Lost and found: the value of a little known bilingual dictionary towards the intellectualization of Ndau
- Sithole, Emmanuel, Nkomo, Dion
- Authors: Sithole, Emmanuel , Nkomo, Dion
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67537 , vital:29109 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5788/27-1-1411
- Description: Publisher version , This article critically evaluates the ChiNdau–English and English–ChiNdau Vocabulary: With Grammatical Notes, a bilingual dictionary published in 1915 by the American Board Mission (Rhodesian Branch), with a view of determining its suitability for use as a point of departure for modern Ndau lexicography. More than a century after its publication, it remains the only dictionary in the language. The language has been treated as a dialect of Shona for close to a century, until its emergence as one of the country's sixteen officially-recognized languages in the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe. This landmark development requires practical work that can transform Ndau into a fully-fledged and intellectualized language. Lexicography is one of the key intellectual enterprises that can contribute in this regard. It is therefore the contention of this article that the existing dictionary be considered as a vital point of reference for future lexicographic work in Ndau. An analysis of various aspects of the dictionary indicate that, notwithstanding some limitations, this dictionary indeed managed to set some standards that may be incorporated in current and future lexicographic works in this less documented language.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Sithole, Emmanuel , Nkomo, Dion
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67537 , vital:29109 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5788/27-1-1411
- Description: Publisher version , This article critically evaluates the ChiNdau–English and English–ChiNdau Vocabulary: With Grammatical Notes, a bilingual dictionary published in 1915 by the American Board Mission (Rhodesian Branch), with a view of determining its suitability for use as a point of departure for modern Ndau lexicography. More than a century after its publication, it remains the only dictionary in the language. The language has been treated as a dialect of Shona for close to a century, until its emergence as one of the country's sixteen officially-recognized languages in the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe. This landmark development requires practical work that can transform Ndau into a fully-fledged and intellectualized language. Lexicography is one of the key intellectual enterprises that can contribute in this regard. It is therefore the contention of this article that the existing dictionary be considered as a vital point of reference for future lexicographic work in Ndau. An analysis of various aspects of the dictionary indicate that, notwithstanding some limitations, this dictionary indeed managed to set some standards that may be incorporated in current and future lexicographic works in this less documented language.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The compilation of multilingual concept literacy glossaries at the University of Cape Town: a lexicographical function theoretical approach
- Nkomo, Dion, Madiba, Mbulungeni
- Authors: Nkomo, Dion , Madiba, Mbulungeni
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67548 , vital:29110 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5788/27-1-1411
- Description: Publisher version , This article proposes a lexicographical approach to the compilation of multilingual concept literacy glossaries which may play a very important role in supporting students at institutions of higher education. In order to support concept literacy, especially for students for whom English is not the native language, a number of universities in South Africa are compiling multilingual glossaries through which the use of languages other than English may be employed as auxiliary media. Terminologies in languages other than English are developed by translating English terms or coining new terms in these languages to exploit the native language competence of most students. The glossary project at the University of Cape Town (UCT) which was conceived under the auspices of the Multilingualism Education Project (MEP) is discussed. It is shown that the UCT glossaries are compiled using methods consistent with those employed in modern lexicography or proffered in lexicographical theory. The lexicographical function theory is specifically used to account for the glossaries and their production. It is suggested that modern lexicography can provide useful guidance for the production of glossaries, given that the earliest glossaries constitute the humble beginnings of lexicography.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Nkomo, Dion , Madiba, Mbulungeni
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67548 , vital:29110 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5788/27-1-1411
- Description: Publisher version , This article proposes a lexicographical approach to the compilation of multilingual concept literacy glossaries which may play a very important role in supporting students at institutions of higher education. In order to support concept literacy, especially for students for whom English is not the native language, a number of universities in South Africa are compiling multilingual glossaries through which the use of languages other than English may be employed as auxiliary media. Terminologies in languages other than English are developed by translating English terms or coining new terms in these languages to exploit the native language competence of most students. The glossary project at the University of Cape Town (UCT) which was conceived under the auspices of the Multilingualism Education Project (MEP) is discussed. It is shown that the UCT glossaries are compiled using methods consistent with those employed in modern lexicography or proffered in lexicographical theory. The lexicographical function theory is specifically used to account for the glossaries and their production. It is suggested that modern lexicography can provide useful guidance for the production of glossaries, given that the earliest glossaries constitute the humble beginnings of lexicography.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
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