Language dynamic, but . . . Because there are no rules, ethics and standards — some social media users end up promoting language use, which breaks all rules — from spelling, punctuation to grammar
Because there are no rules, ethics and standards — some social media users end up promoting language use, which breaks all rules — from spelling, punctuation to grammar

Because there are no rules, ethics and standards — some social media users end up promoting language use, which breaks all rules — from spelling, punctuation to grammar

Ignatius Mabasa Shelling The Nuts
It is a fact that language is dynamic, and nothing can stop it from changing. Language is like a flowing river, as it flows from one stream into and eventually into bigger rivers, it will be carrying all sorts of cargo — sticks, rocks, logs, leaves, soil, grasses, carcasses and many odd objects. Not all of its cargo reaches

its destination.

Along the way, the river will add more items to its cargo, but at the same time dropping off some of it on islands, riverbanks and the riverbed.

The process of picking and dropping is determined by a lot of factors, but mostly by the volume or how much water a river is carrying at a given time.

During my days as a herd boy in Mt Darwin when Ruya River got full — one could see trees complete with roots and branches being tossed in the raging caramel brown waters.

The other time we spotted a dead full grown black ox in the swirling Ruya waters.

Those who have had a chance to see a river carry debris will understand that trying to stop a river from washing away objects within or near it is impossible.

I can say the same regarding language.

Trying to stop a language from changing this word today and adding another word tomorrow is futile.

Yet, when a language changes due to several factors, the grammar and language rules tend to remain unchanged.

I have observed that when a language changes, it usually changes by replacing words and phrases, or by introducing new expressions.

But, even if a language gets new words and expressions — it is necessary for us not to quickly accept those new words and expressions as formal because they may just be colloquial and fleeting.

While changes in a language are unavoidable, necessary and important, they must not just be accepted casually.

Language is made popular and acceptable through the school curriculum, the media (both traditional and new social media) and key social and public literature such as Bibles.

While traditional media is controlled and has standards and procedures that ensure quality control, the new social media is empowering individuals by giving them freedom even to act irresponsibly.

However, a good number of citizens do not realise the importance of education and literacy when they become active participants who generate and receive content on social media platforms.

Because there are no rules, ethics and standards — some social media users end up promoting language use, which breaks all rules — from spelling, punctuation to grammar. It is not every message that is generated on social media that is educationally useful.

While some changes in the form of idiomatic words, phrases and expressions exhibit great creativity and sound good and cool among the youths, DJs, dancehall singers, touts and kombi drivers, language gatekeepers at some stage need to make decisions as to whether the changes are just a fad or not before incorporating them into the mainstream and standard language.

It is not every word or phrase that is coined or popularised that lasts.

Some words and phrases are fads that soon lose taste and appeal.

We have had a lot of faddish nouns, adjectives and adverbs, but they have disappeared as fast as they came.

Language naturally rejects or drops them as it marches on.

Often, it is the tried and tested words that are incorporated into a language.

Such tried and tested words or phrases are eventually accepted and made part of the official language.

While a belt (bhandi) and a trousers (bhurukwa) are foreign objects among the Shona, the phrase “bhandi nebhurukwa” is an example of a new expression that has become accepted, almost replacing the old “mukombe nechirongo,” because people no longer use mukombe nechirongo to fetch, store and drink water.

As a language constantly changes, its usage and some of the rules may also change.

For example, “mandiro” is one wrong plural form, which I notice is now being widely used and accepted as correct.

Yet, the con-cordial agreement in Shona grammar guides us that we say, “ndiro idzi” and the plural of ndiro remains ndiro.

Another example is miti, which I hear more and more people saying:

Miti dzakakura or miti dzakawanda. In proper Shona, miti remains Miti iyi, miti yakawanda. It is firewood (huni) that we use dzakawanda or dzakakura.

We also seem to be seeing more and more words and phrases that have changed from their old and traditional use.

For example:

Kupinda/Tapinda — now means kuwana mukana

Kugonya —now kufa

Kutambidzwa — now kunzwisisa

Kubatisa — now kuzivisa

Kumhanyisa — now kutengesa

Kudhakwa — now kusaita zvakanaka

Kuvhara — now kunyengedza

Kufema — now kutambudzika

Kubuda — now kushaya mari

Kukabira — now kupusiswa

Kun’yudzwa — now kuitwa zvinhu zvinoita kuti urasikirwe

Kudhibha — now kupusiswa

Waya — now 100 (yemari kana yekumhanya kwemota)

Kuwacha — now kushandiswa/kuitiswa bharanzi

Mazino — now zvinhu zvinorwadza

Some language specialists as far back as the 1960s argued that it is futile to try to stop words from being used in a sense different from that in which they were used at some earlier period.

One Professor Quirk contended that if we were to disallow such changes in the meanings of words, we should have to rewrite a substantial part of the modern dictionary, since thousands of words have in fact changed their meanings in this way over the years.

I don’t believe in unnecessary resistance, but I think there is need for us to tread with caution.

What is right for an informal language situation is not necessarily right for a situation where standard Shona is used.

For example to say: “Takuda kukubatisai dzatiri kupinda nadzo” may not be acceptable in the classroom where standard Shona is used, but is perfectly comprehensible and acceptable in the streets of Chitungwiza.

Combining Tave and Kuda to come up with Takuda is very common in speech, but should be written “Tave kuda.”

The same applies for “Ndoo zvatisingade” which is a combined “ndizvo zvatisingade.”

When written, “ndoo” must be written as “ndizvo” in full.

Some Shona words have simply died and if one utters them today in a sentence, very few people will understand. An example is the verb kuza which means to come. Some people’s names and surnames have that word. Examples are:

Pazarangu — When mine has come

Muzanenhamo — the one who comes with problems

Muzamhindo — the one who comes in darkness

Chaza — that which has come

An area that has not been spared as the river languages flows and tosses idioms and verbs about are registers in the teaching of Shona.

It seems what used to be inappropriate language or words are becoming accepted as appropriate. I have had to correct several young people that the way you use language says a lot about who you are as a person.

One girl we once interviewed for a maid’s job kept saying, “Iri bhoo. Haa inoita!”

She really put us off because culturally, you should adjust your language depending on whom you are talking with — that is to say you must use an appropriate register.

I however, will remain a conservative or traditionalist when it comes to appropriate registers because I do not want my children to answer me saying, “iri bhoo. Inoita or kahwani!”

That is inappropriate and disrespectful.

I may be labelled an old fashioned goat, but there is a difference between advocating for Shona that is archaic such that it does not communicate and desecrating a language.

Someone challenged me that I should not be hard and fussy about language to the extent of saying this is correct Shona and this is wrong Shona.

But I think such an attitude is tantamount to saying: “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, “It means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”

Recently, I heard a group of pre-scholars greeting a visitor:

Visitor: Mangwanani vana

Children: Mangwanani

Visitor: Mamuka sei vana?

Children: Tamuka tamukawo

If somebody is not going to step in and say to these children there is no such thing as “Tamuka, tamukawo,” they will continue greeting people like that until they teach that to their own children.

I don’t dispute the fact that language is dynamic because I see it when I talk to my children.

We have come a long way, from makavi to makuvha, but whatever the case, “Nedzinofizura” is not proper at a funeral.

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