Browsing by Author "Shiweda, Meameno Aileen"

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    Multilingual communication in a higher education classroom in Namibia where the dominant community language is Oshiwambo
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12) Shiweda, Meameno Aileen; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study refers to the use of two languages in education at a satellite campus of the University of Namibia situated in the far north of the country in the town of Ongwediva. The dominant community language in this region is Oshiwambo. The official language of the country, and of the particular university campus, is English. As the majority of students come from this region, the dominant first language on this campus among staff and students is Oshiwambo. This research gives a description of multilingualism prevalent among individuals and in the community on this particular campus; it also explains some of the characterising features of a plurilingual community of practice in this higher education (HE) institution. This thesis gives a description of communicative practices in a multilingual classroom at the particular HE institution in this rural town. It aims to document how practices of code-switching between Oshiwambo and English are used in facilitating (or hindering) learning as this becomes manifest in classroom discourse. Also, it aims to explain the kind of mobility that is enabled and sometimes also enforced by linguistic diversity within a community such as the one investigated here on the Hifikepunye Pohamba campus in Ongwediva. Findings of this study provide evidence that most lecturers and students, even many of foreign origin, alternate between two languages, namely between Oshiwambo and English. Although the practice of code switching is neither unusual nor discouraged, the data indicates that is occurs much less in formal classroom discourse than in informal discourse and in smaller group discussions. Observed and recorded presentations by the lecturer are done in English and responses by students in the lecture are given largely in English. Code switching from English to Oshiwambo happens when students need to articulate themselves more precisely than their English proficiency allows. Such code switching also serves other purposes such as including and excluding other conversants, mediating new knowledge, changing tone, etc. L1 speakers of languages other than Oshiwambo do at times experience social isolation, and exclusion in collaborative learning. Nevertheless, many informally acquire proficiency in Oshiwambo and so are accommodated into the educational discourse. The mobility of the local Namibian population as well as that of people from neighbouring countries, enhances the multilingualism which has to be accommodated in lectures and in out-of-classroom interaction. In spite of multilingual repertoires, the participants in the study all ascribe to a model of “double monolingualism” in that they regard their linguistic repertoires not as intersecting language systems, but as separate systems with distinct functions in different contexts. Their linguistic practices, however, display much more unconscious integration of the variety of languages they know. The study finds that it is vital for educators to take cognisance of these findings in order to make better use of the linguistic resources of the communities represented among lecturers and students.
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    Narrative writing and language biographies on English language learning: the case of Hifikepunye Pohamba Campus
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-12) Shiweda, Meameno Aileen; Van der Walt, Christa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.