Special issue: Lugha ya mitaani in Tanzania - the poetics and sociology of a young urban style of speaking: with a dictionary comprising 1100 words and phrases

Swahili has been moulded in a long process by many factors over many centuries (Chiraghdin & Mnyampala 1977, Khalid 1977, Nurse & Spear 1985, Shariff 1973, Whiteley 1969). One of the latest chapters in its history is the standardisation and implementation as national and official language in Tanzania after independence.The National Swahili Council was given the task of further developing as well as guarding the standard form in textbooks for schools, in literature, in music texts, and in radio and television broadcasting. However, while Standard Swahili was taught in schools and writtenin books and newspapers, people in town quarters where Swahili was spoken developed and used a colloquial style of speech by enriching the standard form with “slang” expressions and lexemes.Recently, many people in Tanzania speak of “lugha za mitaani” (‘languages of the town quarters’, or ‘street languages’), using the plural to point to the fact that there exists a whole range of varieties of non-standard language, depending on local and social factors. The more recent development of lugha za mitaani reflects very much the social, economic, and political liberalisation in Tanzania, which started in the late 1980s. Little research has been done on the complex of these locally coloured colloquial Swahili variants, and we hope that our work will prepare the ground for further, more detailed studies. Since we acknowledge the existence of variants, we will use Lugha ya Mitaani (henceforth abbreviated LyM) to denote the phenomenon as such, whereas we will apply the term Lugha za Mitaani (henceforth abbreviated LzM) when we speak of the complex of variants.The primary characteristic of lugha za mitaani in general is that they deviate from Standard Kiswahili by their special lexicon which is in a constant process of rapid renovation. This is done by way of deliberate manipulation of existing lexical items, as an expression of an attitude of jocular and provocative violation of linguistic norms.Looking into the linguistic makeup, it is quite clear that Lugha ya Mitaani is not an independent language, but a sociolect or register of Kiswahili. The geographical centre of the ongoing creation and recreation of linguistic elements is Dar es Salaam. From there the linguistic items spread very quickly into the interior and reach even remote places such as Nachingwea (Lindi region) and Kurio (Dodoma region), where we conducted our research. The remarkably high mobility of the youth in Tanzania plays a crucial role in this process, but also the media, especially music, radio, video, and the yellow press contribute a lot to the rapid diffusion of Lugha ya Mitaani-terms. This article is based on research conducted in Tanzania between 2000 and 2006 and approaches the phenomenon of Lugha ya Mitaani from different angles. A substantial part of the field research was lexicographic in nature, complemented by ethnographic methods (see chapter two). The analysis focuses on form, function, mediation and general comparative sociolinguistic issues of Lugha ya Mitaani.:1. Introduction: Lugha ya Mitaani 1 1.1 History of colloquial non-standard Swahili speech forms 1 1.2 Special forms of Lugha ya Mitaani 4 1.2.1 Campus Swahili 5 1.2.2 Secret codes derived from Swahili 5 1.2.3 Lugha ya vijana wa vijiweni 6 1.2.4 The language of daladalas 8 1.3 Overview of the article 9 2. Methodology 10 2.1 Field research 10 2. 2 Acknowledgements 12 2. 3 The making of the dictionary 12 3. Sociolinguistics of Lugha ya Mitaani 13 3.1 Lugha ya Mitaani as youth language 13 3.2 Knowledge, use and attitudes 14 3.3 Diachronic aspects of Lugha ya Mitaani 17 4. Lexical elaboration 18 4.1 Humans and social relations 20 4.1.1 Humans 20 4.1.2 Women 21 4.1.3 Men 23 4.1.4 Homosexuals 23 UTA REUSTER-JAHN & ROLAND KIEßLING 4.1.5 Social relationship 24 4.1.6 Social status 24 4.2 Communication 24 4.3 Body & Appearance 25 4.4 Economy, Money & Occupation 26 4.5 Sex 27 4.6 Drugs & Alcohol 28 4.7 Movement & Vehicles 28 4.8 Evaluative terms 29 4.9 Experience 30 4.10 Trouble & Violence 30 4.11 Crime & Police 30 4.12 Food 31 4.13 Disease 31 4.14 Geography & Place 32 4.15 Education 32 4.16 Sports 33 4.17 Weapons 33 4.18 Cultural innovation 33 4.19 Time 33 5. The poetic making of Lugha ya Mitaani 34 5.1 Hyperbole and dysphemism 35 5.2 Humoristic effects 37 5.3 Metaphors 39 LUGHA YA MITAANI IN TANZANIA 5.4 Cognitive motivation 41 5.5 Onomastic synecdoche 43 5.6 Multiple semantic extensions 44 5.7 Folk etymologies 45 5.8 Phraseologisms 46 5.9 Manipulations of form 50 5.10 Donor languages 52 6. The construction of youth identities in discourse practice 53 7. Lugha ya Mitaani and the media 60 8. Lugha ya Mitaani in a historical perspective 66 8.1 Lugha ya Mitaani in contrast to other phenomena of language birth 67 8.1.1 Pidginisation and creolisation 67 8.1.2 Codeswitching 67 8.1.3 Lugha ya Mitaani and Sheng 70 8.2 Semantic change 75 8.3 Sociosymbolic change 76 9. Conclusion 78 Abbreviations 79 Bibliography 80 Appendix 1: Lugha ya Mitaani texts written by John Degera 88 Appendix 2: Diachronic change in the campus lexicon at Teacher Training College Nachingwea 90 Appendix 3: Dictionary of Lugha ya Mitaani 9

Beyond the Bakushinskii veto: Regularising linear inverse problems without knowing the noise distribution

This article deals with the solution of linear ill-posed equations in Hilbert spaces. Often, one only has a corrupted measurement of the right hand side at hand and the Bakushinskii veto tells us, that we are not able to solve the equation if we do not know the noise level. But in applications it is ad hoc unrealistic to know the error of a measurement. In practice, the error of a measurement may often be estimated through averaging of multiple measurements. We integrated that in our anlaysis and obtained convergence to the true solution, with the only assumption that the measurements are unbiased, independent and identically distributed according to an unknown distribution.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figure

Prescribing in a paediatric emergency: A PERUKI survey of prescribing and resuscitation aids

Aim: The aim was to investigate the use of paper-based and electronic prescribing and resuscitation aids in paediatric emergency care from a departmental and individual physician perspective. Methods: A two-stage web-based self-report questionnaire was performed. In stage (i), a lead investigator at PERUKI sites completed a department-level survey; in stage (ii), individual physicians recorded their personal practice. Results: The site survey was completed by 46/54 (85%) of PERUKI sites. 198 physicians completed the individual physicians' survey. Individual physicians selected the use of formulary apps for checking of medication dosages nearly as often as hardcopy formularies. The APLS WETFLAG calculation and hardcopy aids were widely accepted in both surveys. A third of sites accepted and half of the individual physicians selected resuscitation apps on the personal mobile device as paediatric resuscitation aids. Conclusion: Our survey shows a high penetrance of the British National Formulary app, a success of NHS digital policy and strategy. Despite potential advantages, many physicians in our survey do not use resuscitation apps. Reluctance to engage with apps is likely to be multifactorial and includes human factors. These obstacles need to be overcome to create a digital healthcare culture

Myosin5a tail associates directly with Rab3A-containing compartments in neurons

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The definitive version was published in Journal of Biological Chemistry, 286 (2011): 14352-14361, doi:10.1074/jbc.M110.187286.Myosin-Va (Myo5a) is a motor protein associated with synaptic vesicles (SVs) but the mechanism by which it interacts has not yet been identified. A potential class of binding partners are Rab GTPases and Rab3A is known to associate with SVs and is involved in SV trafficking. We performed experiments to determine whether Rab3A interacts with Myo5a and whether it is required for transport of neuronal vesicles. In vitro motility assays performed with axoplasm from the squid giant axon showed a requirement for a Rab GTPase in Myo5a-dependent vesicle transport. Furthermore, mouse recombinant Myo5a tail revealed that it associated with Rab3A in rat brain synaptosomal preparations in vitro and the association was confirmed by immunofluorescence imaging of primary neurons isolated from the frontal cortex of mouse brains. Synaptosomal Rab3A was retained on recombinant GST-tagged Myo5a tail affinity columns in a GTP-dependent manner. Finally, the direct interaction of Myo5a and Rab3A was determined by sedimentation v e l o c i t y analytical ultracentrifugation using recombinant mouse Myo5a tail and human Rab3A. When both proteins were incubated in the presence of 1 mM GTPγS, Myo5a tail and Rab3A formed a complex and a direct interaction was observed. Further analysis revealed that GTP-bound Rab3A interacts with both the monomeric and dimeric species of the Myo5a tail. However, the interaction between Myo5a tail and nucleotidefree Rab3A did not occur. Thus, our results show that Myo5a and Rab3A are direct binding partners and interact on SVs and that the Myo5a/Rab3A complex is involved in transport of neuronal vesicles

Monitoring the referral system through benchmarking in rural Niger: an evaluation of the functional relation between health centres and the district hospital

BACKGROUND: The main objective of this study is to establish a benchmark for referral rates in rural Niger so as to allow interpretation of routine referral data to assess the performance of the referral system in Niger. METHODS: Strict and controlled application of existing clinical decision trees in a sample of rural health centres allowed the estimation of the corresponding need for and characteristics of curative referrals in rural Niger. Compliance of referral was monitored as well. Need was matched against actual referral in 11 rural districts. The referral patterns were registered so as to get an idea on the types of pathology referred. RESULTS: The referral rate benchmark was set at 2.5 % of patients consulting at the health centre for curative reasons. Niger's rural districts have a referral rate of less than half this benchmark. Acceptability of referrals is low for the population and is adding to the deficient referral system in Niger. Mortality because of under-referral is highest among young children. CONCLUSION: Referral patterns show that the present programme approach to deliver health care leaves a large amount of unmet need for which only comprehensive first and second line health services can provide a proper answer. On the other hand, the benchmark suggests that well functioning health centres can take care of the vast majority of problems patients present with

Towards a Learning System for University Campuses as Living Labs for Sustainability

Universities, due to their sizeable estates and populations of staff and students, as well as their connections with, and impact within, their local and wider communities, have significant environmental, social and economic impacts. There is a strong movement for universities to become leaders in driving society towards a more sustainable future, through improving the sustainability of the built environment and the universities’ practices and operations, and through their educational, research and wider community engagement missions. Around the globe the concept of ‘Living Labs’ has emerged as an instrument to integrate these different aspects to deliver sustainability improvements, through engaging multiple stakeholders in all of these areas, and through the co-creation of projects to improve the sustainability of the campus environment and operations, and to link these to the education, research, and wider community missions of the institution. This chapter describes a living, shared framework and methodology, the ‘Campus as Living Lab’ learning system, created through global participatory workshops and Living Lab literature, aimed at supporting universities and their Sustainability (Coordinating) Offices in the development and monitoring of Living Lab projects. The framework includes seven categories of supportive data collection and three levels of details to meet different requirements of potential users. The Living Lab framework presented in this chapter, aims to create value and help universities maximise the benefit of Living Lab projects within an institution, support monitoring, reflection and learning from projects, and facilitate communication with stakeholders, and the sharing of practices and learning between peers across the globe. As a living shared, framework and learning system, the framework will adapt and develop over time and within different contexts. To provide feedback and fast (practical) learning from users, the system will be further developed to facilitate transparent peer reviewing

Zentrale Befunde zu aktuellen Arbeitsmarktthemen

Die Zahlen zur Beschäftigung und zum Leistungsbezug rechtfertigen es gegenwärtig nicht, die Zuwanderung aus Bulgarien und Rumänien pauschal als 'Armutszuwanderung' zu qualifizieren. Zur Jahresmitte 2013 waren rund 60 Prozent der Bulgaren und Rumänen im erwerbsfähigen Alter in Deutschland erwerbstätig. Die Arbeitslosenquote lag bei 7,4 Prozent und der Anteil der SGB-II-Leistungsempfänger an der bulgarischen und rumänischen Bevölkerung bei 10 Prozent. Allerdings haben 46 Prozent der Bulgaren und Rumänen, die nach 2007 zugewandert sind, keine abgeschlossene Berufsausbildung. In einigen strukturschwachen Kommunen wie Duisburg, Dortmund und Berlin konzentrieren sich die sozialen und ökonomischen Probleme der Bulgaren und Rumänen. Hier sind nicht nur die Arbeitslosen- und Leistungsempfängerquoten zum Teil sehr hoch. Vor allem sind hier 60 bis 75 Prozent der Bulgaren und Rumänen weder erwerbstätig noch im Leistungsbezug. Durch Einführung der vollständigen Arbeitnehmerfreizügigkeit steigen einerseits die Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten im ersten Arbeitsmarkt, andererseits erweitert sich der Kreis der potenziellen Leistungsbezieher. Unter optimistischen Annahmen wird die Zahl der SGB-II-Leistungsempfänger zum Jahresende 2014 auf 50.000 bis 58.000, unter extrem pessimistischen Annahmen auf 80.000 bis 93.000 Personen steigen. Die Arbeitsmarktpolitik sollte sich vor allem auf die Vermittlung von geringer Qualifizierten fokussieren. Strukturschwache Kommunen, in denen sich die Probleme konzentrieren, könnten mit Mitteln aus dem Bundeshaushalt kompensiert werden. Der Leistungsausschluss von EU-Bürgern, die sich zum Zweck der Arbeitssuche in Deutschland aufhalten, ist ökonomisch sinnvoll und sollte beibehalten werden

The weakest link: competence and prestige as constraints to referral by isolated nurses in rural Niger

BACKGROUND: For a health district to function referral from health centres to district hospitals is critical. In many developing countries referral systems perform well below expectations. Niger is not an exception in this matter. Beyond obvious problems of cost and access this study shows to what extent the behaviour of the health worker in its interaction with the patient can be a barrier of its own. METHODS: Information was triangulated from three sources in two rural districts in Niger: first, 46 semi-structured interviews with health centre nurses; second, 42 focus group discussions with an average of 12 participants – patients, relatives of patients and others; third, 231 semi-structured interviews with referred patients. RESULTS: Passive patients without 'voice' reinforce authoritarian attitudes of health centre staff. The latter appear reluctant to refer because they see little added value in referral and fear loss of power and prestige. As a result staff communicates poorly and show little eagerness to convince reluctant patients and families to accept referral proposals. CONCLUSIONS: Diminishing referral costs and distance barriers is not enough to correct failing referral systems. There is also a need for investment in district hospitals to make referrals visibly worthwhile and for professional upgrading of the human resources at the first contact level, so as to allow for more effective referral patterns

Impact of the first COVID lockdown on accident- and injury-related pediatric intensive care admissions in Germany - a multicenter study

Children’s and adolescents’ lives drastically changed during COVID lockdowns worldwide. To compare accident- and injury-related admissions to pediatric intensive care units (PICU) during the first German COVID lockdown with previous years, we conducted a retrospective multicenter study among 37 PICUs (21.5% of German PICU capacities). A total of 1444 admissions after accidents or injuries during the first lockdown period and matched periods of 2017–2019 were reported and standardized morbidity ratios (SMR) were calculated. Total PICU admissions due to accidents/injuries declined from an average of 366 to 346 (SMR 0.95 (CI 0.85–1.05)). Admissions with trauma increased from 196 to 212 (1.07 (0.93–1.23). Traffic accidents and school/kindergarten accidents decreased (0.77 (0.57–1.02 and 0.26 (0.05–0.75)), whereas household and leisure accidents increased (1.33 (1.06–1.66) and 1.34 (1.06–1.67)). Less neurosurgeries and more visceral surgeries were performed (0.69 (0.38–1.16) and 2.09 (1.19–3.39)). Non-accidental non-suicidal injuries declined (0.73 (0.42–1.17)). Suicide attempts increased in adolescent boys (1.38 (0.51–3.02)), but decreased in adolescent girls (0.56 (0.32–0.79)). In summary, changed trauma mechanisms entailed different surgeries compared to previous years. We found no evidence for an increase in child abuse cases requiring intensive care. The increase in suicide attempts among boys demands investigation

Large-Scale Model-Based Assessment of Deer-Vehicle Collision Risk

Ungulates, in particular the Central European roe deer Capreolus capreolus and the North American white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus, are economically and ecologically important. The two species are risk factors for deer–vehicle collisions and as browsers of palatable trees have implications for forest regeneration. However, no large-scale management systems for ungulates have been implemented, mainly because of the high efforts and costs associated with attempts to estimate population sizes of free-living ungulates living in a complex landscape. Attempts to directly estimate population sizes of deer are problematic owing to poor data quality and lack of spatial representation on larger scales. We used data on 74,000 deer–vehicle collisions observed in 2006 and 2009 in Bavaria, Germany, to model the local risk of deer–vehicle collisions and to investigate the relationship between deer–vehicle collisions and both environmental conditions and browsing intensities. An innovative modelling approach for the number of deer–vehicle collisions, which allows nonlinear environment–deer relationships and assessment of spatial heterogeneity, was the basis for estimating the local risk of collisions for specific road types on the scale of Bavarian municipalities. Based on this risk model, we propose a new “deer–vehicle collision index” for deer management. We show that the risk of deer–vehicle collisions is positively correlated to browsing intensity and to harvest numbers. Overall, our results demonstrate that the number of deer–vehicle collisions can be predicted with high precision on the scale of municipalities. In the densely populated and intensively used landscapes of Central Europe and North America, a model-based risk assessment for deer–vehicle collisions provides a cost-efficient instrument for deer management on the landscape scale. The measures derived from our model provide valuable information for planning road protection and defining hunting quota. Open-source software implementing the model can be used to transfer our modelling approach to wildlife–vehicle collisions elsewhere