Africa's Endangered Languages

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
African Language ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Language Research ◽  
The World ◽  
African Context

Relatively little is known about Africa’s endangered languages. In an era when we are racing against time to study and preserve the world’s threatened languages before they go extinct, a disproportionately low amount of research and funding is devoted to the study of endangered African languages when compared to any other linguistically threatened region in the world. More regrettably, even less has been done to create a community of Africanists and concerned linguists who might work on rectifying this situation. This book puts some of Africa’s many endangered languages in the spotlight in the hope of reversing this trend. Both documentary and theoretical perspectives are taken with a view toward highlighting the symbiotic relationship between the two approaches and exploring its consequences for research on and preservation of endangered languages, both in the African context and more broadly. The articles that comprise this volume collectively advocate nurturing synergistic partnerships between documentary and theoretical linguists researching endangered African languages in order to stimulate and enhance the depth, visibility, and impact of endangered African language research in the service of altering the landscape of scholarship and activism in this field.

Africa’s Endangered Languages

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Kandybowicz ◽  
Harold Torrence
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
African Language ◽  
Language Endangerment ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Language Research ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Threat Levels

This chapter provides an overview of language endangerment in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting previous efforts to document the continent’s endangered languages and ascertain their threat levels, the unique state of language endangerment in Africa as compared to other parts of the world, and the challenges to documentation and revitalization efforts posed by Africa’s endangered languages. As a consequence of these challenges, a disproportionately low amount of research and funding is devoted to the study of endangered African languages when compared to any other linguistically threatened region in the world. We propose nurturing synergistic partnerships between documentary and theoretical linguists researching endangered African languages to stimulate and enhance the depth, visibility, and impact of endangered African language research in the hope of reversing this trend.

Caribbean French-African Creole and African Metaphysics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanétha Vété-Congolo
Keyword(s):  
African Language ◽  
The West ◽  
French Empire ◽  
African Languages ◽  
The World ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Per Se

The Euro-enslavement enterprise in America expanded the European geography temporarily, and, more lastingly, its culturo-linguistic and philosophical influence. The deportation of millions of Africans within that enterprise similarly extended the African presence in this part of the world, especially in the Caribbean. Africans deported by the French Empire spoke languages of the West Atlantic Mande, Kwa, or Voltaic groups. They arrived in their new and final location with their languages. However, no African language wholly survived the ordeal of enslavement in the Caribbean. This signals language as perhaps the most important political and philosophical instrument of colonization. I am therefore interested in “Pawòl,” that is, the ethical, human, and humanist responses Africans brought to their situation through language per se and African languages principally. I am also interested in the metaphysical value of “Pawòl.”

Cognition and Language

2020 ◽  
pp. 779-794
Author(s):  
Axel Fleisch
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
The Other ◽  
Spatial Language ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
African Language ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
African Context ◽  
Language And Cognition ◽  
The One

The convergence between a linguistically motivated interest in cognition, on the one hand, and descriptive and typological interests, on the other, causes a growing number of scholars to recognize the need for enhanced linguistic anthropological work in the African context, which promises to be beneficial to both the study of human cognition and a richer understanding of African language cultures. By looking at how certain key areas of cognitive linguistics (conceptual metaphor, spatial language, temporality) have been applied to the study of African languages, this chapter focuses on the intersection of both perspectives: that of descriptivists and typologists. Current trends in the study of African languages that address language and cognition draw on grammaticalization studies, neo-relativism, and the emergence of linguistic areas by cross-linguistic conceptual convergence. How these relate to each other is briefly outlined in the second part of this chapter.

scholarly journals Out with old, in with the new: Negotiating identity in re-naming a Xhosa umtshakazi

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-76
Author(s):  
Evangeline Bonisiwe Zungu ◽  
Nomvula Maphini
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Gender Culture ◽  
The World ◽  
African Context ◽  
Newly Married ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Key Words Gender ◽  
People’S Perceptions

Umtshakazi (singular) is a bride and abatshakazi (plural) are brides in  isiXhosa language. The word is derived from the word ‘tsha’ which means new in isiXhosa. The word is popularly known as Makoti in other African languages, such as isiZulu. In short, a bride is a woman about to be married or newly married and thus a “new member” of the husband’s family. In a South African context, naming is not reserved for new-born children as there are circumstances whereby older people get new names. In Xhosa re-naming of abatshakazi, is a religious practice where name-givers bestow a name on a newlywed and then expect brides to live up to their newly acquired names. Like most things cultural, the brides  have no choice but to accept the  new name, embrace what the name entails and live up to the family’s expectations. Through the re-naming process the bride assumes a new identity which means taking the responsibility that comes with it. This article examines how such a process gives brides new roles to play; how brides make a conscious effort to live up to the name and how this changes their identity. This article is going to take a phenomenology stance. The phenomenology theory is a theoretical proposition which focuses on people’s perceptions of the world in which they live and what it means to them. It focuses on people’s lived experiences. This theory is essential in this article as the article focuses on the individual experiences of Xhosa  abatshakazi in the naming process. Key Words: gender, culture, names, identity, marriage

scholarly journals Grammar writing for a grammar-reading audience

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Noonan
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
The World ◽  
The Many ◽  
User Friendly

Thousands of languages are currently in danger of extinction without having been adequately documented by linguists. This fact represents a tragedy for communities in which endangered languages are spoken, for linguistics as a discipline and for all of humanity. One major role of the field of linguistics is to describe languages accurately and thoroughly for the benefit of all concerned. This paper presents the results of an informal survey of major users of grammatical descriptions and gives lists of dos and don’ts for those contemplating a descriptive study of one of the many endangered languages of the world. Concrete suggestions are provided that will help grammar writers produce user-friendly, thorough and useful grammatical descriptions.

scholarly journals Pengembangan pendidikan teknologi dan kejuruan dan hubungan dunia kerja

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Nizwardi Jalinus
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Technical Education ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
Technical Schools ◽  
The World ◽  
Entire Country ◽  
Work World ◽  
The Common

DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND WORK WORLD RELATIONSBased on universal issues in the era of globalization, this article describes some phenomena how essential the role of Vocational and technical education in recent year to support the development of work forces in Indonesia. The wise government policies are needed to run various program of Vocational and technical educationin entire country, which is based on world-work needs. The common problem appeared is how to build the "mutual symbiotic" relationship between vocational and technical schools and the world of work.

scholarly journals “If English Was Good Enough for Jesus, It’s Good Enough for Me”

Paideusis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34
Author(s):  
Peter Kovacs
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
World War ◽  
Philosophical Discussion ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
The World ◽  
Harmful Effects

Since the end of World War II, English has become the virtual lingua franca of the planet. However, this development carries significant ethical and educational questions: What are the consequences of the worldwide dominance of the English language? How has it affected and how will it affect the fortunes of other languages? What can and should we as educators to do to minimize or eliminate the harmful effects on some of the endangered languages of the world? This paper will invite educators into a philosophical discussion of the ethical complexities of teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language.

The Status of the World’s Endangered Languages

2018 ◽  
pp. 20-47
Author(s):  
Anna Belew ◽  
Sean Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Language Endangerment ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status ◽  
Linguistic Vitality

This chapter provides an overview of the status of the world’s endangered languages, based primarily on data from the Catalogue of Endangered Languages. Difficulties in identifying and enumerating endangered languages and obstacles to assessing linguistic vitality on a large scale are discussed. Statistical overviews are provided of language endangerment by global region, comparing trends in language endangerment across the world. The availability (or widespread absence) of the kinds of data necessary to assess language endangerment is examined, and we encourage linguists to include these types of data in their field reports and other published work. Finally, widely circulated statistics of language endangerment and death are considered.

Kenimani-Kenimatoni Organisational Practice : An Africanised Construct of Superordinate-Subordinate Relationships in a University System

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-125
Author(s):  
Bunmi Isaiah Omodan
Keyword(s):  
African Society ◽  
Relationship Dynamics ◽  
Theoretical Formulation ◽  
University System ◽  
Organisational Theory ◽  
African Languages ◽  
The World ◽  
Yoruba Language ◽  
Organisational Practice ◽  
University Community

This theoretical formulation responded to the quest for Africanised epistemic space to construct the hidden indigenous practices into the world of knowledge. Kenimani (that others may not have) and Kenimatoni (that others may not reach up to one’s status), a Yoruba language, one of the African languages was rationalised as an organisational theory of relationships capable of understanding and interpreting people’s actions, and inactions in organisations. The exploration was guided by examining how the underlying meaning and principles of Kenimani-Kenimatoni can be exemplified to the leadership and followership syndrome of organisational relationships. The article was designed using inductive and deductive experiential exploration to present the argument. Yoruba and its beauties were examined to open a linguistic permutation for the analysis. The two Yoruba words ‘kenimani’ and ‘kenimatoni’and their conjunctional framing as peculiar to university community were elucidated to reflect university organisational relationships. The dilemma of positivism and the negativism and the principles embedded in the Kenimani-Kenimatoni organisational practices were uncovered. The Kenimani-Kenimatoni epistemic standpoint was also exemplified with the conclusion that African society is rich in knowledge and practices. Therefore, an Africanised practice like Kenimani- Kenimatoni can explain relationship dynamics in organisations, though this is open to further scholastic discourse.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Messinger
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Language Research ◽  
The World ◽  
Future Policy

This chapter invites readers into the hidden world of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer (LGBTQ) people. It begins by debunking common myths of LGBTQ IPV, myths that have been shaped in part by homophobia, transphobia, and a historic emphasis on heterosexual-cisgender (HC) relationships in the global IPV-prevention movement. Unfortunately, even today, these myths contribute to systemic failings in how LGBTQ IPV is addressed throughout the world. Collectively, these myths and the lack of concrete support for LGBTQ victims have rendered LGBTQ IPV largely invisible. This chapter—and, indeed, the book—contends that many answers to this problem actually already exist in research, if only they could be extracted. With this in mind, the goal of this book is to comprehensively review the past forty years of LGBTQ IPV English-language research from throughout the world—the first book to do so. Just as significantly, the book mines this literature for evidence-based tips regarding future policy, practice, and research, tips that are shared at the close of each chapter. This introductory chapter concludes with a brief guide to the upcoming chapters and the terminology used throughout the book.

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