Research has pointed to the influence of the first language (L1) in the acquisition of the second (L2). In this study I investigate the interface between siSwati as an L1 and the acquisition of Academic English by students of the tertiary institutions of Swaziland. I examine five theoretical frameworks which are germane to L2 acquisition – error analysis, interdependency, transfer, interlanguage and fossilization. I discuss how these frameworks can help explain the low levels of proficiency in Academic English among learners in tertiary institution in Swaziland. In my research I employ qualitative research methods – questionnaires with both students and lecturers on initial and subsequent encounters with reading and writing both in the L1 (siSwati) and the L2 (English) – as well as quantitative research methods including statistical analyses of demographic and biographic data. In addition, in order to gauge the impact of the L1 on the L2 I analyse written texts of first and final year students at a number of tertiary institutions in Swaziland. Findings reveal that the students' L1 does, to some extent, interfere with their ability to properly acquire Academic English but cannot entirely explain the students' failure to acquire competency or near native proficiency in Academic English. Other militating factors include early educational environments which were not conducive to stimulating bilingualism, poor supply of text resources in both the L1 and the L2, the lack of a culture of reading in either the L1 or L2, the remoteness of English mother-tongue contexts, peripheral normativity practices in the institutions and indeed the emergence and development of a new variety of English in Swaziland. My own assessment criteria were critiqued during the course of this study and suggestions were made as to the validity of some of my assumptions about what constitutes "correct English". This insight should necessitate a new study on how English competency is assessed in Swaziland and to what it extent it is in line with contemporary views of what constitutes Standard English. It is hoped that the findings of this study will inform current debates on language teaching and assessment in tertiary institutions in Swaziland and also highlight areas of concern for academic programmes that focus on developing language and writing skills. Finally, I recommend that it is literacy in the L1 that needs to be addressed at the grass-roots route level in order for transfer to the L2 to occur successfully. Ultimately I conclude that efficient acquisition of Academic English can only be achieved when cognitive abilities have been properly developed in the L1.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Media Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / This study focuses on the impact of social media towards conserving African languages, particularly Sepedi, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Social media are given attention to explore their impact in conserving African languages amongst youth. Youth is a suitable group to focus on as they are the future and are thus expected to carry their African languages and pass them on to succeeding generations. This exercise should be done to ensure that African languages should not face extinction in the future. Generally, youth are constant users of social media platforms, hence it is cardinal to investigate their language-usage patterns on social media platforms. The majority of the African youth in South Africa use either one or more of the nine (9) indigenous African languages that are official, namely, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga. Therefore, one would expect speakers of these indigenous African languages to effectively use them on social media, particularly, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. African language heritage is undoubtedly a valuable resource, however, it needs state resources to develop it further and establish it as a core economic driver on various media platforms. The study employs exploratory and descriptive designs. These designs are appropriate for this study because it permits data to be collected through observations, focus group interviews and questionnaires. Focus group interviews, observations, and questionnaires were used to collect data. Focus group is a data-collection tool for understanding people’s behaviour and attitudes. The researcher moderated three focus groups. One hundred (100) questionnaires were distributed to the participants in this study. These tools are apt for the data-collection process in this study because they assist to discover factors that influence opinions, attitudes, and behaviours. Social media have great potential to conserve the African languages but the speakers of these languages should play a cardinal role in this process. Majority of the youth do not prefer to use the African languages on social media. Conversations on both Facebook and Twitter are dominated by English as youth prefer it ahead of Sepedi, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga. In contrast, youth prefer to use the African languages on WhatsApp because they know their contacts. However, code-switching is used a lot by youth on social media. Despite the fact that Sepedi, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga are not mostly used on Facebook and Twitter they remain relevant and useful amongst their speakers on a daily basis. Nevertheless, there is a need to develop the African languages based social media sites to stimulate their usage on these platforms. Additionally, these languages should be developed to fit the needs of social media. / National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS)

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / Refer to the document

The research undertaken for this PhD investigates the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) and its role in the context of language policy implementation. This study was inspired by two separate factors. First, the PanSALB was heavily criticised, especially in recent years, despite its central and important role in the implementation of the South African language policy. Second, a look at the language planning theory indicated a lack of theoretical focus on the roles of language boards or language agencies, despite their frequent use in language policy efforts, a lack also recently lamented by Spolsky (2011) and Edwards (2012). The research undertaken for and reported on in this thesis has aimed toward two goals. First, to provide insight into the functioning and potential problems a language agency, such as the PanSALB, can face. Second, to allow a closer look at the implementation stage of the language planning process, a stage which has not yet been the focus of direct study, despite a lot of theoretical work on the processes which lead to language policies. Previous research on the PanSALB and the language policy in South Africa focused on the sociolinguistic issues, such as conflicting language ideologies among the population. This study approaches the PanSALB from an organisational and administrative point of view, as some of the recent criticism indicated that these aspects of the Board's work were problematic. A case study of the PanSALB was undertaken, and semi-­‐structured interviews conducted with board members and managers. The findings indicate that financial, collaborative, and legislative issues hinder the Board's functioning. The latter is also the cause for some of the conflicts and tension within the Board and between the Board and its stakeholders, since ambiguous stipulations make the status and reporting structures of the Board unclear. The findings indicate that financial, collaborative, and legislative issues hinder the Board's functioning. The latter is also the cause for some of the conflicts and tension within the Board and between the Board and its stakeholders, since ambiguous stipulations make the status and reporting structures of the Board unclear. These findings highlight the importance of the implementation stage of language policy and planning, since even a well-­‐ planned language policy may fail if the body or bodies tasked with its implementation are dysfunctional.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the language shift from isiXhosa to Afrikaans in a group of indigenous African language speakers in a rural Northern Cape community. It plots the process that took place over three generations and focuses on the language identity of some members of this community as portrayed by their language biographies and linguistic repertoires. This phenomenon was researched after preliminary enquiries into linguistic identities and bilingualism in the Hopetown area revealed that although most inhabitants use Afrikaans as L1 at home, at school and in public, a considerable number did not present the anticipated monolingual Afrikaans with minimal L2-English repertoires. People from indigenous ethnic groups like the Xhosa were also found to be speaking Afrikaans as home language rather than isiXhosa. The thesis gives a description and explanation of how a process of language shift from isiXhosa to Afrikaans took place. The findings suggest that a number of Xhosas started to migrate from the Eastern Cape to the Hopetown area in the Northern Cape during the 1960s when employment opportunities in the State‟s water and irrigation development scheme became available. The Afrikaans-speaking employers expected their workforce to speak Afrikaans and in the interest of economic survival, the disenfranchised workers learned to speak Afrikaans. In addition to the employment situation, the accommodation situation was unusual in that Hopetown‟s township was seen as a Coloured area. In the time when the Group Areas Act dictated that ethnic segregation had to be enforced, the influx of Xhosa and other ethnic groups was not expected. When it happened, it was either overlooked or remained unnoticed. The Xhosa workers, with their families, had to blend in with the Coloured population in order not to attract attention. The research follows the language shift based on information gained from questionnaires and by means of narrative analysis. Case studies of selected respondents reveal how the individuals gradually settled into a new language identity without complete loss of their traditional ties to language and cultural practices. A small story analysis sheds light on how selected members of the community experienced the shift and how they perceive their roles in the process. This thesis ultimately shows the contribution that language biographies can make to sociolinguistic research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die taalverskuiwing van isiXhosa na Afrikaans in ʼn inheemse groep Afrikataalsprekers in ʼn plattelandse Noord-Kaapse gemeenskap. Dit volg die proses wat oor drie generasies plaasgevind het en fokus op die taalidentiteit van enkele lede van dié gemeenskap soos uitgebeeld in hulle taalbiografieë en taal repertoires. Hierdie verskynsel is nagevors nadat voorlopige navrae in verband met talige identiteit en tweetaligheid in die Hopetown-omgewing daarop gedui het dat alhoewel die meeste inwoners Afrikaans tuis, by die skool en in die openbaar as eerstetaal gebruik, ʼn aansienlike getal nie die verwagte profiel van ʼn eentalige Afrikaanse gemeenskap met minimale tweedetaal-Engels vertoon het nie. Mense van inheemse etniese afkoms soos die Xhosa het ook laat blyk dat hulle Afrikaans eerder as isiXhosa as huistaal gebruik. Die tesis gee ʼn beskrywing en verduideliking van hoe ʼn proses van taalverskuiwing van isiXhosa na Afrikaans plaasgevind het. Volgens die bevindinge het ʼn groeiende getal Xhosas in die 1960s uit die Oos-Kaap na die Hopetown-omgewing in die Noord-Kaap begin migreer toe werksgeleenthede in die Staat se water- en besproeiingskema beskikbaar gekom het. Die Afrikaanssprekende werkgewers het van hulle werkers verwag om Afrikaans te praat. In die belang van ekonomiese oorlewing het die werkers wat daar geen burgerregte gehad het nie, Afrikaans geleer. Bykomend tot die werksituasie was die behuisingsituasie in die Hopetown nedersettings ongewoon daarin dat dit as Kleurlinggebied geklassifiseer is maar ook mense van ander etniese herkoms gehuisves het. In die tyd toe die Groepsgebiedewet bepaal het dat etniese segregasie toegepas moes word, is daar geen voorsiening gemaak vir die instroming van Xhosa en ander etniese groepe nie. Toe dit gebeur het, is dit óf oor die hoof gesien, óf dit het ongemerk gebeur. Die Xhosa werkers, met hulle gesinne, moes inskakel by die Kleurlinggemeenskap ten einde nie die aandag van die gesaghebbers of hulleself te vestig nie. Die navorsing volg die taalverskuiwing op basis van inligting uit vraelyste en met behulp van narratiewe analise. Gevallestudies van uitgesoekte respondente wys hoe die individue geleidelik ʼn nuwe taalidentiteit aangeneem het sonder totale verlies van hulle tradisionele bande met taal en kulturele gebruike. ʼn Klein storie analise werp lig op hoe geselekteerde lede van die gemeenskap die verskuiwing ervaar het en wat hulle siening is van hulle rolle in die proses. Hierdie tesis werp ten slotte lig op die bydrae wat taalbiografie tot sosiolinguistiese navorsing kan maak.

Doctor Legum - LLD / The 1996 South African Constitution contains a number of provisions that deal specifically with the protection of languages and of rights relating to language. The most important of these is section 6 which recognises 11 languages as official languages. This recognition is in line with recent developments in international law where common standards in relation to the protection of minority languages are in the process of being developed. The recognition of multilingualism as well as its implementation is thus becoming an obligation resting on all states, including South Africa. International law shows that persons belonging to linguistic minorities are entitled not only to protection against discrimination based on the language they speak, that is, formal equality, but also to positive state action in order to ensure their substantive equality. International law furthermore prescribes that where protection is given to minority languages, the principle of proportionality must guide states, and that legislation needs to be sufficiently detailed in bringing about such protection. The present thesis has as its main aims the interpretation of the provisions of the 1996 Constitution, in accordance with the above-mentioned international standards and the evaluation of the extent to which South African has complied with its constitutional obligations. The thesis in addition makes proposals in relation to what needs to be done to comply with such obligations. This is done in respect of the three levels of government - national, provincial and local - as well as the three state branches - the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. In addition, the implementation of the constitutional requirements in the educational sector is analysed.The thesis shows that a number of steps have thus far been taken in the process of giving effect to the relevant provisions of the Constitution. This includes the adoption of language policies on the national, provincial and local levels, as well as the enactment of language legislation in some provinces. In many provinces as well as municipalities, little effort has however been made to comply with these constitutional obligations. On the national level, much likewise still remains to be done in this regard. The current South African Languages Bill (2011) only caters for the activities of the national government, and does so in a way which conflicts with international norms. The Bill does not deal with parliament or the courts, and much uncertainty remains about the way in which the Constitution is to be given effect to in relation to these state branches. In relation to education, the issue of single-medium schools has been controversial, but has now been resolved by the Constitutional Court. Commendable policies have furthermore been adopted to provide for mother-tongue education, but it appears that English is slowly becoming the dominant language in education, at the expense of mother-tongue instruction.

M.Ed. (Educational Linguistics) / The problem addressed in this research is the working hypothesis stating that teachers' tacit notions about individual writing development is related to their views on the pedagogy of writing. The rationale for the premise underlying the problem is that pedagogy is invariably based on teachers' conceptions of content and that unarticulated notions could accommodate conceptions which could in turn inhibit pedagogic activity, in this instance. the teaching of writing at higher capacity levels. The theory frame for this study includes readings in the phylogeny and ontogeny of writing. contemporary models of the teaching of writing and psycholinguistic theory on writing, as well as sociolinguistic views on the development and nature of writing. The theoretical premise for the research is based on Vygotskian principles of semiotics, the main ones being that writing as cultural tool and as sign impacts in a socio-cultural way on the signifiedand that the tool and sign as mediators are partners in intermental but especially also intramental functioning. The implications for pedagogy are that the meaningful teaching of writing skills and strategies could enhance mental activity (cognition) and communication. The nature of the research question presupposes a microgenetic study as format. which in turn directs the research to protocol interviews, on-site observations and analysis of documents. much of which will be of qualitative interpretive nature. A group of 16 teachers will be studied. with the microgenetic analyses focusing on three cases, selected in a stratified way. The findings of the inquiry indicate that there seems to be a relationship between the ontogeny and the pedagogy of writing, because the teachers involved in the inquiry emphasize the use of the prosthetic device, both in their own writing and in their instructional design and this is the way they were taught to write. It was also found that the teachers are deficient with regard to knowledge of the cognitive nature, the structure and the pedagogy of writing. The teachers were also found to have a positive attitude towards writing. despite the fact that their writing proficiency is severely impaired by a lack of knowledge of writing strategies as well as linguistic incompetence in English

The study explores the feasibility of using Shona as a medium of instruction in teaching Science in Zimbabwe. Although English has been the language of instruction since the advent of colonialism it has not been able to deliver for no tangible scientific and /or technological development has been seen in Zimbabwe. The research assumes that it is possible to achieve technical and scientific development in Zimbabwe using indigenous languages like Shona. It therefore seeks to find out if Shona can be effectively used to replace English as a language of instruction in the teaching of Science, achieving sound mastery of the subject in the process. In this research two grade four classes at Denzva School are studied. The classes are of the same size and academic potential. Their composition was systematical established after consulting the classes performance in the end of year grade three examinations. One group (the experimental class) is taught Science in Shona while the other group is taught Science in English. The two classes receive instruction in their usual classrooms and from one teacher, the researcher. In order to check mastery of content, the subjects write lessons and the researcher reviews tests in which individual pupil performance in the tests was recorded. The results of the two classes’ performance are compared and commented upon. It is then deduced if Shona is effective and better than English as a language of instruction. Further the prevailing language policy in schools and government departments as well as the attitudes of parents and teachers are investigated through the use of questionnaires and interviews. Views gathered are commented upon and general recommendations made. / African Languages / D.Litt.et. Phil. (African Languages)

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Linguistics, Language and Communication) / Among others, the current study had been conceived due to the fact that, although Namibia is endowed with multiple languages, their development throughout the long colonial history, had been unequal. That is, some languages received more attention than others and some were hardly developed at all. After independence, Namibians had legitimate expectations that all their (different) languages would be developed equitably throughout all the regions, and among all ethnic groups or speech communities. In the post-apartheid era, however, Namibians have been subjected to a limited and unequal language and literacy development which encouraged me to conduct a research to critically evaluate the development of Rumanyo or lack of thereof. The focus of this study is on understanding the disparities in language and literacy development in Namibia with particular emphasis on ethno-regional disparities and what precipitates these inequalities. The reason for the emphasis on region and ethnicity in researching language and literacy development was due to Namibia's multi-ethnicity and the over-lapping of regions and ethnic groups.

Thesis (M.A. (Media Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / There is a conspicuous importance of having newspapers that publish in the indigenous African languages for the indigenous population in a democratic dispensation. The indigenous African languages are key components of their respective cultures. The survival of the language is, in some way, dependent on the print media (newspapers) (Salawu, 2004:8). In addition, the indigenous language newspapers have cardinal roles of promoting previously marginalised languages, preserving indigenous cultures and upholding democracy. Nevertheless, these newspapers are struggling to sustain themselves in the print media industry. It is, therefore, critically important to examine the factors that adversely affect the sustainability of these newspapers.