This paper is in two parts: it briefly looks at some aspects of Botswana's linguistic situation whichare necessary for appreciating the purpose of this paper; and provides an analysis of a Subiyanuptial song. The song's multiple meanings are isolated, demonstrating that the Subiya languagehas a rich corpus of literature, which nee~ to be studied and preserved It is hoped that this studywill inspire speakers ofSesubiya to marvel at its richness and therefore save it from extinction. Itis equally hoped that academics will also be interested in investigating not only this language, butalso all those languages which are considered as minor.IntroductionThis paper analyses a Subiya nuptial song with the aim of exposing its various meanings and thusdemonstrating the richness of Subiya oral literature, which is unfortunately disappearing becauseit has not been recorded. This project which is part of a larger and on-going project aimed atdocumenting Subiya poetry, is one way of preserving this corpus of literature from extinction. Butbefore analysing the nuptial song, Botswana's linguistic background deserves consideration.The language situation in BotswanaBirgit Smieja's 1996 research in language use and language attitudes in Botswana estimates thatthere are at least twenty languages spoken in the country. The number twenty is by no meanssmall. It is, however, interesting to note that the average Motswana is not aware of this linguisticmosaic. The reason for this near total ignorance may be mainly due to the emphasis on Setswanaas the national language. Setswana is spoken by about 80% of the population and its widespreaduse is in part a result of its use as a medium of instruction at lower levels of primary education andthe fact that it is also taught through to university level. Regrettably, other languages are not taughtat alLThe widespread use ofSetswana could also be linked to the discriminatory sections 77, 78 and79 of the Constitution of Botswana, which insinuate a division of ethnic groups into 'major' and'minor,' the major being speakers of different dialects of Setswana. The politics arising from theConstitution is not the concern of this paper, but it is important to note that this negatively affectsthe future of the so-called minor languages and the cultures of the speakers of those languages.The Constitution, being the supreme law ofthe land, provides a legal basis for the marginalisationand subsequent extinction of minority languages.The death of any language has far-reaching consequences. It means that the speakers of thelanguage are denied the very means through which they express and assert their identity andexistence, and are likely to be threatened with extinction. As Achebe puts it Hwithout language weI Department of English, University of Botswana.129Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2009).Botswana

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