Heritage as a motivation for Kiswahili language learning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa

Abstract

This article explores the role of heritage as a motivation for learning Kiswahili as a foreign language at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Since publication of the works of Gardner and Lambert on language motivation in the 1970s, this aspect has dominated the area of second and foreign language learning. While initial studies on language learning motivation were focused on major western languages, such as English and French in Canada, in recent years the focus has shifted towards what in the United States are called less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). Within the context of the US, the LCTLs are generally defined as the low-enrolment and infrequently taught languages and most cited examples are, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian, and in recent years indigenous African languages such as Kiswahili, Amharic, Hausa, Igbo, Akan, IsiZulu, and IsiXhosa. Arabic is also included on the list. The research emphasis has particularly been on the language educators’ attempt to establish students’ reasons for engaging in learning these languages. It has been well documented that heritage is one of the main reasons students choose to learn the LCTLs in America. Nevertheless, there is lack of information on motivating factors for African students learning other African languages within African universities. This problem might be attributed to the absence of the African language programmes taught in universities of other African countries where the languages are not native. It is only in recent years that Kiswahili has started to be taught in universities of other non- Kiswahili speaking countries, such as at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, University of Namibia in Namibia, and the University of Zimbabwe, in Zimbabwe. Using the action research approach, the present study shares research findings on the role of heritage as a learning motivation among students studying Kiswahili as a foreign language at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.