| dc.description.abstract | This study explores the historical relationship between the languages of Basarwa of
Botswana and Setswana, in order to understand the dynamics underpinning their
appropriation of the Setswana language, as they adjust to their changing livelihoods.
The study contributes towards the promotion of a better understanding and
awareness of the issues of language shift and language use amongst Basarwa.
Basarwa occupy the lowest rungs of the social ladder in Botswana. Due to the close
association between the status of the people and the status of their language, the
Basarwa languages accordingly rank low in use and status nationally (Andersson &
Janson, 2004, p. 118; Batibo, 2005, p. 71). Like the other minority languages, the
Basarwa languages also have a low status and a low prestige in education and in
written discourse. Moreover, the study observes that in their quest to mediate their
socio-economic marginalisation, Basarwa have had to appropriate Setswana, the
dominant national language for survival. However, their appropriation of the
Setswana Language has had deleterious effects on their languages and overall sociocultural
identity. In this context, the nationally dominant Setswana language not
only dominates public discourse, but also official spoken discourse as well, while
English dominates official written discourse (Andersson&Janson, 1993, pp. 83 84).
The sources used to guide this analysis include secondary material, official and
unofficial documents, as well as the author’s own observations, as a Motswana and
an educationist. | en_US |
