Abstract:
Studies on corpus-based language teaching are notably absent within the South
African educational context; more so with regard to the teaching of African
languages. This article explores the possibilities offered by the availability of an
electronic corpus to enhance language teaching, and more specifically, the teaching of
Northern Sotho as a second additional language at first year university level to first
time learners of the language. Particular attention is paid to corpus-based selection
and sequencing of learning material, an activity that has hitherto depended on
anecdotal evidence and the intuition of the language teacher. A critical evaluation of
existing pedagogical material for Northern Sotho reveals that although excellent
sources of reference, these works are inadequate for the purpose of teaching Northern
Sotho to first time learners. It is indicated that information gleaned from a corpus
provides the language teacher with guidance on both micro and macro level with
regard to selection and sequencing of learning content.
