This article asks the question: How have women contributed to the maintenance of Kaaps? It takes as its point of departure the term kombuistaal (kitchen language) as the forerunner of Kaaps, a stigmatised variety of Afrikaans. Using a historical sociolinguistic perspective, this article argues that women’s historical contribution to the development of Kaaps has been underplayed. In foregrounding this erasure, this article contends that those same gendered roles and enforced labour in particular and often invisible spaces of cultural reproduction contributed to the survival of this language. With a focus on language change and maintenance of Kaaps through a gendered lens, this study highlights the contributions of Kaaps speakers who, by virtue of their gendered social positioning, became inextricably linked to a language which has been historically associated with the space of the kitchen.

Sociolinguists argue that language is a reflection of identity, suggesting that the language individuals use and the way they use it signal the kind of identity they project. Accordingly, we hypothesised that the linguistic identity of bi/multilinguals could have a predictive effect on language shift/maintenance. To validate this assumption, we gathered data from university students in Nigeria and Ghana. A multigroup partial least squares structural equation modelling analysis was performed to test this theoretical assumption. The findings indicate that while the desire to construct an “elite identity” predicted students’ language shift tendencies in both formal and informal domains, “cultural identity” contributed to language maintenance. The significant association between identity and language shift/maintenance was the same for Nigerians and Ghanaians. We conclude that bi/multilingual African students make distinct identity choices that tend to determine whether they will maintain their native language or shift to a foreign language in a communicative context.

Languages evolve to address the changing needs of their speakers. One key mechanism of this evolution is the creation of new terminologies. Such terminologies may emerge through coinage or borrowing from other languages, a process that occurs as a result of the daily interactions among speakers of different linguistic communities, known as language contact. This study explored the influence of language contact on the development of terminology and orthography in Xitsonga. It focuses on four aspects: the restrictions applied in developing Xitsonga, the impact of contact on linguistic purity, the value of borrowing in shaping the language, and the broader implications for its evolution. A qualitative research approach was adopted, emphasising the interpretation of terminology development in light of language contact. The corpus method of data collection was used. Lexemes introduced into Xitsonga through language contact were analysed. These lexemes were drawn from five terminologies validated through consultation, verification, and authentication by linguists, including the Xitsonga National Language Body.

This study explores orthographic challenges in Afan Oromo, with specific focus on digraphs, prompted by observed difficulties among students at Fitche Secondary School. Using mixed methods, data were collected via questionnaires, document reviews, and teachers’ interviews. The findings revealed widespread struggles in distinguishing geminated digraphs, attributed to unclear orthographic rules, insufficient textbook guidance, and limited practice. Contributing factors included writing anxiety, time constraints, and inadequate teacher emphasis. The study proposes revising Afan Oromo’s orthography to clarify gemination and recommends structured student training with teacher mentorship. These measures aim to improve digraph representation and enhance literacy in Afan Oromo.

During the colonial era, translations between hegemonic and marginalised languages were typically governed by the norms and conventions of the dominant languages. In the postcolonial period, however, translators increasingly adopt the norms of marginalised languages as resistance to linguistic inequality. This article investigates two English translations of the isiZulu novel Insila kaShaka, namely Jeqe, the Body-Servant of King Shaka (1951) and Insila, the Eyes and Ears of the King (2017), to determine whether South African translators have followed this global trend. Drawing on postcolonial translation theory, which foregrounds the asymmetrical power dynamics that shape translation practices, the study employs content analysis to assess adherence to or divergence from source and target language norms. The findings show that the 1951 version conforms largely to English norms, reflecting its colonial context, whereas the 2017 translation incorporates both English and isiZulu features.

In this matched-guise study, we explored implicit attitudes towards Portuguese, indigenous languages (Manyika), and code-switching (CS) amongst 483 multilingual secondary school students in central Mozambique. Participants rated guises on status, competence, social attractiveness, personal integrity, and linguistic attractiveness using a 4-point Likert scale. Portuguese and Manyika received high ratings for competence and status, while CS was rated low across all dimensions. Males and adolescents rated Portuguese and CS higher than females and emerging adults; rural participants rated Manyika higher than their urban counterparts. These findings underscore the importance of preserving Portuguese and indigenous languages to foster cultural diversity and equitable learning opportunities in multilingual classrooms. They also suggest that, despite its contested status, CS may be a pedagogically valuable strategy for comprehension and inclusion; it therefore merits further exploration.

This article investigated the use of multiple languages on ATMs in selected banks located in Oyo and Osun states, Nigeria. The study examined the number of languages used on the ATMs in these banks and the prospects and challenges of using multiple languages on ATMs by drawing data from surveys and interviews with bankers. The study found the dominant use of English, minimal use of Nigerian Indigenous languages, and one instance of Nigerian Pidgin. They concluded that there is a growing interest in Nigerian Pidgin in banking.

Making access to South African higher education institutions available to formerly excluded student groups has presented language policy and practice issues. Currently, most universities characterise themselves as multilingual institutions; however, bi-/multilingual practices in the formal teaching and learning spaces are mostly diminishing rather than expanding. This study investigated the experiences of students whose secondary school education was largely supported alongside English by an African language which is not a medium of education at university. Drawing on seven participants’ data, we identified language-related conflicts, contradictions, and compliances that the participants experienced as they settled into a tertiary education institution. Although a limited data-set cannot give generalisable insights, the study gives valuable pointers for sensible follow-up studies. The participants expressed either ambiguous (often contradicting) positions or compliance to formal classroom and learning experiences. Most pertinently, the language conflict they experienced became manifest in the informal social spaces. Admirable policy aspirations of multilingualism seem rarely to be honoured, signalling the study’s language policy implications.

This article undertakes a critical appraisal of gender-based violence (GBV) discourse on Nairaland, the Nigerian digital community, with a view to exploring how Nigerian netizens express attitudinal and ideological meanings about the social challenge of GBV. Relevant posts on GBV were analysed qualitatively using Martin and White’s appraisal theory and Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis. The findings revealed that Nairalanders expressed four broad intersubjective opinions about GBV: negative evaluation of GBV; expression of negative emotions about GBV; positive evaluation of stakeholders; and pronouncement of alternative propositions. The study also showed that Nairalanders deployed appraisal resources such as affect, appreciation, judgement, engagement, and graduation to negatively evaluate GBV and to condemn the exclusion of men from GBV interventions in Nigeria. The study concludes that Nairalanders deploy appraisal resources to draw the attention of Nigerian stakeholders to the need to give adequate attention to violence against men, instead of the existing female-centred interventions.