This book argues the case for indigenous African languages, which have been stripped of their importance and are now often overshadowed - both officially, through governmental language policies, and informally, through attitudes and ideologies - by former colonial languages. The authors present case studies from a range of countries in the region, arguing that languages tell us peoples identities, and that by dropping their own languages in favour of foreign and imperialist languages they lose their culture, history and identity as well. The book addresses many of the challenges currently associated with African languages, with the intention of influencing policy and practice in favour of their resuscitation. This book will be of interest to policy makers, academics and tertiary students in fields including Language Policy and Planning, Language Revitalisation, Heritage Language Learning, Indigenous and Endangered Languages, and Language Attitudes and Ideologies.
Chapter
1. Introduction: Situating the Imminent Cultural Genocide in the
African Context (Isaac Mhute).- Part 1: African Languages and the African
Continent.
Chapter
2. The Problematics of Intellectualising Indigenous
Languages and People, a Cursory Look at the Science of Language in Literature
and Formal Education (Joseph Aketema, Obįdélé Kambon & Beatrice Korkor
Agyemang).
Chapter
3. Local Language Promotion and the Global Village
Exclusion Matrix: A Critic of Exclusive Use of Local Languages in Africa
Without Industrial Provision (Nyasha Zimuto).
Chapter
4. The Plight of
African Languages in the Globalised Post-independence era (Isaac Mhute).-
Part II: Media and Education Case Studies.
Chapter
5. National Cinema and
the Revitalisation of Indigenous Languages in Cameroon: A Study of
Cameroonian Filmmakers Perceptions of Indigenous Language Film Production
(Floribert Patrick C. Endong).
Chapter
6. African Languages in Current South
African Media Landscape: The Good, the Bad and the Future (Ndivhuwo Doctor
Sundani, Pheelo Mabizela, Rachel Mmapitso Maboa).
Chapter
7. Electronic
Publishing of Shona Literature in Zimbabwe: An Overview (L. Viriri).
Chapter
8. Indigenous Language Renaissance: The Use of Mother Tongue as Language of
Instruction in Selected Gweru Schools, Zimbabwe (Vimbai Moreblessing
Matiza).
Chapter
9. Language-in-education policies and minority language
resuscitation efforts in Zimbabwe (Tendai Chirimaunga).
Chapter
10. Wolves
in Sheep Skin: An Evaluation of Zimbabwean Media Published in African
Languages (Faith Sibanda).
Chapter
11. Computer generated linguistics
countering linguicides: Users use and interpretation of WhatsApp emojis in
isiNdebele (Nkosana Mkwebu and Jennings Joy Chibike).
Chapter
12. Revisiting
Zimbabwean Indigenous Languages Digitisation Activities: Perspectives from
the PLETES Model (Beatrice Lantern).- Part III: Politics-related Case
Studies.
Chapter
13. Kiswahili and the Justice System in Tanzania (Antoni
Keya).
Chapter
14. Linguistic rights in Multilingual Contexts: The case of
Mozambique (Crisófia Langa da Camara).
Chapter
15. Interrogating the use of
native Karanga in the rain making ceremony in Zvishavane (Mverecha Kainos and
Midzi Ratidzo).
Isaac Mhute is an Associate Professor in the Department of Language, Literature and Culture Studies at Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. His research interests are in both theoretical and applied linguistics (language policy and development, syntax and semantics, onomastics as well as language and strategic communication issues in education, among others).
Zilibele Mtumane is the head of the School of Languages in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a Doctor of Literature and Philosophy in African Languages from the University of South Africa.
Vimbai Moreblessing Matiza is a senior lecturer in the department of Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. Her research interests are on the interface of orality and cultural studies.
