Unlocking Language Potential: How Mother Tongue Shapes English Acquisition in Rural Grade 1 Classrooms of South Africa

Authors

  • Israel Creleanor Mulaudzi

    Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
  • Rendani Mercy Makhwathana

    Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
  • Ndivhudzannyi Michael Nndwamato

    Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v8i1.12390
Received: 9 October 2025 | Revised: 6 November 2025 | Accepted: 7 November 2025 | Published Online: 4 January 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of learners’ mother tongues on the acquisition of English as a First Additional Language (EFAL) among Grade 1 learners in South Africa’s rural Klein Letaba Circuit, Limpopo Province. Guided by Cummins’ Interdependence Hypothesis and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, the study employs an interpretivist qualitative design involving eight purposefully selected Grade 1 teachers from multilingual classrooms. Semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed to identify patterns of phonological, grammatical, and lexical transfer, alongside teachers’ pedagogical responses. Findings reveal that learners frequently transfer L1 sound systems and grammatical structures into English, resulting in predictable decoding, pronunciation, and syntactic errors. Teachers report that strategic translanguaging—purposeful alternation between English and local languages such as Xitsonga, Tshivenda, and Sepedi—enhances comprehension, pronunciation, and learner engagement. Teachers’ narratives further highlight that bilingual scaffolding affirms cultural identity, reduces cognitive load, and strengthens early literacy development, despite persistent shortages of bilingual resources and limited professional development. The study concludes that mother-tongue-based bilingual instruction is not a remedial strategy but a foundational approach for promoting equitable literacy and cognitive growth in multilingual contexts. Its originality lies in situating translanguaging pedagogy within rural African classrooms and illustrating how teachers operationalise bilingualism under material and ideological constraints. By offering classroom-level insights, the study contributes to national conversations about South Africa’s 81% reading comprehension crisis, as reported in PIRLS 2021. Although based on a small, context-specific sample, the findings provide transferable implications for multilingual education policy and EFAL pedagogy across rural African settings.

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How to Cite

Mulaudzi, I. C., Makhwathana, R. M., & Nndwamato, N. M. (2026). Unlocking Language Potential: How Mother Tongue Shapes English Acquisition in Rural Grade 1 Classrooms of South Africa. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 8(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v8i1.12390

Issue

Vol. 8, Iss. 1 (January 2026 in progress)

Article Type

Article

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Copyright © 2026 Israel Creleanor Mulaudzi, Rendani Mercy Makhwathana, Ndivhudzannyi Michael Nndwamato

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.