Original title: Writing and publishing in a standardised language with a dialect bias: Implications for Shona Literature development in Zimbabwean education
Shona has several dialects, but the version based on Zezuru is favoured in schools and literature. Researchers interviewed writers, editors, and reviewers, and examined texts to learn how this affects new writers. They found that people who speak other dialects can feel disconnected from literature that does not reflect their lives. The study argues that standard Shona should make room for dialectA form of a language associated with a particular region or community. differences.
Imagine a school choir where everyone is asked to sing in one regional style. Some singers know that style well, while others struggle to make their voices fit it. In this paper, the choir's chosen style stands for the favoured Shona form, and the singers who struggle stand for writers whose dialects are left out.
Students and writers who speak Karanga, Manyika, or Korekore may find that the Shona literature used in education does not reflect their language or culture. The study argues that a more inclusive standard could support wider participation and richer literary work.
The abstract describes a qualitative study with ten purposively sampled participants, so it does not establish how widespread the reported effects are across all Shona speakers or schools. It does not report comparisons between different approaches to standardisation or evidence that an inclusive approach has already improved literary outcomes.
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Writing and publishing in a standardised language with a dialect bias: Implications for Shona Literature development in Zimbabwean education — Laurencia Viriri — The Dyke — doi:10.64754/thedyke.v20i1.480
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.