Op-Ed: Tuning into the sounds of status

It's a long-accepted notion that the way we sound affects the way we are perceived. Recently, researchers have actually confirmed this to be the case. In South Africa, where language diversity is a reality amongst our many cultures, the issue of linguistic hegemony means that who speaks what language best – and what it means to do so – is fraught with challenges. How we navigate issues of power and status in our country depends largely on preconceived ideas about what we're meant to sound like. By KALIM RAJAB.