Thesis (M A.(African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / Refer to the document

This thesis is concerned with the correlation between cultural values and the semantic content of words over time; toward this purpose, the research focuses on Judeo-Christian religious terminology in the English language. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is of central interest to this study, and the implications of the hypothesis, including a bidirectional interpretation allowing for both the influence of language on worldview and culture on language, is of great relevance to the research findings and conclusions. The paper focuses on the etymology and sources of religious terminology in the English language, the prominent category of terms with both religious and secular applications attained through semantic shift, and the role of religious words as English taboo. The research findings imply that a bidirectional understanding of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is the correct one. This is achieved both through analysis of historical events and linguistic development which emphasize the speaker's role in language development and through the study of societal values that are reinforced through linguistic practices, namely taboo.

This study demonstrates, through the detailed examination of a specific example of written Old English, that a very large proportion of the general vocabulary of Old English survives in some form in Late Modern English. The "Finnsburg Fragment" is parsed and translated and its lexicon glossed. After a brief discussion of several special semantic categories and the traditional categories of semantic change, the study enlarges upon the historical setting which influenced the loss, retention, shift, or stability of these two hundred Old English words. Appendices group the lexicon by parts of speech as well as by semantic history.

This study focuses on the comparison of medical and health terms with special reference to Sesotho sa Leboa and Western languages. The study was conducted in the communities of Zebediela, Groblersdal and Marble Hall. From time immemorial, traditional medical and health terms were associated with certain types of diseases and health problems among Africans. With the introduction of Western civilisation, most of the medical and health terms which were used in the past by the Basotho ba Leboa, are no longer in use, as Western languages are regarded as prestige languages compared to the indigenous African languages. This perception led to a shortage of Sesotho sa Leboa documents that explain medical and health terms. The literature review revealed that traditional medicine is used for healing by many communities. Scholars further revealed that Western health terminology is more developed than traditional health terminology. The study uses the qualitative approach to explain concepts, and coding schemes were used to categorise medical and health terms. Ethnographic and historical theories were used to analyse data. The similarities and differences between the Sesotho sa Leboa terms and their Western counterparts were discussed and assessed. The study found that a relationship exists between diseases and the body parts in both Sesotho sa Leboa and Western terminology, and that the diseases were classified according to the affected body parts. The medical terms of both languages have similar and different semantic properties. Most of the differences were brought about by the cultural differences of the two communities. As the Sesotho sa Leboa medical terms are inimitable, the culture specific terms used in this study are discussed in Sesotho sa Leboa rather than in Western terminology. Conversely, as most of the recent outbreaks of diseases are named in Western terminology, they are translated into Sesotho sa Leboa. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)