A Linguistic Expert Dr. Nkolola Wakumelo has expressed concern over the use of English in Parliament.
Dr. Wakumelo who is a Language and Linguistics Lecturer at the University of Zambia says a lot of people have not been able to participate in parliamentary debates due to the use of the Foreign Language.
She has called on Parliament to allow vernacular in parliament to ensure that people’s views are taken on board.
It has been observed that some parliamentarians with great ideas refrain from the debates due to the language barrier.
It has also been observed that the use of English at an early age in childhood is detrimental to the preservation of mother languages.
In some urban areas in Zambia, there is a growing trend among educated parents to teach their children English before they learn their original language.
To make matters worse, most gadgets that children play with use English for instructions of operations.
With this realization, the world yesterday commemorated International Mother Language day with focus on Information Communication technologies.
Should Zambian parents teach their children their local languages and discourage the use of English in the home?
[adapted from Muvi TV]
wow..u wonder what kind of confusion will be there..73 tribes..hahahaha..may be if you chose the big 4..
Dont worry…!!! SATA will introduce Bemba in parliament just wait and put him as your president for two weeks…!! This lunatic of yours with rotten teeth,,, should not be allowed even Chiluba has said, never to allow sata near the corido of the power…!!!
yes we should make Nyanja and Bemba the official languages of Zambia, thats a very good ideal, i like it. We need more people who can think like you. BIG UP.
this is nonsense,madness at its peak!!!!! let him use local language in his house
Just an observation he said the use of Zambian languages, so no one should express opinions? LT bloggers please learn to shave in the morning before you walk outdoors
This is a hip of nonsense. We have 73 three luanguages how cordinated can the use of local lunguages be. The qualification to be a councilor or an MP is that one should be able to read and write the official lunguage why then should we not use the same official luaguage in parliament. This Doctor of lingustic is a total shame, she should not mislead the nation if she has nothing tangible to talk about she should ZIP it.
# 2, who the F.U.C.K is chiluba?
let him speak nyanja or soli in h, is house.we all do bt trying to take to public institutions like parliament is madness,
I cant wait to move to barotse land and be free from tribalistic fools like john phiri and also arrogant retards like above…Sometimes i admire it here with white people..the ain’t such crap like tribal wars or isolations..people are identified by their nationality not tribe..lets forge ahead and free ourselves from such social bondages..i see every blackman as my african brother or sister..amen
She has a good point! There is also Parliament Radio – many people fail to follow the arguments in english limiting their participation. Having said that, I find it very difficult to implement this noble idea in Zambia. Our colleagues in Tanzania developed one language Swahili and worked hard to popularise it. Maybe we should have a referendum to vote which language we should create that can then be taught to all Zambians as a Zambian language – ah! It is too complicated. Ok – how about the idea of translators – it works in court. Can it work in Parliament? Hmmmmm she got me thinking!!!
Does this mean going back to Mother Nature ? Start wearing Leaves over your ,,,,,,, , get rid of the cars ? I can;t imagine a computer Game in vernacular , Some of these Academics really confuse me . I can imagine someone with their buttocks exposed Boarding a plane to the West for a meeting , But even that is not their civilization , which means all western concepts should be got rid of , Give us a break , lets look at developing our country even to the level it was at before Kaunda
Lozi, Nyanja, Bemba, Luvale/Kaonde and Tonga should be the official languages. I agree that our childern are now losing it with most of them only speaking english. I would recommend that we need english in Zambia at all cost but also ensure that our childern speak our mother tougue. We should avoid another being like other African Countries situation where people cannot even express themselves in English except Swahili.
Does this mean going back to Mother Nature ? Start wearing Leaves over your ,,,,,,, , get rid of the cars ? I can’t imagine a computer Game in vernacular , Some of these Academics really confuse me . I can imagine someone with their buttocks exposed Boarding a plane to the West for a meeting , But even that is not their civilization , which means all western concepts should be got rid of , Give us a break , lets look at developing our country even to the level it was at before Kaunda
Westerners will say “fa”, Guy Scott would agree thinking they are taking of “Far” when in actual sense they mean “near”. Not a bad idea to add circuss to this already confussed house. Briliant Idea! Let them debate the Abuse of Office clause in Kikaonde, maybe they will do the right thing.
Wow how i dream to serve in such a parliament.Hmm but am sure mukalaba insele..lol.But anyway i think it would be fun if such was introduced.I can imagine greeting my fellows” Shani mwebaume ? “.Awe nizee :)
I can not believe such things are being said in Parliament. Discourage English? Am I dreaming? English is an international language and does not belong to any specific country. If the country is to be competitive, we actually need to enhance our use of the language. An MP who cannot understand English is not qualified to be in the House. He should be a ward chairman. The problem with this sort of thinking is that the world will not lower their standards to suite us. Therefore the only way forward is to be with the rest of the world. Look at China. They are all learning English! I find it difficult to argue this case because it is so absurd to try to challenge the status quo.
# 15 lets start campaigning.We join that parliament for a change, too much seriousness where we are. It will be nice to ve Government gazette in Lamba.
There are claimz that every Zambian fallz in at least one one of the seven languagez spoken on ZNBC. Can imagine the confuzion that would be there in harmonizing thoze 7 in parliament. Some countriez are lucky for they have only one or two national languagez accepted and spoken by all despite the many tribes that may exist. Else it’s not a bad idea.
#11 there are computer games in venarcular e.g Chinese, Russian, English, Japanese, Swahili and now you have internet sites in Hausa etc. Even in other countries there are different languages – but they have chosen to popularise one that is used by all!!
The challenge we have is there are too many development challenges to think about than starting working on developing a new national language! I think we have to concede defeat to English Colonialsim on this one. We have been colonised forever as far as languages is concerned!!!
Good idea.I see no reason why we should be forced to use foreign languages all the time
And parliament in particular should make use of the local languges to widen the net for brialliant ideas. For those that can not understand some local languages, there can never be a shortage of interpretaors.
South Africa has 12 official languages and that hasnt presented any problems whatsoever!
Too late!
Hate it or like it, we now live in a globalised world, where English has become the market language. It is entirely up to those parliamentarians to begin using English more at home, hang around friends who mostly speak English, tune into the English channels on Radio and Television, and begin reading alound in English and practice writing speaches and ideas in English.
The UNZA linguist was completely overtaken by mere academics that don’t translate into real life.
The English competence among Zambians is impressive on the international stage. We are able to fully express ourselves and make an impression. When we travel to the English speaking world, we always have a head start above our fellows, and people understand us more clearly than some native speakers of…
This guy was joking! How can 150+ MPs use their mother tongues? Wont this be confusion of first order?
Sometimes you feel sorry for kiSwahili schooled people, and people from non-English speaking European nations. They can hardly speak a word of English.
So what are we saying? Let us continue teaching and using English in public dealings, while at the same time, those occupying offices should use “vernacular” with those who need to communicate in “vernacular”.
Ibange mayo uyu.If people cannot speak english in Parliament,what are they doing there?This is an information age, and people should be exposed to english which is fast becoming the global language.Mozambique and Angola (portuguese speaking countries) have introduced english in all schools so as to catch up with the rest of the world.Munasheko ichamba mayo.
WOW ATLEAST NOW WE HAVE GOT PIPO WHO ARE THINKING THATS A GOOD IDEA.COUNTRIES THAT ARE WELL DEVELOPED THEY USE THERE LOCAL LINGOS.CMMUNICATION IS KEY TO DEVELOPMENT
CHECK THIS:
CHINA-chines
FRANCE-french
RUSSIA-russian
TANZANIA-swahilli
SOUTH AFRICA-ZULU
BOTSWANA-tswana
y not ZED-nyanja since there is no tribe called nyanja meaning that by choosing nyanja we wont favour any tribe
Thats nonsense,people will not bother to get educated if we allow dunderheads in parliament
its a question of academics and reality. our dear lecturer has failed me. this world has changed.lets find another way to preserve what is dear to us with damaging our chances of survival. as pointed out by #21 english has gone too far. nearly every thing is in english. schools in a global village in english , science in english, on the medicine bottle instruction in english, computer staff in english. we can’t just escape this. its unstoppable. i would rather spend my tying to change somethings i can, not the unstoppables
Those who support should write in their languages here and now on this blog. Us from another planet will listen in to the confusion. Anyway what do you expect from someone whose bread and butter is languages?
Can we please have some sanity here.@Jombo Nokia-whats wrong with your brains?
No. 2 Kizito, read the story again. it’s not sata saying but a qualified linguist. This hatred you harbour of a the man really does not help your cause. You and your likes really must be suffering inside cause they say hate is one of the vices that you dont enjoy doing. Back to the topic I think even Dr. Wakumelo himself knows that he wouldt be doc if he could not speak English. Who is going to employ our children who cant speak English. Visit Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, DRC and see how adult people are sereous at learning English. They know its a necesary tool in this world to get what you want.
We need to be mature and understand why English was selected in the first place after independence. Besides the colonial influence, of course, there was need for a language that was neutral to all. This was also in conformity with the notion of ‘one Zambia one nation’.
A problem yaku jobber ifi kwakwa.Go back to school ‘Dr’, I take it you dont have students to do your courses at UNZA.You do economics or development studies, its not too late.
An MP who cannot understand English is not qualified to be in the House!
What a silly idea from a learned person. He/She is a joke because a sane person cannot come up with such an idea. If this was his thesis, then no wonder the falling standards at UNZA.
Zambia does not need illiterate Members of Parliament and anyone who cannot use English should not stand for political office. And which language would he recommend to be used and how many interpretors are to be employed?
This Dr needs to go back to school instead of disgracing himself/herself on the international stage.
Pipo like Kazala would campain hard to get back to paliament because they know they ll be using the only official language in Zambia, “BEMBA”. Sessions ll never finish because they have alot of points to clarify.
Iwe Dr. Nkolola Wakumelo, what is the local name of the chemical “periodic table” in our local languages? Or have started translating the chemistry and physics books into local languages? hahahaha……. Ati, I am a doctor!!!!!!
21. jombo nokia! you made my day lol.
There is sense in what Dr Wakumelo is saying. All over the world, nations are going back to their native tongues in order to preserve them for posterity. There is a language in the north of England that is spoken by only two living individuals. There is a drive to revive Gaelic in Scotland, Cornish in Cornwal and of corse Welsh is well and truly established in the United Kingdom. If people all along had respect for other people’s languages we would not have come to this situation. Scientists have shown that the human child can learn more than one language at a time and know when to apply which one to which scenario. The languages are dying, they must be preserved.
A better activity for the linguistics expert is to carry out a research to determine whether all the 73 languages in Zambia are still being spoken today, and give the approximate numbers of people speaking each of the languages.
WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS DEBATE BEFORE IN THE PARLIAMENTARY SESSION OF 1964-1968. OUR FOREFATHERS REJECTED THE VERNACULISATION OF ZAMBIA BECAUSE THEY FORESAW ENGLISH BECOMING A GLOBAL LANGUAGE. THEIR FORESIGHT HAS BENEFITTED ZAMBIANS CONSIDERED TO BE AMONG THE BEST ENGLISH SPEAKERS IN THE WORLD. IF YOU DONT BELIEVE ME GO TANZANIA A FORMER BRITISH COLONY, OR KWAZULU NATAL WHERE THEY BOTH SPEAK VERNACULAR,. YOU WILL FIND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WHO CANNOT EXPRESS THEMSELVES AT INTERNATIONAL FORA. ACCEPT IT ENGLISH IS OUR LINGUA FRANCA.
We have adopted one language already called English as official working language and is internationally renown. Why bring in confusion with languages that we can’t even use to communicate with our neighbour? These days, French speaking countries learn English. It is the language of business in modern world.
No: 4 and 7, you are missed calls! your existence is questionable? To hell with your English ideas! Whats wrong using some vernacular languages in parliament? Bane, English is just a formal medium of communication, however, over use of it, has got massive implication! I even pity, my relatives who are just using English at home with their children. What a shame! Thats why to some extent, I like Tongas and Lozi´s, because they are so proud of their languages!
#36 mule
What are the English words for: tomato, verandah, pyjamas, beef, pork, cafe, restaurant, nshima?
English has grown by adopting words from other languages. What is wrong with saying ‘piriyodik tebo’ in ciNyanja? Just like we have: nsapato (from Portuguese for shoes), magesi (for electricity aka gas), peturo (petrol), chimu bowo (for bore hole), komboni (compound), shiti bedi (bed sheet), boma (government aka British Overseas Management Authority). We can adapt and add to our languages as and when necessary. Google is now a verb in English. Language is dynamic.
Some of our academics shock me! This would only make sense if we had one national indegenous language (eg French in France). Imagine how many translators we’d need if Musokotwane read the budget speech in Tonga! I agree we need to preserve our local lingua, which is why I use Nyanja/Bemba in my own home despite living abroad. However, that too is a personal choice and can’t be forced.
#43 THE SAINT
Help me with ‘forensic audit’ in vernacular of ‘combustion’.
Thats what makes intellectuals dull people . They fail to relate to reality. I thot MP has Minimum edu. qualification… Can Guy Scot understand my lingua..VIVA KAPÖNYA
computer mouse = komputerer koswe
#25 JOMBO NOKIA – You are living in 19th Century m’dala. Come to the the UK I will show you how over-subscribed UK universities are with students from non-English speaking countries like China and the whole of South -east Asia and Eastern Europe and the main motive is to get English-based degrees. The global language is English. Even germans, french, spanish and italians, and portugese are realising that. YOU and your Dr Wakumelo want to take Zambia back to 16th century, after we have built a very solid English base that is being admired by other countries??? We will not allow you. Dr Wakumelo, with all due respect, should pay attention to more sophisticated causes in stead of advocating to take Zambia backwards…otherwise she is irrelevant to Zambia’s development. What nonsense!!!
Ba #43 THE SAINT
What of ‘Burger’.
Ok may be she meant GBM’s vocabulary : NALAKONTOLOLA. NALASHOUTER NOMBA. KULYAMO BAKALAMBA
If you have an MP who cannot express themselves in English then vote them out! It is your fault! Who forced you to vote for a chap who can’t even speak English. Either you vote for an educted MP to represent you or just shut up and kiss your illiterate MP.
Nowonder an average zambian MP spends half his term in parliament dozing/asleep.
I think Dr. Wakumelo’s main point was that we should not lose our mother tongues by concentrating too much on English. A Unesco website states that at least 10 languages die out each year. Let us teach our children the local languages and be proud of them but of course, we cant bury our heads in the sand and ignore the importance of English.
#45 VJ Rigger
Burger is ‘Bega’. Meat pie is ‘pai mit.’
#10 please stop giving Tanzania as an example you risk being laughed at
Forensic audit = folensik odit.
Combustion = kombashyoni.
Beware = basopo
#46 $-SILIYA
So you didn’t know that Guy Scott is very fluent in Bemba! That is he communicates with Mr Sata.
Kansi na blogazi, tizisewenzetsa mitundu yathu. Aliyense wamane afuna kulembeleka ku LT azilemba muchitundu chake. Nishi tizayamba kumvelana bwanji ? Iyi ganizo siili bwino. Kuno sikumalawi kwamane aliyense aziwa kulankhula chichewa kapena mutundu umodzi. Iyi ganizo nichabechabe
Let him who writes in an un-known tongue interpret.
Wow…People cool it, give the Doctor a break. She has a valid point.By introducing more languages will just create employment opportunities for all tribes. What is wrong with using ones tribal language? One who does not know his native language and culture is a educated fool. I am educated and I can use my fathers and mothers tribal languages, if anything my friends at work think I am intelligent for being able to speak three languages and I have always felt proud of being Zambian and having a Mother from South Africa. Why would one think if African countries do that then we are going back to the dark age? Does it mean France or any other western country that use their native language as an official language are still living in the dark age? Think about it!
Just employer as a translator maybe that wil work.
Good evening
Firstly, there’s nothing wrong with Dr. Wakumelo’s appeal. I am also of the view that we Africans should show more confidence and sense of pride in our culture and this includes the use of our native languages. As far as I recall, there is already a widespread coverage of national affairs in local languages on radio & television – so why not parliament?
Secondly, reality is that English is our official language and it is therefore vital for every citizen of Zambia to learn how to use the language properly. For those who are uncomfortable with it, let them have the freedom to use the native languages but this should not hinder us from working together as a nation.
Zambia has no national language! Any attempts to make Benba or Nyanja a national language can create havoc!
The European Union uses about 24 different languages.Each of those little countries uses their mother language for official bussines at home and at EU be it Estonia,Croatia,Greece or Czech republic.In Tanzania if a Maasai and a Nyamwezi can’t speak english they communicate in swahili.I zed i can’t go speak a neutral language to Luvales other than english.The first step in subjugating a people is for them to adopt your language and no EU country has ever thrown its languages away to communicate in a foreign one like Africa has.
Fellow bloggers,
I bet this so called professor used English in his interview. If a person does not understand English, they should not be in Parliament in the first place! An English proficiency test should be administered to any person aspiring to be an MP. Some of these MPs we have don’t have the required education to carry out their function. Thats why we always end on the short end of the stick in major dealings with investors.
Bane, we need to move forward, not backwards….
We should just federalize Barotseland Agreement style with each province having its own parliament where they can speak there Katangese, Nwacusa, Bombeiro, Nyasa etc and leave English be the official one in the national parliament. Because I for one can never imagine Tongas, Lozis, Luvales etc being forced to speak another language in their province, or imagine Bembas being compeled to speak Lozi or Tonga, kwa Kasama or kwa Mwansabombwe?
#58, translate.
Please
????? ????
Tanzania ni nchi tunaweza kujivunia swahili bungeni.Lol,i can now speak swahili(of course my tanzania roommate helped) #65 yes my pride won’t let me ditch my Lozi in favour of Kaonde.But i’m also not too proud of speaking my oppressors language.We should come up with a unifying,neutral local lingo that preserves our african pride.Tanzanians can go to any part of Tz or other E A countries and still speak swahili without imposing their language on others.
where’s the lunda @ lol….although the idea is good with a country with over 70 languages this will create more problems than solutions
china men are here building most of our roads they dont even speak english but they have got a better understanding of what they are doing coz they were tought in there father kaya ni mother lingoz.here in zed we have alot of civ. engrz that are not implimnting what they learnt at schl coz they never understood .use of our local lingoz would make pipo think .alot f pipo jst copy and paste nowejder we will never develop coz alot of pipo with ideas will or rather fail to express themselves jst image we are even told to hv english name our friends the Arabs have mntand there there names and lingoz
Internalized oppression! The majority is conditioned to believe we are okay, in fact we are better off, with English. What a bunch of self deprecating people. And just come to think of it, most of the transients here can’t even write English properly!
You know, the English, in the secrecy of their own social circles, stop and pinch themselves and say, “We did them in.Who was the genius that thought up colonialism? Let’s toast to him. Chileshe, Chileshe, Chileshe!”
Bull dust!
Let us use CHILAPALAPA afterall we’ll make easy to attract Indian investors coz to them it slang.
I think it well said..why should we restrict ourselves to a foreign language which is not understood by a common man? Ask the people doing business what language they use…its Bemba and Nyaja…so these are the two languages which almost every Zambian understands. Make them official language period.
As Zambians we must be proud of our languages and it incumbent upon each individual family to inculcate that sense of pride in their children. The trouble is that most Zambians have the inferiority of talking in their mother languages believing they will be looked down upon
.
I proudly use my mother language whenever I meet my fellow Zedians here.
I am not sure how this is going to play out in parliament. We would also need interpreters in parliament for all 73 languages
Zambian need to be proud of our heritage and identy with it. Who says that speaking in venacular means you are dull or not educated…just goes to show how shallow we are as a people. Be proud of who you are and remember that English is just a borrowed language. WAKE UP ZAMBIA
whatever you say we have 73 tribes but few languages spoken since they choose 7 language to be used in schools and on national radio other language died if exist have lost lot of vocabulary. you do know that Lusaka is not for eastern althought njanji is spoken, central and copperbelt is not for bemba although is spoken there and Livingstone is not for tongas although is spoken there. we love our tribes but let us face reality. so what the leacture is saying there is sense.
Yes Dr, great idea. Mother tongue is the only language that speaks to the heart. If we used our local languages in schools, and all public places, Zambia could have been a developed nation by now. I also see awkwardness in parents teaching their kids a foreign language as a primary language- Inferiority complex
I wonder which among the 73 languages/dialects would be picked for this! I can only foresee a situation where every person who attains the presidency trying to push their language/dialect on everybody every 5 to 10 years.
IMMAGINE HAMMERING OUT A “SEXUAL ARRASMENT/ABUSE BILL” in chiluvale, chibemba, kikaonde, chiswaka, chitonga, kilozi, chilamba, chichewa, etc, and the speaker of the house trying to maintain order in chimbunda!! Where are you going to get the money to pay an “army” of translators for all this?
I think KK and his colleagues were geniuses to maintain English as an official unifying language for all Zambian tribes to “equally struggle” to master. It is an equal opportunity kind of deal. If you ask me, this is GOOD, it avoids a lot of unnecessary tribal frictions.
The developed world is moving towards learning Chinese mandarin when a Zambian Dr is proposing the use of vernacular in a Globalised world.
“Ubututu ala tabwawama. Nshalondolole umo nalosha uulefwaya ukwishiba kuti aingisha umubomfi wa kumwalwila umo calola mu lulimi lwakwe. Kabili efwo ba shing’anga ba pa UNZA balefwaya.
Refer to #58 Zebs above.
To those of you who think this is a good idea, wait until Sata becomes president. He will impose his CHIBEMBA on you all. Let us see how you will like that!!
No sane person thinks that we can afford the cost of maintaining translators and interpreters in parliament for all the 73+ languages/dialects spoken in Zambia. And if you say we can just pick a few, one wonders which few are these going to be?!
Already there are people who have issues with the few languages spoken on public radio (ZNBC), for which they are forced to pay taxes. So do we really want to take this suppression further to parliament? What is to be proud of if other tribes start feeling marginalised and bullied to speak another Zambian languange? TALK ABOUT CREATING AN EVEN WORSE INFERIORITY COMPLEX!!!!
There is an English a footballer at Scarborough Athletic Football Club by the name of Dean Windass.
How would you address him by his name in ciBemba? :)
We survived the English of people like Mr. Grey Zulu in UNIP era, I am pretty dam.n sure we can still survive BROKEN ENGLISH in our parliament even today!! After all the kind of English most of us Zambians speak is not “TRUE ENGLISH” (like most English spoken around the world), but ZAMBIAN ENGLISH (which someone already coined a word for it: ZAENGLISH). And we should be proud of it!
It takes geniuses to take a foreign culture (which Language is part of it) and make it their own. So, letasi be veli, veli, ploud of awa selufs, olight?!!!!
Those bastards in parliament are already using vernacular.
Absolute nonsense. We have an opportiunity to compete with other English speaking economies and countries and probably beat them at it. We will never manufacture cars and computers and put the manuals in Bemba, Tonga, Nyanja, Lozi or that rubbish and export. We have been beaten to it by English peakers and the best we can do is beat them with their own language. This prof, who seems to be ifontini should teach his own children to speak in vernacular. Not with my kids! A person with good english speaking skills has a better egde than one without them english skills. We have f.o.o.l.s for leaders in Zed!
#10 & #25 KiSwahili spoken in Tanzania is a “bastardization” Arabic & Swahili from inner central Africa. Thus it is not their mother tongue, period!
#43 yes google has been incorporated into the english vocabulary, thus going by your suggestion, if we do crack our communication with baboons, we could as well incorporate those sounds – I really love your ideas man!!
I agree with #26. I personally think that this UNZA professor is short-sighted and thinks like an illiterate. How can she say that some parliamentarians are unable contribute to proceedings on account of their inability to speak english. How can someone that cannot speak english have brilliant idea? Such crazy thinking and backward professor. This professor seems to lack confidence. She should go back to the village and spend her life in the kitchen.
u r right 84…Babel indeed !!!! From some blogger to parliament. Who will rescue zed…
Did you watch after fight interview for Ester Phiri. Thats what ll happen if she goes to paliament today. Honestly speaking she would win a paliamentarian seat if she stood. Allow Bemba and Nyanja to be spoken in Paliament. Kazala knows what I am talking about
It is wrong to believe that people who cannot speak english, have no good ideas!!
Just becoz one cannot read or converse in english, doesn’t mean they cannot stand for parliamentary positions, this would be denying them their inalienable right to represent their fellow constituents. They should be able to employ parliamentary assistants/secretaries from their parliamentary office funds.
Dr Wakumelo, as a scholar, should know better than she is uttering in public!!
the doctor of linguistic is just trying to justify her existence. Fwebanenu we did our PhD in Architecture, the International Language. If we start using local lingua franca in Parliament, we will then start using it in schools, and we will then intepret all James Hadley Chases, All Abbots, all Biology books all Benny and Betty’s and all Readers in Local languages, and 73 of them for that matter.
Buddo yakuchitilefi ikafuma kwisa. The use of English means that we just pick any literature written in English and read. Go to Tanzania and see the challenges our colleagues have after Nyelele made them go into Swahili big time.
Giant economies, China, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Once upon a time super power USSR have their language of instruction as their own mother languages. I believe it would be a plus for us as well. Logical thinking proves to be better in your own mother tongue. English is somehow limited in the expression of inner most opinions and feelings, and it deprives us of wholesome expression. Thus debates to be permitted in ones own mother tongue would be more inclusive. I believe atleast everyone can speak the major languages to some degree, and if not the case engage an interpreter in parliament. It is a welcome idea.
#81 mule
Dean Windass = Dini Umwela wapa matako.
The point is not to do away with English, but to encourage wholesome input by not making English as the only means of effective communication. It is incorrect to think that to teach ones children the mother tongue and English would be not giving them skills to survive in a world that has adopted English as an official language of communication. Because we already have the English as a first, introduction of mother languages would only give us a competitive edge. Look at it this; You go to study in Russia or China. You first have to learn their languages before your programme of study. What does that tell you?
#32 nice one … issue is not language but communication. English is now an INTERNATIONAL Language and those that speak it have an advantage. Thank God it’s our OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. If we must spend money on language campagin let it be to raise literacy levels in ENGLISH!
may be we start with our comments here.All comments to be in our mother languages
Those of you that are dissing Wakumelo are missing a point. Do you know that Zambia is the only African country that doesnt have pride in its local lauguages? Do you know that its only in Zambia were we do not have any local langauge as official. We think that by speaking the masters own then we are brainy. where is you culture, where does it leave you relatives in the village? let us come back to life and love what is ours. We have kaonde, nyanja, bemba, Tonga, Luvale as main local languages and the constitution draft under debate hasnt even included any local…shame on you who are condeming Dr.
It is really a pity to note that all those who have opposing views are in the diaspora!
It’s very, very important to know our local languages, but one thing we shouldn’t forget is that the world as changed almost everything you buy or do are written in English… when you talk of work places almost everyday English is involved because we meet different people from different countries and for sure English is the International language every country you go to English is the key to communication.. so please lets just help our families to learn both English and Local languages.
I will give a point to Dr. Wakumelo he his very right other people or MP’S don’t say anything in Parliament not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know how to say it in English..
so please let them use Bemba… you will help the all Zambia by ding so.. Only in Parliament.
Thats what colonialism can do.Defending a language U dont even know its genesis. Shame on U all defending English
What wrong with coming up with major languages?Dont U listen to news in local languages?Is that in 73 languages?
You know what? there are so many people out there who has so many points and so much wisdom.. that the can be the key people to help develop this country called Zambia but the problem that is there is that they fear that if they come out as start giving there knowledge in there Local languages people will start laughing at them which is why this country has failed to go up.. let’s try and be open, let’s try and use our language were it’s need to be used.
Let’s try it out! and see what it can do to our country, but please let’s not allow schools or children at home to be using local language through out let’s make sure we balance these two…
You know what? there are so many people out there who has so many points and so much wisdom.. that they can be the key people to help develop this country called Zambia, but the problem that is there is that, they fear that if they come out as start giving there knowledge in there Local languages people will start laughing at them, which is why this country has failed to go up.. let’s try and be open, let’s try and use our languages were it’s need to be used.
Let’s try it out! and see what it can do to our country, but please let’s not allow schools or children at home to be using local language through out let’s make sure we balance these two…
For a country like Zambia with so many languages In politics only English should be used otherwise you start creating tribal conflicts if you entertain vernacular languages. Period!
Dr Wakumelo is not saying that we should get rid of English. She is saying that we should not get rid of our native tongues (I don’t use the word Vernacular). The English people themselves are also puzzled about what real English is and here you are thousands of miles away thinking that not to speak English is inferior. English is the most heterogeneous language in the world. In England, there is Cockney, Mancurian, Yorkshire, Geoddy, Lancastern, Scouser, etc English. It is not just accents but actual terminology that is different. The BBC is considered by some to be the custodian of ‘Queen’s English’ but not any more. Nobody in Zambia speaks Ngoni, Kololo or Luya anymore. These languages have been absorbed into Nsenga/Chewa and Lozi respectively.
So, languages can be lost. Right now, several people speak a language in Lusaka which they call Nyanja but what language is that? Nyanja means Lake. There is not a single people in Zambia who are Nyanjas. The Chewa people are not Nyanja. Nyanja is Lake Malawi, but no Malawian speaks ciNyanja. The original so called ciNyanja, was an adaptation of ciChewa which was ‘lightened’ with some Nsenga. Now in Lusaka and the Copperbelt, there is a totally different Nyanja that is an admixture of Bemba, English, Chewa, Lozi and even Tonga and Ndebele and Shona. For example, ‘You know’ can be ‘uziba’ or ‘u yazi’ both these are ciNyanja!
The point of what Dr Wakumelo is saying is that for people to participate in the democratic process, they must be able to understand the deliberations of the Legislative assembly. It may be argued that teaching everyone English would be a good way of ensuring that the Parliamentary input and output is understood by everyone, but that is still not the case because statute is written in Legal English by the draftsmen. Even a PhD Engineer may have difficulty understanding this, otherwise we would all be lawyers.
So at the end of the day, I say: Keep using the native tongue whenever, teach it in schools and keep it in writing so that it does not die, but teach and maintain English as the medium of communication, because there is nothing better.
I think the good Dr was not in her best wits when she made this *****ic remark. No doubt such idea will send this country to the times of the Tower of Byblon and confusion will rein in our parliament with Mambwes , Kaluvales,Lundas,tumbukas,Bisas etc all shouting to the speaker, who unfortunately will not hear a word of what each MP is saying. Let this be the joke of day and let it lie like an egyptian mummy.
Only people who dont know who they are respects other peoples languages other than their own, typical ‘nigga syndrom’ what is wrong with using Zedian lingua in the parliament? I dont see Germans using english in their parliament but german, spanish in Spain, french in France, etc… but the ‘lost people’ prefers foreign languages to their own shame, shame, no wonder they pray to a MUZUNGU God and threw away their ‘AFRICAN GOD’ which was SELF RESPECT & PRIDE…
Reminds of zedians I met in the UK they felt shy to speak in vernacular when ‘surrounded’ by non africans for goodness sake, a fake english accent does not make anyone a better person than the one who is proud of who he is and where he comes from. eg, 2 Turks together use turkish 2 russians = russian, 2 Ngonis = CHIZUNGU!
Immediately when I read this article I wondered where Dr Nkholola got her PhD from. UNZA. I forgive her, she is not fully exposed, if she got a Phd from somewhere else, she could have seen how the other students from other countries like china and the like struggle with English. Doc you need to go for a postdoc so that you expand your horizon
My dear friend the Chinese may be struggling with English but they have been able to develop their country to be one of the world’s largest economies, even larger than America, using their own language, Chinese. For your own information the masterly of English by most Zambians is poor. Even from your comment I see a number of grammatical and lexical mistakes, you are not different from the Chinese.
On “She has called on Parliament to allow vernacular in parliament to ensure that people’s views are taken on board… has been observed that some parliamentarians with great ideas refrain from the debates due to the language barrier” I want to believe that most MPs who can’t contribute in English which is our only official language are Bemba-Kaponyas of PF since the term vernacular that implies a language common among thieves. If the article used the words local language or explicitly mother-tongue, I would have understood that the writer meant common to MPs.
On “It has also been observed that the use of English at an early age in childhood is detrimental to the preservation of mother languages” I beg to differ since kids can learn multiple languages at once…
Thus, my answer to “Should Zambian parents teach their children their local languages and discourage the use of English in the home?” is no — let the parents teach their children all languages they can manage to teach so that the children improve their level of sophistication.
Back to the Bemba-Kaponyas, I have noticed that a Bemba speaking person who was first taught the Bemba Language normally fails to learn the language of his or her local area that is not Bemba even when they stay in the foreign language area for 8 to 15 years. Their excuse is that other languages are difficult to learn compared to their Bemba language. This is probably why Bemba-Kaponya MPs fail to express themselves in the English language which is not a foreign, but our only Official, language…
On “Dr. Wakumelo who is a Language and Linguistics Lecturer at the University of Zambia says a lot of people have not been able to participate in parliamentary debates due to the use of the Foreign Language” Should the NCC recommendation pass nicely in our current Parliament, Dr Wakumelo should not worry herself because Zambia will no longer have illiterate MPs, e.g. Michael Sata of PF when he was an MP, since NCC has proposed that any person who wishes to be an MP or a Councillor must have a minimum education level of G12 — so that such a person can read and write in the Official English Language of Zambia which is not a foreign language as portrayed in the quoted statement above.
The NCC clause which must be in new Constitution will motivate people to go to school…
For your own information I have already been exposed to what is happening in language issues in various countries of the world and region where I have been and have worked. Regardless of where I got my qualifications be informed that since I completed my education I have lived, worked and taught in three other universities in the region other than UNZA and hence have gone beyond the Post doc you are talking about. In all other countries in the region people are very proud of their languages and use them in all sectors including parliament for instance in South Africa and Kenya, the power houses and the most developed countries in the region. In the region Zambians are known to be people that have no regard for their languages.
You can certainly see your expertise in the paintings you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. At all times go after your heart.
I opened this link accidentally because i doing an anthropological research paper. then it caught my attention and i spared my time to read the comments and all i can say is that Africans PULL UP YOUR SOCKS. We cannot be politicizing everything till we lack sense it so like home! i thought its only from my country now i see its an African problem.
Hi,I would just like to say what a great Article by Kim Roach it??s the first time i have ever read anything by Kim but i am now a fan of Kim??s.Thanks very much Kim for all of the tips you gave us.