Why South African children lose their home language (and how to stop it)
Many children in English-medium schools slowly stop speaking isiZulu, Sesotho or isiXhosa. Here is why it happens, why it matters, and what parents can do.
By the Asifunde Nathi team · 7 min read
It often starts with something small. Your child answers you in English when you spoke to them in isiZulu. A few months later they understand Gogo but cannot reply to her. By Grade 3, the language your family has spoken for generations has become the "home language" in name only.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone, and it is not your fault. Losing a home language is one of the most common things that happens to South African children who attend English-medium schools. The good news is that it is also one of the most preventable. This guide explains why it happens and gives you a practical plan to keep your child's language alive.
In this article
South Africa is a home-language country
According to Census 2022, isiZulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa (24.4% of households), followed by isiXhosa (16.3%), Afrikaans (10.6%) and Sepedi (10.0%). English is the home language of only 8.7% of South Africans, about the same as Setswana (8.3%) and Sesotho (7.8%).
Yet English is the language most children end up learning in. The Department of Basic Education says roughly 78% of learners are taught in a second language, usually English, and that fewer than a quarter of South Africans can keep learning in their mother tongue beyond Grade 3.
So most South African children are growing up with two languages pulling in different directions: the one they speak at home and the one they are taught and assessed in.
Why children lose their home language
1. School time is language time
A child in Grade R to Grade 3 spends four to six hours a day at school. If all of that is in English, plus aftercare, plus English cartoons and YouTube, the home language can easily shrink to a few sentences at breakfast and bedtime. Children's language grows through use. The language they hear most, and need most, becomes their strongest.
2. Children notice which language "counts"
Children are very good at working out what adults value. If reports, homework, prizes and praise all come in English, a child concludes that English is the important language. Some children even feel embarrassed about speaking their home language in front of friends.
3. Parents switch without meaning to
This is the most common reason, and the easiest to fix. A tired parent asks a question in Sesotho, the child answers in English, and the parent carries on in English to keep the peace. Repeat that a few hundred times and the family language changes.
4. Understanding is not the same as speaking
Many children keep understanding their home language long after they stop speaking it. Researchers call this receptive bilingualism. It feels like the language is safe, but without practice in speaking, reading and writing, it can fade further as children get older.
Why it matters more than you might think
Learning to read
Children learn to read best in a language they already understand. South Africa's reading results show what happens when they do not: in PIRLS 2021, an international reading study, 81% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa could not read for meaning in any language. The Department of Basic Education points to Grade 4, the year most learners switch to English, as the moment when the achievement gap between children learning in their home language and those learning in a second language becomes visible.
A strong home-language foundation does not hold back English. It gives children the concepts, vocabulary and confidence they need to learn a second language well. That is why the government's Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education programme extended home-language teaching into Grade 4 from 2025 and plans to add one grade at a time.
Identity and belonging
Language carries proverbs, praise names, songs, jokes and respect. A child who can speak with their grandparents, follow a family ceremony or laugh at an uncle's joke feels rooted. A child who cannot often feels like a visitor in their own family.
A real advantage later
Being fluent in English and an African language is a genuine advantage in South Africa's job market, from healthcare and teaching to media, law and customer service. You are not choosing between English and isiXhosa. You are giving your child both.
How to keep your child's home language alive
Make one time and place "home language only"
You do not need to ban English. Choose one daily routine, such as supper, the drive to school or bath time, where everyone speaks the home language. Consistency matters more than the number of hours.
Answer, then gently re-ask
If your child replies in English, do not scold them. Repeat what they said in the home language and invite them to say it with you. "Ufuna amanzi? Yithi: ngicela amanzi." Keep it warm and playful.
Read and tell stories in your language
Bedtime is the most powerful 10 minutes of the day for language. Read picture books in your language, tell stories from your own childhood, or make up stories together. Our guide to bedtime stories in African languages lists free places to find books.
Give the language "status"
Let your child see that the home language matters: praise them when they use it, put up labels in the house, play music in the language, and let them teach a word to a cousin or friend. Children want to use the languages that make them feel capable.
Involve grandparents and family
Grandparents are often the richest source of vocabulary, idioms and stories. A weekly video call with Gogo or Mkhulu in the home language can do a lot. Read more in how grandparents can keep a home language alive.
Use screen time well
If your child is going to use a tablet anyway, make some of that time count in the home language. Short, playful activities in isiZulu, Sesotho or Xitsonga build vocabulary without feeling like homework. Our screen time guide by age explains how much is sensible.
A simple weekly plan
- Every day: one home-language-only routine (supper, the school run or bath time).
- Every day: 5 to 10 minutes of a story, song or game in the home language.
- Twice a week: label five things in the house and play "what is this called?"
- Once a week: a call or visit with a grandparent or relative who speaks the language.
- Once a month: check in. Is your child understanding more? Speaking more? Celebrate it.
Where Asifunde Nathi fits in
Asifunde Nathi was built for exactly this situation. Children aged 2 to 10 learn words, reading, numbers, money and logic through short games and bedtime stories in nine South African languages: isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Setswana, Sepedi, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, siSwati and isiNdebele. A 12-week plan suggests one short activity a day, and the Parent Centre shows you how your child is growing. You can try it free for 7 days.
Learning that speaks their language
Games, stories and a weekly plan in nine South African languages, for ages 2 to 10. Free for 7 days.
Questions parents ask
My child understands our home language but answers in English. Is it too late?
No. Understanding is a strong foundation. Create situations where your child needs to speak the language, such as a home-language-only routine or a call with a grandparent, and praise every attempt. Most children start speaking again within weeks once it becomes a normal, fun part of the day.
Will speaking our home language at home hurt my child's English at school?
No. Research and international guidance agree that a strong first language supports learning a second one. Children can and do learn several languages at once. Keep reading and talking in your home language, and let school build English.
What if my partner and I speak different home languages?
That is common in South Africa and a gift for your child. Many families use "one parent, one language", where each parent speaks their own language consistently. Children usually learn to separate the languages quickly.
How much time per day is enough?
There is no magic number, but daily, regular use matters most. Ten focused minutes of stories, songs or play every day is better than one long session on a Saturday.
