UDM president Bantu Holomisa says a new isiXhosa dictionary launched this week is a tool for social cohesion.
UDM president Bantu Holomisa says a new isiXhosa dictionary launched this week is a tool for social cohesion.
The Oxford University Press of Southern Africa (OUPSA) launched the dictionary – four years in the making – at a prestigious event at Prana Lodge in Cintsa East on Thursday 18 September.
According to OUP this is the first substantial English/isiXhosa dictionary to be published in 29 years.
The launch was attended by prominent academics and education specialists, with Eastern Cape Education Language Policy Manager Naledi Mbude Shale and Holomisa as guest speakers. In an interview with Grocott’s Mail, publishing manager at OUP Megan Hall said the dictionary would help many isiXhosa-speaking students disadvantaged by the fact that they are learning through the medium of English.
“Our initial plan was to begin with this project in 2005," Hall said.
"But it was really difficult to get it off the ground and research started in 2010.” Hall said it had been difficult finding the right people for a project of this magnitude.
Cintsa East, 20km east of East London, is about 40km from what is now known as Intlambo kaNongqawuse. This area was the site of the near ruin of the isiXhosa nation during the cattle killings of 1856–57. It was fitting, therefore, that the launch celebrated the isiXhosa language here, in the heart of Heritage month said Hall.
Holomisa praised Oxford University Press for the initiative, saying sharing languages helped build social cohesion.
“It will bring unity in our society at large, because culture and heritage areinterlinked. It is a bold, successful step that must be celebrated,” said the MP.
Shale echoed this, saying isiXhosa is often looked down on, along with other African languages.
“The importance of the English language must be shown in all languages,” she said.
At least 600 copies of the Oxford Bilingual School Dictionary: isiXhosa and English were donated to the Nelson Mandela Institute for Education and Rural Development (NMI), an Eastern Cape-based NGO working with rural communities.
Managing Director of OUP South Africa Steve Cilliers said the last isiXhosa dictionary was published in 1985. It only had translations from English to isiiXhosa and not isiXhosa to English.
“Oxford has been making up-to-date bilingual dictionaries for South African languages since 2004.
Each bilingual dictionary we produce takes at least three years, an extensive team of language and dictionary-making experts and state-of-the-art technological support," said Cilliers.
