The Seshegopuo Linguistics Winter School is an initiative aimed at fostering advanced research capacity in General Linguistics and the study of African languages. It brings together emerging scholars and established researchers to explore the structure of language through both theoretical and empirical lenses. The school supports the development of locally grounded, globally relevant linguistic research by offering intensive training in formal analysis, corpus methods, and experimental approaches. The School is committed to building collaborative networks, promoting linguistic diversity, and contributing to the creation of high-quality digital language resources in General Linguistics.
Seshegopuo is a Sesotho term that can be glossed as “manner of speaking” or “form of linguistic expression.” Its semantic scope encompasses not just the act of speaking, but the culturally situated, socially attuned ways in which speech is produced and interpreted. It foregrounds language as praxis—language as something that is done, performed, and evaluated within particular communities.
We chose Seshegopuo as the name for this Linguistics Winter School to signal our commitment to African languages and to the theoretical, descriptive, and empirical study of their structure and use. It reflects our vision to centre African linguistic systems as sites of scholarly inquiry in their own right, and to support the development of a new generation of linguists working on—and in—African languages.
The term Seshegopuo encapsulates our core belief that language is not merely a neutral vehicle for communication, but a richly patterned and socially embedded system, worthy of sustained academic attention and intellectual investment.
30 June – 4 July | Rhodes University, Makhanda (Grahamstown)
The 2025 Seshegopuo Linguistics Winter School will be hosted by the Department of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Rhodes University in the vibrant university town of Makhanda. Running alongside South Africa’s iconic National Arts Festival, this year’s school offers a unique blend of rigorous postgraduate training in African linguistics and a rich cultural experience. Participants can expect intensive courses in theoretical, corpus-based, and experimental approaches to African language structure—alongside opportunities to explore the town’s bustling arts scene, performances, and nightlife. It’s an unmissable opportunity to deepen your research, connect with fellow scholars, and enjoy one of South Africa’s most exciting cultural events.
The inaugural Seshegopuo Linguistics Winter School, held in July 2022 at the University of the Free State was attended by postgraduates and Linguists from South Africa and the SADEC region. It offered a diverse array of courses designed to enhance postgraduate training in African linguistics. The curriculum included intensive modules on the phonology of clicks, corpus-based morphosyntactic analysis, Bantu linguistics, experimental linguistics, and minimalist syntax.
Kristina is a senior lecturer in Linguistics at the University of the Witwatersrand and the founding force behind the Seshegopuo Linguistics Winter School. Her initiative and vision brought the project to life, and her continued commitment—securing funding, building partnerships, and curating its academic direction—have been key to its growth. Kristina’s research focuses on Bantu syntax, especially the interplay between agreement and word order, and she is deeply engaged in the documentation and analysis of Southern African languages. She also works actively on the transformation and decolonisation of linguistic teaching and research in the region. Beyond Seshegopuo, she leads and collaborates on several national and international projects related to Bantu microvariation, annotated corpora, and open-access teaching materials. She currently serves as Chair of the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society (SALALS).
https://www.wits.ac.za/people/academic-a-z-listing/r/kristinariedelwitsacza/
School forms