Designing textbooks for an indigenous language: The case of Nambya

Mthokozisi Moyo

doi:10.54475/jlt.2022.007

Authors

Mthokozisi Moyo Midlands State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2022.007

Keywords:

textbook design, Nambya, team-authoring, language revitalisation

Abstract

This article outlines the steps involved in writing secondary learners’ textbooks from the vantage point of the authors and publishers. It unpacks the technicalities, merits, and demerits of team-authoring of materials in the context of revitalisation of indigenous languages within Zimbabwe’s education system. The main focus is on the technical steps involved in the compilation and design of the textbook series. It evaluates the approaches that were used in the development of the Nambya textbooks in light of informing practice in subsequent future works by the same group or others.

Author Biography

Mthokozisi Moyo, Midlands State University

Mthokozisi Moyo is a Language Researcher at the Midlands State University Language Institute. His research interests span the fields of educational and theoretical linguistics, comparative linguistics, and Digital Humanities. He is a former Language and Literature teacher and holds a Diploma in Education, BA in Applied Language Studies, and MA in African Languages and Culture. He has taught at various universities in Zimbabwe that include Zimbabwe Open University, Lupane State University, and the Midlands State University.

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