Since May 2001 the Sepedi National Lexicography Unit officially started the actual dictionary-wri... more Since May 2001 the Sepedi National Lexicography Unit officially started the actual dictionary-writing of a pioneering Explanatory Sepedi Dictionary (PyaSsaL). The compilation is undertaken within the theoretical framework of Simultaneous Feedback, is fully corpus-based, and follows an onomasiological approach to the Sepedi lexicon. In this article the various compilation aspects are examined and illustrated by means of one onomasiological sub-field, namely the days of the week. It is shown how a balanced combination of mother-tongue intuition, data from existing (bilingual) dictionaries, fieldwork results, corpus queries, and grammarians' conjectures can and should lead to a sound lexicographic treatment.
For the last decade or longer, applied linguists have paid increasing attention to learners'... more For the last decade or longer, applied linguists have paid increasing attention to learners' strategies and styles of learning (Wenden & Rubin 1987; Oxford 1990, Chamot & O'Malley 1990; Cohen 1998). There is an historical reason for this interest, which is discussed in the final part of ...
This was also the case with Zulu-speaking Chemistry students at the University of Durban-Westvill... more This was also the case with Zulu-speaking Chemistry students at the University of Durban-Westville in KwaZulu/Natal, for which English is also the MoI. In a report on a research project on the use of Zulu in teaching Chemistry at that university, Shembe (2002: 6) points out that "the hierarchical nature of chemistry is such that the understanding of certain key concepts is fundamental to the proper acquisition of subsequent knowledge" and that if this understanding does not occur effectively (because of an inadequate proficiency in English), students then "memorise certain points from the textbook (just) long enough to regurgitate them during tests and exam time." Such "learning" is not effective, of course, and inevitably "leads to a high percentage of African students who either drop out in the first year or fail."
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