Mzoma, Shoaib (PhD)
Shoaib Mzoma obtained his BA degree in Arabic in 2001 from the Islamic University of Madina, Saudi Arabia. Prior to earning his doctorate in African Languages at the University of Johannesburg, Mzoma received his BAHons from the University of KwaZulu- Natal in 2005, and later, a Master’s degree in linguistics from the University of South Africa (UNISA) in May 2015. He has previously worked as Arabic- English and English-Arabic translator with the South African Dawah Network and Islamic Dawah Movement in Durban. The candidate’s doctoral thesis articulates the acquisition of isiZulu by Malawian and Nigerian nationals who stay around Johannesburg. He demonstrates the different levels at which the Malawian and Nigerian immigrants acquire isiZulu as a language found in South Africa, particularly around Johannesburg. His findings are that Malawians respond faster than the Nigerians in grasping the language. Factors that affect this situation include the Malawians having a common dominant African language at home, which is Chichewa, while the Nigerians do not have a common African language back home. Malawians can communicate in Chichewa among themselves, irrespective of the region they originate from in Malawi. On the other hand, Nigerians who originate from different regions in their home country, communicate through the medium of English. For these and other reasons, Malawians are more open to acquiring a new African language than Nigerians. Also, Malawians interact more with locals than Nigerians.
Supervisor: Prof Z Mtumane Co-Supervisor: Dr IK Mndawe
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