Qualifications:
    Educational Qualifications Dion Nkomo holds a BA. (Hons.) in African Languages from the University of Zimbabwe (2003), an M.Phil. (2008) and a PhD. (2012) in Lexicography from Stellenbosch University, as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma in Higher Education from Rhodes University (2014).  

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0277-6828

Current Roles

Dion Nkomo is an Associate Professor of African Language Studies and Interim Chair of the NRF SARChI: Intellectualisation of African Languages, Multilingualism and Education at the School of Languages and Literatures at Rhodes University. He teaches at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels (including MA and PhD supervision), and is also the 2021 postgraduate coordinator in the African Language Studies Section.

 

Academic Interests

Among others, his academic interests include language planning and policy, language teaching, lexicography, translation, terminology, multilingualism and, lately, higher education studies.

 

Current Projects

• Collaborator and Rhodes University Principal Investigator: Centre for African Languages Teaching (CALT) IsiXhosa project (2021 – 2023)
• Collaborator and Rhodes University Principal Investigator: Boosting the Use of African Languages in Education. A Qualified Organized Nationwide DEvelopment Strategy for South Africa (BAQONDE) project
• Collaborator: Bilingual (isiXhosa – English) Biomedical Terms Dictionary project (2020 – 2020)
• Collaborator: Creating Postgraduate Collaborations (CPC) project (2020 – 2022)

 

Professional Membership and Responsibilities

Dion Nkomo is the Secretary of the Board of the African Association for Lexicography (AFRILEX) since 2017, one of the three revolving editors of Lexikos, a member of the Global Alliance for Lexicography (Globalex) Management Committee, a member of the Community of Practice for the Teaching and Learning of African Languages (CoPAL) and a member of editorial boards for several academic journals.

 

Academic Awards

Dion Nkomo is an African Humanities Programme fellow under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, a recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award for 2016, a C2 National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher and a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).

 

 

Selected Publications

• Nkomo, D. 2020. Vernacular Lexicography in African Languages: From Early Days to the Digital Age. In Dictionaries: Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America 41(2): 213-243.
• Nkomo, D. 2020. Dictionary culture in African communities: research, development, challenges and prospects. In Lexicographica 36: 11-37.
• Nkomo, D. 2019. Theoretical and practical reflections on specialized lexicography in African languages. In Lexikos 29: 96-124.
• Nkomo, D. 2019. The translation and adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland into IsiNdebele. In Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (SALALS): 37(2): 130-14
• Hadebe S. & Nkomo D. 2019. African Cultural Concepts and Their Influence on Management. In Mayer CH., Louw L., Boness CM. (Eds.). Managing Chinese-African Business Interactions. 2019: 37-57. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Kaschula, R.H. & Nkomo, D. 2019. Intellectualization of African Languages: Past, Present and Future. In H.E. Wolff. (Ed.). 2019: 601-622. The Cambridge Handbook of African Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Nkomo, D. 2018. Dictionaries and Language Policy. In Furtes-Olivera, P.A. (Ed.). 2018: 152-165. Routledge Handbook of Lexicography. London: Routledge.
• Nkomo, D. 2017. The Dictionary in Examinations at a South African University: A Linguistic or a Pedagogic Intervention? In Lexikos 27: 346-377.
• Nkomo, D. & Maseko, B. 2017. Sixteen officially recognised languages: milestones and challenges for linguistic democracy in Zimbabwe. In Ralarala, M., Barris, K., Ivala, E. & Siyepu, S. (Eds.). 2017. African Language and Language Practice Research in the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Themes and Perspectives. Cape Town: Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS).
• Nkomo, D. 2016. An African User-Perspective on English Children’s and School Dictionaries. In International Journal of Lexicography 29(1): 31-54.
• Nkomo, D. 2015. Integrating dictionary pedagogy in the outer texts of school dictionaries: The case of the Oxford Bilingual School Dictionary: IsiXhosa and English. In Lexicography: Journal of ASIALEX 2(1): 71-99.
• Botha, W., Mavoungou, P.A. and Nkomo, D. (Eds.). 2013. Festschrift: Rufus Gouws. Stellenbosch: SUN Press. ISBN 978-1-920338-95-4. (Edited book).
• Carrol, L. 2015. Insumansumane Zika-Alice (A Ndebele translation of Alice in Wonderland). Patois: Evertype.
• Kadenge, M. and D. Nkomo. 2011. Language policy, translation and language development in Zimbabwe. In Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (SALALS) 29(3):259-274.
• Kadenge, M. and D. Nkomo. 2011. The Politics of the English Language in Zimbabwe. In Language Matters 42(2): 248-263.
• Nkomo, D. and M. Madiba. 2011. The Compilation of Multilingual Concept Literacy Glossaries at the University of Cape Town: A Lexicographical Function Theoretical Approach. In Lexikos 21: 144-168.
• Nkomo, D. 2010. Affirming a role for Specialised Dictionaries in Indigenous African Languages. In Lexikos 20: 371-389.
• Chabata, E. and D. Nkomo. 2010. The Utilisation of Outer Texts in the Practical Lexicography of African Languages. In Lexikos 20: 73-91.
• Nkomo, D & N. Moyo (Eds.). 2006. Isichazamazwi SezoMculo (A Ndebele Dictionary of Music Terms). Gweru: Mambo Press. ISBN 0 86922 794 7.