Skip to main content

Swahili Learning in the United States: What Does It Mean?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
African Languages and Literatures in the 21st Century
  • 212 Accesses

Abstract

The study reported in this chapter was carried out in a Midwestern University in the United States. The study investigated Swahili learning in a third year classroom. In particular, it sought to find out what it means to study Swahili in the twenty-first century. The study found out that the students participated in dynamic social interactions in the classroom, interacted with supportive teachers and peers, and interacted with supportive Swahili native speakers when they visited East Africa. Also, it found out that students studied Swahili because they were both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to study the language. All these factors in the Swahili classroom and outside the classroom promoted language learning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • ACTFL. (2012). https://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012/english/speaking#advanced.

  • ACTFL. (2019). https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/publications/standards/World-ReadinessStandardsforLearningLanguages.pdf.

  • Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2019). A voice and a force for liberal education in the 21st century. https://www.aacu.org/resources/global-learning.

  • Au, S. Y. (1988). A critical appraisal of Gardner’s social psychological theory of second-language learning. Language Learning, 38, 75–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, F. (1991). Communicative competence and the conversation course. Linguistics and Education, 4, 219–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching. New York: Addison Wesley, Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Donato, R., & McCormick, D. (1994). A sociocultural perspective on language learning strategies: The role of mediation. The Modern Language Journal, 78, 453–464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dornyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 78, 273–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dwyer, D. (1997). Issues in African academic language programming in the U.S. A Journal of Opinion, 25, 23–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eaton, S. E. (2010). Global trends in language learning in the twenty-first century. Calgary: Onate Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, R. (1997). The study of second language acquisition. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engestrom, Y. (1991). Overcoming the encapsulation of school learning. Learning and Instruction, 1, 243–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. London, UK: Edward Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harries, L. (1968). The teaching of Swahili. Modern Language Journal, 52, 146–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuntz, P. (1993). Habari za Kiswahili: Challenges of Swahili instruction. FLES News, 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lisanza, E. M. (2011). What does it mean to learn oral and written English language? A case study of a rural Kenyan classroom (unpublished PhD dissertation). University of Illinois.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lisanza, E. M. (2014). Dialogic instruction and learning: The case of one Kiswahili classroom in Kenya. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 27(2), 121–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lisanza, E. M. (2016). Rafiki: A teacher-pupil. In A. H. Dyson (Ed.), Child cultures, schooling and literacy: Global perspectives in composing. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lisanza, E. M. (2017). Swahili pedagogy in the USA: Preliminary observations. In D. Maganda (Ed.), The literature and the language of Africa and diaspora (pp. 153–171). London: Adonis & Abbey Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oller, J. W., Hudson, A. J., & Liu, P. F. (1977). Attitudes and attained proficiency in ESL: A sociolinguistic study of native speakers of Chinese in the United States. Language Learning, 27, 1–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oxford, R. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston: Heine Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oxford, R., & Shearin, S. (1994). Second language vocabulary learning among adults: State of the art in vocabulary instruction. Elsevier Science Ltd, 22(2), 231–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy-Campbell, Z. M. (2006). The state of African languages and the global language politics: Empowering African languages in the era of globalization. In O. F. Arasanyin & M. A. Pemberton (Eds.), Selected proceedings of the 36th annual conference on African linguistics (pp. 1–13). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saville-Troike, M. (1996). The ethnography of communication. In S. L. McKay & N. H. Hornberger (Eds.), Sociolinguistics and language teaching (pp. 351–382). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shedivy, S. L. (2003). Factors that led some students to continue the study of foreign language past the usual 2 years in high school. System, 32, 103–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snoxall, R. A. (1970). America, England and African languages. African Affairs, 69, 64–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Lisanza, E.M. (2020). Swahili Learning in the United States: What Does It Mean?. In: Lisanza, E., Muaka, L. (eds) African Languages and Literatures in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23479-9_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23479-9_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23478-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-23479-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics