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Vol. 61, no. 1 (Spring 2019)

Contents

Abstracts

Sociolinguistics of Language Endangerment in Africa and Asia

David Bradley
La Trobe University

Abstract. The present issue contains selected papers from the Fifth Sociolinguistics of Language Endangerment (SoLE) Workshop held during the Twentieth International Congress of Linguists of the Comité International Permanent des Linguistes at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on 5–6 July 2018. This collection focuses on sociolinguistic issues related to language endangerment in Africa and Asia, but, of course, similar processes are underway worldwide. I also discuss here in general terms the many factors leading to language endangerment and the range of possible community responses.

Elhomwe Revitalization Efforts: Myth or Reality?

Edrinnie Elizabeth Lora-Kayambazinthu
University of Malawi

Abstract. Elhomwe, a Bantu language, has been endangered in Malawi since the nineteenth century. Its status and the success of revitalization efforts fostered by an elite-backed cultural organization are assessed using both qualitative and quantitative data. Although the Lomwe express enthusiasm over Lomwe political and ethnic resurgence and positive attitudes towards the language, revitalization has been minimally successful and the language remains fragile; improved socioeconomic, historical, and political status has not translated into resurgence and associated prestige of the language. The reasons for this lack of success despite elite and political brokerage are explored.

The Rise and Fall of Xri: The History of a Completed Language Shift in the Northern Cape, South Africa

Martin Mössmer
University of Cape Town

Abstract. On the basis of a thorough study of all known sources, the processes are reconstructed by which Xri (Khoe, southern Africa) came to be spoken in an emergent multilingual and multiethnic society in the interior of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, and relations between Xri and the Griqua group to which many of its speakers have belonged are clarified. Linguistic pressure from Cape Dutch, territorial pressure from European settlers, and political pressure from the colonial government contributed to its eventual decline with speakers shifting to an Afrikaans variety over 150 years, although partial speakers still survive.

Setswana and the Building of a Nation State

Kemmonye Collete Monaka
University of Botswana

Anderson Monthusi Chebanne
University of Botswana

Abstract. The Constitution of Botswana recognizes a monolithic, homogeneous Tswana state; the twenty-five or more non-Tswana groups are thus marginalized. This article traces the beginnings of this detrimental misconception and demonstrates how it has been perpetuated through other policies. (Se)Tswana language dominance and its use in the building of a Tswana nation state in the context of linguistic and cultural diversity are discussed, along with the role of the education system, and in particular, the language-in-education policy, in the building of a nation state. The dire consequences of this dominance are noted, and a survey of developments on marginalized languages in the country as a preservation and survival measure is presented.

On the Status of Dompo, a Critically Endangered Language in Ghana

Esther Desiadenyo Manu-Barfo
La Trobe University

Abstract. Dompo, spoken in the northwestern corner of the Bono Region in Ghana, is critically endangered. For several decades, the speakers of Dompo have not actively transmitted it to the next generation, but rather have adopted Nafaanra (believed to be originally from Kakala, Ivory Coast). As a result, there are only about six fluent speakers of Dompo, between the ages of forty-eight and ninety-six. Dompo history and their annual festival are also discussed in this article, which concludes with a discussion of why the language is now in a moribund state.

Preserving Endangered Knowledge in a Dictionary: The Case of Ket

Elizaveta Kotorova
University of Zielona Góra and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University

Andrey Nefedov
University of Hamburg and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University

Abstract. Describing culture-specific vocabulary is a rather challenging part of lexicographic work, especially in the case of languages considered to be endangered. As a rule, such languages are understudied and not sufficiently documented, which greatly complicates the presentation of ethnocultural realia in a dictionary. We describe the main problems related to presenting ethnocultural material encountered in the course of making the Comprehensive Dictionary of Ket, a highly endangered Yeniseian language. They include cultural differences in categorization of extralinguistic reality, the presentation of ethnocultural in-formation in a dictionary entry, and the loss of ethnocultural knowledge in the language community.

Does Ideological Clarification Help Language Maintenance? Exploring the Revitalization Paradox through the Case of Manegacha, a Tibetan Minority Language

Gerald Roche
La Trobe University

Abstract. Studies of language maintenance and revitalization have often demonstrated an apparent paradox: even when people have positive attitudes towards a language, they may not engage in behaviors that support it. It has been suggested that contradictory ideas hinder language maintenance and revitalization, so that ideological clarification is required before beginning such programs. I question these claims through a case study of Manegacha, a minoritized language of Tibet. It seems that there is, in fact, no necessary link between contradictory attitudes and ideologies and language shift; what seems to be significant is the nature and intensity of contradiction, not its mere presence or absence.

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