-
Voices in Selected Comments of Obiageli Ezekwesili on the #BringBackOurGirls Protest Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-08-07 Temidayo Akinrinlola, Adesina Sunday
This article reports Obiageli Ezekwesili’s voices on the #BringBackOurGirls protest. Fusing Du Bois’s stance theory and Ochs’s theory of context as theoretical model, this study articulates Ezekwes...
-
Some Missionary-Influenced Early Borrowed Words and Names in Xhosa Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-08-07 Liziwe Futuse, Tessa Dowling
The contemporary proliferation of borrowed words in Xhosa must be seen as part of a historical process of borrowing, each stage in the process representing a particular orthographic development and...
-
Discourse-Pragmatic Borrowing in South African English Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-08-07 Foluke Unuabonah, Mampoi Mabena
This paper explores five borrowed discourse-pragmatic features—wena, mna/mina, yazi, phela, and ke—which are transferred from indigenous South African languages into South African English, with the...
-
Early Multilingualism and Bi/Multilingual Education in Tanzanian Primary Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-07-29 Josephiter Mutagwaba, Ulrike Jessner
The article investigates early multilingualism in Tanzanian primary schools, focusing on teachers’ perceptions of bilingual/multilingual education. It highlights Tanzania’s rich linguistic diversit...
-
World Englishes: The Local Lives of a Global Language, by Bertus van Rooy Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-07-23 Rajend Mesthrie
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 55, No. 1-2, 2024)
-
Students’ Perceived Language Competence and Attitudes Towards Multilingualism at a South African University Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-06-26 David Lasagabaster, Christa van der Walt
South Africa is well-known for the implementation of multilingual language policies at various educational levels which are upheld by its Constitution. Higher education institutions in the country ...
-
Incidental Vocabulary Learning in a Postcolonial English Second Language Context Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-06-11 Lieke Stoffelsma, Victor Antwi, Ruby Hanson
This study investigated the incidental English second-language (ESL) vocabulary development of 125 science university students over two years, as well as their productive vocabulary knowledge in re...
-
Effects of Declarative and Procedural Memory in the Development of Grammatical Structures Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-06-11 Gervazio Tchesa, Natsuko Shintani
To investigate how the interplay between the declarative and procedural memory systems and learning conditions influences second language acquisition, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving...
-
Language Contact in Santrokofi, a Ghana-Togo Mountain Language Community: Impact on Selee Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2024-06-11 Yvonne Agbetsoamedo, David Dankwa-Apawu, Evershed Amuzu
The present study examines the language contact situation in Santrokofi, in Ghana, where Selee, a Ghana-Togo Mountain language, enjoys a good degree of maintenance although it is in triglossic cont...
-
Editorial Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-13 Theodorus du Plessis
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 54, No. 3, 2023)
-
Police Written Discourse: Analysing Notable Glitches in Police Reports Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-13 Gabriel Babili, Isaac Mndawe
There has recently been a significant amount of interest in the study of police written discourse, particularly in the areas of monolingualism, warnings, and identifying deception. This article dra...
-
Language Planning and Policy: Ideologies, Ethnicities, and Semiotic Spaces of Power, edited by Ashraf Abdelhay, Sinfree Makoni, and Cristine Severo Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-13 Reviewed by Chen Liu, Liza Ali
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 54, No. 3, 2023)
-
Scripting Identities: Reading Language Dynamics and Ideologies on Shop Signs in Kampala Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-30 Medadi Ssentanda, Gibson Ncube
This article examines the linguistic landscape of Kampala (Uganda) by analysing the language dynamics that play out through shop signs. Engaging with data collected through photographs and intervie...
-
Back to the Future: Uncovering Deeper Meanings in Historical Newspaper Texts Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-30 Katherine Steinke, Kellie Steinke
Keeping in mind the recent COVID-19 pandemic, this paper builds on a study that examined how a major twentieth century South African newspaper utilised outbreaks of bubonic plague to propagate raci...
-
Challenges Facing Mpondo Learners in Learning Standard Xhosa: Teachers’ Perspectives Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Madoda Cekiso, Yanga Majola, Thenjiwe Meyiwa
Granting equal opportunities to non-standard and standard language learners is unfair practice, since these two language groups are expected to achieve the same outcomes at the end of their school ...
-
Exploring Euphemisms as Taboo Avoidance Strategies in the Mabia Languages Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-05 Samuel Issah, Hasiyatu Abubakari, Samuel Atintono, Sandow Atibiri
This article investigates the use of euphemisms in mitigating prohibited expressions in three Mabia (Gur) languages: Dagbani, Farefare (also known as Gurenε) and Kusaal. In the daily interactions o...
-
Editorial Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-05 Editor Lawrie Barnes
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 54, No. 2, 2023)
-
Relational Work Strategies in Seller–Buyer Haggling Exchanges in Markets of Port Harcourt, Nigeria Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-09-21 Omotosho Melefa, Ogechukwu Anyaogu
This study examines the relational work strategies that are deployed for the maintenance of social harmony, cooperation, and social equilibrium and how these are (mis)handled such that they result ...
-
An Analysis of Selected Supreme Court Rulings on Human Rights Violation in Nigeria Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-08-21 Ganiu Bamgbose, Erhuvwu Akpomerha
Communication gaps between members of the legal profession and people outside the profession still leave a lot to be explained. This study investigates the technicality of written legal documents b...
-
Objection Overruled: Language Dynamics and Power Relations in Courtroom Interactions Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-07-21 God’sgift Uwen
This article adopts a qualitative approach to examine language dynamics and power relations in interactions among participants in High Court proceedings in Calabar, southern Nigeria. The study util...
-
Pictures of Language: Language Metaphors in a Recent Language Policy Framework Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-07-08 Johanita Kirsten
Metaphors in policies can have a significant effect on how ideas are conceptualised and concepts are framed. By investigating the metaphors in a specific recent language policy framework, insights ...
-
Ideological Stances in Yoruba Nation Secessionist Discourse in Nigerian Virtual Communities Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-05-24 Ayo Osisanwo, Richard Akano
This study examined the Yoruba nation secessionist agitation from the viewpoint of stance and ideology in its discursive engagement on three popular Nigerian virtual communities: Nairaland, Gistman...
-
Editorial Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-05-15 Editor Lawrie Barnes
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 54, No. 1, 2023)
-
Attitudes of Nigerians Towards BBC Pidgin: A Preliminary Study Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-05-15 Folajimi Oyebola, Kingsley Ugwuanyi
Abstract Despite their increased functional load and widespread usage, no West African Pidgin English (WAPE) variety enjoys official recognition. In 2017, the BBC launched a Pidgin news service targeting the West African audience through its World Service branch in Nigeria. Now that WAPE is being promoted by the BBC, it remains to be known what attitudes speakers of WAPE varieties hold towards Pidgin
-
Foundation Phase Teachers’ Experiences with Teaching Xhosa Home Language to Baca-Speaking Learners in Umzimkhulu Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-05-15 Yanga Majola, Madoda Cekiso
Abstract Native speakers’ learning of dialects is often hampered where a standard language is used. Most learners in Umzimkhulu are members of the Baca people, who use Baca as a home language. Baca is regarded as a dialect of Xhosa, which is the only subject for learners to choose as a home language. The study investigated teachers’ experiences in teaching Xhosa as a home language to Baca-speaking
-
Grounding Mechanisms in Selected Interviews of President Muhammadu Buhari Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-04-12 Victor Adedayo
Abstract Presidential interviews carry significant socio-political weight. Despite this, there is a dearth of research on Nigerian political interviews from the vantage of common ground. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the grounding techniques in two interviews of President Muhammadu Buhari and identify the pragmatic relevance of these strategies in accessing, building, and maintaining common
-
Language Choice and Identity Construction among Bilinguals at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-03-27 Ernest Nyamekye, Gifty Anani, Getrude Kuttin
Abstract Language and identity are two distinct but inextricably intertwined concepts. This implies that people—especially bilinguals—may manipulate their linguistic repertoires in different social settings to portray different identities. In this regard, we examined the language choices of university students in different social settings and how they use language to construct identity. The study employed
-
A Pragma-Rhetorical Analysis of Speeches of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on COVID-19 Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-03-27 Oluwayemisi Adebomi
Abstract This study extends scholarship on COVID-19 discourse by identifying the discourse strategies in Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari’s COVID-19 speeches and the persuasive intentions each strategy serves. It examines the aptness of Buhari’s choice of words and tropes in the heat of the pandemic. It adopts Douglas Walton’s rhetorical pragmatics as theoretical anchor. Excerpts were selected
-
Mapping Patterns of Ideologies in Nigeria’s Socio-political Discourse: Evidence from Herdsmen Discourse Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-03-27 Mayowa Akinlotan
Abstract Discourses in Nigeria are fixated on core cultural ideologies through a multidimensional interface. The present study tests this interface by mapping out ideologies in crisis-driven political discourse centred on the herdsmen crisis. The paper argues that certain ideologies are characteristic of Nigerian political discourse and form the meaningful units of a wide range of its discourses. Drawing
-
Call for Contributions: A Special Issue on Afrikaans Sociolinguistics Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-03-20
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 54, No. 1, 2023)
-
Material Evaluation of Communicative Competence in a Setswana Beginner Language Learning Course Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2023-01-26 Mari Jordaan, Joanine Nel
Abstract This study investigated the possible facilitation of communicative competence development in adult beginner learners of Setswana in a set of self-access course materials. The overarching aim was to evaluate this set of self-access course materials to determine whether, and how, it facilitated the successful development of everyday communicative competence. Following a material evaluation procedure
-
Editorial Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-11-30 Theodorus du Plessis
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 53, No. 3, 2022)
-
“A Name That Recognises You”: Local Analysis of Semiotic Dynamics in Semi-Informal Markets in South Africa Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-11-30 Pedro Álvarez-Mosquera, Frieda Coetzee
Abstract This article explores the linguistic landscape (LL) of semi-informal markets in townships in the Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropolis in South Africa. Similar to other urban African markets, these LLs operate in a context of longstanding and ever-changing multilingualism and multiculturalism. Several indigenous and colonial South African languages are spoken in the area and many traders in the markets
-
The Decolonisation of African Languages: Insights from Southern Africa Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-11-11 Pfuurai Chimbunde, Maserole Kgari-Masondo
Abstract In this article, we draw inspiration from the learners’ movement witnessed at the University of Cape Town in 2015, which raised concerns similar to those raised at the Malaysia Conference in 2011 and at University College London in 2014. These concerns focused on the quest for non-Eurocentric paradigms in education. This article evaluates the progress made thus far to decolonise the use of
-
Riding on Slogans and Mottos: Bicycle Taxis as Mobile Bodies of Meaning in Malawi Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-11-11 Victor Chikaipa
Abstract This article analyses slogans and mottos inscribed on bicycle taxis operating in Malawi. It examines how they become platforms where texts are transformed for expanded production and consumption of meaning. Specifically, bicycle taxis are a microcosm of the everyday mode of transport and their slogans represent underlying socio-cultural meanings. The study collected 150 unique slogans from
-
Phonological and Semantic Variations in Tsonga Spoken in Zimbabwe and South Africa Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-10-28 Steyn Madlome, Crous Hlungwani
Abstract Tsonga is a cross-border language spoken in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini. This article focuses on variations of Tsonga spoken in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The aim of this article is to discuss the phonological and semantic differences between Tsonga spoken in South Africa and Zimbabwe using a comparative approach. Interviews were conducted among 20 Tsonga first language
-
The Officialisation of South African Sign Language—What Is There to Gain? Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-10-03 Theodorus du Plessis
Abstract The Constitutional Review Committee's 2017 recommendation that the South African Constitution be amended to include South African Sign Language (SASL) as one of South Africa's official languages gives rise to the question: What gains will such a step bring for the Deaf community, given the special status this language already enjoys? This question is answered by undertaking a comparative study
-
The Officialisation of South African Sign Language—What Is There to Gain? Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-10-03 Theodorus du Plessis
Abstract The Constitutional Review Committee's 2017 recommendation that the South African Constitution be amended to include South African Sign Language (SASL) as one of South Africa's official languages gives rise to the question: What gains will such a step bring for the Deaf community, given the special status this language already enjoys? This question is answered by undertaking a comparative study
-
Obstacles and Challenges Confronting Tonga Revitalisation in Zimbabwe Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-10-03 Isaac Mumpande, Lawrie Barnes
Abstract Language revitalisation initiatives are often faced with numerous socio- economic and political challenges which, if not mitigated, could overwhelm them. Using three schools of thought on language revitalisation, namely the Proponents, the Pessimists, and the Opponents, this article examines how internal and external challenges affected the language revitalisation initiative of the endangered
-
Tomorrow May Not Be Yours: Military Slang and Jargon as Linguistic Performance in Nigeria Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-09-15 God’sgift Uwen, Eyo Mensah
Abstract This article explores the expressive use of slang and jargon by officers and men of the Nigerian Army in a bid to construct social identity, enforce discipline, and conform to work ethics. The study adopts linguistic ideology and community of practice theories which are complemented by the notion of style as performance to provide frameworks for understanding military subjectivities and attitudes
-
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former President Nelson Mandela's Two State of the Nation Addresses (1994 and 1999) Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-30 Pimelo Ngidi, Madoda Cekiso, Peter Mandende
Abstract This study examined how the former South African president, Nelson Mandela, used language to present his political ideologies and the persuasion techniques he used to convince his audience of the state's achievements and challenges when delivering two State of the Nation addresses (1994 and 1999). The study was qualitative in nature and followed a case study design. Two speeches presented
-
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former President Nelson Mandela's Two State of the Nation Addresses (1994 and 1999) Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-30 Pimelo Ngidi, Madoda Cekiso, Peter Mandende
Abstract This study examined how the former South African president, Nelson Mandela, used language to present his political ideologies and the persuasion techniques he used to convince his audience of the state's achievements and challenges when delivering two State of the Nation addresses (1994 and 1999). The study was qualitative in nature and followed a case study design. Two speeches presented
-
Editorial Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-26 Lawrie Barnes
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 53, No. 2, 2022)
-
Noun Classes and Agreement in Dawida Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-26 Nadezhda Makeeva, Irina Ryabova
Abstract This article presents an overview of the Dawida noun class system, which consists of 15 classes and 4 subclasses. Each of the 15 main classes is a set of nouns that take the same nominal prefix and have common agreement paradigms. Subclasses trigger the same agreement as the main classes they refer to, but have different nominal prefixes. The opposition between singularity and plurality in
-
Language Styles of Automotive Mechanics in Selected Garages in Dar es Salaam Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-26 Devet Goodness
Abstract This study investigates the language styles used by automotive mechanics in Dar es Salaam to communicate mechanical information. It is guided by conceptual metaphor theory and translanguaging. Data was obtained from interviews with 20 participants, observation, and social media, specifically Jamii Forums and Facebook. The findings of the study show that automotive mechanics employ a variety
-
Discourse Tactic(s) in Police-Suspect Interactions in Ibadan, Nigeria Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-05 Temidayo Akinrinlola, Temitope Ajayi
Abstract Existing studies on police interrogation have revealed that investigating police officers (IPOs) often resort to the use of physical force in extracting confessional statements from suspects. However, we maintain that IPOs do not usually subject suspects to torture in a bid to obtain a confession. We therefore examine how IPOs use tactics to achieve confessions in police-suspect interactions
-
Borrowed Discourse-Pragmatic Features in Kenyan English Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-05 Loveluck Muro, Foluke Unuabonah
Abstract This article explores five discourse-pragmatic features—si, sijui, eish, kumbe, and kweli—which are borrowed from African languages into Kenyan English, in order to examine their sources, meanings, frequencies, spelling adaptation, collocational patterns, positioning, syntactic distribution, and discourse-pragmatic functions. The data, which are extracted from the Kenyan components of the
-
Language Preservation, Evolution, and Loss: The Case of the Shona Language Spoken in Kenya Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-05 Tambawoga Muchena, Ernest Jakaza
Abstract The discussion on whether endangered languages should be preserved or not is still a contested one. Language nationalists have likened people losing their language to a people that have become unclothed, as they would have lost their culture, ubuntu, and identity. However, another group argues that language loss is not as catastrophic as linguistic nationalists would like people to believe;
-
Indigenous Languages in an Online Space: Translanguaging for Visibilisation of Multilingualism and Multisemiotic Modes Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-07-08 Gabriel Simungala, Hambaba Jimaima, Prisca Chikuta
Abstract Drawing on the notion of translanguaging, we show how Facebook actors enact and sustain the use of a variety of Zambia’s indigenous languages alongside the English language. We conceive of Facebook as an online semiotic/linguistic landscape that occasions opportunities for language display through status updates and subsequent comments that draw on English and selected Zambian indigenous languages
-
Editorial Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-06-30 Editor Lawrie Barnes
Published in Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (Vol. 53, No. 1, 2022)
-
The Dynamics of Language: A Linguistic Analysis of the Framing of COVID-19 in Eswatini Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-06-30 Phindile Dlamini
Abstract COVID-19 has drastically disrupted the lives of many people globally, and the havoc it has wreaked has shattered world economies. The effects of COVID-19 in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) are threatening the very foundations of the country. Referenced in the national language, its effects manifest in the perceptions and experiences shared among Swazis (emaSwati) about the scourge. This article
-
Encounters with Xenophobia: Language Learning Experiences of Cameroonian and Nigerian Migrants in South Africa Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-06-30 Rajend Mesthrie, Doreen Nchang, Chimaobi Onwukwe
Abstract This article focuses on the fraught relation between xenophobia and language use and learning in the South African sociolinguistic context. It begins with the issue of labelling and the linguistic drawing of boundaries that speak to the phenomena of “othering” and xenophobia. It then proceeds to aspects of diasporic communication and identity negotiation as revealed in language learning, language
-
Attitudes of Educated Nigerians towards Varieties of English Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-05-18 Temitayo Olatoye
Abstract This study examines the attitudes of 102 Nigerians towards six varieties of English in terms of status and solidarity: Southern British, Scottish, General American, Acrolectal Nigerian, Non-acrolectal Nigerian, and Ivorian. Using the verbal guise technique, attitudinal evaluations were obtained via an online questionnaire with a six-point semantic differential scale and eight traits. A speaker
-
Lexical Variation in Regional Modern Standard Arabic Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-05-13 Mahmoud Azaz, Essa Alfaifi
Abstract Adapting the notions of regional Modern Standard Arabic (Ibrahim 2009; Ryding 2010) and gradience in acceptability judgments (Papadopoulou, Leivada, and Pavlou 2014), this paper teases apart educated native speakers’ judgements and lexical preferences in an intricate case of lexical collocations. In this case, one of the two co-occurring words or constituents has two variants rendered in different
-
Congruence between Teachers’ Spoken Discourse and Students’ Vocabulary Levels: Is the Gap Too Wide? Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-05-13 Graham Creighton
Abstract In international schools where English is the language of learning and teaching there are many students whose first language is not English and whose low vocabulary levels inhibit their chances of taking full advantage of their education. Not only must students comprehend the high-frequency vocabulary that make up general English usage, they also need the mid-frequency and academic vocabulary
-
A Multidimensional Interface and Nigerian Political Discourse: A Case Study of Ideological Issues Underlying Coronavirus Discourse in Nigeria Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-05-12 Mayowa Akinlotan
Abstract This article proposes a theoretical framework modelling the Nigerian socio-political landscape through coronavirus news headlines. Drawing on news headlines from major newspapers in Nigeria reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, the article argues that discourses in Nigeria can gain significant insights through the analytic lens of a multidimensional interface. The principle argues that certain
-
Editorial Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-02-08 Theodorus du Plessis Associate Editor
(2021). Editorial. Language Matters: Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 1-3.
-
An Ecological Approach to the Implementation of Language-in-Education Policy: A Kalanga Case Study Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-02-08 Sheron Maphosa
Abstract Following the recognition of 16 languages in the Zimbabwean Constitution in 2013, 2015 saw a curriculum reform process begin, and the Education Act was also amended in 2019. Even though there were previous language-in-education policies aimed at promoting the use of minority languages, it is contended here that most the languages included in the previous policies have not made any significant
-
Multilingualism in Education: The Lived Experience of the Marginalised Language Learner Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-02-08 Jubilee Chikasha
Abstract This study explored how minority language speaking learners experience language use in a multilingual classroom. The study was conducted in Binga District, Zimbabwe, where Tonga, a formerly marginalised language, is predominant. This qualitative study is grounded in the multilingual education framework. A sample of 40 learners was drawn from four primary schools. Data were gathered mainly
-
Namibian Teachers’ Beliefs about Medium of Instruction and Language Education Policy Implementation Language Matters (IF 0.5) Pub Date : 2022-02-08 Soili Norro
Abstract The medium of instruction is a crucial issue in language education policy in multilingual post-colonial countries such as Namibia. Teachers occupy a central role in language policy implementation, and their beliefs affect it. It is therefore important to study their beliefs about language education policy and its implementation. This article explores Namibian teachers’ beliefs in this regard