ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 looks at bilingualism and Zimbabwe, in both societal and educational contexts, and how this affects the educational context. This is done with the intention of gaining insights into the ever-rising arguments over the official language of use in education between indigenous languages and English.
The chapter explores the bilingualism reflected in the Zimbabwean education system as practiced by teachers and students, in that Zimbabwean teachers are mainly natives and speak indigenous languages and the English language and there is a possibility of bilingualism in the country’s educational context. Numerous voices are shown in the chapter concerning how students should be assisted in attaining an understanding of languages other than their mother tongue. These voices assert that a student’s proficiency and understanding of the native language should be cultivated and viewed as the platform from which to assist in the acquisition of the second language.
The chapter explains that code-switching is defined as the bilingual use of two or more languages within one conversation, and it delineates various reasons as to why a teacher may code-switch, including the need to emphasize and clarify points. The political and social realities of code-switching are also explored.
