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result(s) for
"Xhosa language"
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Corpus linguistics and world Englishes : an analysis of Xhosa English
This text examines English as it is spoken by the Xhosa people in South Africa, & is based on a spoken corpus of Xhosa English. It outlines how the corpus of spoken Xhosa English was designed & compiled, & discusses the criteria relating to informants, the use of spoken rather than written data, & the codes & transcription conventions.
Book
The Grammar of isiXhosa
Written by a life-long language practioner who has spoken isiXhosa since childhood, this grammar represents a significant advance in understanding the structure of isiXhosa, the language of more than 8 million South Africans. In this ground-breaking book isiXhosa is described in its own right, freeing it from preconceived grammatical ideas derived from European languages. All the features of the language are portrayed in this revisionist grammar that reinvents isiXhosa as a language with its own genius. All students of isiXhosa urgently need this book. Both mother-tongue speakers and those studying isiXhosa as a second or third language have to take cognisance of this new approach to escape the restrictions imposed by a Eurocentric bias. It is essential to authors of textbooks and those who prescribe syllabi. It is also of significance for those attempting to gain insight in the structure of related African languages.
eBook
Language Learning, Power, Race and Identity
This book investigates the strategies and identities of colonials who have learned the languages of colonised people. Using the stories of white South Africans who acquired isiXhosa during the apartheid years, this book offers insights into relationships between language, power, race, identity and change.
eBook
185 ‘The doctor doesn’t understand Xhosa and the service user doesn’t understand English’. Exploring the role of security guards acting as informal interpreters in psychiatric care in South Africa
Abstract
OP 4: Health Services 2, B302 (FCSH), September 3, 2025, 14:30 - 15:30
Aims
Assigning qualified interpreters is considered one of the most effective approaches to facilitate communication in language-discordant encounters in mental healthcare (MHC). However, particularly in settings with fewer resources, they are not always available and informal practices are often used. This study aimed to investigate informal interpreting practices in MHC in South Africa, focusing on security guards (SGs) serving as interpreters.
Methods
Guided interviews were conducted with SGs (n = 12) and MHC providers (n = 18) at a psychiatric hospital in South Africa. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.
Results
Despite recognizing that SGs serving as interpreters is not an ideal solution to overcome language barriers and could potentially jeopardize the quality of treatment and its outcomes, MHC providers reported relying heavily on them due to the underrepresentation of South Africa’s linguistic diversity among them. Given the lack of formal interpreting services, the perceived racial, linguistic and socioeconomic similarities between SGs and some service users, as well as their immediate accessibility, were described as beneficial to providing a minimal level of care. Drawbacks reported are SGs being pulled away from their actual duties, experiencing emotional distress, juggling multiple sometimes conflicting roles, and the risk of incorrect interpretation, which could compromise ethical standards of care. Additionally, the complexity of power became apparent: While SGs hold little institutional power within the mental healthcare system, they become powerful figures when serving as interpreters.
Conclusions
It can be assumed that MHC providers will resort to informal interpreting practices as long as effective alternatives are lacking. In doing so, risks such as reduced quality of care are accepted, and the consequences and effects on those serving as interpreters are neglected, which raises concerns from an ethical point of view.
Journal Article
Experiences with HPTN 067/ADAPT Study-Provided Open-Label PrEP Among Women in Cape Town: Facilitators and Barriers Within a Mutuality Framework
Placebo-controlled trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) have reported challenges with study-product uptake and use, with the greatest challenges reported in studies with young women in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a qualitative sub-study to explore experiences with open-label PrEP among young women in Cape Town, South Africa participating in HTPN 067/Alternative Dosing to Augment Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Pill Taking (ADAPT). HPTN 067/ADAPT provided open label oral FTC/TDF PrEP to young women in Cape Town, South Africa who were randomized to daily and non-daily PrEP regimens. Following completion of study participation, women were invited into a qualitative sub-study including focus groups and in-depth interviews. Interviews and groups followed a semi-structured guide, were recorded, transcribed, and translated to English from isiXhosa, and coded using framework analysis. Sixty of the 179 women enrolled in HPTN 067/ADAPT participated in either a focus group (six groups for a total of 42 participants) or an in-depth interview (n = 18). This sample of mostly young, unmarried women identified facilitators of and barriers to PrEP use, as well as factors influencing study participation. Cross-cutting themes characterizing discourse suggested that women placed high value on contributing to the well-being of one’s community (Ubuntu), experienced a degree of skepticism towards PrEP and the study more generally, and reported a wide range of approaches towards PrEP (ranging from active avoidance to high levels of persistence and adherence). A Mutuality Framework is proposed that identifies four dynamics (distrust, uncertainty, alignment, and mutuality) that represent distinct interactions between self, community and study and serve to contextualize women’s experiences. Implications for better understanding PrEP use, and non-use, and intervention opportunities are discussed. In this sample of women, PrEP use in the context of an open-label research trial was heavily influenced by underlying beliefs about safety, reciprocity of contributions to community, and trust in transparency and integrity of the research. Greater attention to factors positioning women in the different dynamics of the proposed Mutuality Framework could direct intervention approaches in clinical trials, as well as open-label PrEP scale-up.
Journal Article
Sustaining IsiXhosa Through Music: A Content Analysis of Vusi Nova’s 'As’phelelanga
This paper looks at the role of contemporary South African music in sustaining Indigenous languages, focusing on Vusi Nova’s As’phelelanga. This study employed a qualitative approach and thematic content analysis, drawing on Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory (EVT), the Cultural Sustainability Framework, and Ubuntu Philosophy to show how the song helps preserve, revive, and promote isiXhosa as a language and a cultural expression. Using EVT, the paper examines how \"As’phelelanga\" boosts the status of isiXhosa, strengthens group identity, and gains support for the language in a multilingual society. The Cultural Sustainability Framework shows how the song blends isiXhosa lyrics, contemporary music, and traditional AmaXhosa mourning practices to transmit culture across generations. Ubuntu Philosophy provides an African viewpoint, highlighting the connection between language, culture, and collective memory. Consequently, this study has shown that contemporary isiXhosa music can be a powerful tool for language sustainability and cultural preservation, highlighting how music can evoke themes of cultural pride, foster a sense of collective identity, and contribute to Indigenous language visibility and continuity in a globalising world.
Journal Article