The use of "indigenous" and urban vernaculars in Zimbabwe

Bibliographic Data

ID2880362
AuthorsSinfree Makoni (0000-0002-4493-1750, Pennsylvania State University), Janina Brutt-Griffler (0000-0001-7250-5444, University at Buffalo, State University of New York), Pedzisai Mashiri (University of Zimbabwe)
Year2007
Volume36
Issue1
Pages25-49
Publication date2007-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage in Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-4045 • E-ISSN: 1469-8013
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0047404507070029
OpenAlexW2094077495
LanguageEN
Citations received39
References cited27

This article analyzes the reasons for and the effects of the language shift in Zimbabwe represented by the increasing use of pan-ethnic lingua francas, or urban vernaculars, of local origin. It is suggested that essentialist/primordialist assumptions about “indigenous” languages that feature prominently in current accounts of language endangerment should be made more complex by understanding their historical and social origins. In Zimbabwe, this means understanding the origins of Shona and Ndebele during the colonial period as the product of a two-stage process: codification of dialects by missionaries, and creation of a unified standard by the colonial regime. In the postcolonial context, these languages and the ethnic identities they created/reified are giving way to language use that indexes not ethnic affiliation but urbanization. The article adduces data showing that as Zimbabweans move with relative ease across language boundaries, urban vernaculars express their shared social experience of living in postcolonial urban environments.The authors would like to thank Xingren Xu for his technical support during the writing and revision of this article

Colonialism · Context (archaeology) · Essentialism · Ethnic group · Geography · Indigenous · Lingua franca · Linguistics · Shona · Sociology · African history and culture studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy

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