Abstract

Kalanga is the third most spoken language in Zimbabwe, a country with 18 spoken languages. The language was previously marginalised but it was officially recognised in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act, 2013. This article reports on an interdisciplinary study that juxtaposed language and media studies, particularly exploring the representation of Kalanga in Zimbabwean broadcast media. One of the major functions of media is to teach languages and transmit cultural heritage. Notably, the manner in which broadcast media prioritises languages, influences the audience's perceptions, cultural identities and language use. A content analysis of archived one month television and radio content and an integrative literature review were used, while the data was analysed using the grounded theory. The study concluded that there is an uneven airtime distribution of languages on broadcast media, and as a result Kalanga has very little airtime. The study also revealed that presenters are bilingual and multilingual and they code-switch between languages even on shows that are strictly spoken in Kalanga, thus affecting the quality of their broadcast language. Also notable was the prevalence of Kalanga music in broadcast media. However, most of the new radio stations licensed to redress past language marginalisation are not located where the language speakers in question reside and their airwaves reach a very small radius.

摘要

卡兰加语是津巴布韦第三大语言，这个国家有 18 种语言。该语言以前被边缘化，但在 2013 年津巴布韦宪法修正案（第 20 号）法案中得到正式承认。本文报道了一项将语言和媒体研究并列的跨学科研究，特别是探索卡兰加在津巴布韦广播媒体中的代表性。媒体的主要功能之一是教授语言和传播文化遗产。值得注意的是，广播媒体优先考虑语言的方式会影响观众的感知、文化认同和语言使用。使用归档一个月的电视和广播内容的内容分析和综合文献回顾，同时使用扎根理论分析数据。该研究得出的结论是，广播媒体上语言的播出时间分布不均，因此卡兰加的播出时间非常少。该研究还表明，主持人是双语和多语种的，即使在严格使用卡兰加语的节目中，他们也会在语言之间进行语码转换，从而影响其广播语言的质量。同样值得注意的是卡兰加音乐在广播媒体中的流行。然而，大多数获准纠正过去语言边缘化的新广播电台并不位于相关语言使用者居住的地方，而且他们的电波范围非常小。该研究还表明，主持人是双语和多语种的，即使在严格使用卡兰加语的节目中，他们也会在语言之间进行语码转换，从而影响其广播语言的质量。同样值得注意的是卡兰加音乐在广播媒体中的流行。然而，大多数获准纠正过去语言边缘化的新广播电台并不位于相关语言使用者居住的地方，而且他们的电波范围非常小。该研究还表明，主持人是双语和多语种的，即使在严格使用卡兰加语的节目中，他们也会在语言之间进行语码转换，从而影响其广播语言的质量。同样值得注意的是卡兰加音乐在广播媒体中的流行。然而，大多数获准纠正过去语言边缘化的新广播电台并不位于相关语言使用者居住的地方，而且他们的电波范围非常小。