Abstract

While Zimbabwe's 2013 Constitution officially recognises previously marginalised languages, existing studies expose the dominance of Shona and Ndebele in the public domain. Among existing newspapers, only two use indigenous languages. These are Kwayedza and Umthunywa, which publish in Shona and Ndebele respectively. However, presently Kwayedza publishes a column in Ndau, and uMthunywa includes a column in Kalanga. In the context of the prevailing politics of language in Zimbabwe, this study interrogates the autonomy of previously marginalised languages using hegemony, post-structuralist and political economy perspectives to unpack the conundrums of minority-language publishing. The study shows that, whilst the inclusion of previously marginalised languages in these newspapers improves their visibility in the public domain, it inadvertently legitimates the hegemonic position of Shona and Ndebele and the subtle subservience of previously marginalised languages. This study is an important addition to scholarship on the nexus between politics of language and the press in Zimbabwe.

摘要

津巴布韦的《 2013年宪法》正式承认以前处于边缘地位的语言，而现有研究则揭露了Shona和Ndebele在公共领域的主导地位。在现有报纸中，只有两家使用土著语言。它们是Kwayedza和Umthunywa，分别在Shona和Ndebele出版。但是，目前Kwayedza在Ndau出版了专栏，而uMthunywa在Kalanga中包含一列。在津巴布韦盛行的语言政治的背景下，本研究使用霸权主义，后结构主义和政治经济学的观点来审视先前被边缘化的语言的自治，以解开少数民族语言出版的难题。该研究表明，尽管在这些报纸中加入了先前被边缘化的语言，可以提高它们在公共领域的知名度，但它无意中使绍纳语和恩德贝勒的霸权地位合法化，并使先前被边缘化的语言的微妙服务性合法化。这项研究是津巴布韦语言政治与新闻界之间联系的重要补充。