Residents’ perceptions on Sepitori, a mixed language spoken in greater Pretoria, South Africa

• Pedro Álvarez-Mosquera ^[1] ; Elirea Bornman ^[2] ; Thabo Ditsele ^[3]
  1. [1] Universidad de Salamanca

     Universidad de Salamanca

     Salamanca, España

     
  2. [2] University of South Africa

     University of South Africa

     City of Tshwane, Sudáfrica

     
  3. [3] Tshwane University of Technology

     Tshwane University of Technology

     City of Tshwane, Sudáfrica

     

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• Localización: Sociolinguistic Studies, ISSN 1750-8649, Vol. 12, Nº. 3-4, 2018, págs. 439-459
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1558/sols.33643
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This article investigates, from the residents’ viewpoint, perceptions on the role and usage of Sepitori, a mixed language which originated in greater Pretoria (South Africa). Based on the thematic coding of two focus group interviews (18 participants in total), our data show that although Sepitori acts as a salient urban marker, important differences are observed between insiders (brought up in greater Pretoria) and outsiders (brought up outside greater Pretoria). While insiders corroborated that Sepitori is the L1 of many residents regardless of their age or social status, outsiders tended to regard Sepitori as any combination of languages associated with stereotypical features of gangsterism and Tsotsitaal.

    Significantly, testimonies underlined a prevalent use of this variety in a growing number of social contexts due to its important role in facilitating intergroup communication.