Language Of Wider Communication Research Articles

Identification, description and classification of consonants and vowel phonemes in Nambya language of Hwange district in Matabeleland North Province in Zimbabwe

Nambya language has been scantly researched on. While it has been introduced at primary, secondary and tertiary level, there is no consensus on the agreed phonemes. With the background of learning a Language of Wider Communication (LWC), the LWC has influenced the way Nambya is written or spelt. This paper investigates the phonemes in Nambya, a previously marginalised language spoken by an estimated 117 000 inhabitants (https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups / -retrieved 16 June 2022.) found in Hwange district. The study employed a qualitative design and was conducted in Hwange district in western province of Zimbabwe. The study attempted a systematic description and classification of Nambya consonants, and vowels using a descriptive framework. This research aimed to establish and provide a detailed study of the consonant sounds available in the language. The target population were the mother tongue speakers who had either learnt the language at formal setups or were natural speakers of the language. Expert and homogeneous purposive sampling techniques were applied to select participants and the sample size was ten. Data was generated through semi structured interviews and focused group discussions. It was also collected through primary and secondary sources and analysed according to consonantal and vowel structures of the language. The study found that Nambya has basic 5 vowel system. The consonant structure includes single and modified consonants. Long vowels are restricted to (i) the future tense, future (Incidental) Indicative, affirmative, other persons, (ii)in the third person singular of negative tenses and present indicative negative.

Language and Ethnic sentiments in Nigeria: Evidence from Facebook comments

Given the role of English as a language of wider communication in Nigeria, it is possible for people with different languages to interact without much linguistic barrier. The English language, therefore, facilitates communication. However, ethnic differences are still evident in the reactions and comments of people in different discourses which sometimes may lead to conflict and separation. A lot of studies exist which explore the roles of language in national development and unity and those that investigate patterns of self-assertiveness among ethnic groups characterised by ethnolinguistic vitality. However, patterns of ideological conflicts and solidarity based on ethnic affiliations have been under-researched. The present study relies on readers’ responses to Facebook comments to determine the role of language and ethnicity in solidarity formations in Nigeria. Data for this work was collected on the Facebook timelines of some socio-cultural groups in Nigeria. Ethnolinguistic Identity Theory and its revised standard version was adopted as the theory for the analysis. We discovered at the end of the work that ethnic bias reflects in the comment and response of people on Facebook. The use of linguistic and sociolinguistic features aid the ethnic inclusion and exclusion on Facebook.

Social entrenchment influences the amount of areal borrowing in contact languages

Aims and objectives: Social factors in language contact are not well understood. This study seeks to establish and explain the role of social entrenchment in the evolution of contact languages. It also aims to contribute to a broader perspective on areality that can account for social and linguistic factors in contact outcomes involving all languages present in multilingual ecologies, including contact languages. Methodology: The copula system was singled out for a detailed analysis. A corpus of primary data of the three African English-lexifier contact languages, Pichi, Cameroon Pidgin, and Ghanaian Pidgin, their ancestor Krio, and of their African adstrates (Bube, Mokpe, Akan) and European superstrates (Spanish, English) was investigated and compared. Data and analysis: Relevant features were selected for a dissimilarity matrix. A quantitative analysis was done with SplitsTree4. The resulting distance matrix and phylogenetic network were investigated for signals of genealogical transmission and areal diffusion and interpreted on their social background. Findings/conclusions: The copula systems of the three contact languages carry a genealogical signal of their ancestor Krio as well as an areal signal from the adstrates and superstrates spoken in their respective ecologies. The amount of areal borrowing increases in the order Pichi < Cameroon Pidgin < Ghanaian Pidgin, reflective of the depth of social entrenchment of each variety from left to right. Originality: Previous studies do not describe the copula systems of the English-lexifier contact languages of Africa and the Caribbean at a similar level of granularity and mostly focus on their emergence during creolization. This study attempts to explain their subsequent areal differentiation and links it to differences in social ecologies. Significance/implications: Areal borrowing can lead to significant departures from genealogically inherited structures within a short time if social entrenchment is shallow. Conversely, even languages of wider communication can remain remarkably stable if social entrenchment is deep.

A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages. Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World

A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages. Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World

Judges’ perspectives on Malaysia’s bilingual legal system

ABSTRACT Use-based Englishes may act as professional gatekeepers and working languages in Asian societies even where other languages of wider communication are prioritised. Legalese is widely regarded as particularly resistant to societal changes, and in Malaysian law English remains indispensable half a century after Malay became the official medium for West Malaysia, with exonormative acrolects retaining professional prestige. However, legal practitioners also need Malay as it is a requirement for admission to the bar and used extensively in government dealings, as well as in the lower courts of West Malaysia. Courtroom discourse is under the control of judges empowered to interpret language policy in the interests of justice. While there have been a few studies exploring how Malaysian advocates orientate themselves toward bilingualism, this is believed to be the first to address the perspective of judges.

Beyond a Common Code: Cameroon Pidgin English - the Language of the Elite and the Masses

The principal purpose of this paper is to underline the usefulness and efficacy of Cameroonian Pidgin English (CPE) in dealing with the intense multilingualism of Cameroonians in a rural enclave in Cameroon and in the Diaspora. CPE is a highly stigmatized but extensively used language of wider communication in Cameroon. Cameroon is second only to Papua New Guinea in terms of its multiplicity of languages for a relatively small population and the shunned CPE is the language that trudges through this multi-ethnicity, multiculturalism and multilingualism to not only provide a feeling of togetherness to Anglophone Cameroonians but to also allow them communicate efficiently and cordially. CPE was incipiently a language for the uneducated, this contribution shows that today CPE is not only the language of the common people; it is also the language of the Cameroonian elite. Using qualitative data – recordings of natural conversations from individuals in Lower Fungom and written conversation from online fora comprising Cameroonians of all walks of life, this contribution demonstrates that CPE is an emblematic language which Cameroonians use when communication would otherwise be impossible and still use it even when there is an option (though one-legged) of other languages. The paper demonstrates how multilingualism functions even in rural circles. It is also demonstrates the benefits of Pidgins and Creoles in linguistically diverse settings, which are relatively uncommon.

Attitude of Francophone Students towards Pidgin at the University of Buea (UB)

Although English is the official language of the University of Buea (UB), Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE) is quite commonly used on campus, particularly in extra curricula situations by Anglophones, who have it as their language of wider communication (LWC). However, Francophone students, some of whom meet CPE for their first time upon enrolment, tend to manifest much dislike for this language. Faced with the challenge of maximising the opportunities for learning and studying in English, a language in which they have limited spoken and written competence in, they view CPE as a sub-standard code, indeed, an impediment to the English language learning process. This paper surveys Francophone students’ attitudes towards CPE at UB with focus on the underlying motivations for these attitudes. Data was elicited from a questionnaire administered to first-year Francophone students. The findings evince that Francophone students harbour unfriendly attitudes towards CPE.

Translating Kyrios in the Gospel of John

This article is a practical guide for translating kyrios in the Gospel of John. It considers the context of those translating into minority languages and vernaculars, especially when their language communities have access to a pre-existing translation in a language of wider communication. It takes into account the importance of textual criticism, semantics, acceptability, narrative, and paratext when trying to address challenges in Bible translation.

SOCJOKULTUROWY ASPEKT POWITAŃ W JĘZYKU SUAHILI

The Socio-Cultural Context of Greetings in Swahili1 Today most linguists agree that language and culture are tightly connected. It is also argued that in order to communicate successfully, we need to achieve a level of socio-cultural competence along with an ability to use the grammar and the lexicon of a particular language. There are many kinds of cultural norms and values that one has to obey, as there may be fundamental communication and discourse differences between one language and another. This paper is primarily concerned with some issues of discourse strategies and pragmatics of African languages. While the study focuses on greeting practices among the Swahili, it also investigates how learners acquire the pragmatics of Swahili greetings in a foreign language context, and how Swahili, as a language of wider communication, is infl uenced by cultural norms and values of its speakers, for whom Swahili is not a primary language.

Offers of Opportunity: Function-Added Bible Translation and Language Promotion

Bible translation presents local-language communities not only with “offers of information” but opportunities to promote the target language through adoption of advances in the fields of translation studies, exegesis, and biblical studies. Drawing on skopos theory, this paper encourages communities to include within their translation brief the explicit goal of taking advantage of such opportunities to the end that translators are freed up to transcend the exegetical and translational choices imposed by a language of wider communication. In so doing, the local language will add additional functions as well as intrinsic and extrinsic value to the target text. Finally, potential objections to such an approach are forestalled by addressing sociolinguistic factors with which translating communities will have to come to terms.

The New Language Policy of the Nigerian Army: National Integration or Linguistic Imperialism?

I argue in this paper that the new language policy of the Nigerian Army recognizes and promotes the dominant languages as resources for military training, intelligence gathering and peace building, while the dominated languages are marginalized, alienated and relegated, thus the policy infringes on the fundamental linguistic rights of speakers of minoritized languages in the army. I further maintain that the Nigerian Army’s exclusive language policy is harmful to the army as a national institution and call for explicit status planning of the Nigerian Pidgin to serve as the language of wider communication in the army in response to its emerging sociolinguistic challenges.

O Uso das LWC’s na Música Moçambicana

Tomando como exemplo os discos Kudumba, da banda Ghorwane, Yellela de Eyuphuru e Katchume de Kapa Dêch, é possível perceber a conexão existente entre as línguas autóctones e a ideia de identidade moçambicana. Todavia, os músicos buscam novos horizontes estético-sonoros, emigram para regiões onde a sua produção musical é aceite e gera lucro, e inserem novas linguagens na música, com objectivo de opulentar e fazer evoluir a música moçambicana. Nessa linha de evolução, os músicos sentem a necessidade de não apenas usar as línguas autóctones moçambicanas, mas de experimentar o uso de “outras” línguas. Por isso, é visível o uso das LWC [Language of Wider Communication] ou “línguas de comunicação mais ampla” ou “línguas internacionais” como Inglês, Francês, Português – embora esse idioma esteja bem enraizado ou historizou-se em Moçambique.

Impact of Social Media on English Language: A Review

<h3 data-fontsize="17" data-lineheight="23">Abstract</h3> <p>Language being a potent vehicle of transmitting cultural values, norms and beliefs remains a central factor in determining the status of any nation. India is a multilingual country which tends to encourage people to use English at national and international level. Basically English in India owes its presence to the British but its subsequent rise is not fully attributable to the British. It has now become the language of wider communication which is now spoken by large number of people all over the world. It is influenced by many factors such as class, society, developments in science and technology etc. However the major influence on English language is and has been the media</p>

Dari (Afghan Persian)

Dari, or Afghan Persian (Indo-European, Iranian, Southwestern; ISO 639-3: prs; Lewis, Simons & Fennig 2013), is one of the national languages of Afghanistan, and a language of wider communication in much of the country. It is one of the three major Persian varieties, the others being Farsi (or Iranian Persian) and Tajiki (or Tajik Persian). Afghans refer to Dari either as [dɐˈɾi] or [fʌɾˈsi].

The English Experience Serves as a Pronunciation Guide Allowing Students by Analogy to Learn Spelling in Taiwan Aboriginal Languages: An Example of the Amis Ethnicity

Orthography is a set of conventions for representing language in written form; written forms are made up of graphic words, and such words, taking English for example, are composed by individual graphs or letters that represent sounds. Thus, writing systems are conventional visible marks for human communication (Gelb,1963: 12; Burnaby, 1997: 59; DeLancey, 1998). Written communication, furthermore, allows a culture to communicate in written form with its ancestors and with its progeny by crossing physical and time boundaries. All aboriginal languages spoken in Taiwan were in the past orally transmitted. As Fishman (1980: 169) writes, “Unless they are entirely withdrawn from the modern world, minority ethno-linguistic groups need to be literate in their mother tongue (as well as in some language of wider communication).” However, the language becomes vastly easier to learn and literacy is improved when the writing system is consistent. In Taiwan since 2001, English has been taught in our educational system from the fifth grade of the primary school onward. Students, therefore, know the alphabet and learn both the shapes of its 26 letters, the letter names, and the phonemic correspondence to these graphs, and it would be much easier to learn a system of phonetics for a pre-literate or semi-literate people group that uses letters found in the English alphabet, for the English experience serves as a pronunciation guide allowing students by analogy to learn spelling in their aboriginal languages. My intention in this paper through action research is to share what has been done for over thirty years to capitalize upon the fact that the students in Taiwan are already familiar with alphabetic writing because of their prior study of English. They would, therefore, be well-placed to transfer the regular sound-letter association which they have learned in English classes to the representation of the sounds of the various aboriginal languages of Taiwan. The great benefit of it is to make acknowledgement of the theme of translingualism, a process of empowerment. This empowerment of us in our daily life might produce an environment that fosters maturity and responsibility for our own circumstances. In a word, it would be easier to learn a system of phonetics that uses letters found in the English alphabet that serve as a pronunciation guide while making analogy in learning aboriginal languages.

Teaching Modern Standard Arabic for Non-Native Speakers as a Lingua Franca

Most often, teaching Arabic for non-native speakers is viewed from a diglossic perspective where scholars disagree on the pros and the cons of teaching Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) i.e. the variety of Arabic mostly used among academics and in media, alone or one of the regional varieties or both. This paper calls for teaching MSA as a lingua franca i.e. a language of wider communication, since it is easily understood all over the Arab world, liberating the language from the debatable dichotomy detected in diglossia. This paper is the first in field that connects teaching a variety of Arabic with the benefits and the merits the variety might guarantee the learners in the future. The merits and the benefits as well as other arguments supporting teaching MSA include: MSA is still understood easily all over the Arab World; MSA is the variety of nobody and everybody at the same time; teaching MSA solves the dilemma of which dialect or variety to teach; MSA is the most prestigious variety of Arabic; the label given for varieties is generally an umbrella that covers different regional and social sub-dialects, teaching MSA may pave the way for further Arabic and Islamic Studies, teaching MSA will enhance job opportunity for learners in the field. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5p490

Teaching the Language of Wider Communication, Minority Students, and Overall Educational Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Qinghai Province, China

AbstractThe education of poor and disadvantaged populations, particularly those from minority subgroups, has been a long-standing challenge to education systems in both developed and developing countries. One reason for the underperformance of ethnic minority students might be low competency in the language of wider communication (LWC). This article uses a randomized field experiment in 57 schools (26 treatment schools and 31 control schools) to examine the impact of an LWC learning program on the overall academic performance (and other outcomes) of students who have limited competency in the LWC. This is a computer assisted learning program that teaches rural ethnic minority students in northwestern China Mandarin skills. Results show that this LWC-enhancing program not only improves the student test scores on the Mandarin language subject by 0.14–0.20 standard deviations but also improves the student math test scores by 0.22–0.23 standard deviations, possibly via improved language competency. It also ha...

Impact of Social Media on English Language: A Review

Language being a potent vehicle of transmitting cultural values, norms and beliefs remains a central factor in determining the status of any nation. India is a multilingual country which tends to encourage people to use English at national and international level. Basically English in India owes its presence to the British but its subsequent rise is not fully attributable to the British. It has now become the language of wider communication which is now spoken by large number of people all over the world. It is influenced by many factors such as class, society, developments in science and technology etc. However the major influence on English language is and has been the media.

English Grammar Pedagogy: A Global Perspective

Birch’s volume is the most recent addition to Routledge ESL & Applied Linguistics Professional Series. The book is divided into three main sections of uneven length, each of which is further divided into chapters, 15 in total. Part I (‘Global trends in English grammar pedagogy’) is conceived as an overview of what the author considers key concepts, approaches, and theories concerning grammar in its linguistic, developmental, and pedagogical sense. In line with the book subtitle, Birch also touches on sociolinguistic/political issues involved in the current status of English (and other ‘languages of wider communication’). In contrast, Part II (the bulk of the book), entitled ‘Consensus grammatical features’, and Part III (‘Unstable grammatical features’) are more descriptive in character in that the author makes an attempt at applying the concepts introduced earlier to a description of the entire grammatical system of modern English—from morpheme to discourse—as it is used across the globe, in native speaker (NS) as well as non-native speaker (NNS) settings, and mainly, though not exclusively, in formal/academic contexts. If it sounds a touch ambitious for a modest-size single volume, it is.

Do Multilingual Speakers Understand the Bible Best in Their Heart Language? A Tool for Comparing Comprehension of Translations in Vernacular Languages and Languages of Wider Communication

It has been argued that speakers who are fluent in a vernacular and language of wider communication (LWC) will inevitably understand the Scriptures better in their “heart language.” I designed an experiment to determine the validity of that argument, using comprehension checks of seven passages in the New Testament that are difficult to comprehend. Preliminary results suggest that bilingual speakers performed better during checking sessions conducted in the LWC than they did while using the receptor language (RL), but their ability to identify key themes in either language was equivalent. While the experiment calls into question the validity of the “heart-language argument,” I conclude that there are several other more compelling reasons for producing vernacular Bible translations.