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Africa: Use Indigenous Languages in Science

Published by the government of Zimbabwe


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The Herald (Harare)

OPINION
7 January 2008
Posted to the web 7 January 2008

Sifelani Tsiko
Harare

READING through the first dictionary of biomedical terms in Shona language titled "Duramazwi Reurapi Neutano" reaffirms the belief that Africans learn best in their own languages, the languages they know from their parents and from home despite the globalising influence of English.

It is chiefly through books that we enjoy interaction with superior minds. In this Shona biomedical dictionary compiled by Dr Herbert Chimhundu, Nomalanga Mpofu, Esau Mangoya and Emmanuel Chabata of the African Languages Research Institute, the writers engage the imagination of the majority of people with an aim to help improve communication between the caregivers and the patient.

Quite often the majority of people in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole expressly prefer their children to be taught through English, French, Spanish, Portuguese. But the painful reality is that parents or patients in most African health institutions will use local languages when communicating their health problems to healthcare professionals.

Even though there is a strong reliance on English medical terms, the majority of people in Africa still communicate their health problems in indigenous languages. This points to the need to promote and rehabilitate African languages through innovative and creative scientific dictionaries written in indigenous languages.

The Shona biomedical dictionary offers scope and opportunities for reclaiming African languages as media of learning and academic expression and as a medium for the majority of the people to learn within the familiar habits of thought, experience and expression held in their traditional culture.

The dictionary is the first major work that has highlighted exclusively the importance of linking modern medical practice with indigenous speaking people whose languages are fast becoming extinct owing to the globalising influence of English.

"The present scenario that has acted as a barrier to communication between doctor and patient is that doctors train in English while the majority of the people they will be dealing with use indigenous languages," Dr Chimhundu and his team wrote in "Duramazwi Reurapi Neutano." (Shona biomedical dictionary)

"There is thus automatically a communication problem because of the different languages and levels at which the two people in contact use language. Quite often, there is also a generation gap between the doctor and the patient. There are cultural nuances that are loaded in the language that are usually missed by the younger generation of doctors."

The writers say the major objectives of the dictionary are to (a) compile a glossary that will help the doctors and patients to communicate better (b) to address the needs of doctors to understand the terms and expressions used by patients and (c) to standardise terms that are used by different age groups in different parts of the country.

The dictionary has two sections, one with a glossary of biomedical terms in Shona with explanations in English and the other with English medical terms explained in Shona.

There are also illustrations that show the various parts of the human body, human organs, the skeleton, female and male organs all given in the Shona language.

In the dictionary, readers will find it enriching to learn about human biology and biomedical terms in both English and Shona. For instance, muscle is called "tsandanyama" in Shona, kidney -- itsvo, chiropa -- liver, mwoyo -- heart, iris -- mboni, etc.

The dictionary is also rich with Shona explanations of biomedical terms such as asthma known as chirwere chokuzarirwa, blood pressure -- bhiipi, cancer -- gomarara, cramp -- chiveve, epilepsy -- pfari or tsviyo, heartburn -- chirungurira and many others.

Even though it is not quite exhaustive, the dictionary paves the way for future compilations of scientific dictionaries in indigenous languages as well as strengthening collaboration between scientific experts and linguists in the development of African languages. Languages are not static, they are dynamic and over time change adopting and modifying terms borrowed from other languages. Even dominant languages like English are evolving adopting new terms.

"It is our hope that this first major work (Shona biomedical dictionary) will continue and expand until we have comprehensive biomedical dictionaries," the authors said.

Sister Yullita Chirawu of the Catholic Church has also made inroads by publishing a book titled: Nature is the Pharmacy, a manual of common herbs and their uses in the Shona language.

She gives the name of herbs in Shona, describes the features and qualities of specific plants, herbs and their uses.

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"Herbal medicine have been with us long before written documents ascribed healing qualities to specific plants and herbs. It is the oldest form of healing on earth, yet it is considered to be folklore, mystical, ineffective and a waste of money," Sister Chirawu wrote.

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Author: berto.d.sera

Mon Jan 28 21:15:35 2008

I am astonished on reading that "the painful reality is that parents or patients in most African health institutions will use local languages". Why "painful"?

"Painful" would be a situation in which Africa had lost her true natural voice and was forced to speak a foreign colonial language. In instead, it is subject of pride for all mankind when Africans speak their own language and use it for all aspects of contemporary life.

Pls choose your adjectives in a less "colonial" way :)

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