Malawi - Malaŵi (MW)
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1. Language information / Données sur les langues
1.1 Languages spoken / Langues parlées
a) Official / Officielle(s) :
Apparently none legislated. However, according to Aménagement, English serves this role de facto, and according to (Ethnologue), Chewa also has an "official" role.
b) National, indigenous / Nationale(s), indigène(s) :
Chewa is the most widely spoken tongue, serving as a vehicular language.
Ethnologue lists 14 languages at http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MW
c) Relevant pages in the Major Languages section of this report / Pages appropriées dans la section de ce rapport sur les Langues principales :
Chewa/Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Tonga, Nyakusa, Nkhonde, Sena, Makua/Lomwe
1.2 Language policy / Politique de langue
a) Laws/legislation / Lois/législation :
The site L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde has a page on Malawi at http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/malawi.htm
Moyo (2003) argues for more accommodating language policy, stating: "Viable indigenous languages, which could equally play a meaningful role in the socioeconomic political life of the country, have been largely marginalised, in market places and in other national functions."
b) Agencies / Agences :
Centre for Language Studies, University of Malawi http://www.sdnp.org.mw/research/cls/csl.html
c) Languages in education/literacy / Langues dans l'éducation/l'alphabétisation :
English is the main language of education. There is discussion about use of maternal languages at least at the primary school level. (L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde)
UNDP (2006) gives a literacy figure (without reference to which language[s]) of: 64.1%
1.3 Writing in national/indigenous languages / Ecriture en langues nationales/indigènes
a) Orthographies / Orthographes :
The Latin alphabet is used.
b) Print publications / Editions imprimées :
Apparently there are newspapers in Chewa (Ethnologue).
UNESCO (1985) reported the following periodicals (name, frequency of publication, circulation, language). Updated information is needed:
- Malawi News, weekly, 15,000, English/Chichewa
- The African, fortnightly, 9,000, English/Chichewa
- Boma Lathu, monthly, 50,000, Chichewa
- Moni, monthly, 35,000, English/Chichewa
- Kuunika, -, -, Chichewa
1.4 Other comments / Autre commentaire
2. ICT situation / Situation des TIC
2.1 Infrastructure / Infrastructure
a) Telephones / Téléphones :
- Fixed lines: Telephone mainlines: 5 per 1000 people (APC)
- Mobile subscriptions: 135,000 (1.3 per 100 people) (ITU 2004 cited in Vodafone 2005)
b) Radio stations / Stations de radio :
c) Connectivity / Connectivité :
- International internet bandwidth / Bande passante internationale d'internet :
- ISPs / FSI :
- Geographic coverage / Couverture géographique :
2.2 Computer & internet access / Accès aux ordinateurs et à l'internet
a) Computers & points of access / Ordinateurs et lieux d'accès :
- Number of computers / Nombre d'ordinateurs: 1.3 per 1000 people
- Cybercafés / Cybercafés:
- Project telecentres / Télécentres de projets:
b) Internet / Internet :
- Dial-up subscribers / Abonnés par ligne téléphonique :
- Internet users / Utilisateurs de l'internet : 46,100 Internet users as of Sept/05, 0.4% of the population, per ITU (Internet World Stats)
c) Other / Autre :
- Digital Opportunity Index (DOI): 0.08 (ITU 2006); 0.09, ranked 175 (ITU 2007)
- ICT Opportunity Index (ICT-OI?):
- ICT Development Index (IDI):
2.3 ICT policy / Politique de TIC
The APC page, "ICT Policy in Malawi," has some information and links:
- In English: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21813e_1
- En français: http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21813e_1
2.4 ICT4D/E & ICT training / TIC pour le développement/éducation, et formation en TIC
2.5 Resources / Ressources
- University of Malawi http://www.unima.mw/ [need more info on specific departments]
- Chancellor College http://www.chanco.unima.mw/
3. Localisation situation / Situation de localisation
3.1 Country web content / Contenu web du pays
3.2 Web content in indigenous languages / Contenu web en langues indigènes
(See also specific language pages.)
3.3 Software localisation / Localisation de logiciel
There is a project beginning for localisation in Chewa.
(See also specific language pages.)
3.4 Projects & organisations / Projets et organisations
3.5 Localisation policy / Politique de localisation
4. References / Références
APC, "ICT Policy in Malawi," Africa ICT Policy Monitor, http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21813e_1 ("Politiques de TIC en/au Malawi," Observatoire des politiques des TIC en Afrique, http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21813e_1 )
International Telecommunications Union (ITU). 2004. African Telecommunication Indicators 2004. Geneva: ITU.
______. 2006. World Information Society Report 2006. Geneva: ITU. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2006/wisr-web.pdf
______. 2007. World Information Society Report 2007. Geneva: ITU. https://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2007/WISR07_full-free.pdf
Internet World Stats: Africa. 2006. http://internetworldstats.com/africa.htm
Leclerc, Jacques. L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde, "Malawi," http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/malawi.htm
Moyo, Theba. 2003. "The democratisation of indigenous languages: The case of Malawi." In: Makoni, Sinfree and Ulrike H. Meinhof (eds.), Africa and Applied Linguistics: AILA Review, Volume 16. 2003. ii, 173 pp. (pp. 26–37) http://www.benjamins.nl/cgi-bin/t_articles.cgi?bookid=AILA%2016&artid=114022473
SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Languages of Malawi," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MW
______, "Nyanja," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=nya
UNDP. 2006. ''Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. Human Development Report 2006.'' New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). [Human development index Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) (HDI) http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/3.html ]
UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa. 1985. African Community Languages and Their Use in Literacy and Education: A Regional Survey. Dakar: UNESCO.
Vodafone. 2005. "Africa: The Impact of Mobile Phones." The Vodafone Policy Paper Series, Number 3, March 2005. http://www.vodafone.com/assets/files/en/GPP%20SIM%20paper.pdf
Wikipedia, "Communications in Malawi," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_in_Malawi
______, "Malawi," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi
______, "Malawi," http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi
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