Pub Date : 2022-09-02DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2139944
Zakhile Somlata
The multilingual nature of South African universities requires a multilingual approach towards both administration and academic practice for inclusivity and language equity. While almost all universities in South Africa have language policies, as required by the National Language Policy for Higher Education, a significant impediment to language inclusivity and equity is the implementation of these policies. The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of a language policy for students’ access and success, and the extent to which African languages are used as academic languages at one historically Afrikaans university (HAU). The study employed a mixed methods approach using probability and purposeful sampling. The findings show that the university’s promotion of monolingualism impedes students’ access to knowledge and limits their academic achievement. Various ways of improving students’ access to knowledge to promote their academic success are discussed. The results also show that African languages continue to be marginalised as academic languages at the HAU. The central recommendation is for a more multilingual approach at this university to increase students’ equitable access to content knowledge and academic success.
{"title":"Examining the implementation of language policy for access and successof students in higher education in South Africa","authors":"Zakhile Somlata","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2139944","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2139944","url":null,"abstract":"The multilingual nature of South African universities requires a multilingual approach towards both administration and academic practice for inclusivity and language equity. While almost all universities in South Africa have language policies, as required by the National Language Policy for Higher Education, a significant impediment to language inclusivity and equity is the implementation of these policies. The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of a language policy for students’ access and success, and the extent to which African languages are used as academic languages at one historically Afrikaans university (HAU). The study employed a mixed methods approach using probability and purposeful sampling. The findings show that the university’s promotion of monolingualism impedes students’ access to knowledge and limits their academic achievement. Various ways of improving students’ access to knowledge to promote their academic success are discussed. The results also show that African languages continue to be marginalised as academic languages at the HAU. The central recommendation is for a more multilingual approach at this university to increase students’ equitable access to content knowledge and academic success.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48110407","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 : 2022-05-04DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2094087
M. Baloyi
Translators are expected to master diction, lexicon and syntax, as these vary between languages. Translating from English into Xitsonga is often a daunting task, as choosing the right word can be complex. Most lexical items in Xitsonga carry semantic and connotational nuance, making the selection of one synonym over another problematic. This article explores how L1 Xitsonga speakers can select synonyms with precision during translation into English. The article analyses how a translation product is organised in a manner that deals with synonyms appropriately and meaningfully to its target readers. It employs a qualitative research method underpinned by the theory of lexical semantics, and is more broadly situated in the field of Descriptive Translation Studies. It concludes that mastery of synonymy cannot be attained through vocabulary lists alone, but also requires the translator’s knowledge of the cultures in play.
{"title":"Synonymy as the semantic framework for disambiguation of meaning in the translation from English into Xitsonga","authors":"M. Baloyi","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094087","url":null,"abstract":"Translators are expected to master diction, lexicon and syntax, as these vary between languages. Translating from English into Xitsonga is often a daunting task, as choosing the right word can be complex. Most lexical items in Xitsonga carry semantic and connotational nuance, making the selection of one synonym over another problematic. This article explores how L1 Xitsonga speakers can select synonyms with precision during translation into English. The article analyses how a translation product is organised in a manner that deals with synonyms appropriately and meaningfully to its target readers. It employs a qualitative research method underpinned by the theory of lexical semantics, and is more broadly situated in the field of Descriptive Translation Studies. It concludes that mastery of synonymy cannot be attained through vocabulary lists alone, but also requires the translator’s knowledge of the cultures in play.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41292319","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 : 2022-05-04DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2094023
B. D. Letlala, N. S. Zulu
In postcolonial environments in Africa, ubuntu has been negatively affected by various social factors which emphasise a lifestyle of individualism. Consequently, Africa has been influenced to change its traditional values which used to hold communities together. The aim of this article is to explore the expressions of ubuntu in Mahanke’s Sesotho novel, Tutudu ha e patwe (2010), which focuses on collectivism, empathy, sharing, togetherness, forgiveness and respect as some of the core values of ubuntu. The novel foregrounds social problems that arise where the positive elements of ubuntu have been eroded in postcolonial communities in Africa. The novel then offers a solution to these social problems: the restoration of the values of ubuntu.
在非洲后殖民环境中，乌班图受到强调个人主义生活方式的各种社会因素的负面影响。因此，非洲受到影响，改变了其过去将社区团结在一起的传统价值观。本文旨在探讨Mahanke的Sesotho小说《Tutudu ha e patwe》(2010)中ubuntu的表达方式，该小说将ubuntu的核心价值观集中在集体主义、同理心、分享、团结、宽恕和尊重上。小说展望了在非洲后殖民社区中乌班图的积极因素被侵蚀的地方出现的社会问题。然后，小说为这些社会问题提供了一个解决方案:恢复乌班图的价值观。
{"title":"Expressions of ubuntu in the Sesotho novel, Tutudu ha e patwe","authors":"B. D. Letlala, N. S. Zulu","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094023","url":null,"abstract":"In postcolonial environments in Africa, ubuntu has been negatively affected by various social factors which emphasise a lifestyle of individualism. Consequently, Africa has been influenced to change its traditional values which used to hold communities together. The aim of this article is to explore the expressions of ubuntu in Mahanke’s Sesotho novel, Tutudu ha e patwe (2010), which focuses on collectivism, empathy, sharing, togetherness, forgiveness and respect as some of the core values of ubuntu. The novel foregrounds social problems that arise where the positive elements of ubuntu have been eroded in postcolonial communities in Africa. The novel then offers a solution to these social problems: the restoration of the values of ubuntu.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45778536","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 : 2022-05-04DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2094080
K. Lipenga
There is a growing trend in African literature to examine the works of literature as windows into contemporary city life, where the city ceases to be a mere background, but is imagined as an organic reality that gives life to, and is sustained by, the denizens living in it. Many cities have become the focus of such studies. In this article, the city in focus is Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, imagined in James Kadzitche’s Chichewa language novel, Katakwe Kutauni (‘Katakwe in Town’). The aim is to use the indigenous language literary text to read how the author imagines the entry of homo ruralis into the Malawian urban space, and how the Chichewa language is effectively used to describe the character and his setting. Specifically, the article critically discusses the exploits of Katakwe as a character, highlighting the disillusionment that is created by the modern African city in various individuals. The discussion also illustrates how the writer does not conform to the facile dichotomy of the city as evil and the country as innocent.
{"title":"Imagining the Malawian urban space in Lawrence Kadzitche’s Katakwe Kutauni","authors":"K. Lipenga","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094080","url":null,"abstract":"There is a growing trend in African literature to examine the works of literature as windows into contemporary city life, where the city ceases to be a mere background, but is imagined as an organic reality that gives life to, and is sustained by, the denizens living in it. Many cities have become the focus of such studies. In this article, the city in focus is Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, imagined in James Kadzitche’s Chichewa language novel, Katakwe Kutauni (‘Katakwe in Town’). The aim is to use the indigenous language literary text to read how the author imagines the entry of homo ruralis into the Malawian urban space, and how the Chichewa language is effectively used to describe the character and his setting. Specifically, the article critically discusses the exploits of Katakwe as a character, highlighting the disillusionment that is created by the modern African city in various individuals. The discussion also illustrates how the writer does not conform to the facile dichotomy of the city as evil and the country as innocent.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47416034","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 : 2022-05-04DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2094083
Erika Just, Alena Witzlack-Makarevich
Verbs in Bantu languages usually carry an obligatory subject (or S/A) prefix, whereas the presence of a transitive object (or P) prefixes depends on various language-specific factors. A number of such factors is well described in a range of studies mainly based on elicited data. To examine their interplay in naturalistic texts, we conducted a corpus-based case study of object prefixes (or P indexing in the terminology used in this article) in the Bantu language Ruuli (JE103). The corpus of over 15 000 words was annotated for variables such as animacy, identifiability and textual givenness. The statistically relevant factors for triggering P indexing were identified using conditional inference trees. Unsurprisingly, the results show that the strongest predictor for P indexing in Ruuli is word order. Just as P indexing itself, we assume that word order is a differential pattern expressing the argument’s semantic and pragmatic properties. Taking only the latter into account, the analyses reveal that firstly, P indexing seems to be strongly predictable by textual givenness. Secondly, if the referent is given, the probability that it gets indexed is significantly higher if it is human.
{"title":"A corpus-based analysis of P indexing in Ruuli (Bantu, JE103)","authors":"Erika Just, Alena Witzlack-Makarevich","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094083","url":null,"abstract":"Verbs in Bantu languages usually carry an obligatory subject (or S/A) prefix, whereas the presence of a transitive object (or P) prefixes depends on various language-specific factors. A number of such factors is well described in a range of studies mainly based on elicited data. To examine their interplay in naturalistic texts, we conducted a corpus-based case study of object prefixes (or P indexing in the terminology used in this article) in the Bantu language Ruuli (JE103). The corpus of over 15 000 words was annotated for variables such as animacy, identifiability and textual givenness. The statistically relevant factors for triggering P indexing were identified using conditional inference trees. Unsurprisingly, the results show that the strongest predictor for P indexing in Ruuli is word order. Just as P indexing itself, we assume that word order is a differential pattern expressing the argument’s semantic and pragmatic properties. Taking only the latter into account, the analyses reveal that firstly, P indexing seems to be strongly predictable by textual givenness. Secondly, if the referent is given, the probability that it gets indexed is significantly higher if it is human.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48111689","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 : 2022-05-04DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2094086
Z. Docrat
{"title":"Decolonising multilingualism in Africa: recentering silenced voices from the global south","authors":"Z. Docrat","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094086","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42626467","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 : 2022-05-04DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2094077
Busani Maseko, Sandile Mlilo
This study investigates the interface between school language practices and children’s language socialisation among speakers of the Tonga language in Binga, Zimbabwe. It is couched in the view that extra-familial language practices and experiences have a bearing on language socialisation patterns on the home domain. The study, therefore, examines how language practices in the school are infused with language practices within the family milieu, and is informed by the twin concepts of family language policy and language socialisation. To understand the nature of the interaction, we elicited and analysed perspectives of selected first language (L1) Tonga parents and their school-going children on how they thought school language practices are related with language choices and language socialisation preferences within the family linguistic ecology. The major finding is that children’s school language experiences and practices permeate the home in various ways. Their importance in family language policies cast children as agents of their own language socialisation as opposed to being passive subjects of ‘expert’ parental language socialisation. The school is therefore an important language socialisation sphere which has a far-reaching influence on language use in the family. It should thus be considered as a domain relevant to the articulation of family language policies by speakers of minoritised languages.
{"title":"Family language policy, school language practices and language socialisation among the Tonga","authors":"Busani Maseko, Sandile Mlilo","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094077","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the interface between school language practices and children’s language socialisation among speakers of the Tonga language in Binga, Zimbabwe. It is couched in the view that extra-familial language practices and experiences have a bearing on language socialisation patterns on the home domain. The study, therefore, examines how language practices in the school are infused with language practices within the family milieu, and is informed by the twin concepts of family language policy and language socialisation. To understand the nature of the interaction, we elicited and analysed perspectives of selected first language (L1) Tonga parents and their school-going children on how they thought school language practices are related with language choices and language socialisation preferences within the family linguistic ecology. The major finding is that children’s school language experiences and practices permeate the home in various ways. Their importance in family language policies cast children as agents of their own language socialisation as opposed to being passive subjects of ‘expert’ parental language socialisation. The school is therefore an important language socialisation sphere which has a far-reaching influence on language use in the family. It should thus be considered as a domain relevant to the articulation of family language policies by speakers of minoritised languages.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45053868","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 : 2022-05-04DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2022.2094039
Kristian Riedel, Julius Taji
Chiyao (Bantu, P21) allows animate concord and/or grammatical agreement for subject and object marking, depending on the type of noun. This article offers an initial description of the relevant patterns in Tanzanian Chiyao. We examine animacy effects in Chiyao grammar, focusing on subject and object marking. We show that the choice of animate concord over class concord is determined by a complex combination of factors, including formal grammatical features like noun class and number, semantic features of the referent such as size, and pragmatics. These findings contribute to the literature on Chiyao, our understanding of agreement systems in Bantu languages and the typological and comparative literature on animacy as a grammatical and/or pragmatic feature.
{"title":"Animacy-based concord in Chiyao","authors":"Kristian Riedel, Julius Taji","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094039","url":null,"abstract":"Chiyao (Bantu, P21) allows animate concord and/or grammatical agreement for subject and object marking, depending on the type of noun. This article offers an initial description of the relevant patterns in Tanzanian Chiyao. We examine animacy effects in Chiyao grammar, focusing on subject and object marking. We show that the choice of animate concord over class concord is determined by a complex combination of factors, including formal grammatical features like noun class and number, semantic features of the referent such as size, and pragmatics. These findings contribute to the literature on Chiyao, our understanding of agreement systems in Bantu languages and the typological and comparative literature on animacy as a grammatical and/or pragmatic feature.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47425703","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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