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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The martial name in the Zimbabwean conflict (1966-1979) |
Author: | Pfukwa, Charles |
Year: | 2007 |
Periodical: | Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa |
Volume: | 38 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pages: | 236-252 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Zimbabwe |
Subjects: | nicknames guerrilla warfare national liberation struggles identity |
Abstract: | This article examines the war names used by ZANLA (Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, ZANU's military wing) guerrillas in the Zimbabwean civil war (1966-1979). It is based on a larger sociolinguistic study dealing with the onomastic and pragmatic significance of these names. The war name was embedded in the history of resistance. Each war name can be seen as a text with a long story about a war. The identity of the fighter was part of a wider social discourse that questioned the status quo and explored new political, social and cultural identities. The article focuses on the small but significant subcategory of martial names. A total of 162 martial names were collected, which are divided into the following subcategories: weaponry, ammunition and explosives, military rank, tactical names, and aircraft. The article examines the way in which these names were used to conceal the identity of the bearer and to create a new identity. Renaming became a process of repossession of political and cultural space, an aggressive engagement with the enemy. The appendix contains a full list of the martial names examined. App., bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract] |