At the age of 31, Dr Reoikantse Lucrucia Shuping has become South Africa’s youngest doctoral graduate in African Language and Linguistics (Setswana), following research that addresses the divide between spoken and written Setswana.
Dr Shuping, a Setswana lecturer in the School of Languages at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, received her DPhil degree from the University of the Witwatersrand on 13 July 2026.
Her achievement comes three years after she completed a master’s degree in Setswana with distinction at the NWU. Her academic achievements place her among a new generation of scholars working to expand the use of African languages in education, research and public life.
Dr Shuping’s doctoral thesis examined changes in Setswana orthography and the effect of those changes on written communication. Her thesis is titled “Phetogo ya Kalego e e Tsweletseng ya Borutapuo mo Aforikaborwa mo Ngwagakgolong wa bo21: Ka Tiori ya Bolepapuo jwa Seloago”, translated as “The ongoing changes of the South African linguistic landscape in the 21st century: A case of Setswana with sociolinguistic approach”.
Challenges for Setswana’s academic development
The study found that first-year students at the NWU struggle to distinguish between spoken and written Setswana. As a result, features of spoken language are often carried into academic assignments and assessments, leading to inconsistencies in spelling and written expression.
“According to the data collected, first-year students at the NWU who are doing Setswana as a module, find it difficult to separate the Setswana they speak in everyday life from the form required in academic writing,” Dr Shuping said.
“This creates challenges in teaching, learning and the continued development of Setswana as an academic language, as these students complain that Setswana is difficult (Setswana se thata).”
Her research also shows that differences among Setswana-speaking communities can affect the acceptance of standardised spelling practices. Some speakers may view a standard form of the language as favouring one dialect over others.
Dr Shuping said addressing the problem would require language practitioners to recognise the different ways in which Setswana is spoken while working towards shared writing conventions.
“Setswana belongs to communities that speak it in different ways, but there is also a need for consistency in formal writing,” she said. “The task is to develop practices that include speakers from different dialect communities without weakening the standards required in education.”
Collaboration is the solution
The research proposes a three-step application of communication accommodation theory to help address the differences between spoken and written Setswana. It also calls for cooperation among language experts, teachers, policymakers and Setswana-speaking communities.
Such cooperation could support the development of spelling practices that are accepted across communities and used in schools, universities and government institutions.
Dr Shuping said African languages also function as languages of knowledge production rather than being limited to informal communication.
“Our languages should be able to carry academic knowledge, research and public debate,” she said. “Strengthening written Setswana will help ensure that future generations can study, write and produce knowledge through their own language.”
Her doctorate contributes to debates about language planning, standardisation and the place of indigenous languages in South African education. It also offers recommendations for strengthening Setswana as a language of teaching, learning and scholarship.
For the NWU, Dr Shuping’s achievement adds to the university’s work in advancing multilingualism and supporting scholarship focused on African languages.
Dr Reoikantse Lucrucia Shuping
