W. VAN ZYL DE VILLIERS
The South African Academy of Science and Arts, SA
Abstract: This paper describes the background to a project for the compilation of a Quadrilingual Explanatory Dictionary of Chemistry (QEDC) and the structure that was developed for this dictionary. It then highlights a number of relevant developments in the area of science, technology, education and language in South Africa since initiation of the project. In conclusion, the progress to date and the present status of the programme are briefly described.
1. Background
A number of policy documents of the South African government during the political transformation in the period 1990-1995 emphasised the importance of human resource development, the growth of the economy, and the role that science and technology could be expected to play in these transformations. Especially relevant in this regard were the ‘White Paper on Reconstruction and Development’ in 1994 and South Africa’s ‘Green Paper on Science and Technology’. The latter was followed in 1996 by the ‘White Paper on Science and Technology’, issued by the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST), which proposed a National System of Innovation as framework for the utilisation of science and technology (S&T) for sustainable economic growth, employment creation, equity through redress and social development. The policy initiatives foreseen in the ‘White Paper on Science and Technology’ included, amongst others, mechanisms for human resource development and capacity building, as well as the promotion of public awareness and understanding of S&T.
During the same period members of the Chemical Sciences Division of Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns ‘The South African Academy of Science and Arts’ became aware of the problems experienced by students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds when studying the natural sciences at tertiary level. This was ascribed to the fact that, for the vast majority, the language of textbooks and instruction at secondary and tertiary level was their second or even third language.
This led to the situation where, contrary to well-known best educational practices, conceptualisation of fundamental scientific principles had to take place through medium of the non-mother-tongue. Discussions with linguists and lexicographers at the departments of Afrikaans and African languages of the University of Pretoria led, in 1996, to the formulation of a project for the compilation of a multilingual explanatory chemistry dictionary. In view of the uniqueness of the envisaged product it was decided to limit the dictionary to the field of chemistry. The lessons learnt from the
exercise could then in future be utilised in the compilation of similar dictionaries in other subject fields.
2. Structure of the QEDC
It was decided to include, in addition to English and Afrikaans as the two main teaching languages at South African secondary schools and tertiary education institutions, Sepedi and isiZulu in the dictionary. According to the South African census of 1996 these two languages have the largest number of mother-tongue speakers of the Sotho and Nguni language groups, respectively. These languages also supply access to others in the two language families. Furthermore, extensive expertise in lexicography relating to Sepedi and isiZulu is available at the University of Pretoria.
The target users of the envisaged QEDC are learners at senior secondary level (Grades 10-12) and students enrolled for a first degree or diploma.
Against this background A. Carstens, in two articles in 1997 and 1998, described a number of challenges in the compilation of a dictionary with a strong pedagogical approach, having components of both translatory and explanatory dictionaries, aimed at a heterogeneous user group regarding encyclopaedic and foreign language proficiency. This meant that certain concessions had to be made in the structure of the QEDC when compared to the two types of dictionaries. English will serve as the source language, but with all encyclopaedic and linguistic information supplied in all four languages. This will facilitate conceptualisation in the mother tongue while, at the same time, the user also gains knowledge on terminology in the language of instruction. Access to the other three languages will be supplied through reverse term lists placed after the primary list of lemmas.
Definitions are formulated in relatively uncomplicated form, complemented with examples of the concept being described. Extensive linguistic information is supplied (where applicable), e.g. parts of speech, labels (old term, trivial name, etc.), homonyms, synonyms, antonyms and derivatives. In addition to simple examples, chemical information such as symbols, formulae and related terms are also given.
Maintaining a balance between (i) consistency and simplicity relating to the type of definition as well as the language and terms used, and (ii) correct scientific information transfer, posed interesting challenges.
3. Recent developments relevant to the aims of the QEDC
During 2000-2001 the National Advisory Council on Innovation and the National Science and Technology Forum performed an investigation into the interaction between economic growth, science, technology and human capital. In their report
‘Science and Technology – Nourishing Growth and Development in South Africa’ it is shown that, historically, technological innovation has been the primary drive behind the growth of the major world economies. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation between the availability of human capital, research and development (R&D), and
economic growth. In turn, the mathematical and natural sciences are central to the development of these human resources.
Recently the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology released a national R&D strategy built on three pillars, namely innovation, human capital and transformation, and the creation of an effective government S&T system. The second of these ought to (i) increase the number of women and previously disadvantaged persons in the sciences, and (ii) maximise the pursuit of excellence in global terms. The strategy document stresses the fact that South Africa lags far behind the developed world as well as many developing countries as shown by a number of important indicators, for example:
• R&D expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP): SA 0.69% vs.
1.49% for Australia, 2.15% for the OECD countries and 2.47% for South Korea.
• Researchers per 1000 of the workforce: SA 0.71 vs. Australia 4.84 and South Korea 2.77.
The R&D strategy sets a number of goals to be achieved by 2012, e.g. to increase the number of matriculants with university exemptions in mathematics and science from the present 3.4% to 7.5%, to increase the proportion of S&T tertiary students to 30%
and the number of S&T practitioners to 1.1 per 1000 of the labour force, with a significantly higher proportion of women and blacks. Total spending on R&D must also be raised to at least 1% of GDP.
Another indication of South Africa’s problems regarding skilled human resources is painfully demonstrated by our position on the World Competitiveness Scoreboard compiled annually by the Institute of Management Development in Switzerland. After having been number 43 out of 47 countries in 1999 and 2000, South Africa’s position improved slightly to 42nd and 39th out of 49 countries in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The major contributing factor to this poor performance is the very low rating received for South Africa’s people in terms of education and workforce skills composition.
On the positive side, the challenges associated with the South African science and technology skills base that are required to underpin the much-needed economic growth have been addressed through many government initiatives over the past number of years. The goals of the national R&D strategy have already been mentioned before.
The National Plan for Higher Education, issued by the Department of Education in February 2001, sets out to achieve the following:
• increasing the participation rate in higher education from 15% to 20% of the 20-24 year age group over the next 10-15 years;
• shifting the balance in enrolments away from the humanities towards economic sciences and S&T to achieve the ratio 40:30:30 over the next 5-10 years; and
• improving representation of black and female students in the latter two areas and at post-graduate level.
In June 2001 a national strategy for mathematics, science and technology education was launched to raise participation and performance by historically disadvantaged learners in maths and physical science, and to enhance the teaching capacity and skills to deliver quality education in these areas.
As far as language and multilingualism in South Africa are concerned, quite a number of significant developments have taken place since the start of the QEDC project. In March 1996 DACST held a workshop on ‘The Feasibility of Technical Language Development in the African Languages’ in Pretoria. In his opening address Dr. B.S. Ngubane, Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, pointed out:
‘Knowledge transfer can only take place if a person understands the concepts being conveyed to him’. He stated that the immense need for training programmes implied the creation of terminology in the African languages. During the workshop the role played by language, the mother tongue and terminology in empowerment and development was stressed by many speakers.
The underlying principle in the Department of Education’s Language in Education Policy, issued in July 1997, is one of additive multilingualism through maintenance of the home language, complemented by the effective acquisition of additional languages. However, although one of the aims of the policy is ‘to counter disadvantages resulting from different kinds of mismatches between home languages and languages of learning and teaching’, the only statement in the policy on the latter issue is the following: ‘The language(s) of learning and teaching in a public school must be (an) official language(s)’!
In May 2000 a working group on values in education, appointed by the Minister of Education, recommended two values in the area of language, namely the importance of studying through the mother tongue and the fostering of multilingualism. In a speech at the launch of a multilingual, multimedia teaching project in Soweto on 5 September 2000 Prof. Asmal again emphasised the difficulties experienced by both teachers and learners when using non-familiar languages. This was also highlighted in a survey by MarkData, commissioned by the Pan South African Language Board (September 2000), where respondents expressed strong preference for learning through their mother tongue complemented with good teaching of or learning through another official language or English.
One of the greatest challenges relating to the future role of science and technology in South Africa’s development is perhaps defined best in the following statement in the DACST document ‘Technology and Knowledge – Synthesis Report of the National Research and Technology Audit’ (December 1998): ‘Given that a competent human resource base remains the primary necessary condition for an effective science and technology system, mathematics, technology, physical science