Books & Dictionaries

Professional Services

Lexicography and dictionary development, translation between Setswana and English, academic supervision and examination, and consulting on corpus design and linguistic analysis.

Language is never just a collection of words. It is the living memory of a people, carrying their history, their values, and their way of seeing the world. For Setswana speakers, every proverb, every name, and every turn of phrase holds echoes of ancestors and the land they walked. A lexicographer does not simply list definitions; they trace these threads of meaning, uncovering the deep connections between a word and the culture that shaped it. In this sense, dictionary-making becomes an act of preservation, a quiet but powerful defence against the erosion of collective identity in a rapidly changing world.

Corpus linguistics offers a window into how language is actually used, not just how we imagine it is used. By gathering large collections of real-world texts — from newspapers and novels to everyday conversations — researchers can observe patterns that would otherwise remain invisible. This evidence-based approach challenges assumptions and reveals the living, breathing nature of Setswana as it adapts to modern life. For a linguist working in Botswana, building a robust corpus is essential groundwork. It informs everything from dictionary entries to language policy, ensuring that decisions about words are grounded in the reality of how people truly speak and write.

Translation is often misunderstood as a simple mechanical act of swapping one word for another. In truth, it is a delicate art that demands a profound understanding of both the source and target cultures. A translator must navigate the spaces where languages do not align neatly, where a concept in English has no direct equivalent in Setswana, and vice versa. This requires creativity, sensitivity, and deep linguistic knowledge. When done well, translation builds bridges between communities, allowing ideas about justice, faith, education, and human dignity to travel across the boundaries that language would otherwise erect.

The names we give our children are rarely arbitrary. In Setswana culture, a name can be a record of circumstances, a prayer, a commemoration, or even a quiet observation about the world. Some names point to objects and tools familiar to past generations, revealing a material history that might otherwise be forgotten. A lexicographer who studies the etymology of personal names uncovers layers of meaning that connect the present to a deeper past. This work reminds us that every time we speak a name, we are participating in a tradition of meaning-making that stretches back far beyond living memory.

Dictionaries are often treated as final authorities, as if the meaning of a word can be settled once and for all. But language is not static, and neither is a good dictionary. The work of lexicography is ongoing — new words emerge, old words shift in usage, and cultural changes reshape the landscape of meaning. A dictionary of Setswana must be a living document, responsive to the ways speakers are actually using the language in schools, in government, in churches, and in homes across Botswana. This humility before the living reality of language is what separates a great dictionary from a merely adequate one.

Education in Botswana rests on a foundation of language. When children learn in a tongue they understand deeply, they grasp concepts more fully and grow in confidence. The study of Setswana linguistics contributes directly to the quality of education by providing teachers and curriculum developers with accurate, research-based resources. From understanding syllable structure to appreciating the nuances of consonants, linguistic knowledge shapes how literacy is taught. Investing in the scholarly study of Setswana is therefore not a niche academic pursuit; it is an investment in the intellectual future of every Motswana child who enters a classroom.

Every nation's independence is intertwined with its language. For Botswana, the Setswana tongue stands as a marker of sovereignty and cultural pride, a reminder that political freedom and linguistic freedom are bound together. When a people can conduct their government, their courts, and their commerce in their own language, they affirm their dignity on the world stage. The work of documenting, standardising, and celebrating Setswana is thus a patriotic act. It says to the citizens of this land that their mother tongue is worthy of the highest scholarship and that their voice matters in the republic of nations.

There is a quiet joy in discovering the unexpected stories hidden inside ordinary words. A lexicographer might spend hours tracing the path of a single term, moving from its current usage back through decades of recorded speech, noticing shifts in meaning that mirror shifts in society. Sometimes the trail leads to surprising places — to old tools, to forgotten practices, to ways of life that have faded but left their mark on the vocabulary. This detective work is its own reward, a reminder that language is a vast, intricate tapestry and that every thread, no matter how small, contributes to the whole.

The digital age presents both a challenge and an opportunity for African languages. Without deliberate effort, Setswana could be marginalised in online spaces, its speakers forced to operate almost entirely in English or other dominant tongues. But with intentional corpus building, digital dictionary development, and the creation of language technology tools, Setswana can thrive in the twenty-first century. The goal is not to resist change but to ensure that Setswana speakers have the resources they need to live full digital lives in their own language — to tweet, to search, to learn, and to create without leaving their linguistic heritage behind.

Get in Touch

Department of English, University of Botswana, Private Bag 00703, Gaborone, Botswana.
Tel: (+267) 355 2092 · Email: otlogets@otlogetswe.com