Multilingual Realities of Language Contact at the University of Zambia

Simungala, Gabriel; Jimaima, Hambaba

doi:10.1177/0021909620980038

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…This has been evidenced through several lexical items which have shown that for UNZA, English, Bemba and Nyanja seem to have a greater influence (cf. Jimaima and Banda, 2019b; Simungala and Jimaima, 2020). However, it should be pointed out that this does not stop other languages from equally being productive.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present paper started out as an extract, a part of a big research project which aimed at exploring the linguistic landscape of UNZA from a social semiotic perspective. This study employed an ethnographic research design in order to capture the sociolinguistic situation of UNZA, as well as the multiple modalities for meaning-making (Simungala, 2020; Simungala and Jimaima, 2020). Thus, the study purposefully sampled a graduate class of 16 students (eight females and eight males) of which consent for the undertaking was granted.…”

Section: The Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This entails that students’ meaning-making practices have received less or little attention (cf. Simungala, 2020; Simungala and Jimaima, 2020). This (re)presents a research gap as the lexical innovations are unique communicative features disinvented through the on-going creative and innovative “processes of enregisterment, the process whereby speech practices become consolidated as repertoires of socially recognized register of forms” (Stroud and Mpendukana, 2009: 364), and therefore forming a linguistic cultural group within the university.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communicative Practices from the Margins: The Multilingual and Multicultural Repertoires on University Spaces

Simungala

Ndalama

Jimaima

2021

Journal of Asian and African Studies

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We draw from the meaning-making practices on the margins, the communicative repertoires of the multilingual and multicultural students at two Southern African universities: the University of Zambia in Lusaka, Zambia; and the University of Malawi in Zomba, Malawi. As our locus, we are interested in the unique linguistic/semiotic coinages which constitute the students’ linguistic repertoires as multilingual innovations amenable to placemaking. In an attempt to do this, we purposefully unearth lexical innovations which we analyse within the broader framework of translanguaging. Thus, we show the emergence of (new) lexical items through the (re-)invention and disinvention of communicative resources, and the deployment of material artefacts of place as a basis for the creativity and innovation through repurposing of lexical items for new uses. Thus, we privilege students as active manipulators of their communicative practices by showing the semiotic/linguistic creativity and innovation inherent in their repertoires.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communicative Practices from the Margins: The Multilingual and Multicultural Repertoires on University Spaces

Simungala

Ndalama

Jimaima

2021

Journal of Asian and African Studies

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“…In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic determined our exclusively web-based BITKZ design. A more inclusive combined web-based and in-person design may deepen engagement and help identify misconceptions and adolescents and young people-specific language [9,72]. Although use data indicate good engagement, an analysis of proximity to the time of the survey, time on the application, and time on each feature is needed.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilot Implementation of a User-Driven, Web-Based Application Designed to Improve Sexual Health Knowledge and Communication Among Young Zambians: Mixed Methods Study

Sharma¹,

Mwamba²,

N’gandu³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background Digital health interventions show promise in improving the uptake of HIV services among adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24 years in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective This study aimed to pilot-test a theory-based, empirically grounded web-based application designed to increase condom-related knowledge, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) communication, and healthier choices among young Zambians. Methods We conducted a pre-post quasi-experimental evaluation of the user-driven Be in the Know Zambia (BITKZ) web application using web-based surveys and in-depth interviews (IDIs) on the phone. We enrolled participants using social media advertisements. Our final analysis set comprised 46.04% (749/1627) of participants in the intervention group (which received the BITKZ link) and 53.96% (878/1627) of participants in the comparison group (no intervention). We collected survey data at study enrollment (baseline) and 5 weeks after the first enrollment in each group. Approximately 85% (637/749) of BITKZ users completed a user survey, of whom 9.3% (59/637) participated in IDIs. We calculated the time interfacing with BITKZ using the application log files. We conducted descriptive analyses to describe baseline characteristics and the user experience. At the endline, we assessed association using a t test and adjusted logistic regression for binary outcomes and ordinal regression for ordered outcomes, conditioning on age, sex, marital status, and employment status. We used adjusted average treatment effects (aATE) to assess the effects of BITKZ intervention. We conducted rapid matrix analyses of IDI transcripts in Microsoft Excel, sorting the data by theme, gender, and experience rating. Results Users rated BITKZ highly (excellent: 352/609, 57.8%; good: 218/609, 35.8%). At the endline, the intervention group had a higher level of knowledge related to condoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.35, 95% CI 1.06-1.69) and on wearing condoms correctly (aOR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.02-1.49). Those who had full-time employment had increased odds of knowing how to wear condoms correctly (aOR: 1.67, 95% CI 1.06-2.63) compared with those who reported being unemployed, as did men when compared with women (aOR: 1.92, 95% CI 1.59-2.31). Those in the intervention group were more likely to score higher for intention to test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs; aATE 0.21; P=.01) and HIV (aATE 0.32; P=.05), as well as for resisting peer pressure (aATE 2.64; P=.02). IDIs corroborated increased knowledge on correct condom use among men and female condoms among women, awareness of STIs and testing, and resistance to peer pressure. Interviewees provided examples of more open SRH communication with partners and peers and of considering, adopting, and influencing others to adopt healthier behaviors. Conclusions Despite the high baseline awareness of SRH among Zambian adolescents and young people with internet access, BITKZ provided modest gains in condom-related knowledge, resistance to peer pressure, and intention to test for STIs and HIV.

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“…This has meant that the seven languages are used as official regional languages in respective provinces, thereby demarcating Zambia into seven linguistic zones (Jimaima & Banda 2021;Banda & Jimaima 2017) . Bemba is the regional language for the Copperbelt, Luapula, Northern, and some parts of Muchinga and Central provinces; Nyanja is designated for Lusaka and Eastern provinces while Tonga for the Southern and parts of Central provinces; Lozi for the Western province and Lunda, Kaonde, and Luvale for the North-Western province (Mambwe 2014;Simungala & Jimaima 2021b) . The 7 regional languages are used for educational purposes, broadcasting, and limited government functions in the respective provinces/regions alongside the English language, which is the national official language (Banda et al 2019).…”

Section: Contextualizing the Study: Zambia's Language Situationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Translanguaged discourses of Bemba and English: The mobility and mixing of languages in a multilingual space

Simungala¹,

Jimaima²,

Namatama³

2022

LiA

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Couched within the overarching framework of translanguaging, this paper attempts to show the real-life language practices of social actors away from the dominant narratives of translanguaging in bilingual education. Predicated on the mixing and mobility of languages across time and space, the paper uses casual conversations from two multilingual spaces, a university campus, and a marketplace. Firstly, the paper shows the mixing of the English language and Bemba, a widely spoken indigenous language in Zambia while arguing that the Bemba-English translanguaged discourses provide evidence for the mobility and the disembodiment of language and locality. Secondly, the paper argues that the spread and circulation of Bemba in multiple localities should be seen as the mobility of bits and pieces -and/or resources akin to urbanity and hybridity. The paper concludes by bringing into the spotlight the dynamics of the Bemba-English translanguaged discourses in which morphemes as semiotic resources create new lexical items which destabilize expected linguistic norms and boundaries.

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Multilingual Realities of Language Contact at the University of Zambia

Cited by 10 publications

References 19 publications

Communicative Practices from the Margins: The Multilingual and Multicultural Repertoires on University Spaces

Communicative Practices from the Margins: The Multilingual and Multicultural Repertoires on University Spaces

Pilot Implementation of a User-Driven, Web-Based Application Designed to Improve Sexual Health Knowledge and Communication Among Young Zambians: Mixed Methods Study

Translanguaged discourses of Bemba and English: The mobility and mixing of languages in a multilingual space

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