JULACE: Journal of the University of Namibia Language Centre

Permanent URI for this community

http://hdl.handle.net/11070/1911

Journal of the University of Namibia Language Centre is an international, scholarly, open-access, peer-reviewed bi-annual publication. The journal aims at providing a publishing avenue especially for emerging academicians, researchers and scholars in the fields of language, linguistics, and related disciplines such as translation, literary and other cultural studies such as film. The Journal broadly covers language research and teaching. It aims to be the leading academic journal that presents research outcomes and discusses modern, national and international languages. Through a rigorous peer reviewing process that ensures no plagiarism, JULACE strives to assist dedicated researchers and lecturers of languages and other related fields (including literature, film and music) to skillfully write and submit quality original papers. JULACE also accepts book reviews, other review articles, think pieces, and short fiction/poems. Besides appraising new, major publications, especially from Namibian authors, the reviews are also meant to critically inform JULACE’s readers of the current theories, trends, and practices from elsewhere in the academic/research world. Although available in print form, JULACE has, among others, a strong indexing policy that strives to create visibility of the papers that are published in it through its open access and online availability.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 51

Assessing students in English Second Language courses: The role of alternative assessment tools in language instruction
(University of Namibia, 2016) Hamakali, Hafeni P.; Lumbu, Simon D.
This conceptual paper is an analysis of the role of alternative assessment (AA) tools in English language instruction. AA tools tend to be less formal than traditional testing; they gather information rather that at one point in time; and they are rather formative than summative in nature (Alderson & Banerjee, 2001). There has been increasing criticism of standardized test and examinations and it has brought into question the value of other indirect approaches to language assessment. Research has shown that these approaches provide a wealth of information which can inform a more valid interpretation of standardized test or examination results. The results of this analysis could be useful in informing language instructors, language material developers, language teacher trainers, as well as curriculum designers.
Translation: A belaboured term
(University of Namibia, 2016) Mpemba, Titus
Interpreting and translation are still positioned by some scholars under the broader discipline of linguistics as aspects of applied linguistics, while others view interpreting as a sub-discipline within the broader and generic discipline of translation studies. However, interpreting studies and translation studies have gradually become fields in their own right, thanks to the prominent individual and collective efforts of scholars to establish the two fields as subjects in academia. In the professionalization of these disciplines, terminologies have been created and attempts to define them made. Some terms have been extended to accommodate new meanings, the result of which has been burdening some of the terms. Within the framework of translation and interpreting studies, this paper analyses how the term translation has been burdened, in view of making some terminological proposals.
Is code switching complementary to English as medium of instruction in Namibian English second language classrooms?
(University of Namibia, 2016) Simasiku, Liswani
In Namibia most teachers and learners are not conversant enough to teach and learn school subjects, including English, through the English medium. Poor learner performance in the year-end examinations in English has been attributed to the use of only English as medium of instruction. Despite such poor performance, English has remained the official medium of instruction in all subjects in Namibian schools. The objective of this study was to investigate whether code switching complemented the English Language in English medium classrooms. The mixed method design was used for this study, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Questionnaire and an observation checklist were the two research instruments that were used to collect data. The sample comprised 12 English Second Language teachers at 12 schools in the Zambezi Educational Region, Namibia. The results showed that English Second Language teachers were of the view that the use of English as the only medium of instruction in the English Second Language classrooms, impacted negatively on the year-end results.
The satirical portrayal of Africa’s development issues: Examples from Kiswahili short stories
(University of Namibia, 2016) Daniel, Zawadi L.
The 20th and now 21st centuries have witnessed the outpour of satirical works that are purported to be portraying and discussing Africa’s development problems. Certainly this is the case in East Africa where, for example, cartooning, comedy shows and oral and written literary satires are flourishing. While this paper uses Kiswahili literary satire to make some theoretical deliberations on what satire is, it also discusses the place of two popular Eurocentric satirical traditions propounded by Horatio and Juvenal. Several questions are raised and an attempt has been made to answer them regarding the satirical mode and its place in examining issues that affect the people of Africa: What is the nature of African/Kiswahili literary satire? Can we formulate our own theories regarding African satire that aid in portraying and discussing Africa’s development? Why has satire become a dominant artistic mode in the portrayal of Africa’s development path? Of what practical use are wit/humour, irony, and sarcasm – the main ingredients of satire, in exposing and discrediting vice and folly in Africa? In short, using examples from Kiswahili short stories, the paper examines the relevance or, indeed, irrelevance of satirical mode and traditions to Africa’s development and the discourse of such development in deliberating on the future of Africa.
Epistolary role in East African literary works on HIV/AIDS
(University of Namibia, 2016) Mutembei, Aldin
In East Africa, an epistle as a base for literary analysis is not common. It appears, scholars who have analysed works of fiction or drama relating to HIV/AIDS scourge, have not considered letters inserted in those works as worth examining. Yet, letters inserted in such creative writings as a style to expound different themes are often encountered. Written artistic works on HIV/AIDS in both Kiswahili and English languages have employed this style to illustrate the HIV/AIDS crisis, as lived by characters in their fictional world. Following Wolf Schmid’s theory on narratology, supplemented with Rosenmeyer’s analytical framework (2003) the article uses an epistolary analysis as a technique for identifying themes in a literary work. The argument developed throughout this article is that epistles should be taken as a point of departure in identifying and examining different voices in the narratives on HIV/AIDS on one hand, and in understanding the psycho-social challenges which fictional characters face in their creative or imaginative world. Through this theory the epistles are juxtaposed to the Kiswahili idiom: barua ni nusu ya kuonana (literally translates as “a letter is seeing each other partially”). It would appear that the reader sees fictional characters in HIV/AIDS creative works from a certain perspective as focalized by the letters. The voices which the readers hear from these characters are all directed the letters used. Following this theory it appears that the themes related to HIV/AIDS are related to or influenced by the inserted epistles.
Taking a closer look at vocabulary and academic literacy levels of undergraduate students
(University of Namibia, 2016) Izaks, Jill N.
This paper reports on a study conducted in 2011 with undergraduate students at the University of Namibia (UNAM). One of the aims of the study was to assess the vocabulary and academic literacy levels of the students, as well as to examine the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and academic literacy. The multi componential aspect of vocabulary knowledge coupled with the fact that university students need a large vocabulary (relevant to their academic context and purposes for reading) in order to fully understand their texts which are written in a language which for the majority is an additional language (AL), has led to a re-evaluation of current practices. Two research instruments were used to obtain data: the receptive vocabulary levels test (VLT) and the test of academic literacy levels (TALL). Findings paint a bleak picture of English mid frequency word knowledge of first year students at UNAM. Data also showed that not all students who enter university have adequate vocabulary knowledge to participate in the academic discourse prevalent at university. This dispels the assumption that students entering university have adequate vocabulary knowledge. The TALL results showed that the students’ academic literacy skills were not very strong, revealing inadequate academic literacy skills to cope with the academic demands of university. This result shows the relevance of introducing academic literacy tests at UNAM, to provide scientific and not just anecdotal evidence to prompt management to spend the necessary resources (financial and human) on the design and implementation of standardized tests assessing academic literacy levels, which
In the eyes of the male beholder: Language use as male inscription of the female body in film, Literature, and Facebook
(University of Namibia, 2016) Senkoro, Fikeni E.
This paper examines the concept of the inscription of the female body, and the way language used by men for such inscription shows distinct difference on women compared to that used on men. Using different film clips, literary pieces, and Facebook walls, the paper looks at the social inscription of the female body and argues that such state of affairs has made the constitution of the body of woman in the media, so plastic that through language use it can be molded the way the director, writer, and the Facebook friends (read male friends) deem fit, and it is turned into a text written upon it and from which it is not discernible as a social being but just an article. Indeed, “popular” inscription of the female body in the media in general and in Tollywood films, Swahili literary pieces, and “friendly’ exchanges and comments on Facebook walls in particular, impose literal, figurative and interpretative outlook that sells the films and literary works, as it amplifies female body inscription while condemning such a body to lust and ridicule.
Exploring the problems of second language learners’ English pronunciation: A contrastive analysis of English and Oshiwambo (Oshikwanyama)
(University of Namibia, 2016) Hamakali, Hafeni P.; Mbenzi, Petrus A.
English is the official language of Namibia. The majority of Namibians have to learn English as a second language because their mother tongue is either one of the Namibian indigenous languages or a different foreign language. Learning English has been a challenge to many learners and several studies attribute the high failure rate in Namibia to poor proficiency in English. In particular, contrastive analysis studies attribute some of the second language learners’ learning difficulties to their first language influence on the target language, English. This study, also a contrastive analysis, focuses on the difficulties which the native speakers of Oshiwambo encounter in learning to speak English, with particular reference to the Ovakwanyama. The study attempts to identify common errors which Oshikwanyama speakers would make in English and establishes the grounds for such errors. Finally, the study makes suggestion for the intervention strategies to remedy the situation.
Texts on Swahili cultural artefacts in Tanzania and the representation of women’s voice
(University of Namibia, 2016) Omari, Shani
This paper seeks to examine how women express themselves in Swahili through household cultural artefacts in Tanzania. The paper focuses on words or texts written on the cultural artefacts, especially food covers and hand fans. We analyze these two artefacts together due to the fact that in Swahili society they are mainly used by women at homes and they have some parallels in the content of their texts. Although these artefacts are found in various parts of the country, they are mostly widely available in the coastal areas. The data of this paper, therefore, were collected in three coastal areas in Tanzania, namely Kilwa, Tanga and Dar es Salaam. The paper uses the Semiotic Theory in the analysis of of its data. It is generally revealed that food covers and hand fans serve as an important means of communication among Swahili women. The artefacts present issues of the women while at the same time communicating their messages to a wider audience.
The study of literature as a resource for second language acquisition
(University of Namibia, 2016) Simataa, Agnes A.; Nyathi, Sifiso F.
This paper emanates from an earlier study, which examined the views of Namibian Grade 11 and 12 teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) on the use of English literature in ESL classrooms. The aim of the paper is to present the rationale and conceptualisation underlying the significance of the use of literature to improve general language proficiency levels of students. The study is based on the Learner Centred approach which is related to the communicative theory to learning and teaching. The implication of the paper is that literature should be taught conscientiously by language educators to enhance learner proficiency in language classrooms. The benefits of literature in an ESL classroom are multidimensional; which include, among others; attainment of pragmatic (social language use) skills, grammar and vocabulary expansion, extensive reading motivation, intercultural awareness, language skills and critical thinking skills. This was also supported by the findings of the study in which a significant number of the respondents agreed that the study of literature had an important role to play in language acquisition.
Heritage as a motivation for Kiswahili language learning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa
(University of Namibia, 2016) Chipila, Rajabu A.
This article explores the role of heritage as a motivation for learning Kiswahili as a foreign language at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Since publication of the works of Gardner and Lambert on language motivation in the 1970s, this aspect has dominated the area of second and foreign language learning. While initial studies on language learning motivation were focused on major western languages, such as English and French in Canada, in recent years the focus has shifted towards what in the United States are called less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). Within the context of the US, the LCTLs are generally defined as the low-enrolment and infrequently taught languages and most cited examples are, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian, and in recent years indigenous African languages such as Kiswahili, Amharic, Hausa, Igbo, Akan, IsiZulu, and IsiXhosa. Arabic is also included on the list. The research emphasis has particularly been on the language educators’ attempt to establish students’ reasons for engaging in learning these languages. It has been well documented that heritage is one of the main reasons students choose to learn the LCTLs in America. Nevertheless, there is lack of information on motivating factors for African students learning other African languages within African universities. This problem might be attributed to the absence of the African language programmes taught in universities of other African countries where the languages are not native. It is only in recent years that Kiswahili has started to be taught in universities of other non- Kiswahili speaking countries, such as at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, University of Namibia in Namibia, and the University of Zimbabwe, in Zimbabwe. Using the action research approach, the present study shares research findings on the role of heritage as a learning motivation among students studying Kiswahili as a foreign language at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Speakers living and languages dying: The endangerment of !Xóõ and øHua in Botswana
(University of Namibia, 2017) Moumakwa, Tshiamiso V.; Monaka, Kemmonye C.
!Xóõ and øHua are San languages spoken in Botswana, with !Xóõ also cross-bordering into South Africa and Namibia. !Xóõ is a Southern Khoesan language genetically affiliated to the Taa branch of Khoesan languages. The classification of øHua has been rather problematic. It has been classified with Southern Khoesan or Northern Khoesan, as an isolate or into the Ju-øHoan conglomerate. Both of these languages are acutely endangered. The objective of this article to is address the classification of !Xóõ and øHua, discuss the geographical spread in Botswana and lay out factors that lead to their acute endangerment in the country. The paper argues that endangering factors include the San relocation exercise in Botswana, contact with powerful Bantu groups and the current anguage/ language-in-education policy. The collective effect of these factors is the obliteration of !Xóõ and the øHua cultures and languages, and the domination and marginalization of these people in the land of their birth. The paper further recommends that this decimation of !Xóõ and øHua language and culture could be curbed by an enabling political will, documentation of these cultures and languages, the development of orthographies if possible, among other things.
Theoretical configurations and considerations on African popular culture
(University of Namibia, 2017) Senkoro, Fikeni E.
This conceptual paper deals with some theoretical configurations and considerations of the form and content of African popular culture/s. It problematizes the subject by raising some provocative questions that may produce further and, perhaps, new areas for discussions. The three leading questions are: What exactly is popular culture? For whom and by what means is such culture produced and consumed? To whom and to what end is such culture popular? The paper touches on questions of identity, especially pertaining to the youth; and the link between popular culture and social, political and economic power. Further, the paper deals with aspects of production, including mass production, and consumption of popular culture. The role of popular culture in the political processes is interrogated in terms of mobilization, resistance, articulation and maintenance of identities that provide alternative ways of interpreting different social forces. Issues of nationalism and national culture in the face of “globalization” are also touched on vis-à-vis African popular cultures. We also ask whether we should view the subject from purely anti-elitist and pro-masses outlook. Generally the paper probes into the place of popular culture within the bigger definition of culture as a drapery of physical, mental and emotional actions whose nexus holds a particular people together within and oftentimes across generations.
Chinua Achebe and hybrid aesthetics
(University of Namibia, 2017) Waliaula, Ken Walibora
This essay examines the question of hybridity in Chinua Achebe’s fiction and essays with a view to bringing to fore the inherent contradictions, ambiguities and ambivalences that typify writing in the colonial language. It hinges on the premise that Achebe’s choice of English as a language of literary expression is fraught with rejection and acceptance, aporia and agony, and Anglophilia and Anglophobia. Therefore, in his articulation and projection of the postcolonial narrative, Achebe implicitly grapples with the issue of identity in trying to make sense of his world as well as the world of his fictional characters.
Another day in my life
(University of Namibia, 2017) Mkandawire, Lucy
As I lie on my mat in the still of the night, with only the intermittent sound of a laughing hyena in the far distance, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. The baby in my belly begins to kick as though reminding me that the little porridge that I had apportioned myself for supper was not enough for both of us. Since my husband left two months ago to live with his new wife, life has been even more difficult than before. At least when he was here I did not have to till the land on my own. But now I have to till the land, pound the corn, cook the meals – assuming there is something to cook, and take care of my three other children. And with a growing belly, doing household chores gets more and more difficult by the day. I’m thankful that I only have two more months to go before the baby comes. Then I can at least do the housework more comfortably while my mother tends to the baby.
The Arabic stimulus to the Swahili language: A post-colonial balance sheet
(University of Namibia, 2017) Mazrui, Alamin
It is generally accepted that Arabic has had a major impact on the growth of the Swahili language over the centuries. The meaning of this linguistic stimulus of Arabic, however, has been a matter of far lesser consensus in both the colonial and postcolonial dispensations. Does the Semitic influence reduce Swahili’s African credentials, and does it amount to some degree of linguistic Islamization? If so, is the development an argument in favor of or against Swahili in relation to its role as a language of Christianity and, later of national belonging and expression? And can one be anti-Arab and anti- Islam but pro-Swahili at the same time without having to dis-Arabize Swahili? These are some of the central questions addressed in this article, reflecting conflicting positions of various interest groups, even as Swahili’s own momentum and dynamism have increasingly neutralized the contestation over its identity.
Language Skills for Higher Education in Tanzania
(University of Namibia, 2017) Rugemalira, Josephat
This paper argues that there are two radical policy options available to the higher education establishment in Tanzania with regard to the issue of the language medium of instruction. The first option requires the establishment of a strict filtering mechanism in order to exclude all applicants who do not possess the English language skills required in an English medium university. The second option seeks to develop a bilingual language policy for higher education. This would allow partial use of Kiswahili in the system e.g. in lectures, seminar discussions and examinations, even while most literature has to be accessed in English. The paper presents an account of the conditions that call for such a radical departure from current practice, showing that the much utilized ‘University of Dar es Salaam Model’ of Communications Skills courses has not had the expected impact.
The use of mother tongue in public services in Namibia: A short thinking piece
(University of Namibia, 2017) Senkoro, Fikeni E.; Simasiku, Liswani
The history of policies that include the use of mother tongue in public services in Namibia goes back to as far as the period immediately after Independence. Among such policy documents is Chapter 1 Article 3 of The Constitution of the Republic of Namibia that deals specifically with Language. In this article English is declared to be the official language of Namibia. It is further stated in Sub-Article (2) that: Nothing contained in this Constitution shall prohibit the use of any other language as a medium of instruction in private schools or in schools financed or subsidized by the State, subject to compliance with such requirements as may be imposed by law, to ensure proficiency in the official language, or for pedagogic reasons.
The jigsaw method: The use of cooperative learning in a grade 7 English second language lessons – a Namibia school case study
(University of Namibia, 2017) Hautemo, Aletta Mweneni
This paper reports on the use of cooperative learning technique – Jigsaw - that describes the use of small groups to enable learners to increase their own responsibility in learning and that of their peers. As a strategy that support Learner Centred Education which was adopted as a framework for teaching and learning in Namibia in 1990, cooperative learning is very compatible to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) which are both highlighted in the new basic education national curriculum as strategies for teaching languages in Namibian schools. To develop responsive practices to the learner-centred approach this study investigates the role of cooperative learning activities in learning English second language and the influence it has on teaching and assessing learners. An expansive route was taken to engage learners in a Jigsaw activity, in an English Second Language lesson. The findings revealed that participants of the study perceived cooperative learning instructional to be generally a positive experiences which provide an effective method of learning in groups and it enhance learners’ achievement. Cooperative learning may help learners to acquire and develop four language skills at the same time and with easy as concepts are interlinked. Learners in the jigsaw classroom reported stronger intrinsic motivation, greater interest in the topic, and more cognitive activation and involvement.
Omikalo omikulu nomipe dhokuyunga oosa dhAawambo
(University of Namibia, 2017) Mbenzi, Petrus A.
This paper describes the past and the present mourning practices and rituals of Aawambo. It examines traditional practices, which were adhered to in the ancient time, and the impact of modernization on the mourning practices of Aawambo. The paper also presents the responses of the Aawambo to the funeral rites in Oshiwambo society. Interdependent construal theory is used to identify the tenets of mutual obligations among Aawambo during the mourning rite. In addition westernisation theory is employed to gauge the impact of euro-western culture on the mourning practices and rituals of Aawambo. The data for this paper were collected through interviews, observation and documented texts. In the final analysis, the paper reveals that western cultures co-exist with Oshiwambo culture. It further reveals mourning period has become a conduit for class distinction associated with prestige, respect and economic status.

Browse

Browsing JULACE: Journal of the University of Namibia Language Centre by Issue Date

Results Per Page

Sort Options