{"title":"The study of literature in Africa","authors":"M. Mzamane","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V2I1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V2I1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114913554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1900-01-01DOI: 10.4314/MARANG.V18I1.39323
J. M. Magogwe
This research seeks to examine the role that context or learning situation plays in strategy choice by comparing the strategy patterns of a private English medium secondary and a government secondary school in Botswana. More specifically, the main objectives of this study are to, firstly, investigate whether the ‘type of school' influences the choice of language learning strategies of its students: secondly, to find out whether private English medium secondary school students use more strategies than government secondary school students in Botswana; and, thirdly, to explore the role played by gender on the choice of language learning strategies. Form four students from one private English medium senior secondary school and one government senior secondary completed the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SIILL). The data was analysed using descriptive statistics to calculate means and standard deviations of strategies and inferential statistics such as ANOVA to establish the relationships between group and individual strategies. The findings of this study showed that the choice of strategies was not greatly influenced by the type of school from which the student came. However, this study found that government school students relied more on the use of dictionaries. On the other hand, private English medium students volunteered to look for conversation partners in order to get practice in speaking English. In relation to gender, the findings of this study confirmed other previous findings that female students use more language learning strategies than do male students. Keywords : language, learning, context, strategies, gender, influence MARANG Vol. 18 2008 pp. 15-28
{"title":"The influence of school on the choice of language learning strategies in Botswana","authors":"J. M. Magogwe","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V18I1.39323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V18I1.39323","url":null,"abstract":"This research seeks to examine the role that context or learning situation plays in strategy\u0000choice by comparing the strategy patterns of a private English medium secondary and a\u0000government secondary school in Botswana. More specifically, the main objectives of this\u0000study are to, firstly, investigate whether the ‘type of school' influences the choice of\u0000language learning strategies of its students: secondly, to find out whether private English\u0000medium secondary school students use more strategies than government secondary school\u0000students in Botswana; and, thirdly, to explore the role played by gender on the choice of\u0000language learning strategies. Form four students from one private English medium senior\u0000secondary school and one government senior secondary completed the Strategy Inventory\u0000for Language Learning (SIILL). The data was analysed using descriptive statistics to\u0000calculate means and standard deviations of strategies and inferential statistics such as\u0000ANOVA to establish the relationships between group and individual strategies. The findings\u0000of this study showed that the choice of strategies was not greatly influenced by the type of\u0000school from which the student came. However, this study found that government school\u0000students relied more on the use of dictionaries. On the other hand, private English medium\u0000students volunteered to look for conversation partners in order to get practice in speaking\u0000English. In relation to gender, the findings of this study confirmed other previous findings\u0000that female students use more language learning strategies than do male students. Keywords : language, learning, context, strategies, gender, influence MARANG Vol. 18 2008 pp. 15-28","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114780874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1900-01-01DOI: 10.4314/MARANG.V18I1.39328
M. Alimi
This paper examines the morphological and syntactic differences between English and Setswana pronouns, and how these differences manifest in students usage of English pronouns at the University of Botswana. It also discusses some of the ways by which the learners may be assisted to become more proficient in using English pronouns. An analysis of 542 essays written by second and fourth year students of the Department of English reveal the following categories of pronoun errors: the intrusion of an independent subject pronoun between a subject and its verb, the conflation of the standard expression the onethe other into the otherthe other, inter substitution of they/there/their, lack of gender and case distinctions, use of pronouns without antecedents and pronoun referent agreement errors. In terms of the sources of these errors, the paper shows that the first six types of errors seem to relate directly or indirectly to the morphological and syntactic structures of Setswana pronouns while the last type is largely intralingual. The paper recommends that policy planners should recognise the existence of Botswana English and its influence on learners acquisition of English, and appropriately reflect this in language teaching policy, tests and exams in the country. It also suggests that teachers should raise their awareness of Botswana English in order to be able to distinguish between learners usage that are unpredictable and those that have become systematic localisms, and delegate more learning responsibility to the learners themselves.
{"title":"English pronouns in the writing of some Batswana students","authors":"M. Alimi","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V18I1.39328","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V18I1.39328","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines the morphological and syntactic differences between English and Setswana pronouns, and how these differences manifest in students usage of English pronouns at the University of Botswana. It also discusses some of the ways by which the learners may be assisted to become more proficient in using English pronouns. An analysis of 542 essays written by second and fourth year students of the Department of English reveal the following categories of pronoun errors: the intrusion of an independent subject pronoun between a subject and its verb, the conflation of the standard expression the onethe other into the otherthe other, inter substitution of they/there/their, lack of gender and case distinctions, use of pronouns without antecedents and pronoun referent agreement errors. In terms of the sources of these errors, the paper shows that the first six types of errors seem to relate directly or indirectly to the morphological and syntactic structures of Setswana pronouns while the last type is largely intralingual. The paper recommends that policy planners should recognise the existence of Botswana English and its influence on learners acquisition of English, and appropriately reflect this in language teaching policy, tests and exams in the country. It also suggests that teachers should raise their awareness of Botswana English in order to be able to distinguish between learners usage that are unpredictable and those that have become systematic localisms, and delegate more learning responsibility to the learners themselves.","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128941060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1900-01-01DOI: 10.1080/17449859908589311
A. Gagiano
{"title":"Memory, power, and Bessie Head: 'A question of power'","authors":"A. Gagiano","doi":"10.1080/17449859908589311","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449859908589311","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124115831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Language in the news: discourse and ideology in the press","authors":"T. Essilfie","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V11I1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V11I1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"55 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133813564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper examines poems written in English by Tanzanians from a feminist perspective. Specifically, the paper examines how Tanzanian poets in English handle feminist ideas. It interrogates how the poets address issues of human rights, dignity and equality from a feminist perspective in a predominantly patriarchal society. Through a feminist lens, the paper also delineates how the poets depict the reaction of women against masculinity and often female-gender insensitive traditional cultural beliefs which continue to subjugate and marginalise women. The paper contends that despite being ignored in terms of scholarship, Tanzanian poets in English have been preoccupied with the question of gender equality, which helps to define and place their contribution to literary and gender discourse in Tanzania. The paper concludes that Tanzanian poets in English have rhetorically been fostering the feminist agenda to undermine prevalent patriarchal norms and values. Keywords : Feminists, patriarchy, Tanzanian poets in English, masculinity, identity
{"title":"Patriarchy and social determinism: interrogating feminist agenda in Tanzania’s neglected poetry","authors":"Eliah S. Mwaifuge","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V28I1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V28I1","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines poems written in English by Tanzanians from a feminist perspective. Specifically, the paper examines how Tanzanian poets in English handle feminist ideas. It interrogates how the poets address issues of human rights, dignity and equality from a feminist perspective in a predominantly patriarchal society. Through a feminist lens, the paper also delineates how the poets depict the reaction of women against masculinity and often female-gender insensitive traditional cultural beliefs which continue to subjugate and marginalise women. The paper contends that despite being ignored in terms of scholarship, Tanzanian poets in English have been preoccupied with the question of gender equality, which helps to define and place their contribution to literary and gender discourse in Tanzania. The paper concludes that Tanzanian poets in English have rhetorically been fostering the feminist agenda to undermine prevalent patriarchal norms and values. Keywords : Feminists, patriarchy, Tanzanian poets in English, masculinity, identity","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114525921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1900-01-01DOI: 10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42821
L. Nkosana
This paper presents and discusses the results of survey questionnaires administered to both students and teachers of the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) ESL on their attitudes towards and perceptions of speaking in English, its teaching and assessment. Both students and teachers were asked to complete survey questionnaires in which they were asked both closed and open ended questions on their attitudes towards the teaching and learning of ESL. The findings indicate that the attitudes of both students and teachers towards speaking were found to have remained positive, in spite of the fact that it is not tested in the BGCSE English exam. However the study indicates that the teachers’ perceptions of the BGCSE English examination’s influence on students’ attitudes towards learning speaking was affected, and their perceptions of the exam’s influence on their work with regard to speaking was also affected. It was also found that the BGCSE English examination has had some impact on classroom practice. The teachers reported that they taught writing and reading, which are tested in the exam, more than speaking and listening, which are not tested. The students also ranked writing and reading as the skills in which they do most exercises/tasks as compared to listening and speaking. However, the impact on classroom practice in the Botswana study was mitigated by the sociolinguistic status of English in Botswana.
{"title":"The Washback Effects of Curriculum and Assessment Reform in Botswana","authors":"L. Nkosana","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42821","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42821","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents and discusses the results of survey questionnaires administered to both students and teachers of the Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) ESL on their attitudes towards and perceptions of speaking in English, its teaching and assessment. Both students and teachers were asked to complete survey questionnaires in which they were asked both closed and open ended questions on their attitudes towards the teaching and learning of ESL. The findings indicate that the attitudes of both students and teachers towards speaking were found to have remained positive, in spite of the fact that it is not tested in the BGCSE English exam. However the study indicates that the teachers’ perceptions of the BGCSE English examination’s influence on students’ attitudes towards learning speaking was affected, and their perceptions of the exam’s influence on their work with regard to speaking was also affected. It was also found that the BGCSE English examination has had some impact on classroom practice. The teachers reported that they taught writing and reading, which are tested in the exam, more than speaking and listening, which are not tested. The students also ranked writing and reading as the skills in which they do most exercises/tasks as compared to listening and speaking. However, the impact on classroom practice in the Botswana study was mitigated by the sociolinguistic status of English in Botswana.","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128171840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1900-01-01DOI: 10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42820
Fewdays Miyanda
Court interpreting is a rather complex task. Inaccuracies in legal interpreting or translation can have serious consequences. Using oral interviews and a written questionnaire, this study set out to establish the problems faced by court interpreters in Botswana in the course of their duties, the kind of training offered to court interpreters in Botswana, the court interpreters’ familiarity with court procedure, etiquette and legal terminology; to find out the interpretation and translation techniques that court interpreters use; and, to establish the problems that may make the dispensing of justice difficult in the courts in Botswana. The findings show that interpreters in the Magistrate and High Courts in Botswana perform their duties under very difficult circumstances which have serious implications on the delivery of justice. The problems established include lack of training for interpreters, the absence of a job description and guidelines for interpreters, long hours of work, lack of a forum for interpreters to share ideas on their job, lack of security for case files as most of the offices used by interpreters in the magistrate courts are also used by other staff, and lack of equipment such as microphones during interpreting. Recommendations to ameliorate these problems are also made.
{"title":"Problems Faced by Court Interpreters in Botswana","authors":"Fewdays Miyanda","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42820","url":null,"abstract":"Court interpreting is a rather complex task. Inaccuracies in legal interpreting or translation can have serious consequences. Using oral interviews and a written questionnaire, this study set out to establish the problems faced by court interpreters in Botswana in the course of their duties, the kind of training offered to court interpreters in Botswana, the court interpreters’ familiarity with court procedure, etiquette and legal terminology; to find out the interpretation and translation techniques that court interpreters use; and, to establish the problems that may make the dispensing of justice difficult in the courts in Botswana. The findings show that interpreters in the Magistrate and High Courts in Botswana perform their duties under very difficult circumstances which have serious implications on the delivery of justice. The problems established include lack of training for interpreters, the absence of a job description and guidelines for interpreters, long hours of work, lack of a forum for interpreters to share ideas on their job, lack of security for case files as most of the offices used by interpreters in the magistrate courts are also used by other staff, and lack of equipment such as microphones during interpreting. Recommendations to ameliorate these problems are also made.","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134107406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1900-01-01DOI: 10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42822
A. Akande
This study investigated the mastery of English complex modifiers by some Senior Secondary School III pupils who are Yoruba speakers of English. The major aims of the study were first, to find whether the subjects had adequate proficiency in the acquisition of complex modifiers and second, to examine whether the types of secondary school attended (i.e., government/public secondary schools or individual/private secondary schools) by the subjects or the gender of the subjects have any significant effect on their mastery of English complex modifiers. The data collection methods used for the study were of two types. The first was an essay test administered to the students while the second was a questionnaire. The study found that the proficiency of our subjects in the mastery of English complex modifiers was inadequate. It was also discovered that although the types of school attended by the subjects has significant effect on their performance, gender has no significant effect in the acquisition of the English complex modifiers by the subjects
{"title":"On the mastery of the arrangement of English complex modifiers by some Yoruba learners of English","authors":"A. Akande","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V19I1.42822","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated the mastery of English complex modifiers by some Senior Secondary School III pupils who are Yoruba speakers of English. The major aims of the study were first, to find whether the subjects had adequate proficiency in the acquisition of complex modifiers and second, to examine whether the types of secondary school attended (i.e., government/public secondary schools or individual/private secondary schools) by the subjects or the gender of the subjects have any significant effect on their mastery of English complex modifiers. The data collection methods used for the study were of two types. The first was an essay test administered to the students while the second was a questionnaire. The study found that the proficiency of our subjects in the mastery of English complex modifiers was inadequate. It was also discovered that although the types of school attended by the subjects has significant effect on their performance, gender has no significant effect in the acquisition of the English complex modifiers by the subjects","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133924896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 1900-01-01DOI: 10.4314/MARANG.V20I1.56819
E. Mokibelo
This article is part of a larger tracer study that investigated Khoe learners’ reading ability of English at junior secondary school in Botswana. The research was carried out at Motshegaletau Primary School and Mothamo Junior Community Secondary. The purpose of the study was to examine whether the reading problems identified among Khoe learners at primary level persisted to higher levels of education. The study, which was qualitative, used questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, students’ artefacts, and teachers’ schemes and records of work to explore the subjects’ reading skills. The findings indicate that Khoe learners lack comprehension strategies, have difficulties understanding implicit reading instructions, lack requisite vocabulary to facilitate reading and writing, do not actively participate in class and are generally slow readers. It is worth noting that some of the problems have persisted from primary level and resulted in poor performance in reading tasks at higher levels of education. The study recommends reading programmes that can empower students and alleviate at least some of these problems. Further, it suggests that teacher training programmes be revamped to equip teachers with necessary skills to handle complexity and diversity in the reading classrooms. Keywords: reading, diversity, empowerment, comprehension strategies, transformative, independent readers.
{"title":"Learner Reading Problems: A Case of Khoe Learners at Junior Secondary School","authors":"E. Mokibelo","doi":"10.4314/MARANG.V20I1.56819","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/MARANG.V20I1.56819","url":null,"abstract":"This article is part of a larger tracer study that investigated Khoe learners’ reading ability of English at junior secondary school in Botswana. The research was carried out at Motshegaletau Primary School and Mothamo Junior Community Secondary. The purpose of the study was to examine whether the reading problems identified among Khoe learners at primary level persisted to higher levels of education. The study, which was qualitative, used questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, students’ artefacts, and teachers’ schemes and records of work to explore the subjects’ reading skills. The findings indicate that Khoe learners lack comprehension strategies, have difficulties understanding implicit reading instructions, lack requisite vocabulary to facilitate reading and writing, do not actively participate in class and are generally slow readers. It is worth noting that some of the problems have persisted from primary level and resulted in poor performance in reading tasks at higher levels of education. The study recommends reading programmes that can empower students and alleviate at least some of these problems. Further, it suggests that teacher training programmes be revamped to equip teachers with necessary skills to handle complexity and diversity in the reading classrooms. Keywords: reading, diversity, empowerment, comprehension strategies, transformative, independent readers.","PeriodicalId":411071,"journal":{"name":"Marang: Journal of Language and Literature","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132661112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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