Language Guidelines For HIV/AIDS Communication In South Africa

This publication forms part of a range of research activities that were commissioned in 1997/98 as part of the Beyond Awareness Campaign of the HIV/AIDS and STD Directorate of the Department of Health.

According to this book, effective development-oriented communications are essential in South Africa. It is, therefore, important to develop relevant and practical guidelines for language usage. Although the notion of multilingualism is enshrined in the constitution as is the official status of eleven languages multilingual communication is a complex process. This research outlines the issues and provides guidelines for multilingual communication with particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS communication. It also interlinks with the parallel question regarding the distribution of communication material.

The research document aims to:

• Identify important issues in the development of language guidelines looking at existing research and policy information
• Investigate how HIV/AIDS communicators have dealt with language issues
• Look at what languages are predominantly spoken in each of the provinces as a way of providing useful guidelines regarding HIV/AIDS communications and distribution.