Browsing by Author "Mlambo, Nelson"

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    Multilingualism in Health Care: Communicative experiences of expatriate healthcare providers with varying linguistic repertoires in Windhoek, Namibia
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Mlambo, Nelson; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study reports on the investigation of communicative practices among multilingual participants in healthcare in Windhoek, Namibia, from the perspective of expatriate healthcare practitioners working in the private sector. The multilingual environment of healthcare has remained largely uninvestigated in Namibia, which is a matter of concern considering how heavily Namibia relies on healthcare providers of foreign origin whose linguistic repertoires are diverse. The general objective of this research was to gain insight into multilingual communicative resources and needs, and how from the perspective of healthcare providers (HCPs), communication is managed. The study has a qualitative research design, using a questionnaire to collect data from 19 HCPs. The 19 HCPs who participated in this study selfreported a wide range of linguistic biographies; in addition to their mother tongue/home language the HCPs indicated that they had acquired various other languages. English was acquired by all participants at an early age, most between the ages three and nine years old. The context of English language acquisition was reported as the school environment, starting as early as in pre-primary school. Expatriate HCPs with many languages in their repertoire working in a multilingual context found the linguistic diversity among colleagues and patients to be challenging to a lesser extent, and enriching to a greater extent. The study further found that the expatriate HCP respondents experience the use of many languages to be an engagement that broadens their professional, social and cultural views and this ultimately results in improved work relations and improved HCP-patient relationships. The use of English as well as indigenous Namibian and foreign languages was found rather to improve than prohibit efficient interactions with the patients, and multilingualism was found to be a resource, especially within a context like Windhoek, Namibia.