When language revitalisation transcends linguistic issues
Motivations for the revitalisation of Tonga
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21757306 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jubilee Chikasha (0000-0003-2323-6473, University of Johannesburg, corresponding author), Anne-Marie Beukes (0000-0003-0121-8442, SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns [South African Academy for Science and Art]) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 43-54 |
| Publication date | 2021-01-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1607-3614 • E-ISSN: 1727-9461 |
| Publisher | National Inquiry Services Center (NISC) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2989/16073614.2021.1894191 |
| OpenAlex | W3159389458 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 17 |
This article presents findings from research on Tonga language revitalisation. Tonga is a formerly marginalised indigenous language spoken in north-western Zimbabwe. It is part of Zimbabwe’s linguistic ecology comprising 16 officially recognised languages that exist in a polyglossic situation. The Tonga community recently embarked on a bottom-up language planning approach to revitalise their language, contrary to the traditional macro-level language planning, which is normally top-down. Through semi-structured interviews, the study explores the Tonga speakers’ motivations for the revitalisation of their language. The study also aims to test the usability of Karan’s (2008) taxonomy of language choice motivations as presented in his perceived benefit model of language shift. The findings point to the fact that the linguistic war that the Tonga community have been fighting is fuelled by various agendas. Although on the surface the Tonga people seemed to be dealing with a linguistic issue, the ripple effects touch on other pragmatic considerations such as political, social, economic and educational issues, issues that deal directly with end-user needs, both at individual and community level. Karan’s model was found useful in analysing motivations for revitalisation
Indigenous · Indigenous language · Language planning · Language shift · Linguistics · Macro · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Computer Science · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Multilingual Education and Policy · Ecology
Language Management
Reversing Language Shift
Language contact and language conflict
Revitalisation of the Tonga Language in Zimbabwe
Language politics in postcolonial Africa revisited
Language activism in Zimbabwe
The Revitalisation of the Tonga Language in Zimbabwe
Language policy incongruity and African languages in postapartheid South Africa
The Role of Discourse in Identity Formation and the Manufacture of Ethnic Minorities in Zimbabwe
Language Planning From Below
A critical analysis of the historical and contemporary status of minority languages in Zimbabwe
Vision and Reality
Understanding and forecasting Ethnolinguistic Vitality
Hot and cold ethnicities
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |