One of the important practical aspect of the promotion of African Languages is the creation of scientific dictionary using terms in African languages to provide the ability to use those languages for education and in professional settings.
>From http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=49&fArticleId=3335246 Xhosa dictionaries unravel maths puzzle July 12, 2006 By Candes Keating Learning maths and science in a second or third language has resulted in a large number of black pupils failing or dropping these school subjects, said researchers at the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa yesterday. The researchers have compiled the first Xhosa dictionaries to focus on chemistry, biology, mathematics and technology terms. "Mathematics is difficult when you are not learning it in your mother tongue," said researcher Keith Welman. "Hexagon, pentagon are big words. Some of these terms are even difficult for English-speaking pupils. "This is why black children drop maths and why others perform below par." With the introduction of the dictionaries as a resource in maths and science classrooms, teachers will now also be able to explain terms in Xhosa. Researcher Zola Wababa said that although there were some Xhosa maths and science terms used by teachers and pupils, they were never standardised. Wababa said they had to coin most of the terms and standardised the ones being used. Compiling the dictionaries took almost three years. The natural science dictionary, which focuses on chemistry, biology and technology, consists of more than 3 500 terms. The researchers said English terms were broken down, carefully studied, translated into Xhosa and explained. The dictionaries were trilingual, they said, with terms explained in Xhosa, English and Afrikaans. Xhosa must be used as a language of teaching and assessment in order to improve maths and science results at black schools, said Wababa. "Some teachers say language is not an issue because maths and science focus on symbols. But you need language to explain symbols," he said. Wababa said they tested the dictionaries on a group of teachers, who used it as a teaching tool in their lessons, and "had a good response". The natural science dictionary is currently being printed. Wababa said the researchers hoped the dictionaries would be implemented at schools next year but were still negotiating with the Western Cape Education Department. "This project is complimentary for mother-tongue-based bilingual education," said Wababa. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/2pRQfA/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
