Professor Hannah Gibson
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Email
h.gibson@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 872204
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Location
4.317, Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
Spring term: Tuesdays 10-12.
Profile
Biography
I am a Professor of Linguistics and teach on a range of modules in our Department of Language and Linguistics. My research is concerned with linguistic variation, particularly why and how languages change. Much of my work explores the syntax and semantics of the Bantu languages, with a focus on languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa. My theoretical work is articulated from the perspective of the Dynamic Syntax framework – a parsing/production-oriented approach to natural language processing which aims to capture the way in which meaning is established in real time. My work also examines the link between multilingualism and equitable access to education, as well as the connection between multilingual practices, conflict and conflict resolution. I am also interested in language and identity, language use in urban contexts and the relationship between linguistics and social justice. Prior to joining Essex, I was a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science postdoctoral researcher at Osaka University and a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at SOAS University of London. I have previously worked as a Policy Researcher at the Westminster-based think tank Africa Research Institute, and have taught Swahili at SOAS and University College London, as well as the adult education college CityLit. I am PI on the Leverhulme Trust funded project 'Grammatical variation in Swahili: contact, change and identity' (2021-2025), working with colleagues at SOAS, Kenyatta University (Kenya) and the University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). I am also Co-Investigator on the ESRC Large Grant project 'Multilingualism, Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities of Practiced Linguistic Diversity' (2023-2027). Previously I was PI on the AHRC-DFG funded project 'Microvariation and youth language practices in Africa' (2022-25). I was a Co-Investigator on the British Academy Global Challenges Research Fund project entitled 'Bringing the outside in: merging local language and literacy practices to enhance classroom learning and achievement' (2019-2022) with colleagues at University of Essex, University of Zambia, University of Botswana and University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). I was also Co-Investigator (with Nancy Kula, Leiden University) on the British Academy Small Grant Project 'Dialectology in Bantu Languages: Variation in Bemba across phonology and morphosyntax' (2021-2024), the British Academy International Writing Workshop project 'Decentering knowledge and training opportunities: Supporting the development of the next generation of researchers in African linguistics' (2023-2025), and the British Academy Conferences project 'Linguistic injustice and inequality in the public domain' (2023-2025). I welcome enquires for doctoral supervision relating to topics including, linguistic variation, language contact and change, pidgins and creoles, African languages, Bantu languages, urban youth languages, the syntax-sematics interface.
Qualifications
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Phd in Linguistics SOAS, University of London,
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MA in Linguistics SOAS, University of London,
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BA Swahili and Law SOAS, University of London,
Appointments
University of Essex
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Lecturer in Linguistics, University of Essex (8/1/2018 - 30/9/2020)
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Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, University of Essex (1/10/2020 - 30/9/2023)
Other academic
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Postdoctoral Researcher, Graduate School of Language and Culture, Osaka University (1/10/2017 - 1/1/2018)
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British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Linguistics, SOAS University of London (1/10/2014 - 1/9/2017)
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Visting Professor, Ghent University (1/2/2018 - 30/9/2018)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Syntax-semantics interface
Bantu languages
African languages
Morphosyntax
Language contact
Language change
Language description
Variation
Dialectal variation
Contact languages
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Words and Sentences (LG111)
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Syntax: The Structure of Sentences (LG212)
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Syntax (LG514)
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Graduate Research Assignment (LG699)
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MA Dissertation (LG981)
Current supervision
Previous supervision
Degree subject: Sociolinguistics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 26/6/2024
Degree subject: Applied Linguistics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 15/5/2024
Publications
Publications (1)
Sandstrom, GM., Carter, A., Croft, A. and Gibson, H., (2022). People draw on gender stereotypes to judge question-askers, but there is no such thing as a gender-stereotypic question
Journal articles (36)
Reilly, C., Gibson, H., Costley, T. and Kula, N., (2025). Deconstructing Boundaries and Building Translanguaging Spaces for Effective Multilingual Learning. NORRAG. 11 (Multilingualism and Language Transition: Innovations and Possibilities)
Gibson, H., Githiora, C., Kanana Erastus, F. and Marten, L., (2024). Morphosyntactic retention and innovation in Sheng: an urban youth language of Kenya. Studies in Language. 48 (4), 909-950
Marten, L. and Gibson, H., (2024). On some structural similarities and differences between Herero and Swahili. Journal of Swahili and African Studies. 35, 35-50
Reilly, C., Costley, T., Gibson, H. and Kula, N., (2024). The multilingual university: language ideology, hidden policies and language practices in Malawian universities. Language, Culture and Curriculum. 37 (2), 213-229
Gibson, H. and van der Wal, J., (2024). Mirativity and evidentiality in Bantu: An Introduction. Studies In African Linguistics. 52 (14), 1-8
Mapunda, G., Costley, T., Gibson, H., Kula, N. and Reilly, C., (2024). Rethinking language: The need for language supportive pedagogy within teacher training in Tanzania. Nordic Journal of African Studies. 33 (3), 184-202
Gibson, H., Marten, L. and Ndlovu, S., (2024). Encoding politeness in African urban youth languages: Evidence from Southern Africa. Linguistics Vanguard. 10 (4), 331-341
Kariuki, A., Gibson, H., Jelpke, T., Ochieng, M. and Poeta, T., (2024). Verbal extensions in Sheng: An examination of variation in form and function. Lingusitics Vanguard. 10 (s4), 365-377
Gibson, H., Hollington, A., Nassenstein, N. and Reilly, C., (2024). New perspectives on morphosyntactic variation in African youth language practices. Linguistics Vanguard. 10 (4), 283-288
Reilly, C., Costley, T., Gibson, H., Kula, N., Bagwasi, M., Dikosha, D., Mmolao, P., Mwansa, J., Mwandia, M., Mapunda, G. and James, E., (2023). Emerging principles for researching multilingually in linguistic ethnography: Reflections from Botswana, Tanzania, the UK, and Zambia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 44 (8), 689-701
Skirgård, H., Haynie, HJ., Blasi, DE., Hammarström, H., Collins, J., Latarche, JJ., Lesage, J., Weber, T., Witzlack-Makarevich, A., Passmore, S., Chira, A., Maurits, L., Dinnage, R., Dunn, M., Reesink, G., Singer, R., Bowern, C., Epps, P., Hill, J., Vesakoski, O., Robbeets, M., Abbas, NK., Auer, D., Bakker, NA., Barbos, G., Borges, RD., Danielsen, S., Dorenbusch, L., Dorn, E., Elliott, J., Falcone, G., Fischer, J., Ghanggo Ate, Y., Gibson, H., Göbel, H-P., Goodall, JA., Gruner, V., Harvey, A., Hayes, R., Heer, L., Herrera Miranda, RE., Hübler, N., Huntington-Rainey, B., Ivani, JK., Johns, M., Just, E., Kashima, E., Kipf, C., Klingenberg, JV., König, N., Koti, A., Kowalik, RGA., Krasnoukhova, O., Lindvall, NLM., Lorenzen, M., Lutzenberger, H., Martins, TRA., Mata German, C., van der Meer, S., Montoya Samamé, J., Müller, M., Muradoglu, S., Neely, K., Nickel, J., Norvik, M., Oluoch, CA., Peacock, J., Pearey, IOC., Peck, N., Petit, S., Pieper, S., Poblete, M., Prestipino, D., Raabe, L., Raja, A., Reimringer, J., Rey, SC., Rizaew, J., Ruppert, E., Salmon, KK., Sammet, J., Schembri, R., Schlabbach, L., Schmidt, FWP., Skilton, A., Smith, WD., de Sousa, H., Sverredal, K., Valle, D., Vera, J., Voß, J., Witte, T., Wu, H., Yam, S., Ye, J., Yong, M., Yuditha, T., Zariquiey, R., Forkel, R., Evans, N., Levinson, SC., Haspelmath, M., Greenhill, SJ., Atkinson, QD. and Gray, RD., (2023). Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss. Science Advances. 9 (16), eadg6175-
Bernander, R., Devos, M. and Gibson, H., (2023). Bantu negative verbs: a typological-comparative investigation of form, function and distribution. Linguistique et langues africaines. 9 (1)
Harvey, A., Gibson, H. and Griscom, R., (2023). Preverbal Clitic Clusters in the Tanzanian Rift Valley Revisited. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics. 44 (2), 175-239
Gibson, H. and Belkadi, A., (2022). The development of the encoding of deictic motion in the Bantu language Rangi: Grammaticalisation and change. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics. 42 (1), 1-32
Bernander, R., Devos, M. and Gibson, H., (2022). Modal auxiliary verb constructions in East African Bantu languages. Journal of African Languages and Literatures. 3, 22-85
Reilly, C., Bagwasi, MM., Costley, T., Gibson, H., Kula, NC., Mapunda, G. and Mwansa, J., (2022). ‘Languages don’t have bones, so you can just break them’: rethinking multilingualism in education policy and practice in Africa. Journal of the British Academy. 10 (s4), 1-20
Mapunda, G. and Gibson, H., (2022). On the suitability of Swahili for early schooling in remote rural Tanzania: do policy and practice align?. Journal of the British Academy. 10 (s4), 141-168
Bernander, R., Bloom-Ström, E-M. and Gibson, H., (2022). Post-verbal negative particles in Southern Tanzania: form, distribution and historical development. Africana Linguistica. 28 (2022), 55-113
Furumoto, M. and Gibson, H., (2022). Variation in Kimakunduchi and Standard Swahili: Insights from verbal morphosyntax. Linguistique et Langues Africaines. 8 (1), 1-61
Onwukwe, C. and Gibson, H., (2022). Migrant identities in multilingual contexts: Nigerian migrants' language use in public spaces in Cape Town. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 44 (9), 794-806
Edelsten, P., Gibson, H., Guérois, R., Mapunda, G., Marten, L. and Taji, J., (2022). Morphosyntactic variation in Bantu: Focus on East Africa. Journal of the Language Association of Eastern Africa. 1 (1), 1-22
Howes, C. and Gibson, H., (2021). Dynamic Syntax: The Dynamics of Incremental Processing: Constraints on Underspecification. Journal of Logic, Language and Information. 30 (2), 263-276
Gibson, H., (2020). The grammaticalisation of verb-auxiliary order in East African Bantu: from information structure to tense-aspect. Studies in Language. 43 (4), 757-799
Gibson, H., Mapunda, G., Marten, L., Shah, S. and Taji, J., (2020). Variation in double object marking in Swahili. Swahili-Forum. 26, 142-165
Gibson, H., Mapunda, G., Marten, L. and Taji, J., (2020). Ulinganishi wa mofolojia na sintaksia baina ya lugha 19 za Kibantu za Afrika Mashariki [A morphological and syntactic comparison of 19 East African Bantu languages]. Kiswahili. 82 (2019), 1-13
Gibson, H. and Marten, L., (2019). Probing the interaction of language contact and internal innovation: four case studies of morphosyntactic change in Rangi. Studies In African Linguistics. 48 (2019), 63-92
Roth, T. and Gibson, H., (2019). Differential diagnoses of language change in Ngoreme, a Bantu language of Tanzania. Africana Linguistica. 25, 281-319
Gibson, H. and Yoneda, N., (2018). Functions of verb reduplication and verb doubling in Swahili. Journal of Asian and African Studies. 96, 5-28
Chatzikyriakidis, S. and Gibson, H., (2017). The Bantu-Romance-Greek connection revisited: Processing constraints in auxiliary and clitic placement from a cross-linguistic perspective. Glossa. 2 (1), 1-39
Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Marten, L., (2017). Patterns and developments in the marking of diminutives in Bantu. Nordic Journal of African Studies. 26 (4), 344-383
Seraku, T. and Gibson, H., (2016). A Dynamic Syntax modelling of Japanese and Rangi clefts: parsing incrementality and the growth of interpretation. Language Sciences. 56, 45-67
Gibson, H., (2016). A unified dynamic account of auxiliary placement in Rangi. Lingua. 184, 79-103
Marten, L. and Gibson, H., (2016). Structure building and thematic constraints in Bantu inversion constructions. Journal of Linguistics. 52 (03), 565-607
Gibson, H. and Wilhelmsen, V., (2015). Cycles of negation in Rangi and Mbugwe. Africana Linguistica. 21 (1), 233-257
Gibson, H., (2015). The Dynamics of Structure building in Rangi: At the syntax-semantics interface. Cambridge Occasional Papers in Linguistics. 8, 41-55
Gibson, H., (2013). Auxiliary placement in Rangi: A case of contact-induced change?. SOAS Working Papers in Linguistics. 16, 153-166
Books (4)
Gibson, H., Lück, J., Riedel, K. and Namboodiripad, S., (2025). African Linguistics After #RhodesMustFall Contextualising the Role of African Languages in Higher Education in Times of Global Change. Palgrave MacMillan. 3031748166. 9783031748165
Gibson, H., Guérois, R., Mapunda, G. and Marten, L., (2024). Morphosyntactic variation in East African Bantu languages: Descriptive and comparative approaches. Language Science Press. 3985540918. 9783985540914
Ström, E-MB., Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Marten, L., (2024). Morphosyntactic Variation in Bantu. Oxford University Press. 019255445X. 9780192554451
Gibson, H., (2018). Building meaning in context: A dynamic approach to Bantu clause structure. Wiley Blackwell. 9781119532255
Book chapters (28)
Marten, L., Gibson, H. and Hemmings, C., Syntactic changes in verbal agreement. In: The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Diachronic Linguistics. Editors: Ledgeway, A., Breitbarth, A., Kiss, K., Salmons, J. and Simonenko, A., . Wiley Blackwell
Gibson, H., Auxiliary constructions. In: The Oxford Guide to the Bantu Languages. Editors: Marten, L., Hurst-Harosh, E., Kula, NC. and Zeller, J., . Oxford University Press
Marten, L., Gibson, H., Kihara, J., Lecklangis, R., Mesula, R. and Momanyi, C., Aspects of lexical semantics and loanword adaptation in Kitaveta. In: Contextualising African Language Dynamics of Change. Editors: Wollff, HE. and Roux, JC., . African Sun Media
Laine, A., Bernander, R. and Gibson, H., Negation in Ngoreme. In: Negation in the world's languages I: Africa. Editors: Miestamo, M. and Veselinova, L., . Language Science Press
Marten, L. and Gibson, H., (2025). Morphosyntactic borrowing in closely related varieties: “False cognates” in Swahili. In: Historical Linguistics 2022. Editors: Kennard, H., Lindsay-Smith, E., Lahiri, A. and Maiden, M., . Benjamins. 184- 197. 9789027219176
Riedel, K. and Gibson, H., (2025). Clause chaining in Bantu languages. In: Clause Chaining in the Languages of the World. 798- 823
Chetty, R., Gibson, H. and Reilly, C., (2024). Decolonising methodologies through collaboration: reflections on partnerships and funding flows from working between the ‘South’ and the ‘North’. In: Decolonizing Linguistics. Editors: Charity Hudley, A., Mallinson, C. and Bucholtz, M., . Oxford University Press. 245- 262. 0197755259. 9780197755297
Gibson, H., Jerro, K., Namboodiripad, S. and Riedel, K., (2024). Towards a decolonial syntax: Research, Teaching, Publishing. In: Decolonizing Linguistics. Editors: Charity Hudley, A., Mallinson, C. and Bucholtz, M., . Oxford University Press
Marten, L., Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Jerro, K., (2024). Morphosyntactic variation in Old Swahili.. In: Morphosyntactic variation in East African Bantu languages: Descriptive and comparative approaches. Editors: Gibson, H., Guérois, R., Mapunda, G. and Marten, L., . Language Science Press. 373- 420
Marten, L., Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Mapunda, G., (2024). Introduction. In: Morphosyntactic variation in East African Bantu languages: Descriptive and comparative approaches. Language Science Press
Guérois, R., Gibson, H. and Marten, L., (2024). A parametric approach to negation in Bantu languages. In: Morphosyntactic Variation in Bantu. Editors: Bloom Ström, E-M., Gibson, H., Guérois, H. and Marten, L., . Oxford University Press. 105- 148. 0198821352
Bernander, R., Devos, M. and Gibson, H., (2024). Existential constructions in Bantu languages. In: Morphosyntactic Variation in Bantu. Editors: Bloom Ström, E-M., Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Marten, L., . Oxford University Press. 149- 183. 0198821352
Reilly, C., Gibson, H., Kula, N., Costley, T., Mapunda, G. and Mwansa, J., (2024). Bringing the outside in: Attitudes towards multilingual competence in Zambia and Tanzania. In: Learning Languages, Being Social. Editors: Mohr, S. and Ferrara, L., . De Gruyter Mouton. 199- 230
Marten, L., Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Mapunda, G., (2024). Introduction. 1- 13
Reilly, C., Costley, T., Gibson, H. and Kula, NC., (2024). Teacher creativity in navigating multilingual classrooms: negotiating policy and practice in Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia. In: Multilingualism and Multiculturalism: Language Teaching and Learning. Editors: Karpava, S., . Brill. 140- 162. 9789004702288
Marten, L., Guérois, R., Gibson, H. and Bloom Ström, E-M., (2024). Morphosyntactic variation in Bantu: An introduction. In: Morphosyntactic Variation in Bantu. Editors: Bloom Ström, E-M., Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Marten, L., . Oxford University Press. 1- 22. 0198821352
Riedel, K. and Gibson, H., (2024). Clause chaining in Bantu languages. In: Clause Chaining in the Languages of the World. Editors: Sarvasy, HS. and Aikhenvald, AY., . OUP. 298- 823. 0198870310
Gibson, H., Kula, N., Marten, L. and Taji, J., (2023). Suffix order restrictions in Bantu. In: The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Morphology. Editors: Ackema, P., Bendjaballaha, S., Bonet, E. and Fábregas, A., . Wiley Blackwell. 1- 33. 9781119693574
Marten, L., Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Poeta, T., (2023). Content words and contextual meaning: Lexical NPs as discourse anaphora in Makhuwa and Cuwabo. In: The Bantu NP: Issues and Perspectives. Editors: Achiri-Taboh, B., . Routledge. 183- 209. 9781032183633
Bernander, R., Devos, M. and Gibson, H., (2022). The negative existential cycle in Bantu. In: The Negative Existential Cycle from a historical-comparative perspective. Editors: Hamari, A. and Veselinova, L., . Language Science Press. 59- 113. 978-3-96110-339-3
Gibson, H., Marten, L., Mous, M. and Riedel, K., (2022). Valency and saliency in Bantu applicatives: A diachronic reanalysis. In: Applicative Morphology: Neglected syntactic and non-syntactic functions. Editors: Pacchiarotti, S. and Zúñiga, F., . De Gruyter Mouton. 163- 188. 9783110777949
Khuna, KJ., Gibson, H., Joeng, K., Nyambi, B. and Khoza, SS., (2021). Siswati (S43). In: Descriptive materials of morphsyntactic microvariation in Bantu vol. 2: A microparametric survey of morphosyntactic microvariation in Southern Bantu languages. Editors: Lee, SJ., Abe, Y. and Shinagawa, D., . Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa
Guérois, R., Gibson, H. and Persohn, B., (2021). Associated Motion in Bantu languages. In: Associated Motion. Editors: Guillaume, A. and Koch, H., . DeGruyter Mouton. 569- 609. 9783110692006
Gibson, H., Guérois, R. and Marten, L., (2019). Variation in Bantu copula constructions. In: The Grammar of Copulas Across Languages. Editors: Arché, M., Fábregas, A. and Marin, R., . Oxford University Press. 213- 242. 9780198829850
Wald, B. and Gibson, H., (2018). Swahili and the Bantu languages. In: The World's Major Languages. Editors: Comrie, B., . Routledge. 903- 924. 9781138184824
Gibson, H., Koumbarou, A., Marten, L. and van der Wal, J., (2016). Locating the Bantu conjoint/disjoint alternation in a typology of focus marking. In: The Conjoint/Disjoint Alternation in Bantu. Editors: van der Wal, J. and Hyman, L., . Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. 61- 99. 3110490838. 9783110490831
Gibson, H., Koumbarou, A., Marten, L. and Wal, JVD., (2016). 3. Locating the Bantu conjoint/disjoint alternation in a typology of focus marking. In: The Conjoint/Disjoint Alternation in Bantu. De Gruyter. 61- 99
Gibson, H. and Marten, L., (2015). Variation and grammaticalisation in Bantu complex verbal constructions: The dynamics of information growth in Swahili, Rangi and siSwati. In: Approaches to Complex Predicates. Editors: Nash, L. and Samvelian, P., . Brill. 70- 109. 9004307095. 9789004307094
Other (2)
Gibson, H., (2021).Review of Anne Breitbarth, Christopher Lucas & David Willis, 'The history of negation in the languages of Europe and the Mediterranean, vol II: Patterns and processes'. Journal of Linguistics. 57(3),Cambridge University Press
Gibson, H., (2016).Review of: Colonialism and missionary linguistics. Journal of Linguistics. 52(1),Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Grants and funding
2023
Decentering knowledge and training opportunities: Supporting the development of the next generation of researchers in African linguistics
British Academy
Linguistic injustice and inequality in the public domain
British Academy
Multilingualism, Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities of Practiced Linguistic Diversity
Economic and Social Research Council
Challenging language inequalities, bringing linguistic diversity to the forefront in language education practice and policy
Economic and Social Research Council
2022
Multilingualism and structural change: insights from past histories and present realities
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Supporting Multilingualism in Practice: Resource co-creation in primary classrooms in Tanzania
British Academy
Supporting Multilingualism in Practice: Resource co-creation in primary classrooms in Tanzania
British Academy
2021
Grammatical variation in Swahili: contact, change and identity
Leverhulme Trust
Microvariation and youth language practices in Africa
Arts and Humanities Research Council
2020
Eroding dichotomies: description, analysis and publishing in African linguistics
British Academy
Visiting Fellowship for Professor Rajendra Chetty
University of Essex (GCRF)
Dialectology in Bantu Languages: Variation in Bemba across phonology and morphosyntax
British Academy
Dialectology in Bantu Languages: Variation in Bemba across phonology and morphosyntax
British Academy
2019
Bringing the outside in: Merging local language and literacy practices to enhance classroom learning and achievement
British Academy
Bringing the outside in: Merging local language and literacy practices to enhance classroom learning and achievement
British Academy
2018
Variation in Sesotho and Setswana as spoken in the Free State
British Academy
Contact
Academic support hours:
Spring term: Tuesdays 10-12.
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