Getting the most from a dictionary

THIS day in 1758, prominent lexicographer Noah Webster was born in the US. He was a brilliant student who studied at Yale University at the age of 15. He went on to compile the first American dictionary and became known as the father of American lexicography.

This day is celebrated worldwide as Dictionary Day in his honour, with dictionary compilers advocating the use of dictionaries in teaching and learning.

In most cases in Africa, pupils are taught in languages that are removed from their socio-economic and cultural environment.

Yet teachers often use indigenous languages to explain concepts and words. These practices, called code-mixing and codeswitching, are common strategies for effective teaching.

Most textbooks are written in English, with highly specialised technical language for content subjects. This becomes a challenge to many students whose mother tongue is an African language.

If key concepts from textbooks are not decoded, pupils can battle to explore lessons meaningfully and integrate the knowledge so it makes sense in real-life situations.

This is where dictionaries come in. Whatever teaching material there is, must be blended with the use of dictionaries.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that, in most rural and township schools, Xhosa is used more than English in teaching, even in content subjects, though assessments are conducted in English.

The absence of a culture of using dictionaries is a challenge for both teachers and pupils. Using a dictionary is a skill, and one that few teachers are trained in themselves, let alone how to evaluate it. Also, dictionaries are a scarce resource, and they are expensive.

Hence the isiXhosa National Lexicography Unit (XNLU) at the University of Fort Hare and the department of African languages at Rhodes University have launched a programme to bring teachers and pupils up to speed in dictionary skills.

The XNLU will be 50 years next year. Today, on International Dictionary Day, this unit has a number of reasons to celebrate. It has published:

● Three volumes of a trilingual (IsiXhosa, English and Afrikaans) Greater Dictionary of IsiXhosa;

● Isichazi-magama sesiXhosa is the first of its kind – a dictionary that defines Xhosa words in isiXhosa;

● A mathematics and science dictionary in isiXhosa for primary schools to help children understand maths and science concepts in their own language.

Another project in the pipeline is an online dictionary.

Zola Wababa is the director and editor-in-chief at the IsiXhosa National Lexicography Unit, University of Fort Hare