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Abstract
In situations of growing marginalization, ethnic competition for dominance and social dysfunction, language policy revision is often sought to preserve the nation from disintegration and promote socio-economic development. In Malawi, historical and political factors have caused serious cases of language shift since colonial times leading to marginalization, resentment and inequality. At most, these policies have largely advantaged some groups and disadvantaged others. The present chapter is set to demonstrate how the prevailing socio-political and socio-linguistic realities in Malawi have shaped and are currently challenging the monolithic language policy in a multi-ethnic and postcolonial nation like Malawi. It argues that in a nation like Malawi, retaining the former colonizer’s language such as English as an official language and the language of instruction provides numerous benefits in today’s global economy but such countries need to deliberately but strategically declare several ethnic languages as national languages to enable greater sections of their countries’ populations participate meaningfully in the economic life of their nations. In the Malawian context, specifically, the chapter further argues that any viable language policy should incorporate the language of the youth, locally known as ChiBraz for it to be successful due to its wide usage relative to the country’s population.
Abstract
Although South Africa has a very advanced and multilingual language policy with a declaration of eleven official languages in its Constitution of 1996, the implementation thereof remains a challenge. The current President Cyril Ramaphosa was the first Post-Apartheid President who used Khoekhoegowab in his State of the Nation (SONA) in 2019. Such was not the first time a President of South Africa highlighted and signposted the relevance of language policy. Due to colonialism and its dichotomy between Dutch and later Afrikaans and English and the highly politicized language policy during apartheid as THE core area and representation of constructed socio-linguistically segregation language policy in South Africa is a highly emotional and contested topic as well as African languages suffer from such stigmatization. Despite a general multilingual tone reflected in the Constitution and the South African School Act (SASA) of 1996 with its establishment of so called School Governing Bodies (SGB s), which offer a micro language policy opportunity, nothing much has significantly changed on the ground for pupils. The 2013 political initiative ‘The Incremental Introduction of African Languages in South African schools’ (IIAL) aimed to ensure the teaching of African languages at ALL South African schools to uplift the widespread low language attitudes towards African languages.
This book series covers the entire African continent on a national scale in order to provide a holistic overview of multilingualism and the language policies. Due to its country-by-country structure all African countries receive the same attention and space. For usability purposes, the countries are grouped in the different regional economic communities (RECs):
- Volume I: SADC
- Volume II: EAC & ECCAS
- Volume III: ECOWAS
- Volume IV: AMU & COMESA
These volumes of the series focus primarily on language-in-education policies (LiEP). The book series aims to describe and analyse the diverse challenges of LiEP for the entire African continent using a standard structure for each chapter to ensure readability. Book chapters will be mainly contributed by authors based in Africa.
- Volume I: SADC
- Volume II: EAC & ECCAS
- Volume III: ECOWAS
- Volume IV: AMU & COMESA
These volumes of the series focus primarily on language-in-education policies (LiEP). The book series aims to describe and analyse the diverse challenges of LiEP for the entire African continent using a standard structure for each chapter to ensure readability. Book chapters will be mainly contributed by authors based in Africa.
This volume focuses on the different challenges of language policy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Each of the seventeen chapters follows the same structure, ensuring readability and accessibility, and describes the unique aspects of each country. The work as a whole reveals the complex and reciprocal relations between multiple indigenous African languages, Creole languages and former colonial languages and it constitutes an opportunity to notice recurring patterns as well as distinctive characteristics.
Therefore, everyone involved in language policy, education, economics and development, geography, development or area studies and African studies will benefit from such a holistic and innovative overview.
Therefore, everyone involved in language policy, education, economics and development, geography, development or area studies and African studies will benefit from such a holistic and innovative overview.
This volume focuses on the different challenges of language policy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Each of the seventeen chapters follows the same structure, ensuring readability and accessibility, and describes the unique aspects of each country. The work as a whole reveals the complex and reciprocal relations between multiple indigenous African languages, Creole languages and former colonial languages and it constitutes an opportunity to notice recurring patterns as well as distinctive characteristics.
Therefore, everyone involved in language policy, education, economics and development, geography, development or area studies and African studies will benefit from such a holistic and innovative overview.
Therefore, everyone involved in language policy, education, economics and development, geography, development or area studies and African studies will benefit from such a holistic and innovative overview.
Abstract
Raising the visibility and usability level of the mother tongue at official levels, in all settings, with different groups and ages is quite a challenging task. This is due to the sociolinguistic context, which is quite complex especially in a trilingual setting. Though such linguistic complexity, in practice, concerted effort is being made to ensure the successful implementation of all three languages at all levels, since all three languages are of equal political and constitutional status. For instance, to promote, develop and preserve the Seychellois Creole, the mother tongue of most Seychellois, an institution (the Seychelles Creole Academy) previously known as ‘Lenstiti Kreol’ was established. Delivering quality services and products to all public sectors and to successfully implement the mandate of Creole Institute of Seychelles, the team has to carefully examine areas of weaknesses of all institutions and organisations which provide services to the public; identify strengths in order to build on it and our weaknesses in order to plan strategically and address issues. Consequently, policies with socio-linguistic and linguistic perspectives are critically scrutinized, relevant programmes are developed, implemented, evaluated and improved, with the aim to engage and encourage all citizens to value and benefit from the use of their mother tongue in official situations. Among the benefits is the opportunity for the general public to gain access to information and content of information in their mother language, for them to contribute towards the development of a sustainable Seychelles.