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Ndhlovu, Finex
Historicizing the Socio-Politics of Shona Language Hegemony in Zimbabwe
2007, Ndhlovu, Finex
Mainstream socio-linguistic discourses on the language ecology of Zimbabwe are largely characterized by nascent condemnations of the unequal power relations between English and the African indigenous languages. Such academic debates exclusively focusing on English hegemony have neglected the power imbalances existing between the Shona language on the one hand and minority languages, on the other. This article is a detailed critique of Shona language hegemony and how it has contributed to the marginalisation of the majority of Zimbabwean languages. The overarching argument of this essay is that the superior status of the English language in Zimbabwe is no longer a contested issue and what constitutes a new question worthy of study, is the hegemonic preponderance of the Shona language over the socio-politically weak African language varieties.
Reflections on the Challenges of Researching Language Maintenance and Language Vitality in South-western Zimbabwe
2007, Ndhlovu, Finex
Based on my experiences of field research carried out from October 2005 to May 2006 in south-western Zimbabwe, this article highlights some problems associated with conducting oral interviews in speech communities where ethnic language loyalty is under threat from politically imposed languages. Of major interest to this paper are issues to do with the politicization of the language question in postcolonial Zimbabwe; the researcher's ethnolinguistic affiliation (my mother tongue is Ndebele, which is believed to be one of the 'killer' languages in south-western Zimbabwe); as well as the researcher's lack of fluency in some local languages (resulting in some submissions being in one or more of the perceived 'oppressor' languages). Together with detailing lessons from my personal experiences, the paper also discusses implications of these methodological challenges for researching language maintenance and vitality in marginalized speech communities. The article concludes by observing that the well-known research challenges of being an 'outsider' are not unique to non-native researchers. Rather, the politicization of ethnic and linguistic issues (as is the case in postcolonial Zimbabwe) may as well result in some native residents of multilingual speech communities falling into the category of 'foreign' researchers.
Vernacular discourse, emergent political languages and belonging in Southern Africa
2018, Ndhlovu, Finex
Although academic debates and conversations on the subject of identity formation are numerous and too well known to rehearse, much of their focus has generally been on the discourse of the empowered; that is the discourse of those who control, design and create the public space. Such a focus overlooks the fact that identities are multi-layered, self-imposed and contested just as they are ascribed by others and, therefore, require a critical analysis to avoid essentialism that has bedevilled most mainstream academic debates and conversations on belonging and identity formation. This article uses the concept of vernacular discourse to examine emergent political languages that have shaped and continue to mediate everyday narratives about identity and belonging in southern Africa. The specific focus is on the post-apartheid South African context with some passing remarks on Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Language Nesting, Superdiversity and African Diasporas in Regional Australia
2013, Ndhlovu, Finex
This paper tells previously untold stories about the dynamic cultures, linguistic repertoires and language practices of migrants and refugees that are continuously shaped and mediated by the convoluted histories, journeys and migration itineraries of these people. It brings to light the effect of proficiency in multiple languages on their speakers' affiliations, and their perceptions of belonging in local communities. The paper draws on the outcomes of a study with refugee background Africans (hereafter, African diasporas) in regional New South Wales (NSW) to propose the language nesting model that seeks to illustrate the complex linguistic and discursive practices of these people and how such resources are used to create and negotiate material and social spaces in everyday life. The paper concludes that the stories that were elicited - about the languages, cultures, identities, migration histories and just about everything else about the sampled African diasporas - both support and resist the theoretical suppositions of superdiversity in equal measure.
Language and African Development: Theoretical Reflections on the Place of Languages in African Studies
2008, Ndhlovu, Finex
Any African Studies discourse that overlooks the role and place of language would be incomplete because language occupies an important position in any meaningful dialogue on African development and on Africa's engagement with herself and with the wider international community. The premise of this article is that African Studies is about local and Diaspora African identities, and that language is pivotal to our understanding of conceptions of economics, politics, democracy and human rights in Africa. The paper, therefore, argues for the need to improve the visibility of Africa's multilingual heritage in the teaching and research activities of African Studies institutions around the world.
Vehicular Cross-Border Languages, Multilingualism and the African Integration Debate: A Decolonial Epistemic Perspective
2013, Ndhlovu, Finex
The proposition that African vehicular cross-border languages are best positioned to facilitate African integration is underpinned by a hegemonic and colonial philosophy that misdirects the African multilingual debate. This becomes apparent when the perceived utility of this category of languages is considered against the backdrop of contestations surrounding language definition traditions and the incidence of language multiversity in Africa. Drawing on the ideas of decolonial scholarship from the Global South, this article provides a critical analysis of African vehicular cross-border languages and perceptions about their ability to resolve the anticipated intercultural communication problems of an integrated Africa. The article seeks to bring to the limelight some of the fundamental omissions and blind spots of such projective conclusions about the potential of vehicular cross-border languages and how such projections are shaped by dominant, neo-liberal and conservative language ideologies and ideologies of (or about) language.
English in Southern Africa
2018, Ndhlovu, Finex, Siziba, Liqhwa
The previous body of sociolinguistics literature is replete with historical accounts of the arrival of the English language in southern Africa (see, for example, Lanham 1982; Gough 1995; Branford 1996; Kamwangamalu 2002; Meierkord 2005). These studies indicate that English-speaking people made initial contact with southern Africa prior to the period of formal British colonization of the region. According to Gough (1995: 1), English explorers and traders who visited southern Africa from as early as the sixteenth century introduced a vocabulary of the English language describing the land and peoples they had come into contact with.
Beyond neo-liberal instructional models: Why multilingual instruction matters for South African skills development
2013, Ndhlovu, Finex
The dominant position of neo-liberal monolingual medium of instruction practices has created myths and fallacies about the utility of English as the sole language of skills development and training in South Africa. With a specific focus on Further Education and Training (FET) colleges, this position paper motivates for multilingual medium of instruction models as an alternative that aligns with a progressive agenda for South African skills development. The paper challenges those conventional and predominant approaches that inform the FET college skills development system in South Africa. In their stead, this paper suggests epistemological imaginations that take into account the social fabric and the diverse skills needs of the wider South African society.
Belonging and Attitudes towards Ethnic Languages among African Migrants in Australia
2010, Ndhlovu, Finex
Based on data from a research project on African identities in Melbourne, this paper assesses the attitudes of non-refugee African-Australians towards their ethnic languages in the context of the utility and prestige of English in Australia. The paper explores the tensions between discourses on rights to language(s) of choice and discourses on conforming to prescribed languages. It opens new questions about ethnic language loyalty and language maintenance among African-Australians. The following questions are addressed: how do African communities in Australia perceive their ethnic languages? What is the state of ethnic language maintenance among African-Australians? How do dominant monolingual discourses influence the attitude of African migrants towards their ethnic languages? How are African-Australian identities shaped and mediated by competing attitudes towards English on the one hand and migrant ethnic languages on the other?
Language, discourse and survival strategies: The case of cross-border traders in Southern Africa
2017, Masuku, Jesta Mutinda, Ndhlovu, Finex, Ellis, Elizabeth M
This thesis is a critical exposition of communication strategies employed by cross-border traders (CBTs) during their trade activities at selected border sites in Southern Africa. The study spotlights the innovative ways by which CBTs circumvent nationally imposed language policies and practices that are a barrier to their communication during trade and, consequently, to their survival in the trade arena. Because modernist standard language ideological frameworks currently dominate the field of linguistic conceptualization and language definition, language practices of transient communities such as cross-border traders remain under-theorized and least appreciated. This thesis, therefore, challenges mainstream conceptualizations of language and their role in shaping simplistic ideas on language. The singular most important innovation of the thesis lies in that it moves away from abstracted notions of language and emphasizes those grounded elements of language that were extrapolated from real language settings and traceable actions of CBTs. Furthermore, the study contributes new theoretical insights on language redefinition and reconceptualization by drawing on observable on-site language practices of cross-border traders at selected Southern African borders and borderlands. What is it that enables the economic trade activities of these 'informal' cross-border traders to thrive in the face of linguistic diversity and nation-state controls? To address this question, the study used data from on-site observable language practices of CBTs as basis for suggesting an alternative philosophy of language and communication. In searching for alternative linguistic trajectories, a revisionist decoloniality epistemology was adopted in framing the theoretical underpinnings of the study. The new alternative linguistic trajectories suggested in the study, point to the need for the redefinition and re-conceptualization of what we mean by language.