English versus Zambian languages: exploring some similarities and differences with their implication on the teaching of literacy and language in primary schools.
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Date
2022-09-17
Authors
Mkandawire, S. B.
Mukonde-Mulenga, E.
Simwinga, J.
Mwansa, J.M.
Mwendende, B.
Muyangana, A.
Musonda, B.L.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies: English Lang., Teaching, Literature, Linguistics & Communication
Abstract
This desk study aimed at comparing English and selected Zambian Languages with
a view of identifying some similarities and differences. Data was collected through author
introspection and document analysis of existing literature. Publications in English and some
Zambian Languages were collected from international databases such JSTOR, Cambridge
Journals Online, and Palgrave Macmillan Journals. Searches for literature was extended to
Google Scholar, Institutional Repository and visited the University of Zambia library in person.
The documents collected were subjected to content analysis where key words, concepts and themes
were picked and compared. Findings of the study revealed that English Language has an opaque
orthography as there is no grapheme-phoneme correspondence while Zambian Languages have a
transparent orthography where each grapheme correspond to individual sounds and that the
number of graphemes is almost equal to phonemes. Literacy and language instruction would be
much easier for learners in a transparent orthography than opaque. English has certain parts of
speech such as articles (determiners) which are not there in Zambian Languages. Unlike English,
vowel length is distinctive in all Zambian language. English and Zambian languages use
alphabetic writing system with about 93% shared symbols or graphemes. These similarities and
variations imply that pedagogically, if learners learn letter knowledge and decoding in a Zambian
language, they will transfer such knowledge to English or any other alphabetic language and vice
versa. Conversely, in areas where there are differences, literacy and language learners will face
difficulties. The study recommended that teachers in early grade classes should understand the
variation of English and selected Zambian languages well in their regions to guide learners in
schools.
Description
Article
Keywords
English language--Study and teaching (Elementary)--Zambia. , Zambia--Languages. , Second language acquisition. , Interlanguage (Language learning). , Effective literacy instruction.
Citation
Mkandawire, S.B., Mukonde-Mulenga, E., Simwinga, J., Musonda, B.L, Mwansa, J.M., Mwendende, B., and Muyangana, A. (2022). English versus Zambian Languages: Exploring some Similarities and Differences with their Implication on the Teaching of Literacy and Language in Primary Schools, British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies: English Lang., Teaching, Literature, Linguistics & Communication, 3(2),1-20