Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development
Indigenous language media are active spaces for the development, maintenance and renewal of indigenous languages in Africa. Juxtaposing Kwayedza and uMthunywa tabloids, which publish in Shona and Ndebele languages, alongside mainstream English language press, The Herald and The Chronicle, this study...
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Routledge
2022
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2018.1473147 https://library.au.int/culture-sensationalism-and-indigenous-language-press-zimbabwe-implications-language-development http://hdl.handle.net/11408/4846 |
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| author | Mpofu, Phillip Salawu, Abiodun |
| author_facet | Mpofu, Phillip Salawu, Abiodun |
| author_sort | Mpofu, Phillip |
| collection | DSpace |
| description | Indigenous language media are active spaces for the development, maintenance and renewal of indigenous languages in Africa. Juxtaposing Kwayedza and uMthunywa tabloids, which publish in Shona and Ndebele languages, alongside mainstream English language press, The Herald and The Chronicle, this study interrogates the implications of sensationalism on the structural and functional development of indigenous languages and the indigenous language press in Zimbabwe. This article is framed within the concepts of language development, diglossia and decolonial theory. This is an evaluative and comparative qualitative inquiry of headlines in 30 issues of uMthunywa and Kwayedza. Using interviews, data was gathered from a conveniently and purposively selected sample comprising of journalists, language and media academics, as well as readers and non-readers of Kwayedza and uMthunywa. The study exposes nuances of the marginalisation, folklorisation and corruption of indigenous languages in the press; and the inadvertent validation of English as the language of the media. However, this study ultimately shows that tabloidisation has ensured the survival of indigenous languages and indigenous language press in the context of the hegemony of English and competition from the English language press in Zimbabwe. |
| format | Article |
| id | ir-11408-4846 |
| institution | My University |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Routledge |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ir-11408-48462022-06-27T13:49:06Z Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development Mpofu, Phillip Salawu, Abiodun Language Literature uMthunywa Indigenous language media are active spaces for the development, maintenance and renewal of indigenous languages in Africa. Juxtaposing Kwayedza and uMthunywa tabloids, which publish in Shona and Ndebele languages, alongside mainstream English language press, The Herald and The Chronicle, this study interrogates the implications of sensationalism on the structural and functional development of indigenous languages and the indigenous language press in Zimbabwe. This article is framed within the concepts of language development, diglossia and decolonial theory. This is an evaluative and comparative qualitative inquiry of headlines in 30 issues of uMthunywa and Kwayedza. Using interviews, data was gathered from a conveniently and purposively selected sample comprising of journalists, language and media academics, as well as readers and non-readers of Kwayedza and uMthunywa. The study exposes nuances of the marginalisation, folklorisation and corruption of indigenous languages in the press; and the inadvertent validation of English as the language of the media. However, this study ultimately shows that tabloidisation has ensured the survival of indigenous languages and indigenous language press in the context of the hegemony of English and competition from the English language press in Zimbabwe. 2022-05-11T13:14:05Z 2022-05-11T13:14:05Z 2018 Article 1472-5843 1472-5851 https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2018.1473147 https://library.au.int/culture-sensationalism-and-indigenous-language-press-zimbabwe-implications-language-development http://hdl.handle.net/11408/4846 en African Identities;Vol. 13; No. 3: p. 333-348 open Routledge |
| spellingShingle | Language Literature uMthunywa Mpofu, Phillip Salawu, Abiodun Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development |
| title | Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development |
| title_full | Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development |
| title_fullStr | Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development |
| title_short | Culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in Zimbabwe: implications on language development |
| title_sort | culture of sensationalism and indigenous language press in zimbabwe: implications on language development |
| topic | Language Literature uMthunywa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2018.1473147 https://library.au.int/culture-sensationalism-and-indigenous-language-press-zimbabwe-implications-language-development http://hdl.handle.net/11408/4846 |
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