M.A. (African Languages) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (African Languages) / The interjective demonstrative appears to be a problematic word category. This study investigates the current views on this subject in Northern Sotho. The morphology, semantics, syntax and the phonology of the interjective demonstrative are investigated and analyzed with the help of native speakers of Northern Sotho. The investigation reveals new perspectives concerning the unique character of the interjective demonstrative as a word category ...

The thesis investigates the factors which lead to the development of 'prestige' terminology in the Northern Sotho vocabulary. It investigates the factors which lead to the development of 'prestige' language varieties and 'prestige' dialects, which are sources of 'prestige' terminology. These factors include, inter alia, urbanization, industrialization, the missionary activities and standardisation. The thesis tries to explain the reason why most of the Northern Sotho people do not feel free to speak their language when they are among other communitiesK__U explains the reason why the speakers of the so-called 'inferior' dialects of Northern Sotho have an inferiority complex while the speakers of the 'prestige' dialects have confidence when speaking their dialects. The people who are residents of the urban and industrialized areas have a high standard of living due to the availability of employment opportunities, while the rural communities are usually unemployed and, as such, their standard of living is low. This elevates the urban community to a high status which is shared by the type of language they speak. The rural communities start associating themselves with the urban communities by imitating the urban varieties in order to elevate themselves. This is one of the reasons which lead to the widespread use of urban slang and other language varieties which are associated with the urban areas of South Africa, i.e. the PWV (Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Vereeniging). Standardisation of Northern Sotho and the missionary activities within the Northern Sotho communities led to the creation of 'superior' and 'inferior' dialects. The missionary societies established missionary stations among certain Northern Sotho communities while other communities did not have these stations, and became the vanguards of Western civilization among the indigenous people of Southern Africa. ~The dialects among which the missionary stations were established came to enjoy a high status since these varieties were the first to be converted to written forms. In this case, the first varieties to be considered during standardisation were those which had a written orthography, and this is exactly what happened in the standardisation of Northern Sotho. / African Languages / D.Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the phonological process of Nasal Strengthening in Northern Sotho. It sets out to employ two phonological models to describe the phenomenon in order to determine which model presents the most credible explanation for the phenomenon. The core elements of a classical linear model, the so called SPE model of Transformational Generative (TG) phonology is described and applied to the phenomenon. It is indicated that a number of phonological rules are actually involved in the process as a whole. It is argued that the following rules are in fact involved in the generation of appropriate phonetic outputs: a strengthening rule, a homorganic nasal assimilation rule and a nasal deletion rule. The previously inexplicable /k'/ insertion rule is shown to be nothing more than part of a more general process of glottal stop strengthening. This is indeed a new view with respect to the traditional stance on "vowel strengthening." Although the majority of the sound changes may be accounted for within a TG model, the formalism of the strengthening rule itself unfortunately does not reflect any phonetic explanation for the phenomenon. A second, non-linear, phonological model, i.e. a Feature Geometry model (FG) is described and applied to the same phenomenon. It appears that although the more contemporary FG model presents innovative ideas on the structure of phonological representations and processes, it can not account for the strengthening of voiced fricatives at all. At the most this model seems to be able only to account for voiceless fricatives being strengthened to voiced obstruents. It is clear that none of the models can present a complete and credible account of Nasal Strengthening in Northern Sotho. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie focus op die proses van Nasaalversterking in Noord Sotho. Twee fonologiese modelle word gebruik in die analise van die verskynsel ten einde te bepaal welke model die mees geskik is om 'n geloofwaardige verklaring aan te bied. Die hoofelemente van 'n lineere Transformasioneel Generatiewe (TG) model word beskryf en toegepas in Noord Sotho. Daar word aangetoon dat die proses uit 'n verskeidenheid verwante prosesse bestaan en daar word geargumenteer dat die volgende reels almal 'n rol speel: "n verstekingsreel, 'n homorgane assimilasiereel en 'n nasaaldelesiereel. 'n Vorige onverklaarbare Ik.'/ invoegingsreel word geherinterpreteer as 'n glottale stop versterkingsreel wat nuwe verduidelikings bied vir die sg versterking van vokale. Alhoewel die meeste van die klankwisselinge verantwoord kan word binne 'n TG model, bied die format van die versterkingsreel ongelukkig geen fonetiese motivering vir die proses aan me. 'n Tweede model, die sg Kenmerkgeometrie (KG), is vervolgens beskryf en toegepas. Dit het heel gou geblyk dat hierdie model, ten spyte van baie innovasies, nie in staat is om die versterking van sternhebbende frikatiewe te verantwoord nie. Dit kon slegs 'n sinvolle beskrywing van die versterking van stemlose frikatiewe moontlik maak. Uit hierdie studie blyk dit dat nie een van die twee modelle wat aangewend is 'n volledige en geloofwaardige beskrywing van die verskynsel van Nasaalversterking in Noord Sotho kan aanbied nie.

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2006 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.A.(African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2007 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M. A. (Translation Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2006 / Refer to the document

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Dissertation (DLitt)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

M.A. (African Languages) / Please refer to full text to view abstract