Oxford English-Setswana Dictionary a part of National Heritage

The Oxford English-Setswana, Setswana-English School Dictionary (OESSESD) has been hailed as an essential part of Botswana's national heritage by senior lecturer in English Linguistics and Lexicography at the University of Botswana's (UB) Department of English, Dr Thapelo Otlogetswe.

In an interview with Showbiz, Otlogetswe, its chief editor, said that the dictionary, which had been in the making for around three years, would be available in Botswana in two months' time.He said that the dictionary is in its final stages as they are cross-checking to ensure everything is in order before officially launching it.The dictionary is a step in the right direction, as there hasn't been many products developed that promote and preserve Setswana, Otlogetswe said.

He added that there has been only one dictionary published to date."To date we have had only one English-Setswana dictionary that was published in 1875 and written by Tom Brown under the London Missionary Society." He said that over the years the dictionary has been reprinted and edited.Otlogetswe added that Setswana is mostly used orally as compared to being written down and documented.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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