The history of the language question in south Africa and language attitudes at unisa

This article examines the language question in South Africa, from pre-colonial times to the present. Most of the information presented is derived from research-in-progress at the University of South Africa (UNISA). The aim of the research is the development of an instrument to measure the attitudes of L1-African language UNISA students towards UNISA's new language policy. In order to fully understand these attitudes it is necessary to have a full appreciation of the historical factors that have impacted on the formation of these attitudes. This article attempts to provide this necessary historical background.