Abstract in English / This thesis is about the author, Peter Tshobiso Mtuze, pertaining to his life and works. Mtuze is one of the prominent writers of isiXhosa. He is a highly endowed writer who has produced books in all literature genres: drama, novel, short stories, poetry and essays. Some of his books were and are prescribed to be taught as part of the syllabus in schools and universities. He has not only produced literature books but also written books that serve as a guide to the teaching and learning of Xhosa grammar. Furthermore, he has produced a very rare book, especially amongst the Xhosa authors, an autobiography. He has written two autobiographical works. Mtuze is one of the authors who have played a major role in the upliftment of isiXhosa. The thesis looks intently at how Mtuze has influenced the public through his literary works. This has been done by a full critical analysis of his novels, to portray the main themes embodied in these works. Chapter one is the introduction. Chapter two is the author's historical background. Chapter 3 analyses the novels that tackle moral issues (UDingezweni and Umsinga). Chapter 4 explores the social novels (Indlel' ecand' intlango, Alitshoni lingaphumi and Uyese namahlandinyuka obomi) and chapter 5 evaluates his historical novel (Iingada zibuyile endle). Mtuze is influenced by different factors in his writings. These issues have been explored in the last chapter of the thesis.

Magister Artium - MA / This study investigated language literacy practices of Grade 3 teachers and learners in the Foundation Phase where isiXhosa was used as a medium of instruction. It explored the extent to which the instructional practices enhanced or hindered literacy development in the Grade 3 classroom in one school located in a disadvantaged area in the Western Cape. This study followed a qualitative ethnographic case study design. Qualitative data collection techniques, namely, classroom observations, interviews and document analysis were used to collect data for this study. The findings of this study indicate that there are many pedagogical or instructional challenges that tend to impede learners’ literacy development. The use of resources is also a concern with regard literacy instruction. The study concludes that literacy instruction or pedagogy determines literacy practices, regardless of the language used for learning and teaching.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The central aim of the study is to present a proposal of how academic literacy development across the curriculum in secondary school can be facilitated through the use of content subject texts in isiXhosa. This is demonstrated by making use of History texts, which can be incorporated in the isiXhosa Home Language (HL) subject for teaching the writing skills of academic texts. The Genre-based approach to literacy development, which has been employed with great success, especially in Australia, over the past thirty years, is assumed in presenting an analysis of the variety of genres exemplified by the History texts. The analyses of genres will be demonstrated by three texts selected from the grade 11 History textbook and the grade 11 assessment question paper, translated into isiXhosa, respectively. For example, genres such as chronological texts in which historical recounts are grouped into and non-chronological genres in which the factorial and consequential explanation genres are grouped under. The schematic structure of the selected genres is identified and related to the language system represented by the systemic functional linguistics. The study makes use of the method of text analysis and written discourse analysis within the genre framework underpinned by systemic functional linguistic for the data collection. The findings demonstrate that that the effective development of knowledge of language in the Home Language class through the use of texts from content subjects can play a crucial role in advancing academic writing skills, for both the Home language and History. Furthermore; the availability of resources in isiXhosa, teachers training and support on the implementation of genre-based approach underpinned by the systemic functional linguistics can enhance the understanding of genres across the curriculum and will in that effect, promote the use of African languages for academic purposes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die sentrale doelwit van die studie is om ‘n voorstel aan te bied van hoe akademiese geletterdheid in die sekondêre skool gefasiliteer kan word deur die gebruik van inhoudsvaktekste in isiXhosa oor die kurrikulum. Hierdie doelwit word gedemonstreer deur die gebruik van Geskiedenistekste wat geïntegreer kan word in die isiXhosa huistaalvak vir die onderrig van skryfvaardighede van akademiese tekste. Die genre-gebaseerde benadering, wat met groot sukses in veral Australië gebruik is die afgelope dertig jaar, word aanvaar vir die aanbieding van analises van ‘n verskeidenheid genres soos vertoon deur geskiedenistekste. Die analises van genres word geïllustreer deur drie tekste wat geselekteer is uit die Graad 11 Geskiedenisteksboek en ook die Graad 11 assesseringsvraestel, vertaal in isiXhosa, respektiewelik. Byvoorbeeld, genres soos chronologiese tekste, waarin historiese herroepings (‘recounts’) gegroepeer word, en nie-chronologiese genres, waaronder die faktoriale en gevolg-verduidelikings-genres gegroepeer is. Die skematiese strukture van die geselekteerde genres word geïdentifiseer en in verband gebring met die taalsisteem soos gerepresenteer in sistemiese funksionele linguistiek. Die studie maak gebruik van die metode van teksanalise en geskrewe diskoersanalise binne die genre-raamwerk wat onderlê word deur sistemiese funksionele linguïstiek vir dataversameling. Die bevindings demonstreer dat die doeltreffende ontwikkeling van kennis van taal in die Huistaalvak en klasse deur die gebruik van inhoudsvak tekste ‘n belangrike rol kan speel in die bevordering van akademiese skryfvaardighede, in sowel die Huistaalvak as Geskiedenis. Voorts, kan die beskikbaarheid van leermateriaalbronne in isiXhosa, onderwysersopleiding en ondersteuning in die implementering van die genre-gebaseerde benadering waaraan die sistemiese funksionele linguistiek onderliggend is, die begrip van leerders van genres oor die kurrikulum heen verhoog, en dus die gebruik van die Afrikatale vir akademiese doeleindes verhoog. / isiXHOSA ABSTRACT: Injongo ephambili yesi sifundo kukuzisa ingcebiso kuphuhliso lolwimi ukuze lube kumgangatho wamaziko emfundo ephezulu, nophuhliso kwiKharityhulum ngokusebenzisa imibhalo kwizifundo ezingundoqo “content-subjects”. Oku kuza kuboniswa ngokusebenzisa okubhaliweyo kwimbali (history text), okunokuthi kufundiswe kwigumbi lokufundisa lesiXhosa njengolwimi lweenkobe, ukufundisa izakhono zokubhalwa kokubhaliweyo ukuze kube kumgangatho wamaziko aphezulu ezemfundo ukuya kumaziko emfundo enomsila. Indlela yokufundisa ekuphuhliseni ukufunda nokubhala esekelwe kokubhaliweyo ebizwa ngokuba “yiGenre- based approach” neye yasetyenziswa ngempumelelo enkulu, ingakumbi kumazwe afana ne-Ostreliya, kwiminyaka engamashumi amathathu eyadlulayo, ibonwa njengeyona isebenzayo ekuhlalutyeni iindidi ezahlukeneyo zokubhaliweyo ezibonakaliswa yimibhalo yezembali. Ukuphicothwa kwale mibhalo kuza kubonakaliswa ngemibhalo echongiweyo kwincwadi yebanga lethoba (ibakala leshumi elinanye) kwakunye namaphepha ovavanyo eli bakala nathe aguqulelwa esiXhoseni. Umzekelo: okubhaliweyo okubonakalisa indlela yokubhala apho kudweliswa iziganeko, izehlo eziyinyani nezo zifuna ingcaciso ephuhlisa isiphumo okanye isiganeko esithile, njalo njalo. Ubume bokubhaliweyo buza kuphichothwa ngokwendlela ulwimi olume ngayo ngohlobo olukhuthazwa yi“systemic functional linguistics”. Esi sifundo sisebenzisa olo hlobo lokuphicotha okubhaliweyo noluquka ukuphicothwa kokubhaliweyo okukhuthazwa yigenre, ingakumbi ekuqokeleleni idatha. Iziphumo ziphawula ukuba ukuphuhlisa ulwazi olusulungekileyo ngolwimi lweenkobe, lusetyenziswe ingakumbi kwiklasi yolwimi lwenkobe, kunganegalelo elikhulu ekuphuhliseni ukufundiswa kwezakhona zokubhala, nezokuhlalutya okubhaliweyo kwezifundo ezingundoqo “content subjects”. Obu budlelane phakathi kwezifundo zolwimi nezo zingundoqo zinganegalelo elikhulu ekuphuhliseni izakhono zokubhala ezikwizinga eliphezulu. Ngapha koko, ukufumaneka kwale mithombo ngesiXhosa, uqeqesho lwabafundisi- ntsapho nokubaxhasa ekufundiseni ngale ndlela ekhuthazwa yi-“genre ne-systemic functional linguistics” kunganefuthe elihle kwizifundo jikelele, nakuphuhliso kusetyenziso lweeLwimi zesiNtu njengeelwimi zokufunda nokufundisa kumaziko emfundo enomsila.

Magister Artium - MA / IsiXhosa is one of the Nguni languages. It falls under the Bantu Languages and is spoken mainly by people living in the South Eastern and Western regions of South Africa. Traditionally, language symbols were frequently used by the Xhosa people to shape their culture as well as to instil values that were highly regarded in their society, such as ubuntu (humanity). Their oral traditions were passed on from generation to generation − through narratives, proverbs, idioms, riddles, songs and praise poems. The elders would name their children using phrases from oral expressions and by doing so, help in the preservation of societal norms and values. IsiXhosa names that are taken from all forms of oral literature are known as proverbial names. During the colonisation of South Africa, the arrival of European settlers with different culture and values rapidly overhauled the Xhosa society and their customs. Given that certain, if not all oral traditions, including that of the traditional naming system, did not meet the approval of the new masters, a new naming system was imposed on the population. However, the end of the apartheid regime in the 1990’s ushered in a new era of indigenous cultural revival and in particular a trend to revert back to traditional isiXhosa naming practices. Conversely, most proverbial names have overtime been detached from the original oral literature and do not necessarily convey the original meaning or message. Therefore, this study undertakes to explore the meanings of isiXhosa proverbial names in relation to isiXhosa culture. It also provides a deeper insight into the origin and conceptualisation of isiXhosa names in relation to isiXhosa traditional oral literature, namely proverbs, idioms, riddles and poetry. A review of historic data related to the subject and a survey was conducted with adult isiXhosa speakers to ascertain whether the meanings of proverbial names are transparent to them. The study shows how naming practices played an important and defining part in the oral history of the Xhosa people. It also served as a system to record the events that happened around the time of birth. The comparison of results from the desk study and the respondents’ interpretations revealed that the meanings of names from oral traditions are inseparable from a socio-cultural matrix.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Reading is one of the components of literacy that plays a crucial role in accessing knowledge. It develops the children’s mind and stimulates their understanding of the reading content and enables them to function and communicate effectively in society. Research conducted in the field of literacy suggests that there is a literacy crisis (especially in reading), around the world. Recent research indicates that South African Foundation Phase learners perform poorly in reading comprehension. Considering poor literacy results observed in South Africa, it is important to explore reading as a socio-cultural and cognitive practice and to identify the factors that contribute towards adequate acquisition of reading comprehension skills in the Foundation Phase. Thus the focus of this study is on reading comprehension in isiXhosa Home Language which is used as the main language of learning and teaching from Grade R - 3. I have used a qualitative approach as an underpinning research methodological framework for this study. Data was collected by means of interviews and classroom observations from two selected Grade three classrooms in one primary school in the Western Cape. The findings of this study illustrate the significance of learners’ prior knowledge and the use of adequate resources to enhance learners’ reading comprehension. The study concludes that reading comprehension is a cognitive process that demands innovative teaching approaches that will facilitate meaningful learning across the curriculum.

Masters of Art / This study is an exploration of the motivations of a particular group of Cameroonian and Nigerian migrants in Cape Town for learning isiXhosa. South Africa is a multilingual and multicultural country with eleven official languages and many migrant languages, resulting from the flow of people from other countries, especially African countries, to this major economic force on the continent. Among these migrants are West African migrants who have managed to acquire some of the local languages. Forced by new trends in globalization witnessed across the globe, and by the socio-political instabilities in their respective countries, some of these West Africans from Cameroon and Nigeria have moved to South Africa for greener pastures. South Africa to these migrants is economically, socially and politically better than their countries. In the Western Cape Province, the major and official languages are isiXhosa, Afrikaans and English. These West African migrants in Cape Town find themselves in another multicultural and multilingual environment in which the use of particular languages are important for their survival in school, community and other domains. The research also seeks to find out to what extent these migrants have succeeded in acquiring isiXhosa and also to what extent has their acquisition of this language enabled them to survive in Cape Town. Is there any evidence that their identities have been changed and modified in this new space? The research paradigm followed for this study is qualitative in nature, drawing from short questionnaires followed by individual interviews and focus group interviews that were tape recorded. Data was analyzed by using thematic content analysis as well as discourse analysis. Discourse analysis since people have different identities and the creation and use of such identities can only be understood by trying to study the language that people use (Fulcher 2005). Appraisal theory (from the Systemic Functional Perspective) was used to categorize the data. The findings suggest that both the Cameroonian and Nigerian migrants have almost the same motivation for learning isiXhosa. They were both instrumentally and integratively motivated to learn the language, and most believed that they had attained a satisfactory level of proficiency. The findings also suggest that the multicultural and multilingual environment of Cape Town had affected the identities of these migrants.

The researcher is a member of the South African Police Service, attached to Family violence, Child protection and Sexual Offences Unit in the Eastern Cape, dealing with victims of child sexual abuse. It had come to the researcher’s attention that some children are being sexually abused by family relatives and some are sexually abused by the known people for different reasons which are based on their beliefs and knowledge about child sexual abuse. Most of these cases are of children who are living in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The numbers of such cases are increasing in Ngqeleni, Libode, Mqanduli, Mthatha and Lusikisiki; hence the study is based on those areas of the Eastern Cape. The people living in these areas speak isiXhosa. No study known of such has been conducted in this geographic area; it appears that this problem was never brought to light, at all. This matter of child sexual abuse in these areas was never addressed. The aim of the research is to know more about the beliefs and knowledge of isiXhosa-speaking people regarding child sexual abuse in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, and also to look at the strategies and programmes that can be implemented in order to make parents, children and the community at large of isiXhosa-speaking areas aware of child sexual abuse. Purposive sampling was conducted with Forensic Social workers at the South African Police Service, Social workers at Department of Social Development, and Social workers at Umtata Child Abuse Resource Centre, parents dealing with children and community members that are members of Lekgotla. The research done in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape shows that the isiXhosa-speaking people of the rural areas of the Eastern Cape have little knowledge of child sexual abuse and those that indeed do know what to do are obstructed by their beliefs about child sexual abuse; hence they do not report it and some do not consider it as being sexual abuse. The people concerned working in these areas are afraid to report incidents of child abuse, thinking that they will lose their job should they report the incidents to law enforcement agencies or to social workers. The study shows that neither awareness programmes were presented nor any education done in these areas about child sexual abuse. Children in these areas are vulnerable due to ignorance, lack of knowledge, beliefs of their parents and the beliefs of the perpetrators and their lack knowledge. There is a vast need for extended programmes, awareness and education projects to be conducted by the social workers in Government and Non-Government organizations in the remote areas, at school, and in the communities of these areas. Teachers at pre-school and primary school levels and parents need to be educated on child sexual abuse. This study addressed the issue of child sexual abuse looking at the beliefs of isiXhosa-speaking people. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The researcher is a member of the South African Police Service, attached to Family violence, Child protection and Sexual Offences Unit in the Eastern Cape, dealing with victims of child sexual abuse. It had come to the researcher’s attention that some children are being sexually abused by family relatives and some are sexually abused by the known people for different reasons which are based on their beliefs and knowledge about child sexual abuse. Most of these cases are of children who are living in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The numbers of such cases are increasing in Ngqeleni, Libode, Mqanduli, Mthatha and Lusikisiki; hence the study is based on those areas of the Eastern Cape. The people living in these areas speak isiXhosa. No study known of such has been conducted in this geographic area; it appears that this problem was never brought to light, at all. This matter of child sexual abuse in these areas was never addressed. The aim of the research is to know more about the beliefs and knowledge of isiXhosa-speaking people regarding child sexual abuse in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, and also to look at the strategies and programmes that can be implemented in order to make parents, children and the community at large of isiXhosa-speaking areas aware of child sexual abuse. Purposive sampling was conducted with Forensic Social workers at the South African Police Service, Social workers at Department of Social Development, and Social workers at Umtata Child Abuse Resource Centre, parents dealing with children and community members that are members of Lekgotla. The research done in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape shows that the isiXhosa-speaking people of the rural areas of the Eastern Cape have little knowledge of child sexual abuse and those that indeed do know what to do are obstructed by their beliefs about child sexual abuse; hence they do not report it and some do not consider it as being sexual abuse. The people concerned working in these areas are afraid to report incidents of child abuse, thinking that they will lose their job should they report the incidents to law enforcement agencies or to social workers. The study shows that neither awareness programmes were presented nor any education done in these areas about child sexual abuse. Children in these areas are vulnerable due to ignorance, lack of knowledge, beliefs of their parents and the beliefs of the perpetrators and their lack knowledge. There is a vast need for extended programmes, awareness and education projects to be conducted by the social workers in Government and Non-Government organizations in the remote areas, at school, and in the communities of these areas. Teachers at pre-school and primary school levels and parents need to be educated on child sexual abuse. This study addressed the issue of child sexual abuse looking at the beliefs of isiXhosa-speaking people. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Magister Artium - MA / Vocabulary knowledge is an indicator of language competence. There is a positive relationship between literacy levels and the medium of instruction. Research has shown that reading comprehension is largely dependent on the reader’s vocabulary knowledge in the language in which the text is written (Kieffer & Lesaux, 2007; Nation, 2001; Sutarsyah, Nation, and Kennedy, 1994). The lack of vocabulary knowledge is normally one of the major challenges for many university students struggling with their academic work, especially those for whom the language of tuition is not a first language. African (and Afrikaans mothertongue) students are unable to access information in their home languages because of the lack of terminology and texts in African languages (Edward and Ngwaru, 2011). There is research in South Africa showing that vocabulary is a challenge for university students, especially at first-year level (Butler & van Dyk, 2004, Manik, 2015: 236, Nkomo & Madiba, 2011). Vocabulary, being such a problem, ultimately affects the academic performance of many students. Although some universities have provided multilingual online glossaries (and other resources) in an effort to accommodate multilingual students struggling with comprehension in the medium of instruction, these modes of delivering glossaries are associated with a few problems. Consulting traditional glossaries/dictionaries disrupts the reading process and affects the flow of ideas. It is also possible that the reader will forget the term in question (or its context) right after consulting the dictionary/glossary, therefore readers have to look-up the same term in the dictionary/glossary several times to ensure that they match it with its definition accurately. In some dictionaries/glossary lists, readers will not find the desired term, or the term they find will not provide an adequate definition – which ends up frustrating the reader. Sometimes the list of definitions for one term that readers find in dictionaries/glossary lists is difficult to comprehend. Instead of providing clarity, the definitions can confuse readers even further. The comprehension of some definitions provided in dictionaries/glossary lists depend on prior understanding of several other terms.

Magister Artium - MA / This thesis focuses on the genre of municipal documents (application forms) and the variety of written and visual languages that make up their corpus to reveal the various lexical semantics used in the forms as communication tool between individuals and the larger organisations. It was important to review not only how other researchers have dissected such documents, but also what they have used to study their corpus. The thesis also provides a thorough overview of literature pertaining to forms from the municipal and governmental sector as it relates to social semiotics, genre, corporate identity, branding and multimodality. As there was not enough empirical data or research from the African or non-European perspective, a wider literature review was needed to enable me to use a number of complimentary models that could fit the study area. Drawing on a theoretical framework based on the fields of Social Semiotics (Kress 2010; 2014), Applied Linguistics (Brumfit 1996) and Visual Communication (Tam 2008) as well as analytical tools like the genre and multimodality model (GeM), as described in Bateman (2008) and the grammar of visual design (Kress and Van Leeuwen, 2006), branding and language ideology, the study offers an analysis of the language of particular forms used widely by the City of Cape Town (CCT). The language of forms in essence is as unique as a dialogue held between two people to obtain information. Misunderstanding and communication can easily occur if the questions and sections are not formulated correctly. Although both the textual and visual modes were investigated, the aim was to uncover the corpora used on forms with which a basic set of standard words, phrases and sentences could be designed. If the language of forms in a particular organisation like the CCT can be standardised, the amount of effort on the language practitioners will decrease, and the textual components can be made available in all three of the official languages (Afrikaans, isiXhosa and English) in as simple a language structure as possible.