Gregory Kamwendo
Biographic Data
| ID | 236090 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gregory Kamwendo |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gregory |
| FAMILY NAME | Kamwendo |
| SIGNATURE | KAMWENDO G |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5821-2581 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 15 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1991 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Voices of ignorance versus voices of knowledge: Debates on English as medium of instruction in Malawian primary schools
In 2014, the Government of Malawi announced a new policy under which English would become the medium of instruction from the beginning of primary school. Previously, Chichewa or a relevant local language of wider communication were used as mediums of instruction. Using the notion of “voice” to analyze the new language policy, the paper distinguishes voices from above (government) and voices from below (the people). Embedded within each of the two…
Code-switching as a Strategy for the Decolonisation of Learning: A Case of One University in Swaziland
Although the call for the decolonisation of learning and an African renaissance has been a common trend in research recently, less attention has been paid to code-switching as a strategy for decolonising learning at universities. This article explores code-switching as a strategy for decolonising learning at a private university in Swaziland. The article addresses two questions: 1) What are students’ experiences of code-switching during Englishme…
On Cross-Border Languages and Cross-Border Collaboration between Malawi and Mozambique
One glaring consequence of colonial history is the placement of people speaking one language into different countries. Mozambique is no exception in this regard. With reference to one of its neighbours, Malawi, the two countries have languages such as Chichewa (also known as Chinyanja), Chilomwe, Chisena, and Chiyao cutting across their borders. The two countries, however, differ in terms of the statuses and degrees of corpus-planning treatment g…
African Indigenous Languages in Higher Education
The paper uses secondary sources to interrogate the role of African indigenous languages in higher education transformation. Multilingualism in African higher education is seen as critical in promoting African scholarship and Africa-led globalization. Kiswahili and isiZulu are used as case studies. African universities such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) have incorporated the promotion…
Language planning at a cross-border university in Swaziland: The case of teaching and learning, research and institutional administration
The paper discusses language planning at a cross-border university (a Zimbabwean university) that offers academic programmes to the Kingdom of Swaziland in the Southern African region. The paper is situated within the micro-level language planning framework, and discusses language decisions that govern three areas of university business, namely: teaching and learning, research, and institutional administration. The following served as sources of …
The new language of instruction policy in Malawi: A house standing on a shaky foundation
From the Chichewa Board to the Centre for Language Studies: A Critique of a Malawian Language Academy
A language academy, known as the Chichewa Board, existed in Malawi from 1972 to 1995. Its three functions were: to compile a Chichewa dictionary; to produce a standard orthography of Chichewa; and to contribute to the general development of Chichewa. The then President of Malawi, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, was very instrumental to the establishment and execution of the functions of the Board. Following the defeat of Banda in the 1994 elections, the B…
Towards a Vibrant African Languages Industry in the Era of the African Renaissance
To some people, African languages are insufficiently valued or good for nothing. Such people do not find any economic value in African languages. However, the African renaissance can inject a new lease of life into African languages. The African linguistic renaissance implies uplifting the status and use of African languages. It also means taking African languages into domains where their economic value will rise. This requires a drastic change i…
Those promoting and practising homosexuality are worse than pigs and dogs”: Linguistic assault on homosexuals in Malawi
Homosexuality is a social taboo and crime in Malawi and other African countries. To this end, one finds linguistic expressions that attack homosexuals and homosexuality. In this briefing such expressions have been called linguistic assaults. With the use of readers' comments drawn from a Malawian online newspaper, this briefing illustrates how the dominant voices attack homosexuals and homosexuality. Using the notion of face to analyse readers' c…
Linguistic and Religious Diversity and Inclusivity in the Botswana School Curriculum
Botswana, an African country, is characterized by linguistic and religious diversity. To this end, the paper assesses the extent to which the school curriculum accommodates and reflects the country's linguistic and religious diversity. The paper argues that whilst Botswana's Vision 2016 calls on the education system to accommodate linguistic diversity, the curriculum does not do so. Through the pursuit of a linguistic assimilation policy, the edu…
Indigenous Knowledge-Systems and Food Security: Some Examples from Malawi
The paper explores the extent to which indigenous knowledge-systems can contribute to the achievement of food security. With examples drawn from Malawi, the paper illustrates the way in which indigenous knowledge-systems can assist in food preservation and food storage, leading to food security. The paper examines the way traditional ways of food preservation impact on food security and access at household level. In addition, we also highlight th…
On medium of instruction and African scholarship: The case of Isizulu at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa
After the demise of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, 11 languages (English, Afrikaans and 9 indigenous African languages) were given official status. In the higher education landscape, English remains the dominant language of scholarship. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, English is the main medium of instruction but the institution's language policy provides for the use of isiZulu (one of the indigenous African languages) as an additional me…
The politics of language and nation building in Zimbabwe
(2010). The politics of language and nation building in Zimbabwe. Language Matters: Vol. 41, Language politics in Africa, pp. 325-328
Denigrating the local, glorifying the foreign: Malawian language policies in the era of African Renaissance
Malawi's Vision 2020 document, a national document that serves as a vehicle to project a future for a more developed, secure and democratically mature nation, laments the tendency of Malawians to denigrade local products and glorify all things foreign. Yet, paradoxically, the document does not address the important issue of promoting Malawi's indigenous languages. This silence can be interpreted as reflective of the population's inclination to as…
The Sadc protocol on education and training: Linguistic implications and complications
This article, situated within the context of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, considers some linguistic implications and complications in the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Education and Training. For education to serve as an engine for sustainable development, there is a need to take on board both local African and exoglossic languages
African languages, education and sustainable development: An introduction
International languages and education in Botswana and Malawi: A comparative study
This article is a comparative study of how the language-in-education policies of two Southern African countries — Botswana and Malawi — have responded to the need to have citizens who can compete favourably on the global scene. While private schools have tended to offer several international languages, public schools, on the other hand, have not done so. Public schools are unable to give learners the linguistic power needed in a world in which, b…
Language Proficiency Testing and the Expatriate Medical Practitioner in Malawi
According to the Medical Council of Malawi, one of the conditions for a licence to be granted to an individual who wants to practise medicine in Malawi is the practitioner's ability to speak and write English fluently. This means that the expatriate medical practitioner is not required by law to demonstrate fluency in Chichewa (the national language) or any other relevant indigenous language(s). On the basis of a sociolinguistic study that was co…
The Bumpy Road to Mother Tongue Instruction in Malawi1
In 1996, the Ministry of Education in Malawi directed that in future Standards 1 to 4 would be taught through mother tongues. It took eight years before the pilot phase of the language policy could begin. The paper critically analyses this situation using Bamgbose's framework which says that, in Africa, language policies tend to follow one or more of the following patterns: avoidance, vagueness, arbitrariness, fluctuation, and declaration without…
The Bumpy Road to Mother Tongue Instruction in Malawi
Sociolinguistic Research in a 'Foreign' Territory: Challenges and Problems of Fieldwork at a Malawian Hospital
No abstract
Language planning in Botswana and Malawi: A Comparative Study
The article discusses language planning in two Southern African countries, Botswana and Malawi. Both countries are multilingual and multicultural. They also share a common British colonial history. At independence, the two countries retained English as the official language. In Botswana, Setswana was made the national language while in Malawi, it was Chichewa. Over the years, these languages have been developed and promoted at the expense of othe…
Language Planning from Below: An Example from Northern Malawi
Language, Identity and the Politics of Recognition in Post-Banda Northern Malawi
No abstract
Is Malawi guilty of spoiling the Queen's language
The present study reports on the history and current circumstances of the English language in Malawi (formerly the British protectorate of Nyasaland), where the standard of English, in terms both of teaching and use, has been in decline since the time of Dr Hastings Banda, the first president (who insisted on high standards in English and education). The study also describes and analyses Malawi's currently rising appetite for English in an enviro…
On medium of instruction and African scholarship: The case of Isizulu at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa
After the demise of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, 11 languages (English, Afrikaans and 9 indigenous African languages) were given official status. In the higher education landscape, English remains the dominant language of scholarship. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, English is the main medium of instruction but the institution's language policy provides for the use of isiZulu (one of the indigenous African languages) as an additional me…
The new language of instruction policy in Malawi: A house standing on a shaky foundation
Language Planning from Below: An Example from Northern Malawi
Those promoting and practising homosexuality are worse than pigs and dogs”: Linguistic assault on homosexuals in Malawi
Homosexuality is a social taboo and crime in Malawi and other African countries. To this end, one finds linguistic expressions that attack homosexuals and homosexuality. In this briefing such expressions have been called linguistic assaults. With the use of readers' comments drawn from a Malawian online newspaper, this briefing illustrates how the dominant voices attack homosexuals and homosexuality. Using the notion of face to analyse readers' c…
Indigenous Knowledge-Systems and Food Security: Some Examples from Malawi
The paper explores the extent to which indigenous knowledge-systems can contribute to the achievement of food security. With examples drawn from Malawi, the paper illustrates the way in which indigenous knowledge-systems can assist in food preservation and food storage, leading to food security. The paper examines the way traditional ways of food preservation impact on food security and access at household level. In addition, we also highlight th…
International languages and education in Botswana and Malawi: A comparative study
This article is a comparative study of how the language-in-education policies of two Southern African countries — Botswana and Malawi — have responded to the need to have citizens who can compete favourably on the global scene. While private schools have tended to offer several international languages, public schools, on the other hand, have not done so. Public schools are unable to give learners the linguistic power needed in a world in which, b…
Two Poems
No abstract
Is Malawi guilty of spoiling the Queen's language
The present study reports on the history and current circumstances of the English language in Malawi (formerly the British protectorate of Nyasaland), where the standard of English, in terms both of teaching and use, has been in decline since the time of Dr Hastings Banda, the first president (who insisted on high standards in English and education). The study also describes and analyses Malawi's currently rising appetite for English in an enviro…
Language Planning from Below: An Example from Northern Malawi
Language, Identity and the Politics of Recognition in Post-Banda Northern Malawi
No abstract
Language planning in Botswana and Malawi: A Comparative Study
The article discusses language planning in two Southern African countries, Botswana and Malawi. Both countries are multilingual and multicultural. They also share a common British colonial history. At independence, the two countries retained English as the official language. In Botswana, Setswana was made the national language while in Malawi, it was Chichewa. Over the years, these languages have been developed and promoted at the expense of othe…
Language Proficiency Testing and the Expatriate Medical Practitioner in Malawi
According to the Medical Council of Malawi, one of the conditions for a licence to be granted to an individual who wants to practise medicine in Malawi is the practitioner's ability to speak and write English fluently. This means that the expatriate medical practitioner is not required by law to demonstrate fluency in Chichewa (the national language) or any other relevant indigenous language(s). On the basis of a sociolinguistic study that was co…
The Bumpy Road to Mother Tongue Instruction in Malawi1
In 1996, the Ministry of Education in Malawi directed that in future Standards 1 to 4 would be taught through mother tongues. It took eight years before the pilot phase of the language policy could begin. The paper critically analyses this situation using Bamgbose's framework which says that, in Africa, language policies tend to follow one or more of the following patterns: avoidance, vagueness, arbitrariness, fluctuation, and declaration without…
The Bumpy Road to Mother Tongue Instruction in Malawi
Sociolinguistic Research in a 'Foreign' Territory: Challenges and Problems of Fieldwork at a Malawian Hospital
No abstract
The Sadc protocol on education and training: Linguistic implications and complications
This article, situated within the context of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, considers some linguistic implications and complications in the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Education and Training. For education to serve as an engine for sustainable development, there is a need to take on board both local African and exoglossic languages
African languages, education and sustainable development: An introduction
International languages and education in Botswana and Malawi: A comparative study
This article is a comparative study of how the language-in-education policies of two Southern African countries — Botswana and Malawi — have responded to the need to have citizens who can compete favourably on the global scene. While private schools have tended to offer several international languages, public schools, on the other hand, have not done so. Public schools are unable to give learners the linguistic power needed in a world in which, b…
The politics of language and nation building in Zimbabwe
(2010). The politics of language and nation building in Zimbabwe. Language Matters: Vol. 41, Language politics in Africa, pp. 325-328
Denigrating the local, glorifying the foreign: Malawian language policies in the era of African Renaissance
Malawi's Vision 2020 document, a national document that serves as a vehicle to project a future for a more developed, secure and democratically mature nation, laments the tendency of Malawians to denigrade local products and glorify all things foreign. Yet, paradoxically, the document does not address the important issue of promoting Malawi's indigenous languages. This silence can be interpreted as reflective of the population's inclination to as…
On medium of instruction and African scholarship: The case of Isizulu at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa
After the demise of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, 11 languages (English, Afrikaans and 9 indigenous African languages) were given official status. In the higher education landscape, English remains the dominant language of scholarship. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, English is the main medium of instruction but the institution's language policy provides for the use of isiZulu (one of the indigenous African languages) as an additional me…
Indigenous Knowledge-Systems and Food Security: Some Examples from Malawi
The paper explores the extent to which indigenous knowledge-systems can contribute to the achievement of food security. With examples drawn from Malawi, the paper illustrates the way in which indigenous knowledge-systems can assist in food preservation and food storage, leading to food security. The paper examines the way traditional ways of food preservation impact on food security and access at household level. In addition, we also highlight th…
From the Chichewa Board to the Centre for Language Studies: A Critique of a Malawian Language Academy
A language academy, known as the Chichewa Board, existed in Malawi from 1972 to 1995. Its three functions were: to compile a Chichewa dictionary; to produce a standard orthography of Chichewa; and to contribute to the general development of Chichewa. The then President of Malawi, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, was very instrumental to the establishment and execution of the functions of the Board. Following the defeat of Banda in the 1994 elections, the B…
Towards a Vibrant African Languages Industry in the Era of the African Renaissance
To some people, African languages are insufficiently valued or good for nothing. Such people do not find any economic value in African languages. However, the African renaissance can inject a new lease of life into African languages. The African linguistic renaissance implies uplifting the status and use of African languages. It also means taking African languages into domains where their economic value will rise. This requires a drastic change i…
Those promoting and practising homosexuality are worse than pigs and dogs”: Linguistic assault on homosexuals in Malawi
Homosexuality is a social taboo and crime in Malawi and other African countries. To this end, one finds linguistic expressions that attack homosexuals and homosexuality. In this briefing such expressions have been called linguistic assaults. With the use of readers' comments drawn from a Malawian online newspaper, this briefing illustrates how the dominant voices attack homosexuals and homosexuality. Using the notion of face to analyse readers' c…
Linguistic and Religious Diversity and Inclusivity in the Botswana School Curriculum
Botswana, an African country, is characterized by linguistic and religious diversity. To this end, the paper assesses the extent to which the school curriculum accommodates and reflects the country's linguistic and religious diversity. The paper argues that whilst Botswana's Vision 2016 calls on the education system to accommodate linguistic diversity, the curriculum does not do so. Through the pursuit of a linguistic assimilation policy, the edu…
African Indigenous Languages in Higher Education
The paper uses secondary sources to interrogate the role of African indigenous languages in higher education transformation. Multilingualism in African higher education is seen as critical in promoting African scholarship and Africa-led globalization. Kiswahili and isiZulu are used as case studies. African universities such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) have incorporated the promotion…
Language planning at a cross-border university in Swaziland: The case of teaching and learning, research and institutional administration
The paper discusses language planning at a cross-border university (a Zimbabwean university) that offers academic programmes to the Kingdom of Swaziland in the Southern African region. The paper is situated within the micro-level language planning framework, and discusses language decisions that govern three areas of university business, namely: teaching and learning, research, and institutional administration. The following served as sources of …
The new language of instruction policy in Malawi: A house standing on a shaky foundation
On Cross-Border Languages and Cross-Border Collaboration between Malawi and Mozambique
One glaring consequence of colonial history is the placement of people speaking one language into different countries. Mozambique is no exception in this regard. With reference to one of its neighbours, Malawi, the two countries have languages such as Chichewa (also known as Chinyanja), Chilomwe, Chisena, and Chiyao cutting across their borders. The two countries, however, differ in terms of the statuses and degrees of corpus-planning treatment g…
Code-switching as a Strategy for the Decolonisation of Learning: A Case of One University in Swaziland
Although the call for the decolonisation of learning and an African renaissance has been a common trend in research recently, less attention has been paid to code-switching as a strategy for decolonising learning at universities. This article explores code-switching as a strategy for decolonising learning at a private university in Swaziland. The article addresses two questions: 1) What are students’ experiences of code-switching during Englishme…
Political science (22 works) · Multilingual Education and Policy (21 works) · Sociology (19 works) · Linguistics (17 works) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (14 works) · Pedagogy (13 works) · Law (12 works) · Economic growth (7 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (7 works) · Psychology (7 works)