Prospects and challenges of revitalising a cross-border language : a study of Chichewa in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study discusses the prospects and challenges of revitalizing a cross-border language in the Zimbabwean context. The researcher selected ChiChewa for this study because it is one of the prominent cross-border languages in Zimbabwe and one of the identified twelve cross-border languages by Academy of African Languages (ACALAN). The research study used interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document analysis to solicit for information regarding the challenges and prospects of revitalizing a cross-border language. Data for this study was collected from ChiChewa native speakers, language experts and officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary education. Findings in this research study were discussed using the language ecology and language ideology paradigms. The study established that the prospects of revitalizing ChiChewa in Zimbabwe lie with the officialization of multilingualism and multiculturalism, vitality of ChiChewa and the education institutions. The constitution of Zimbabwe recognizes the existence of many languages in the country and clearly stipulates that all languages must be developed and used in equality. Even though the vitality of ChiChewa in Zimbabwe is compromised by a reduction in intergenerational transmission, the language is still spoken extensively by second and third generation Chewa speakers. The research also established that the education institution, regardless of its role in the endangerment of minority languages, remains key to the possible revitalization of ChiChewa in Zimbabwe. The researcher identified language shifts, language policy, language activism and representation, globalization, language status, ideological clarification, and the hegemony of English, ChiShona and IsiNdebele as the main challenges that work against the revitalization of ChiChewa in Zimbabwe. Therefore, the researcher has recommended that the status of cross-border languages needs to be enhanced through the equitable allocation of functional and instrumental roles if the cultural and intellectual wealth enshrined in languages is to be sustained. The study recommends that African languages policy and planning should be informed by African socio-historical and linguistic peculiarities. Such creation of a balanced language ecology is attainable only after challenging the hegemony of English, ChiShona and IsiNdebele in Zimbabwe.