Filling the Gap between Formal and Informal Language in the Classroom: The Case of Lesotho’s Sesotho sa Seterateng

Abstract

This paper explored Sesotho sa seterateng (an informal Sesotho language in Lesotho) to establish the traditional function of Sesotho in the 21st century at schools. The observation made was that, as much as Sesotho sa seterateng is considered informal, learners continue to make use of it even in formal settings such as classrooms. Therefore, this article argued that in terms of language development, this form of language variety adds value to language change. Despite the growing body of literature examining language changes in Sesotho, no research has been conducted on Sesotho sa seterateng. Therefore, this research aimed to analyse the impact of Sesotho sa seterateng when used in formal settings such as schools. The authors interrogated how the use of Sesotho sa seterateng fills the gap between formal and informal Sesotho in the classroom. The article further attempted to address the gap between Sesotho sa seterateng and the formal language used for education purposes. The study was framed within sociolinguistics to expand understanding of Sesotho sa seterateng. This was exploratory research which made use of a case study research design. Data was generated from daily reflections recorded in the journal of one Sesotho teacher and content analysis was used to analyse it. The article recommends that teachers should allow learners to use Sesotho sa seterateng in their classrooms so that they can acquire scientific knowledge and express themselves in the language that they use daily and understand better. It further recommends that Sesotho sa seterateng could be used by stakeholders in the language development unit to contribute towards the development of standardized Sesotho to enhance its vocabulary. The study adds to the scientific knowledge of the debates around the use of non-standard language varieties in classrooms. The article may change the attitudes of curriculum developers, education officials and teachers about non-standard varieties and influence them to acknowledge its positive role in education.

Keywords

• sesotho sa seterateng
• language change
• language development
• non-standard language varieties
• sociolinguistics