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Counteracting the threat of language death: the case of minority languages in Botswana

Mooko, T. (Routledge. http://www.informaworld.com, March NaN, 2006)

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Abstract:

When Botswana gained independence from the British in 1966, a political decision was taken to designate English as an official language and Setswana, one of the indigenous languages, as a national language. This move disregarded the multilingual nature of Botswana society. Furthermore, although not explicitly stated, the use of other languages was, in effect, prohibited, especially in the school setting and other official arenas. Whereas the government undertook deliberate measures to promote the use of Setswana, no efforts were made by the government to cater for other languages spoken in Botswana. As a result, some of the latter languages have died out whilst others have survived. This paper examines some of the steps that members of the groups that speak these marginalised languages have taken in their quest to develop and maintain their languages. The discussion in this paper considers the six strategies proposed by David Crystal (2000) as some of the ways that speakers of endangered languages could ensure their survival. Deprived of any government support, the speakers of these languages initiated some processes that have seen some significant developments. These include the development of orthographies, the translation of the Bible into these languages and the publication of other written resources in these languages.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10311/602

Files in this item: 1

Mooko_JMMD_2006.pdf (1.181Mb)

The functional distribution of Setswana and English in Botswana

Bagwasi, M.M. (Multilingual Matters and Channel View Publications, http://www.multilingual matters.com, NaN, 2003)

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Abstract:

In multilingual societies such as Botswana, language use is an extremely complex matter, further compounded by the fact that the languages involved are themselves dynamic phenomena that often elude the planned outcomes of policies which try to shape and constrain them. The paper describes the functional distribution of the national language Setswana, spoken as a mother tongue by 80% of the population, and English, the official language in Botswana. The role of the two languages is outlined, with particular regard to cultural identity, on the one hand, and social and economic status on the other.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10311/831

Files in this item: 1

Bagwasi_LCC_2003.pdf (692.5Kb)

The influence of school on the choice of language learning strategies in Botswana

Magogwe, J.M. (University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, NaN, 2008)

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Abstract:

This research seeks to examine the role that context or learning situation plays in strategy choice by comparing the strategy patterns of a private English medium secondary and a government secondary school in Botswana. More specifically, the main ofjectives of this study are to, firstly, investigate whether the type of school influences the choice of language learning strategies of its students: secondly, to find out whether private English medium secondary school students use more strategies than government secondary school in Botswana: and, thirdly, to explore the role played by gender on the choice of language learning strategies. Form four students from oneprivete English medium senior secondary school and one government senior secondary completed the strategy inventory for language learning (SIILL). The data was analysed using descriptive statistics to calculate means and standard deviations of strategies and inferential statistics such as ANOVA to establish the relationships between group and individual strategies. The findinds of this study showed that the choice of strategies was not greatly influenced by the type of school from which the student came. However, this study found that government school students relied more on the use of dictionaries. On the other hand, private English medium students volunteered to look for conversation partners in order to get practice in speaking English. In relation to gender, the findings of this studyconfirmed other previous findings that female students use more language learning strategies than do male students.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10311/859

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Magogwe_MJLL_2008.pdf (3.125Mb)

The use of research and theory in English language teaching in Botswana secondary schools

Mooko, T. (Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Group. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713415834, March NaN, 2005)

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Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to establish the usage of research and theory in the teaching of English language in secondary schools in Botswana. Altogether 100 questionnaires were administered in 19 secondary schools. The results of this study indicate that teachers rarely ever refer to language research in their teaching. Less value was also placed on the theoretical information acquired during training. The respondents indicated that their teaching is essentially based on utilizing their teaching experience and individual creativity.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10311/165

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license.txt (1.998Kb)

mooko_educational_studies05.pdf (1.968Mb)

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