The article discusses the efforts of researchers, led by Brenzinger and Shah, to document and preserve the endangered SiPhuthi language in Lesotho. They have recorded over 40 hours of siPhuthi video, conducted workshops to develop an orthography, and are working on a dictionary. The language was recently given official status, alongside Sesotho and sign language, which is seen as a significant milestone for the community.
However, despite this progress, many community members still face challenges in preserving their language and culture due to historical suppression of SiPhuthi in favor of Sesotho and English. Children are often punished at school for speaking SiPhuthi, and the community has struggled with poverty and limited access to education and resources.
The researchers acknowledge that Sesotho is a dominant language in Lesotho and that it can be threatening to other languages, including SiPhuthi. However, they also note that the dominant national language is often English or French, which are not as prevalent in Africa.
The article highlights the importance of mother-tongue education and the need for schools to teach children in their native languages, particularly in the early years. The researchers and community members emphasize the value of preserving SiPhuthi and promoting its use in daily life, education, and government.
Overall, the article suggests that while progress has been made in recognizing SiPhuthi as an official language, much work remains to be done to protect and promote the language and culture of the community.
However, despite this progress, many community members still face challenges in preserving their language and culture due to historical suppression of SiPhuthi in favor of Sesotho and English. Children are often punished at school for speaking SiPhuthi, and the community has struggled with poverty and limited access to education and resources.
The researchers acknowledge that Sesotho is a dominant language in Lesotho and that it can be threatening to other languages, including SiPhuthi. However, they also note that the dominant national language is often English or French, which are not as prevalent in Africa.
The article highlights the importance of mother-tongue education and the need for schools to teach children in their native languages, particularly in the early years. The researchers and community members emphasize the value of preserving SiPhuthi and promoting its use in daily life, education, and government.
Overall, the article suggests that while progress has been made in recognizing SiPhuthi as an official language, much work remains to be done to protect and promote the language and culture of the community.
, it's people's heritage 
. Schools need to start prioritizing native languages over Sesotho ASAP 
. It's crazy how many languages are facing extinction due to colonization, globalization, and lack of recognition. The fact that SiPhuthi is being documented and preserved is a huge step forward, but it's wild that they're already experiencing pushback from the community 
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. Let's keep pushing for progress and recognition, but also hold ourselves accountable for doing better 
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. It's crazy that kids are even punished for speaking their own language in school - what a total bummer 
. I think the researchers and community members are doing a great job trying to preserve SiPhuthi, but we need more support from the government and schools to make it happen 
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. It's like, why not promote both SiPhuthi and Sesotho? Why can't we have a language rotation thing going on? 
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. We just need to keep supporting these researchers and community members until we see more progress 
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i totally get why some people might think sesotho is dominant, but honestly english or french shouldn't be more important than siPhuthi lol let's make sure our schools teach kids in their native languages, esp in early years, so they can grow up speaking the language of their ancestors 
. It's a shame that kids in Lesotho get punished for speaking their native tongue at school... like, what's wrong with being proud of who you are? 
Anyway, I feel like we need more support for mother-tongue education globally 
. It's not just about preserving SiPhuthi, it's about recognizing the importance of linguistic diversity & promoting cultural identity 
. I'd love to see more initiatives that celebrate local languages & traditions! 
, it's about time, right? But, honestly, 40 hours of video recorded by researchers is still a drop in the ocean compared to how much they need to do to help this community. I mean, think about all those kids being punished for speaking their own language at school... that's some messed up stuff 
. And let's not forget about poverty and lack of access to education - it's like, yeah, we got the paper recognition, but what about the real change? They need to work with the schools and gov more closely to make this happen, not just rely on researchers.
It's like, imagine if English had to compete with a bunch of other languages in school - it would be a real mouthful! 
But seriously, it's awesome that researchers are working hard to document and preserve the language. I'm no linguist, but even I know that having a language is like having an identity, right? 
, but it doesn't mean SiPhuthi should be forgotten 
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, 'cause poverty and lack of access are such major problems 
, but we gotta keep pushing forward to protect this language and culture 
. Every little bit counts, and if people can see how cool it is to speak their native tongue, they'll be more likely to use it in school and at home 
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! It's like they're saving a piece of history 
. The fact that the language was recently given official status is a huge milestone for the community 
? That's not cool at all 
, and it's awesome that they're working to promote SiPhuthi in daily life, education, and government 
. We should all be supporting this kind of work 
to see researchers working tirelessly to preserve the SiPhuthi language... it's like they're fighting for a piece of their identity. I mean, can you imagine if we lost our own languages in the US? it's crazy how many languages are dying out already 
. it's not like this is a new issue or anything... just more of the same old cycle of suppression and marginalization 
. gotta keep pushin', I guess, but it's hard to see how much actual change can be made when there's so much at stake 
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. I think it's essential to recognize the significance of SiPhuthi not just in Lesotho but also on a global scale – after all, linguistic diversity is a precious resource that deserves our attention and support