Cultural appropriation is an issue that sparks debate, which often becomes quite heated and rarely, except in extreme cases such as Pharrell Williams’s British Elle cover on which he wore a Native American headdress, reaches an ultimate and satisfying resolution. Naturally, language, due to its strong ties with culture, has been drawn into the debate. The question is: is learning a language ever cultural appropriation? This will be discussed below with a particular focus on the learning of an indigenous African language by a person who is not black.
Cultural appropriation, as it is used here, happens when a person from a dominant or more powerful culture adopts elements from a disadvantaged or less powerful culture. Because language is so inextricably linked to culture, logically it seems to follow that when a member of a dominant culture (such as a white person) learns the language of a disadvantaged culture (such as indigenous African cultures), they are committing cultural appropriation.
In many cases, this argument holds true. If a white person learns an indigenous African language simply for “fun” or to add it to their linguistic repertoire like one might add a particularly shiny amethyst to one’s semi-precious stone collection, completely neglecting the acquisition of cultural knowledge of its speakers, they are committing cultural appropriation. However, there are also valid arguments against the idea that language learning can be cultural appropriation.
The first argument against language learning as cultural appropriation is one that is found in abundance in cultural appropriation debates: the cultural appreciation argument. Differences in cultures and the resulting misunderstandings and faux pas lead to seemingly avoidable and sometimes catastrophic conflict. Therefore, in a world where we encounter instances of intercultural communication daily, learning about other cultures in order to appreciate them is essential. This is particularly relevant in South Africa due to our political history, which has caused lasting racial tension that is perpetuated by linguistic and cultural barriers. Language encompasses many aspects of culture, such as norms, values and taboos. One could convincingly argue that it is impossible to learn enough about a culture to sufficiently appreciate it without learning the language of its members. Furthermore, Africa’s colonial history has created a power imbalance in which indigenous African cultures have been heavily disadvantaged. Increasing knowledge of and appreciation for these cultures decreases this power imbalance. Therefore, it can be argued that the learning of an indigenous language by a white person is an act of cultural appreciation in the wake of South Africa’s colonial and Apartheid history.
The second argument against language learning as cultural appropriation is one of practical benefit. Learning a language not only allows us to better understand and perhaps appreciate the culture of its speakers, but it also allows us to actually communicate with them. For example, a white person may learn isiXhosa because they are working in a company with predominantly isiXhosa-speaking colleagues. They may also live or have moved to an area where many isiXhosa speakers live and therefore learn isiXhosa to better integrate into the community. A white doctor in the Western Cape should learn isiXhosa, for example, in order to communicate better with patients and other doctors. In these cases, the language is learned for practical benefit, which does not classify as cultural appropriation.
From the above, it is clear that there is no simple, universally applicable answer to the question of whether learning a language is cultural appropriation. However, in sensitive situations such as when a white person learns an indigenous African language, there are a few ways in which cultural appropriation can be avoided.
Firstly, it is important for the learner to assess their motivations for learning the language. Do they simply want to learn it for the sake of learning it, or do they want to overcome cultural conflict by overcoming language barriers? Do they require it for their job or daily life? It is important that the potential learner be culturally sensitive in their motivations.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the learner needs to determine whether they have permission to learn the language. That permission may be explicit, such as a speaker of an indigenous African language inviting them to learn the language, or implicit, such as the availability of language lessons offered by a native speaker of that language. It is important to note, however, that permission from one speaker or institution does not necessarily constitute permission from all the native speakers of that language and should be handled with caution, on a case-by-case basis.
As argued above, there are cases in which it would be cultural appropriation for a person to learn an indigenous African language if they are not black. However, if a language learner is culturally sensitive in their motivations and has permission from a native speaker, there is no reason why they should be accused of cultural appropriation.