Home Institution
Cornell University
Publication Date
Spring 2017
Abstract
In this paper, I examine the role that cross-cultural language study plays in the lives of three Capetonians in order to explore its capacity to foster empathy between people of different backgrounds. Framed in the context of South African history and modern academic discourse around language use in educational and public spaces in the country, I present the stories of my three interviewees and analyze particular experiences that they relayed in order to trace trends of empathy and understanding through their language use.
Through my discussion of this qualitative data, I reach the conclusion that language can be an effective tool to promote cross-cultural understanding and empathy, particularly when the multilinguist engages continually in the use of their language skills and the exploration of cultural contexts associated with such languages.
Disciplines
African Languages and Societies | African Studies | Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics | Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | First and Second Language Acquisition | Language and Literacy Education | Sociology of Culture
Recommended Citation
McDonald, Sarah, "Reaching for the Heart: An Analysis of Language as a Weapon of Empathy For Three Capetonians" (2017). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2604.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2604
Included in
African Languages and Societies Commons, African Studies Commons, Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics Commons, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, First and Second Language Acquisition Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons
Program Name
language, linguistics, South Africa, empathy, culture, understanding, translanguaging, education