Imagined Futures and New Technology: Youths’ Language Attitudes in Songea, Tanzania
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Date
2021-05-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
secondary school students in Songea, Tanzania, with a focus on identity and access to digital technology. The study involved 467 secondary school students aged 14–21 years. The data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Less than half of the students had access to digital technology. Most of them lacked the required linguistic resources. English, a challenge to most students, and, to some extent, even Swahili, are seen as tools for future possibilities and success. Students invest in learning English and want to go abroad. Lack of resources notwithstanding, students’ decisions to invest in learning a particular language is mostly influenced by imagined possibilities. Structural inequalities and socioeconomic differences impact both language skills and the use of digital tools. Consequently, digital resources using mainly English and difficult Swahili terminology become an exclusion mechanism for many Tanzanian secondary school students.
Description
Keywords
imagined futures; investment theory; youth identity; language attitudes; digital technology; Songea; Tanzania
Citation
Gastor Mapunda & Tove Rosendal (2021) Imagined Futures and New Technology: Youths’ Language Attitudes in Songea, Tanzania, Language Matters, 52:1, 92-112,