Life sciences reading material in vernacular: lessons from developing a bilingual (IsiZulu and English) book on South African frogs

ABSTRACT

The discussion of African languages as languages of learning and teaching can be traced back to the 1980s. To date, this discussion still continues and efforts to intellectualise African languages have been lax. Here, we present practical South African examples of higher education achievements in African languages that demonstrate the challenges and opportunities of African language planning and corpus development. We particularly focus on the development of a peer-reviewed bilingual (IsiZulu and English) book on the frogs of Zululand, South Africa. The publication under consideration falls within the life sciences, and it is the first comprehensive book on South African frogs to be written in an African language. Developing life sciences reading material in vernacular is a time-consuming process that requires a multidisciplinary team which understands both life and social sciences. Furthermore, when vocabulary relating to a focal species is undocumented, field research is necessary to identify the nuances of a specific language or culture. This language planning effort under discussion demonstrates the IsiZulu language’s ability to communicate life sciences and how language planning efforts can be made integrative and inclusive of previously marginalised languages.

KEYWORDS:

• Community outreach research
• Decolonising curriculum
• Ethnoherpetology
• Life sciences education
• Medium of instruction
• Postcolonial science

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Financial support for Fortunate Mafeta Phaka was provided by the National Research Foundation [UID: 114663], North-West University, Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (VLIR) Global Minds program [Contract Number: R-9363], and Youth 4 African Wildlife NPC.

Notes on contributors

Fortunate Mafeta Phaka

Fortunate Mafeta Phaka is the author of South Africa’s first comprehensive indigenous language guide (book) for frogs and is currently a joint doctoral candidate at the North-West University and Hasselt University. His research focus is on the complex relationship between biological and cultural diversity and how this relationship can be used as a science-based tool for conversation policy and social inclusion.

Dax Ovid

Dax Ovid is currently a biology education postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology at San Francisco State University. Current research includes integrating postcolonial frameworks in science education, identifying challenges impeding systemic pedagogical innovation in the sciences, and investigating inclusive practices in higher education that foster belonging. Ovid received a Ph.D. from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.