New Tshivenda-English dictionary opens up world of words

Growing up in the village of Gaba, just outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo, Phumudzo Ramakhetha knew the struggles of trying to communicate in English. 

Like many kids in his community, he went to schools where the focus in teaching the different subjects was in Tshivenda, his mother tongue. 

But as he grew older, he realised that English was a huge barrier when it came to connecting with people outside his village or even accessing opportunities.

This became evident to him when he started varsity in 2005 where it was challenging for him to even understand the lecturers. "It was difficult for me to communicate with other students at varsity because I was not fluent in English. Sometimes I found myself not really understanding what the lecturer was talking about and I had many questions. I struggled to put words together in order to ask questions," he said.

In 2023, Ramakhetha took it upon himself to start compiling Tshedza English and Tshivenda dictionary, which he said was aimed at expanding young people's vocabulary.

The 37-year-old said, for him, this project was not just about learning words but it was about giving the youth the tools they need to succeed and ensuring that young people had the confidence to communicate, learn and grow. "I grew up in a rural area where education was very poor at the time in terms of resources and teaching strategies," he said.

"We were taught all subjects in Tshivenda to make us understand them better. Teachers were trying their best to make us understand what they are trying to [teach us] but they were not aware that it was going to be a problem in future." 

However, to ensure that the meaning of the words were correct, Ramakhetha had to ask for assistance from elders in his village. The oldest person who assisted him was his 90-year-old grandmother, he said.  

Ramakhetha said it was challenging because some of the elders he did not understand what he was trying to do. "It is very challenging for rural students at varsity level to communicate with other students and lecturers using English when you have not used it before. Even if you are at work, some people find it difficult to communicate with other colleagues. I saw it was very important to create something that will guide people, especially from a young age, to understand English better and, on the other hand, we still have to know our mother tongue," he said.  

He was also assisted by former Phala Phala FM drama producer Domina Munzhelele, who was an adviser and designer, among others. He said the process took him almost a year to complete and he had managed to collect about 2,600 words. 

"People are very interested in it because of its quality. It also made the book publishers and other authors call me The Jewel of Vhavenda nation."

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