African Languages Research Institute (ALRI)

Mission

To research, document and develop Zimbabwean indigenous languages in order to promote and expand their use in all spheres of life.

Vision

The African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) is an inter-disciplinary, semi-autonomous and non-faculty research unit located at the UZ dedicated to the research, documentation and development of African indigenous languages in Zimbabwe. Its research agenda focuses mainly on corpus development and maintenance, computational lexicography and language technology applications. The Institute was established in 2000 to mark the transformation of the African languages Lexical (ALLEX) Project into a permanent research unit at the UZ. The ALLEX Project started in 1992 as a project in the Department of African Languages and Literature and its major objective was the compilation of mother-tongue monolingual dictionaries, corpora and other reference works in Shona and Ndebele, the two main indigenous languages of Zimbabwe. ALRI institutionalised the work of the ALLEX Project in lexicography, strengthened the corpus linguistics component in it, and added terminology and translation as related specialisations.

The Institute’s expanded research program prioritises the setting up of lexicographic units in other Zimbabwean languages in addition to sustaining its research in Shona and Ndebele. So far, research on Zimbabwe’s once marginalised languages has started with priority given to Tonga, Nambya, Shangani and Kalanga where work has commenced on the compilation of corpora. Whilst the Institute engages in many language development and documentation activities, the production of monolingual dictionaries remains its priority. Dictionaries, amongst other reference works, are considered central to the development and empowerment of the country’s languages, which have suffered under-development for a long time.

ALRI plans to initiate and oversee projects in all the other local languages, and to train mother-tongue researchers from the respective language communities to do the linguistic field work and documentation that is required by the communities themselves.

Research output

A total of seven dictionaries and a more comprehensive Shona grammar book have been published. The Shona dictionaries include Duramazwi reChiShona (1996), Duramazwi Guru reChiShona (2001), Duramazwi reUrapi neUtano (2004), Duramazwi reMimhanzi (2005) and Duramazwi reDudziramutauro noUvaranomwe (2007). The Ndebele dictionaries include Isichazamazwi SesiNdebele (2001) and Isichazamazwi Sezomculo (2006). Soon to be printed is the Shona children’s dictionary. The Institute is also editing a Shona Agricultural terms dictionary.

The Institute has also photographed and published, as photographic reprints, important books that are rare or out of print. Three re-issues have already been published in this preservation program – Adoption and Adaptation in Shona by Herbert Chimhundu (2002), Essays on Report on the Unification of the Shona Dialects edited by George Fortune (2004), and the famous Report on the Unification of the Shona Dialects by Clement Doke (2005), which was originally published in 1931.

Welcome message

Dada nomutauro wako. Ziqhenye ngolimi lwako. Be proud of your language.

ALRI Programmes

A total of seven dictionaries and a more comprehensive Shona grammar book have been published. The Shona dictionaries include Duramazwi reChiShona (1996), Duramazwi Guru reChiShona (2001), Duramazwi reUrapi neUtano (2004), Duramazwi reMimhanzi (2005) and Duramazwi reDudziramutauro noUvaranomwe (2007). The Ndebele dictionaries include Isichazamazwi SesiNdebele (2001) and Isichazamazwi Sezomculo (2006). Soon to be printed is the Shona children’s dictionary. The Institute is also editing a Shona Agricultural terms dictionary.
The Institute has also photographed and published, as photographic reprints, important books that are rare or out of print. Three re-issues have already been published in this preservation program – Adoption and Adaptation in Shona by Herbert Chimhundu (2002), Essays on Report on the Unification of the Shona Dialects edited by George Fortune (2004), and the famous Report on the Unification of the Shona Dialects by Clement Doke (2005), which was originally published in 1931.

Name: Mamvura Zvinashe
Qualifications: BA Hons (UZ), MA (UZ), PhD (UNISA)
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Research profiles
Research areas
• Onomastics
• Sociolinguistics
• Language Planning Policy
• Cultural Studies
• Lexicography
• Gender Studies
Courses taught
Onomastics (MA course)
Language and Literature courses at undergraduate level
Diploma in Translation and Interpreting courses
Passport photo

Professor Emmanuel Chabata

BA Gen, BA Hons, MA (UZ), PhD (UIO)

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Emmanuel Chabata is an Associate Research Professor of African Languages and Lexicography and is currently the Acting Director of the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI). He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Oslo, Norway. Whilst Lexicography and Terminology are his main areas of research and specialisation, he also has research interests in computational linguistics, translation, language policy and planning and onomastics in which he has also published widely.

Professor Chabata has been a visiting researcher at many universities locally, regionally and internationally. Notable amongst them are the Universities of Oslo, Wisconsin-Madison, Dar-es-salaam, Zululand, Witwatersrand and Tswane-Nelspruit. Over the years, he has taught undergraduate and post-graduate courses at the UZ and other local universities. Some of the courses that he has taught include Translation and Lexicography, Terminology, Phonetics and Phonology, Corpus Linguistics, Shona Linguistic Structure, Research Methods and Shona Dialects and Orthography. He has also taught Shona to second language learners. He has also acted as external examiner for quite a few local and regional universities.
He has conducted research in a number of Zimbabwean languages that include Shona, Nambya, Tonga and Tswao. Over the years, he has provided translation services to many Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations too numerous to mention.

Name: Esau Mangoya
Qualifications: BA general, BA Honours, MA (UZ), MA (Unisa), Graduate certificate in Education, PhD.
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RESEARCH PROFILES:
Research areas:
Phonetics and phonology,Translation, Lexicography, Corpus Linguistics, Dialectology,

Research Fellowship:
I am a Research Fellow with the University of South Africa (Unisa). I am currently undertaking research with colleagues from this University where we are undertaking research publications.

Courses Taught
Phonetics and Phonology, Translation and Lexicography, Corpus Linguistics.