New Setswana Dictionary breaks tradition

The effects of the new Setswana dictionary and its influence on the way Setswana is written from now on could be far reaching. The new dictionary, Tlhalosi ya Medi Ya Setswana, is written for use by people of all ages; primary, secondary, tertiary education students, and other users of Setswana will look to it as a resource. It is the third Setswana dictionary since  Morulaganyi  Kgasa published the first one in 1976, which was followed by  the second edition in 1998 by Kgasa and Joseph Tsonope.

Writers of Setswana are traditionally cautious with their word selection, preferring to go for what would be seen as pure and acceptable language of our forefathers, rather than selecting words that are used casually in informal settings. This  conformity to tradition is known as, "setswana se se phepa" (pure Setswana). Writers of Setswana  are largely conservative, guarding against borrowing words from other cultures, despite the fact that the words which are resisted are used every day.