Department of Modern Languages

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    Postcolonial Disgust Or Regenerative Vision?: The Values And Significance Of “The Man” In Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
    (Research in African Literatures, 2022) Novieto, S.D.
    Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born has been condemned for its severe criticism of newly independent Ghana, its disdain for its leaders and officials, and for the absence of hope displayed for a future in which the individual and the nation might triumph over societal corruption. This article analyzes Armah’s controversial novel through the caustic response of its main character, The Man, to contemporary national ethics and to the possibilities he himself embodies for genuine change and regeneration. The conflict in The Man’s alienated consciousness is rooted not only in the expediencies of the newly postcolonial Ghana he fastidiously observes, but also in his loyalty to the traditional Ghanaian values he inherits, remembers, and practices, thus indicating the possibility of hope and change for both character and nation
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    The gender enrolment gap in foreign language education revisited: Contemporary issues in a Ghanaian higher education institution
    (System, 2023) Lomotey, B.A.; Csajbok-Twerefou, I.; Husein, A.A-R.; Diabah, G.
    This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language programmes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Participants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical significance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese.
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    Professional development perspectives on Global Citizenship Education in Ghana
    (Educational Research, 2023) Parejo, J-L.; Lomotey, B.A.; Reynés-Ramon, M.; Cortón-Heras, M-O.
    Background: Increasingly incorporated into curricula worldwide, Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is a complex and evolving area of education. As the significance of GCE in the classroom grows, so does the need for insight into professional development for GCE educators. Given that many approaches to GCE have typically stemmed from ‘global North’ contexts, it is particularly important to research this area from ‘global South’ perspectives. This paper contributes by reporting on a study conducted in an initial teacher education setting in Ghana. Purpose: The study aimed to investigate prospective teachers’ viewpoints on GCE. It sought to explore aspects including how pre service teachers understood the orientation, meaning and rele vance of GCE teaching and their views on the debates surrounding GCE’s underlying approaches and values. Methods: Participants were 16 pre-service teachers who had taken GCE courses during their degree programmes at a university in Ghana. Data were collected through three focus group discussions and analysed qualitatively. Findings: In-depth analysis of the rich data suggested that partici pants had generally positive perceptions about GCE, whilst obser ving challenges and tension in the relationships between local, national and global issues. Whereas some were of the opinion that GCE had a neocolonial orientation, focusing on Western ele ments over other cultures, others expressed the view that GCE content could be reoriented to address local issues as well. Although participants felt that greater practical experience could strengthen their learning, they believed they had obtained ade quate skills in terms of content and theory for the teaching of GCE. Conclusion: The study draws attention to the need for educators to be supported from an early stage and throughout their career journeys with professional development in GCE that invites explora tion, critical thinking and challenge.
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    The gender enrolment gap in foreign language education revisited: Contemporary issues in a Ghanaian higher education institution
    (System, 2023) Lomotey, B.A.; Csajbok-Twerefou, I.; Husein, A.A-R.; Diabah, D.
    This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language pro grammes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Par ticipants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical sig nificance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese.
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    The gender enrolment gap in foreign language education revisited: Contemporary issues in a Ghanaian higher education institution
    (System, 2023) Lomotey, B.A.; Csajbok-Twerefou, J.; Husein, A.A-R.; Diabah, G.
    This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language pro grammes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Par ticipants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical sig nificance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese. This paper investigates the intersection between gender and foreign language education with specific reference to subject choice, motivation, and achievement. The study was carried out at a Ghanaian public university, amongst students of the following Bachelor of Arts foreign language programmes: Arabic, Chinese, French, Kiswahili, Russian and Spanish. Through a thematic analysis of transcribed focus group discussions and desk-research of relevant administrative documents, the authors inquire why a gender enrolment gap exists in the foreign language pro grammes and if indeed, certain languages are perceived as more masculine than others. The findings of the study confirm the existence of a gender gap in foreign language education. Par ticipants also considered some languages such as Spanish and French as more feminine. Regarding their motivation, participants noted both integrative and instrumental factors that motivated them to study the foreign language. Additionally, the study found no statistical sig nificance between the performance of females and males. However, males performed slightly better than females in Arabic, French, Kiswahili and Russian whereas females performed better in Spanish and Chinese.
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    Learning foreign languages online: A case of Chinese language learners in Ghana in the era of COVID-19
    (Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 2023) Nkrumah, B.; Asamoah, R.
    E-learning has gained prominence in education institutions across the world. Teaching and learning of the Chinese language at the University of Ghana has been done online due to the university’s announcement to use e-learning to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The aim of this paper is to investigate the online experiences of students learning Chinese language at the University of Ghana in the era of COVID -19. A structured questionnaire was employed using a simple descriptive case study to obtain the research information. The study selected two hundred and fifty (250) Chinese language learners who responded to the research questionnaires. Findings showed that the majority of the students desired to have training in e-learning because they considered it very useful since it enabled them to learn at their own pace and convenience. Most students shared that they have adequate skills in computing. The study also established that e-learning has become a new way of teaching and the study recommends adaptability in studying Chinese language through the internet.
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    Viewing gender through the eyes of proverbs: Reflections of gender ideology in the Akan and Swahili societies
    (Journal of Pragmatics, 2021) Dzahene-Quarshie, J.; Omari, S.
    In this study, we compare gendered proverbs in the Akan society of Ghana and Swahili society of Tanzania, focusing on convergences and divergences in their worldviews on conceptualisation of gender roles and functions. Our analyses of data from written and oral sources within the theoretical concepts of gender ideology and intertextuality establish that largely, gendered proverbs in Akan and Swahili are convergent and express similar gender ideologies. Gendered proverbs in the two societies typically refer to females, and even when they mention males, they often critically expose the subjugation of women in relation to male superiority. The main divergent feature between gendered proverbs in Akan and Swahili societies is the perception of females as sex objects and the use of explicit expressions of sex organs and sexual acts by Akan proverbs. In contrast, Swahili gendered proverbs rarely address sexuality, and when they do, they do so discreetly by implication.
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    Making Spanish gender fair: a review of anti-sexist language reform attempts from a language planning perspective
    (Current Issues in Language Planning, 2018-01) Lomotey, B.A.
    More than four decades after the commencement of feminist linguistic activities, the author critically analyses the bottlenecks in the implementation of the European Spanish non-sexist language policies. Through the lenses of language planning, this study demonstrates that these obstacles are, firstly, the difficulty faced by feminist language planning in pervading the different domains and secondly, the limitations posed by language practices, beliefs and management. Other principal factors include inadequate attention to the role of local contexts in the implementation of gender-fair language. Using a survey, the author finally provides current data on speakers’ acceptance or rejection of non-sexist language alternatives. It also provides qualitative data on participants’ reaction to anti-sexist language reform attempts and discusses how these factors can be taken into consideration in feminist language planning.
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    Calixthe Beyala or the blasphematory discourse [Calixthe Beyala ou le discours blasphématoire au propre]
    (Cahiers d'Etudes Africaines, 2006-04) Asaah, A.H.
    For Calixthe Beyala, as for most African novelists, the depiction of postcolonial society is inevitably linked to satirical denunciation. Her fiction, which is strikingly subversive, goes hand in hand with raw blasphemous discourse. Even if this impious temper is not alien to African cultural traditions, Beyala stands out as one of the rare creative writers to systematically exploit it in her works. While it is true that it often attacks the sun God, the Christian God and God the Father, her satire, nevertheless, does not spare deities the world over.
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    To speak or not to speak with the whole mouth: Textualization of taboo subjects in Europhone African literature
    (Journal of Black Studies, 2006-03) Asaah, A.H.
    Taboos, since the dawn of time, have been used by human societies to regulate behavior and discourse. African writers are aware of these codes that regulate conduct, supposedly in the name of the common good. The article discusses taboo adherence and taboo violation in respect of death, madness, sex, and incest in Europhone African literature and concludes that African writers largely display a certain dynamism in their reaction to taboos. © 2006 Sage Publications.