The language factor in the development of Africa: A case for the compilation of specialised dictionaries in indigenous African languages

Chabata, Emmanuel

doi:10.2989/02572117.2013.793940

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…This article supports the proposal by Chabata (2013) that specialised dictionaries be compiled to expand the use of African languages into important areas from which they are currently excluded. The study however goes further to practically show how bilingual dictionaries can be created from parallel corpora with the help of bilingual concordancers.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…This is because the development of Africa is dependent on its citizens partaking fully in developmental issues and this can happen only if people understand fully what is communicated to them. Mohochi (2006), Prah (2008) and Chabata (2013) just like many other African scholars argue that the development of Africa cannot be achieved without recognising the central role of indigenous African languages in the socioeconomic, political, educational and technological processes. In response to the current debate on the use of African languages in specialised arenas, this study, like many others before, calls for the development and use of African languages in specialised fields.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using ParaConc to extract bilingual terminology from parallel corpora: A case of English and Ndebele

Ndhlovu

2016

Literator

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The development of African languages into languages of science and technology is dependent on action being taken to promote the use of these languages in specialised fields such as technology, commerce, administration, media, law, science and education among others. One possible way of developing African languages is the compilation of specialised dictionaries (Chabata 2013). This article explores how parallel corpora can be interrogated using a bilingual concordancer (ParaConc) to extract bilingual terminology that can be used to create specialised bilingual dictionaries. An English–Ndebele Parallel Corpus was used as a resource and through ParaConc, an alphabetic list was compiled from which headwords and possible translations were sought. These translations provided possible terms for entry in a bilingual dictionary. The frequency feature and ‘hot words’ tool in ParaConc were used to determine the suitability of terms for inclusion in the dictionary and for identifying possible synonyms, respectively. Since parallel corpora are aligned and data are presented in context (Key Word in Context), it was possible to draw examples showing how headwords are used. Using this approach produced results quickly and accurately, whilst minimising the process of translating terms manually. It was noted that the quality of the dictionary is dependent on the quality of the corpus, hence the need for creating a representative and clean corpus needs to be emphasised. Although technology has multiple benefits in dictionary making, the research underscores the importance of collaboration between lexicographers, translators, subject experts and target communities so that representative dictionaries are created.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using ParaConc to extract bilingual terminology from parallel corpora: A case of English and Ndebele

Ndhlovu

2016

Literator

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“…Therefore, official languages such as English remain necessary to address social communication challenges in multilingual societies (Leffler, 2015). However, it is necessary to strip English of some perceptions that affect its integrative role in plural societies (Bamgbose, 1999;Chabata, 2013).…”

Section: Literature Review 21 Themes and Language Use In Newspaper Re...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Newspaper Coverage and Reader Response to Covid-19 Reports

Cookey,

Ukonu,

Orekye

et al. 2023

rupkatha

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Studies attest to the importance of official languages in health communication in multilingual societies. However, the challenge lies in using an official language in ways that enable both majority and minority language speakers to identify with their sociocultural orientations when using a lingua franca. With the emergence of Covid-19, this challenge has come to the forefront following surveys on citizen responses to health messages. The study examines the themes, narrative viewpoints, language modes of newspaper reports on Covid-19, and reader responses to these reports. We aim to determine the implications of reader response on the credibility, severity, and transmissibility of Covid-19. The contents of three Nigerian newspapers (The Guardian, Punch, and Premium Times) were analyzed using quantitative and discourse analysis. The results showed that the themes of newspaper reports focused on challenges, progress made, preparedness, and containment measures. The language mode was predominantly negative, using fear appeals. Audience responses followed the same themes as the newspapers but demonstrated a remarkable shift in narrative viewpoint and language mode, which in Nigerian style English indicated low source credibility, ethnic divisions, and the denial of the severity and transmissibility of Covid-19. Readers’ responses to newspaper coverage of Covid-19 reinforce the view among scholars that trust in information sources is linked to attitudes toward health risks.

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An appraisal of bilingual language policy implementation in South African higher education

Mthombeni

Ogunnubi

2020

South African Journal of African Languages

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The language factor in the development of Africa: A case for the compilation of specialised dictionaries in indigenous African languages

Cited by 6 publications

References 10 publications

Using ParaConc to extract bilingual terminology from parallel corpora: A case of English and Ndebele

Using ParaConc to extract bilingual terminology from parallel corpora: A case of English and Ndebele

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Newspaper Coverage and Reader Response to Covid-19 Reports

An appraisal of bilingual language policy implementation in South African higher education

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