maswabik

Picture
no image
Title
Dr.
Firstname
Keneilwe
Lastname
Matlhaku
Position
Lecturer
Office
247/451
Phone
3554107
Professional Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Linguistics (Language Acquisition): Memorial University, Canada

Master of Arts (MA) in Linguistics: California State University, Northridge, USA

Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE): University of Botswana

B.A Humanities: University of Botswana

Brief Biography

I am a lecturer of Language & Linguistics in the Faculty of Humamities, Education & Social Sciences at the University of Botswana. I obtained my BA degree in Humanities from the University of Botswana and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from the same University. I have a Master's degree in Linguistics from California State University Northridge, USA and a PhD from Memorial University, Canada. I specialize in teaching General Linguistics courses and Applied Linguistics (First language acquisition, second language learning and teaching and speech disorders). I also teach Setswana as a foreign and second language). 

Teaching Areas
  • General linguistics courses (phonetics, phonology, morphology & semantics) 
  • Applied linguistics (Psycholinguistics, mainly language acquisition, language learning & pedagogy); 
  • Language proficiency (Setswana as a 2nd and foreign language)   
Research Areas
  • Articulatory phonetics (the physiology of human speech sounds, how they are produced in the vocal tract)
  • Phonology (how speech sounds categorically pattern in a language & the mind)
  • Language acquisition & disorders in children (how children come to acquire their competence in their first language through storing, retrieving & organizing the sound systems of their language(s); ]
  • speech-language disorders and intellectual disabilities and assessment 
Postgraduate Supervision Areas
  • Phonology,
  • Speech Phonetics
  • Language acquisition
  • Speech-language disorders

 

Selected Publications

Matlhaku, K., & Rose, Y. (2026). Phonetic Factors Affecting the Early Acquisition of Fricative and Affricate Consonants in Setswana. First Language, https://doi.org/10.1177/01427237251404297

Matlhaku, Keneilwe 2020. Setswana Nasal Consonant Sequences, In: S. Abdelhady, A Cucinelli & T. Fatema (eds). Memorial University Occasional Papers in Linguistics 3: 1-20. Memorial University, Canada.

Matlhaku, Keneilwe and Batibo, H. M. 2017. The nature and origin of acronyms in Kiswahili and Setswana. JULACE: 2(2)

Letsholo, R. & Matlhaku, Keneilwe. 2017. Attitudes of University of Botswana’Undergraduate Students Towards Minority Languages in Botswana. SALAS 35 (3). 245 – 257

Matlhaku, Keneilwe. 2016. Phonological & Sociolinguistic factors in Setswana loanwords, In: Monwabisi Ralarala, Ken Barris, Eunice Ivala & Sibawu Siyepi (eds). African Languages & Language Practice Research in the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Themes & Perspectives. Cape Town: CASAS 122

In pursuit of academic excellence