Cooperation between
PanSALB and terminology
structures
Dr Mariëtta Alberts
Lexicography and Terminology Development
PanSALB
The Pan South African
Language Board (PanSALB)
PanSALB is a constitutional
body established in terms of
the PanSALB Act
(Act No. 59 of 1995 as
amended in 1999)
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The Board was established
to promote multilingualism
and develop the official
South African Languages,
including the Khoe, Nama
and San languages and the
South African Sign
Language (SASL)
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The Board operates under
three clusters:
 Lexicography and Terminology
Development
 Development of Languages
 Linguistic Human Rights and
Advocacy
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Lexicography and Terminology
Development (L&TD)
 Empower languages through




NLUs
Avail resources towards language
development (terminology)
Influence channels of
communication
Promote multilingualism in
society
Facilitate communication across
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all languages
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Development of Languages
 Language in Education
 Development of Literature
 Development of previously
marginalised languages
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Linguistic Human Rights and
Advocacy
 Status Language Planning
 Linguistic Human Rights
 Translation and Interpreting
 Research and Development
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PanSALB created advisory
structures to assist it in
achieving its mandate:
 to promote multilingualism
 to develop languages, and
 to protect language rights
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PanSALB structures
 Provincial Language Committees
(PLCs)
 National Language Bodies (NLBs)
 National Lexicography Units
(NLUs)
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PanSALB structures
PLCs
NLBs
NLUs
Nine Provincial Language
Committees (PLCs) have
been established.
A PLC is a provincial
structure with the aim of
taking care of the languages
of that province.
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Each PLC serves the
linguistic needs of the
people by determining the
needs of the local speech
communities.
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A PLC ensures language
policy implementation and
practice
 It advises PanSALB
 It advises the Member of the
Executive Council responsible for
languages in that province
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Provincial Language
Committees (PLCs) (9)

Eastern Cape PLC

KwaZuluNatal PLC

Western Cape PLC

Mpumalanga PLC

North West PLC

Northern Cape PLC

Free State PLC

Limpopo Province

Gauteng PLC
PLC
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A PLC consists of 13
representatives
proportionally representing
each language in the
province, including Sign,
Heritage and possibly Khoe,
Nama and San languages
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National Language Bodies
(NLBs)
 The NLBs are responsible for
providing advice to PanSALB on
matters affecting a particular
language
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National Language Bodies
(NLBs) (13)

IsiNdebele NLB

Setswana NLB

SiSwati NLB


IsiXhosa NLB
Sesotho Sa
Leboa NLB

IsiZulu NLB

Sesotho NLB

Afrikaans NLB

Khoe & San NLB

English NLB


Xitsonga NLB

Tshivenda NLB
South African
Sign Language
NLB
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A NLB for the Heritage
Languages will be
established soon
(e.g. Dutch, French,
German, Greek, Gujerati,
Hindi, Italian, Portuguese,
Tamil, Urdu, etc.)
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Each of the thirteen NLBs
consists of 13 members
from across the country
representing the speech
community for the specific
language group.
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The NLBs advise PanSALB
on issues relating to:
 The development, promotion and
maintenance of its particular
language
 Literature
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 Spelling, orthography and
language standards
 Terminology development and
dictionaries
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NLBs are the authorising
structures of terminology
work in South Africa
 NLBs are involved in the term
creation process, and
 in providing term equivalents
 NLBs verify the terminology
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 NLBs approve
terminology
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National Lexicography Units
(NLUs) (11)
Government supports the
preservation and development of
languages in South Africa
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In the previous
dispensation:
 South Africa had a bilingual policy
 Government supported two
dictionary offices:
* The Bureau of the Woordeboek van
die Afrikaanse Taal (WAT)
* The Dictionary of South African
English (DSAE)
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With 11 official languages
Government supports 11
national dictionary offices
11 National Lexicography Units
(NLUs) were established
according to the revised
PanSALB Act of 1999
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NLUs

Afrikaans NLU: Woordeboek van die
Afrikaanse Taal (WAT)

English NLU: Dictionary of South
African English (DSAE)

Xitsonga NLU

Tshivenda NLU
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NLUs

IsiNdebele NLU: IsiHlathululi-mezwi
SesiNdebele

SiSwati NLU: Silulu SesiSwati National
Lexicography Unit

IsiZulu NLU: Isikhungo
Sesichazamazwi SesiZulu

IsiXhosa National Lexicography Unit
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NLUs
 Setswana National Lexicography
Unit
 Sesotho sa Leboa NLU: Sesotho sa
Leboa Dictionary Unit
 Sesotho NLU: Sesiu sa Sesotho
Lexicography Unit
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NLUs are governed by a
Board of Directors (BoD)
 BoD members are stakeholders
 BoD employs staff
 NLUs are Section 21 Companies
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 NLUs are situated at tertiary
institutions
 Within boundaries of the
geolinguistic area of most first
language speakers
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Each NLU has to
 Document, preserve and develop
 Compile monolingual dictionaries
 Compile other dictionary projects
that will assist with development
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PanSALB funds
 The 11 NLUs on a monthly basis
 Lexicography projects (e.g.
Khoekhoegowab - Afrikaans
Glossarium)
 Terminology projects (e.g. Centre
for Legal Terminology in African
Languages (IsiZulu project))
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Relationship between PLCs,
NLBs and NLUs
 Contact and liaison
 Determine language needs
 Language policy, practice,
implementation
 Promotion of multilingualism
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Collaboration between PanSALB
structures and the Terminology
Coordination Section (TCS), NLS
PLCs
NLBs
Terminology
Coordination
Section (TCS)
NLUs


CLIENT
REQUEST FOR TERMINOLOGY LIST (X)

(National project)


? (X+SL+def+10 TLs +def)



SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH
(Needs assessment, determination of priority;
registration of project, monitoring of progress)


HEAD OF TERMINOLOGY COORDINATION SECTION, NLS
(X+SL+def+10 TLs +def)

DATA MANAGEMENT & PUBLICATIONS
(Print dictionary (DTP) = X+SL+def+10TLs+def)
(e.g. multilingual explanatory dictionary, Term bank, Internet)

X
TERMINOGRAPHY SECTION
(excerpt SL terms, define SL terms)
(Source Language (SL) = English)
TERMINOLOGY SECTION
(supply translation equivalents in 10 TLs)
(supply definitions in 10 TLs)
(TLs = 10 Official South African languages)

X + SL + DEF

Natural
Sciences
Life
Sciences
 
Human & Commercial
Sciences
Sesotho
Sepedi
Setswana

CONSULTATION
SUBJECT SPECIALISTS LINGUISTS (English) LANGUAGE USERS
TERMINOLOGY SECTION
NLS TRANSLATORS

X + SL + 10 TLs + DEF
isiXhosa
Xitsonga
isiZulu
isiNdebele
Siswati
Tshivenda
Afrikaans

CONSULTATION
SUBJECT SPECIALISTS LINGUISTS LANGUAGE USERS

TERMINOGRAPHY SECTION NLS TRANSLATORS

PROVINCIAL LANGUAGE COMMITTEES / NATIONAL LEXICOGRAPHY UNITS / NATIONAL LANGUAGE BODIES
Dr M.Alberts
National collaboration
 National Terminology
Coordinator: Terminology
Coordination Section (TCS),
National Language Service
 External compilers of terminology
lists (e.g. private initiatives)
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National collaboration
 Advisory bodies (subject
committees, linguists, NLBs, PLCs,
NLUs)
 National liaison (Government
(national, provincial, local))
 External bodies (industry, media,
private sector, tertiary
institutions)
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International collaboration
 Infoterm
 TermNet
 ISO TC/37
 IOUTN, WBIT, IFTB, Danterm, etc.
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National and International
Collaboration
TCS
NLS
DAC
Terminology Coordinator
CLTAL
CEPTSA
SAAWK
projects
HANSARD
Private
initiatives
Subject
committees
Linguists
Pansalb
Compilers of terminology lists or technical dictionaries
NLUs
PLCs
Advisory bodies
NATIONAL TERMBANK
managed by
Terminology Coordination Section
(TCS)
National Language Service (NLS)
Department of Arts and Culture
(DAC)
International liaison, e.g. Infoterm,
TermNet, IOUTN, WBIT, IFTB,
ISO TC/37, Danterm, etc
NLBs
National liaison: Government, Provincial
and local Departments; HLT virtual
network, ...
External bodies making use of terminology
Industry
e.g. Sasol
Afrilex
Prolingua
SATI
ALASA
Escom
SABS
SABC
MNET
News Media
e.g. papers
Tertiary
Institutions
SANDF
NEC
NGOs
Statutory bodies
Private
sector
KEY
Bodies already using and providing terminology to National Termbank
Possible interaction in future
International and national liaison
Dr M Alberts
Human Language
Technology Virtual Network
 Research, coordination and
consultation re field of HLT
 Acquisition, enhancement and
management of digital text and
speech data for all official
languages (including SASL)
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 Usage of digital text and speech
data as reusable resources for
development of HLT applications
 Development of open-sourced
software for natural language
processing (NLP)
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 Human resource development
through HLT implementation
 Human resource training and
reskilling
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Research, coordination and
consultation through HLT

Coordinated research

Central knowledge base

Liaison with roleplayers, stakeholders,
funding agencies

Promotion and application of ISO TC37
standards

Technical assistance to NLUs re hardware
and software
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MEDIA
University
A
SABC
Centre for
Human Language Technologies
NLU
Z
Central planning, coordination &
consultation
Govt
Dept B
Digital Text and Speech Corpora
Acquisition, enhancement, management
University
D
NLP Software development
NLU
P
Company
A
HLT Training
University
C
Company
B
Govt
Dept A
Resources and Expertise to feed into
National
Lexicographic
Units
(NLUs)
Government
Departments
HLT products for
e-governance
e-learning
e-commerce
Private sector
development
ICT (HLT) job
creation
software dev.
e-commerce
Academic
research and
development
Conclusion

PanSALB structures are in place

Good working relationship between
PanSALB structures and National
Language Service Sections

Stakeholders willing to collaborate

HLT virtual network office to be
established soon
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Speakers of the official and
other South African
languages should play the
bigger role:
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“They should take pride in
their languages, use the
languages in various
domains, and exploit the
indigenous knowledge
systems embedded in
these languages in order to
avoid cultural stagnation.”
(Marivate 2001:5)