Attitudes held by Setswana L1-speaking university students toward their L1: New variables

Ditsele, Thabo

doi:10.1080/02572117.2016.1186887

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…The respondents agreed that they would unambiguously advise someone to study Xitsonga at university. This is in consonance with the findings of studies conducted by Mphaphuli (2019), Ditselê (2014), andDyers (1999), who reported that students hold positive attitudes towards their home languages. Such students were in favour of the use and development of African languages at a tertiary level.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Ethnolinguistic vitality in Thulamela Local Municipality: A case of Xitsonga

Mashwele,

Mandende,

Sebola

2024

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The use and status of a language in a given speech community can reveal the prospects of its elevation or lack thereof. Furthermore, one can determine whether a language will be elevated or undermined in a community by exploring the perceptions of its speakers towards its status and use. Hence, this article investigated the status and use of Xitsonga at the Thulamela Local Municipality (TLM) in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, with particular interest in the Vatsonga’s perceptions of the ethnolinguistic vitality of Xitsonga in the TLM. Guided by the Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory, this article probed the demographics of Xitsonga in the TLM, explored the role played by the TLM authorities in promoting Xitsonga as a language, and highlighted the implications of the perceived ethnolinguistic vitality of Xitsonga in the TLM. The study employed a qualitative method to collect data through face-to-face semi-structured interviews from 13 Xitsonga L1 speakers who participated in the study. It was found that Xitsonga speakers preferred to be addressed in their language during the municipality’s formal gatherings – a courtesy they believe is both effective in and necessary for the preservation and promotion of Xitsonga at the TLM. Also noteworthy, despite Xitsonga being dominated by Tshivenḓa in the TLM, Xitsonga speakers nevertheless maintained positive perceptions towards their language. This is commendable, considering that the TLM is located in Ṱhohoyanḓou, the economic hub of Vhembe District, where there is a university, malls and shopping complexes – spheres that encourage acculturation and language shift.Contribution: The findings of this study may contribute to the ongoing discourse on the equal use, preservation, and promotion of indigenous languages in South Africa.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Ethnolinguistic vitality in Thulamela Local Municipality: A case of Xitsonga

Mashwele,

Mandende,

Sebola

2024

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“…Where African languages are viewed positively, this is primarily because of the integrative value associated with these languages as important markers of identity (Dyers and Abongdia 2014;Kamwangamalu and Tovares 2016;Noboda 2010). Research in South Africa has, however, found that there are positive attitudes towards the introduction of African languages in higher education and towards the use of a multilingual MOI (Aziakpono and Bekker 2010;Ditsele 2016;Lombard 2017;Nkosi 2014;Wildsmith-Cromarty and Conduah 2014).…”

Section: Research Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes towards English as a Medium of Instruction in Malawian Universities

Reilly

2019

English Academy Review

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Malawi's language-in-education policies have been through numerous changes since the colonial period. In 1996 a policy directive was announced which encouraged the use of the mother tongue in the early stages of education, before transitioning to English. However, this policy was never effectively implemented and, in 2014, an English-only policy was announced. This has resulted in renewed debate around which languages are suitable for use as mediums of instruction in the country. This article will discuss the Malawian language-in-education policy context, with a focus on university education and the prevailing attitudes which students and staff exhibit towards English. This will be done through an analysis of data collected through focus groups and interviews with students and staff in Malawian universities. The results show that, while English is viewed positively and as suitable for use within universities, it is not viewed uncritically and there are complex attitudes towards the language. English skills are viewed as a valuable resource; however, so too are multilingual language skills. Students and staff also display positive attitudes towards the use of a multilingual language policy in the university, suggesting that the recent policy changes in Malawi do not reflect stakeholder attitudes.

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“…Setswana, also known as 'Tswana' or more archaically 'Chuana' or 'Sechuana', is a Bantu language spoken by an estimated 4 million people in South Africa (Bennett et al 2016:235). Ditsele (2016:2) posits that Setswana is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa and one of the two official languages spoken in Botswana. According to Section 6 of the new and/or amended constitution of Zimbabwe (Act 20 of 2013), Setswana is now also one of the official languages in Zimbabwe.…”

Section: Literature Review Setswanamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the democratic elections of 1994 in South Africa, people have been grappling with the issue among others, of the financial costs of using more than one official language in commerce and industry, but without giving due weight to the fact that South Africa is a multilingual country expect to say that using several official languages in parallel would be contingent on practicality and expense. (p. 142) Regarding the use of BSALs, Ditsele (2016Ditsele ( :1, 2017 contends that when it comes to formal domains (e.g. education, media, government and business), they are not as developed as English and Afrikaans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%