Mother Tongue Education (MTE), despite being the most reliable method of learning, is a challenge for the African countries that fail to implement MTE policies due to lack of resources, stakeholders' attitudes towards mother tongues, and lack of political will. Keeping in view the plight of the primary implementers of such policies, hence, this…

This narrative autoethnography examines the complexity of experience in teaching Yoruba online as a grassroots Heritage Language (HL) with keen attention to families' efforts in maintaining and revitalizing Yoruba not only as a HL but also as a Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) in the national, international and transnational contexts. Inspired…

This study employed a qualitative interpretative case study methodology, involving two teachers and one class of learners from two selected schools. The researcher used observation to address a critical question: How does the application of the Tshivenda scientific language register shape meaningful learning? The findings reveal that the…

This study examines attitudes to language use and maintenance among Yorùbá-English bilinguals in the United States. Using the direct approach in language attitude research, it specifically interrogates attitudes toward using the heritage language (HL) in public domains and maintenance among subsequent generations. It also jointly examines the…

Background: Lexical properties such as orthographic neighbours have been shown to have an influence on reading and writing; however, this phenomenon is yet to be explored in the Southern Bantu languages. Objectives: We investigate the role of orthographic neighbourhood density and neighbourhood frequency in reading and spelling in Grade 3 isiXhosa…

Background: This study explores how family language policies (FLPs) in multilingual homes where isiXhosa is the primary language influence caregiver choices regarding children's language development and education. Objectives: The study aims to give insight on how non-nuclear family structures in a selected sample of Western Cape families are…

Background: Foundation Phase teachers in the South African Department of Basic Education system daily encounter a challenge with learners struggling to read with understanding. This motive was displayed and made available to readers and authors by the recent Progress in International Reading Literacy 2021, which articulated that learners in the…

Longitudinal data from the Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS I) in South Africa (N = 4538) were used to examine the role of instructional contexts in the relations of literacy skills between children's home language (L1 Setswana) and a second language (L2 English). All children received literacy instruction in Setswana in Grades 1 to 3. However,…

In the Yoruba community, proverbs are regarded as Yoruba philosophy repository, with wisdom, brevity, criticality, and stored experience that are believed to be a viable tool of acquiring the language. Hinging on reversing language shift model theory, the study investigated: (a) whether Yoruba proverbs are effective in the acquisition of Yoruba…

In this paper, we detail the outcomes of a small-scale intervention study that aimed to support the mathematising processes of Grade 2 South African learners when working with additive relations problems. We report on the mathematising shifts that were evident in pre- and post-test responses prior to and after a sequence of 13 intervention…

This paper explores the relationship between language education and identity realization and the consequences of choosing either an Indigenous or a colonial language education approach. The focus is on the African postcolonial context; however, the arguments are also substantiated by examples from other parts of the world. I argue for a…

The role of language in education policies and the importance of civic engagement are well documented. What is less clear is how they converse with one another to inform how to develop active citizens who are empowered in their mother tongues. Building on a conceptual framework of civic engagement and linguistic injustice, this article asks: After…

This study investigates the effects of native language experience and phonetic properties on the discrimination of labial-velar versus labial and velar contrasts, as well as voicing contrasts in labials, velars, and labial-velars. Research indicates that phonological perceptions are influenced by native language experience and the specific…

Background: Given the lack of research into English language instruction in multilingual contexts, this study explored the switch from mother tongue to English in a South African township school. Aim: This study aims to find out how teachers and parents view the implementation of English as a medium of instruction. Setting: The study was conducted…

In this position paper we highlight language as a perennial factor contributing to compromised meaning-making in multilingual primary school mathematics classrooms. We note use of the term 'translanguaging' in discussions around mitigating this meaning-making challenge. The paper argues that, while much work remains to be done towards clarifying…