EAN: 9783039119424

THE POLITICS OF LANGUAGE AND NATION BUILDING IN...

This book examines the exclusion of minority languages (and their speakers) from the mainstream
domains of everyday social life in postcolonial Zimbabwe. It considers forces of hegemonic
nation building  subtle cultural oppression and a desire for linguistic uniformity as major
factors contributing to the social exclusion of Zimbabweans from language groups other than
Shona and Ndebele. The book interprets the various forms of language-based exclusion exercised
by Shona and Ndebele language speakers over minority groups as constituting a form of
linguistic imperialism. Contrary to the popular view that English is Zimbabwe's «killer
language»  which should be replaced by selected indigenous languages that are perceived as more
nationally «authentic» and better grounded in both pre- and post-imperial frameworks  this book
argues that linguistic imperialism has very little to do with whether the dominating language
is «foreign» or «indigenous». The author discusses oral submissions from minority language
speakers  language experts  policy-makers and educators. While the focus is specifically on the
politics of language and identity in Zimbabwe  this case study gives an insight into the
complexity of identity and nation building in postcolonial Africa.

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