A stock image of the isiZulu word for "hello".Khuluma isiZulu with UEL!
UKZN Extended Learning (UEL) hosted delegates from UKZN’s College of Health Sciences for a Basic isiZulu short course on 30 March.
The course covers simple isiZulu grammar to enable delegates to construct simple sentences and hold conversations with their students and colleagues.
KwaZulu-Natal is a predominantly isiZulu speaking province, with this language spoken by more than three-quarters (77.8%) of the population (southafrica-info.com/arts-culture/11-languages-south-africa/). The Basic isiZulu short course covers linguistic aspects of isiZulu and offers background information on its culture and heritage. Delegates learn how to use isiZulu in situations they come across in everyday life and this lays the foundation for further, more fluent and informed interaction.
Proficiency in a language other than one’s own enables one to engage with the world in a more meaningful way. We instinctively make associations with what we are most familiar with when learning a new language and culture. The most real connection to other cultures is language. Being able to communicate in another language cultivates respect for those people associated with that language’s practices and history. The desire to communicate with others is one of the most intriguing aspects of the human experience. Bilingualism enables people to relate to a wider variety of people in their professional and personal lives.
Words: Nkosingiphile Ntshangase
Image: Supplied