Investigating the language of wider communication and examining the selected medium of instruction for local primary schools in the Livingstone city of Zambia

Livingstone as a tourist capital of Zambia has developed into a multilingual and multiethnic community because a lot of languages are spoken within its boundaries. In this paper an attempt has been made at taking a sociolinguistic perspective of investigating the local language of wider communication in the Livingstone city of Zambia. To achieve this, particular attention was focussed on the assessment of the popularity of Tonga, Nyanja and Lozi, the three community languages of Livingstone townships. The results of the study were used to establish whether or not Tonga language is indeed the appropriate medium of instruction for Livingstone primary schools and also as a learning subject of choice. A case study survey was carried out in schools and Livingstone townships so as to come up with the desired findings of the study. Instances of language use were observed in selected primary schools in Livingstone. The findings of the study indicate that although Nyanja is not the native language or mother tongue of most Livingstone residents, it has proved to be the language of wider communication. It has also been revealed that although Tonga is the officially prescribed medium of instruction in Livingstone primary schools, many school going children do not use it in many domains. Lozi was found to be the mother tongue of most Livingstone residents but the language is only confined to the home domain and family functions.