A study examines the use of Kiswahili as representative of the dynamism of Kenyan society and the degree to which the Kenyan body politic has achieved cohesion. It focuses on a series of urban centers with overlapping spheres of influence, referred to as the urban corridor. The Kenyan situation is viewed through a model provided by chaos theory…

This paper addresses the difficulty experienced by many non-mother-tongue speakers in acquiring the click sounds of the Xhosa language. Eighteen English- and Afrikaans-speaking students, aged 10 through 13, with no previous knowledge of Xhosa were instructed and tested in making the 15 different click sounds that occur in the Xhosa language. The…

The morphological function of tone/accent is examined in a number of Cushitic languages, with the objective of determining whether any comparative statement can be made validly at the group level. Three languages, the Somali dialect cluster, Afar, and Oromo, are the basis for the study. Patterns in case, gender, and the jussive form are analyzed.…

A basic vocabulary of words in English, French, and Mandinka was designed for Peace Corps volunteers in Senegal. An introductory section gives a brief overview of Mandinka pronunciation. The English word list is organized alphabetically with the French and Mandinka equivalents supplied in parallel columns. An appendix provides lists of…

The curriculum guide for a beginning level course in Kpelle for English speakers first offers 25 lessons designed for a 300-hour course. The materials, developed for classroom use, are suitable for use with a native Kpelle-speaking tutor, and suggestions for this application are offered. Each lesson is divided into three sections. The first…

This is a student workbook in African American studies used in the Detroit, Michigan public schools in 1978-79. The workbook contains student exercises in African history, culture, geography, languages, architecture, folktales, food, and artifacts. The continent of Africa is covered in units on Egypt, North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, and…

The languages of Nigeria and language usage in that country are discussed in a study designed to illustrate the need for a Nigerian lingua franca. Extensive data are first presented on Nigerian languages and dialects, their classification, and their geographic distribution. The remainder of the survey is devoted to a sociolinguistic study of…

This paper concerns the development of Papiamento, a creole language spoken in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, islands off the coast of Venezuela. The contributions of each of the languages which influenced its development--Portuguese, African languages, Spanish, and Dutch--are examined in successive sections of the paper, with a concluding portion…

This basic Olof course consists of a series of dialogues with drills, questions and improvised situations based on the real life experiences of Peace Corps volunteers in the Gambia. The teaching method is structured around choral repetition. backward build-up for difficult sequences, individual repetition, precise explanations of vocabulary, and…

This textbook follows the third edition of "Introductory Bambara: An Ka Bamanankan Kalan", and is designed so that Bambara can be used almost exclusively in the classroom. Each of the twenty lessons has a culturally oriented topic and consists of a reading selection, drills on grammar and vocabulary list. The grammar notes are not…

"Africans in the Diaspora" refers to peoples of African origin dispersed throughout South America, the Caribbean, and North America as a result of the Atlantic slave trade carried out by European nations from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. The paper first provides an historical overview of the Diaspora. It then discusses…

This paper argues for the use of indigenous languages as languages of teaching and learning, focusing on Zimbabwe. It describes the language situation in Zimbabwe, which has three national languages (all of which enjoy some prominence under the current Education Act) and fourteen minority indigenous languages. English plays a central role in…

Investigates how the language in which formal education is conducted affects learners' reading ability in the context of Malawi and Zambia. Administration of English- and local-language reading tests reveals that no significant difference exists in English-language reading ability between learners in each country, but large differences in favor of…

Analysis of survey responses regarding Ghanaians' preferred language policy indicated that a "3+1" language policy, involving individuals' learning of a national, international, and local language, constitutes an equilibrium outcome, although some minority-language groups would need to learn a fourth language if their vernacular is…

Presents a detailed study of the language-planning situation in Malawi, exploring the historical and political processes, as well as current practices of language planning in the country. Discussion reconstructs and demonstrates how sociopolitical change has been perceived in Malawi and how this perception has translated into language planning in…