A Practical Guide to Understanding Ciyawo has been developed over fourteen years and systematically explains for the novice the important aspects of Ciyawo grammar for effective communication. A practical grammar guide, the instruction is accessible, giving the basics of pronunciation, to building verb tenses, to ways of combining the different elements of the language in order to form sentences.
The English-Ciyawo dictionary has been designed to help Yawo learners improve their English language skills for undertaking secondary school and university in the following ways: It helps a Yawo learner identify and learn the 3,000 most important and frequently used words in the English language. It gives a learner the most important meanings of each English word. It shows a learner how an English word is used in a sentence and also gives a translation of each sentence in Ciyawo to help a learner fully grasp the meaning.
In this book Ian Dicks informs the reader about the ways in which the Yawo of Malawi view the world. The Yawo are predominantly Muslim, yet many maintain strong links with their traditional religion. They are a largely oral society, teaching and reinforcing their beliefs and practices using oral literature, which includes myths, proverbs, proverbial stories, songs of advice and prayers at various stages of the life cycle, particularly during initiation events. Ian Dicks describes in detail the Yawo's material world, customs, beliefs and rituals, and juxtaposes these with Yawo oral literature. He then examines them under six worldview categories, the result being a rich description of the way in which the Yawo see the world. This book is not an armchair study but has the feel of being written by an eyewitness, by someone who has had first-hand experience of the subject and who seeks to describe this in a manner which is sensitive to the Yawo and their culture.
The post-World War II colonial reconstruction programmes for economic recovery and general political and social development in Malawi (then known as Nyasaland) necessitated increased education. But the sincerity of metropolitan development plans for the colonies could only be adequately appraised through the degree of demonstrated commitment in the implementation of the announced plans. This study seeks to examine chronologically the development and application of colonial education policies during the period 1945 to 1961 in Malawi. The parties involved included the British Colonial Office, the Nyasaland Protectorate Government and the Christian missionaries on the one hand, and the European settlers, Asian, Coloured and African communities on the other as the target groups of the policies. Devising educational policies of equitable benefit to all the racial and social groupings in Malawi posed enormous problems to the colonial administration. This study, examining the dynamics and course of policy, contends that, given the prevailing economic and political conditions, non-European education, especially that of Africans, experienced retardation in favour of European education. Sometimes apparent government ineptitude, combined with calculated needs for the Europeans, produced under-development for African education in Malawi and the country s economy. In the end, African education operated against the odds of missionary and government apathy. This book discusses the impact on education, generally, of the Nyasaland Post-War Development Programme, the Colonial Office Commissions of 1947, 1951 and 1961, and the local Committees set up to inquire into the retardation of African education in its various categories, including female and Muslim, in response to both local and international pressure. Although considered a priority, African education developed slowly, contrary to the declared goal of Post-War colonial policy of self- determination with its potential demands for trained local manpower. The argument demonstrates the tenacity of the Federal Government of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in playing down African education as a political strategy from 1953 to 1961 at the same time as it accorded a better deal to Asian and Coloured education.
The Bemba language is a Bantu language that is spoken primarily in Zambia by the Bemba people and about 18 related ethnic groups. It is the second-most spoken lanuage in Zambia, after Nyanja. The purpose of this guide is to provide a structured set of lessons for those interested in learning Bemba. Following these lessons will give students of Bemba a basic level of understanding and conversation skills.
The influence of the learner's mother tongue on the use of a second language has long been of interest within applied linguistics. Whilst most studies have focused on the sentence level, contrastive rhetoric has broadened this area of investigation to the levels of discourse and text. This study explores and applies the approach to written English and Shona of Shona native speakers in Zimbabwe. It is both theoretical and practical, highlighting the importance of multi-dimensional andnon-evaluative analytical frameworks, and providing information for second language teachers and learners.
Languages of Instruction for African Emancipation is a collection of case studies from seven African countries poses questions such as: What alternatives are there for educational language policies towards African emancipation? What efforts have governments made to change the language policy in favour of African languages and how far have they succeeded? What challenges do African learners face when it comes to current language of instruction policies? The authors reject a language education policy that neglects the multilingualism existing in Africa; that reinforces patterns of privilege that existed in the colonial era, further entrenching the schism between the elite and the masses. They give short shrift to the 'new' justification of the unjustifiable status accorded to English in Africa as the language of globalisation, suggesting that it is not relevant to the vast majority of African lives and their human development. The sum of thoughts presented suggests that the answer to the language question provides the key to development challenges and further emancipation of the African peoples, which, it is argued, is at the same time a question that will determine whether Africa will remain a recognisable and distinctive cultural component of humanity or whether Africans will cease to exist culturally as Africans.
This is a pioneering work on Urhobo language, and since language is not the restricted domain of only scholars of linguistics, other aspects of the language or issues that impinge on language use are also discussed in this collection of essays by a eleven experts drawn from research institutes and universities. Since literature is a vehicle of language, the proverbs and axioms of the language as well as the oratorical and performance traditions in Urhobo are also covered competently. Other cultural aspects, especially music, are also seen as enhancers of the language. To underscore the significance of religion and language, some contributors here examine the relationship between the Urhobo language and Christian evangelisation and between the language and the people's belief systems. Another also explores the place of language in what has come to be known as Urhobo "disco" music. The essays reinforce each other and some points are repeated for emphasis because of their cultural significance. The closeness of several topics, especially the challenges of the language and culture and on evangelisation in Urhobo as well as Gospel music in Urhobo, is intended to exhaustively open up the Urhobo language debate." Tanure Ojaide is Professor of African-American and African Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he teaches African/Pan-African literature and art. Rose Aziza is the Head of Department of Languages and Linguistics and Director of the Urhobo Studies Programme at the Delta State University in Nigeria.
The author is a prominent linguistics scholar. The study of sociolinguistics of the English language in Nigeria has assumed great importance in Nigerian universities. Against the background of key works from 1971 to 1991, and the growing debate over an optimal language policy for Nigeria, he looks at the perspectives of an individual writer, to provide an overview of the language since its earliest contacts with what is now known as Nigeria. One important gap which he identifies is the paucity of illustrative data even from the three main Nigerian languages.
Jabulani Means Rejoice is a dictionary comprised of hundreds of African names in local South African languages, meticulously assembled and expounded upon for the curious reader. Names are listed in alphabetical order with gender indications, as well as information regarding their ethnographic origins and meanings. Yet, Jabulani Means Rejoice is so much more than simply a list of names and their meanings. The author skilfully interweaves cultural context and history, including issues surrounding naming rituals, domestic disputes and the curse of the evil eye. As a reference work, the book stands as an invaluable contribution to the growing interest in African cultural history. With its names ranging from the traditional to the unconventional, it will appeal to linguists, family historians and anyone with an interest in names.
