SOCIOLOLINGUISTIC SURVEYS - Centre for Language Studies

pupils have Chichewa as an alternative to Chilomwe as a medium of instruction. The
pupils’ responses indicate clearly that the learners have significant problems with
studying in English. It is obvious from the findings that the pupils are more comfortable
with local languages as media of instruction than with English, a foreign tongue.
The fact that pupils welcome the introduction of Chilomwe as a medium of instruction
shows that there is now a growing positive attitude towards Lomwe. Matiki’s (1996/97)
study on Chilomwe reports that it had 31.4% of the respondents claiming that they find it
embarrasing to speak Chilomwe. The curent survey’s findings show that pupils display a
positive attitude towards Chilomwe. The recent elevation of Chilomwe as one of the
languages for newcasts on the national radio is one possible factor that could have
instilled a sense of pride in the Lomwes. The new political dispensation in Malawi has
created room for linguistic liberalisation, giving people the opportunity to freely promote
their languages. This is in contrast to the one party state era during which vernacular
languages were marginalised and despised.
5.5.2 PARENTS’/GUARDIANS’ RESPONSES
In this section we present responses made by parents’/guardians from the districts of
Thyolo, Mulanje and Phalombe were interviewed in the following proportions: Thyolo
(92), Mulanje (81), Phalombe (64). 2 were not documented. Their age ranges were
recorded in Table 76.
Table 76:
Age Range For Parents/Guardians
Age Range No. of Respondents Percentage
20­24 42 17.6
25­29 40 16.7
30­34 36 15.1
35­39 39 16.3
40­44 21 8.8
45­50 18 7.5
50­54 13 5.4
55­59 2 0.8
60­64 5 2.1
65­69 1 0.4
70 and above 3 1.3
80