fact that, although the public debate regarding Afrikaans is articulated in a lively way, it seems as if it does not benefit the official status of the language. The statement that this hampering effect on Afrikaans is partially caused by negative language attitudes and a lack of language loyalty by the primary and secondary speech communities serves as point of departure for this article. By looking at language attitudes departing from a theoretical language planning framework, the investigator is enabled to derive scientifically clear conclusions regarding the language attitudes of speech communities. This article also discusses the different components of language attitudes in general and the methodology regarding the investigation of language attitudes. The second part of the article presents a brief discussion of language attitude studies undertaken in South Africa, especially those dealing with Afrikaans. The article concludes with the statement that language planners must give considerable attention to language attitudes and their influence on language planning efforts. When this problematic issue is ignored the outcome of language planning projects will show a low success rate. This is of particular importance for the survival of Afrikaans in the multilingual South African society.
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