US educational tech company Duolingo offers isiZulu lessons, introduces users to amapiano and gqom

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US educational tech company Duolingo offers isiZulu lessons, introduces users to amapiano and gqom
US educational tech company Duolingo offers isiZulu lessons, introduces users to amapiano and gqom

Africa-Press – South-Africa. IsiZulu – spoken by more than 12 million people in Southern Africa – has become the second language from the region to be included on Duolingo, an American educational technology platform.

Swahili was the first to be added in 2017 and had 363 000 active users.

The addition of isiZulu was done with the assistance of Nal’ibali, a South African reading-for-enjoyment campaign.

Through Duolingo, the language will be accessible as a beginner’s guide to the culture and communication of isiZulu speakers.

In a statement, the company said it was on a drive to ” bring cultural awareness and exposure of lesser-known languages to a wider audience”.

IsiZulu was introduced to the platform barely six months after Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies announced that it would be teaching IsiZulu by August this year.

Duolingo said while it would be teaching the language as a beginner’s guide, the IsiZulu lessons would also carry the popular culture of modern-day speakers of the language.

The company said:

Nal’ibali’s director Nqabakazi Mathe-Gina said their work with the American company sought to promote African languages and cultures that have been marginalised.

“We want more attention to be given to African languages, which will help protect and promote the literacy value chain in South Africa,” he said.

Vodacom will offer free access to the Duolingo platform to its subscribers for a year.

Additional access will be created for learners – locally and around the world – to learn to speak isiZulu via the mobile app and website.

Plans were also under way to introduce isiXhosa on the same platform.

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