ABSTRACT This thesis investigates through theoretical analysis and imperative research, how Sepedi is represented on SABC, especially on SABC 2 in accordance to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). Looking back Sepedi programming before democracy and after democracy, SABC has gone through a major transition. This thesis visits the transitions that SABC went through and how SABC is transforming to serve public interests. This essay will composed of empirical observations to depict whether these aims are in fact pursued and achieved.

Student Number : 9613926H - MA research report - School of Translators and Interpreters - Faculty of Humanities / This dissertation attempts to offer a contribution to the field of translation by applying the practices of descriptive translation studies to a corpus of Chemistry terms in English and translated into Sepedi in order to establish whether the translation strategies opted for prove successful in promoting Sepedi to be a language for special purposes (LSP). The theoretical framework which is used in this project is the model of Baker (1992) of translation strategies of Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS). DTS is one of the three main branches of Translation Theory (Holmes, 1972). It differs from the other approaches in that it does not offer a set of guidelines which dictate how a translation should be done. Attention was also paid to theories of translation, such as those of Lawrence Venuti (2000) and his concepts of domesticating and foreignising translation in order to establish whether the translators have domesticated or foreignised the text and to what extent? Both strategies are evident in the corpus. This project also focused on the issue of the mother tongue education in the South African context with the emphasis on the perceptions and attitudes of learners and educators towards translated materials. Learners and their educators show some resistance to the use of local African languages, specifically Sepedi as medium of instruction in high schools. Reasons for their resistance against mother tongue education are economic and political. African languages are regarded as “low languages”, languages of inferior status as compared to English and Afrikaans.

Student Number: 9603346N. Master of Arts in Translation. School of Literature and Language Studies / This research focuses on the translation of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) news bulletins from English into Sotho languages, particularly Sepedi. The main aim of this study is to analyse the strategies, methods and approaches used by the translators. The study also tests Stephen Maphike’s 1992 hypothesis which states that the news translators translate literally or word for word, instead of translating conceptually. In order to achieve these aims both the English and Sotho versions of the news were recorded over a period of approximately two weeks, from 22nd September to 5th October 2003. The study falls within the framework of Descriptive Translation Studies, and the analysis is based on translation theories and strategies proposed by authors such as Mona Baker (1992), Peter Newmark (1991), Christiane Nord (1991 & 1997) and Gideon Toury (1980). The conclusions drawn regarding the appropriateness or otherwise of the strategies used are intended to increase an awareness of the problems involved and the solutions available to translators.

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / The purpose of this study was to investigate the legislative and constitutional imperatives on the designation of language naming with special reference to Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa. The study was based upon the qualitative methodology and the data was analysed through qualitative and quantitative in the form of SPSS to explain numeric information. Data was collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaire and interview. Three groups of respondents took part in this study namely members of the community, administrators and professionals, and language practitioners. The findings of the study revealed that many people prefer the name Sepedi to be used to denote the language under research. It was again revealed that when the language was named proper procedure was not followed. Based on the information and findings of this research, it is recommended that the government make an effort to make sure that the language is re-standardised and the language correctly designated.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Language education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation of curriculum in the teaching of reading and writing in the Sepedi Home Language in the Mankweng Circuit of Limpopo Province. This result from the fact that intermediate learners are struggling to read and write in the Sepedi Home Language, and as a result are incompetent when reading and writing even in their language of teaching and learning, namely English. This signifies that mastering to read and write in the Sepedi Home Language, is likely to enable learners to read and write better in English as a language of teaching and learning. Of a huge surprise, the struggle to read and write in Sepedi Home Language occurs with every cohort of learners registered in the Intermediate Phase. For this reason, the study is designed to evaluate the manner in which Sepedi curriculum is being implemented in schools to address and respond to challenges of inability to read and write by intermediate Sepedi learners. This is a case study covering three primary schools and it is located within the qualitative research approach and phenomenology. The collection of data was done through individual face-to-face interviews, document study and diagnostic assessments. Each of the three schools forwarded three categories of research participants, namely, an HOD, a teacher and a parent whose child was doing Sepedi in the Intermediate Phase. Findings revealed that overcoming reading and writing inability by the intermediate learners needs to be a joint stakeholders’ effort. In addition, inadequate Sepedi materials and resources for intermediate learners need to be the apex priority by the Department of Basic Education. In view of the shared research results, the study recommends that there be well-coordinated participation of all stakeholders in the development of skills associated with reading and writing for the Sepedi Home Language Intermediate learners. Lastly, the study recommends that intermediate Sepedi learners be offered an opportunity to participate in Sepedi essay writing competitions wherein they are first given pamphlets and posters in Sepedi as a clue. Finally, the Sepedi Home Language needs to be equally protected and promoted just like it is the case with English from the Intermediate Phase upwards.

This study examines Mologadi Ngwana’ Magolego Sepedi tale Mo_emane wa moimana as an example of fantasy. Fantasy as a genre creates a headache for theorists, because they struggle to distinguish this genre from other types of narratives. One theorist, Rottensteiner (1978:8), sees all narratives as fantasies. He admits that this creates a problem, since not all narratives are fiction. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that narratives broadly represent the thoughts of an author. If the definition of fantasy is too broad, everything that comes from the mind of an author can be seen as an imaginary text, in other words, a fantasy. Butler’s (2006) description of fantasy is narrower, explaining that the concept of fantasy is broader than other tales. This is because it is influenced by traditional fairy tales and by modern scientific fiction (Butler 2006:75). By contrast, Day (1984:277) suggests that in many cases, fantasy can be related to myth. This highlights how broad descriptions of the genre can be, and may lead to some confusion if fantasy is confused with other types of narratives which contain elements of myth. Furthermore, he sees the genre as important because it pushes the boundaries of the human imagination. According to Luckens (1995:27), fantasy often relies on magic and miracles. This argument is also problematic, considering that many fairy tales also contain magic and miracles. Sutherland (1991:247) makes the dubious claim that the actions of a fantasy can never be repeated and supports this claim with the argument that the actions may be truthful as they have a sequence. The argument of the theorists above indicates that they do not distinguish clearly between fantasy and other genres of narratives. This is the problem to be resolved in this study. This study directly investigated the plot of a fantasy, Mo_emane wa moimana, because it is important to demonstrate that the plot of a fantasy has specific elements (parts). These elements must be classified according to their importance. The elements found in the plot of a fantasy are the ones that justify the classification of this genre as this type of literature. To reach this justification, the study focused on three objectives. The first was to explain the plot of a fantasy, taking into consideration the content, the plot and the style. The second was to distinguish fantasy from other forms of folklore. The third was to call for the preservation of this kind of literature because there are so few in Sepedi. There was a need to conduct this investigation with an in-depth focus on a Sepedi tale to develop Sepedi folklore. Aside from the problem of the different views of literary theorists, another reason to conduct research on this topic is that thus far, investigations into such tales have failed to perform critical analysis. The research was therefore conducted by critically analysing one Sepedi fantasy (because of the magnitude of the investigation), while focusing on important distinctive features of the plot of that fantasy, Mo_emane wa moimana to demonstrate the power of miracles (and magic) in the plot and style of this tale. To resolve this problem of whether this story is a fantasy or a fairy tale, this study followed the following research methods: define, interpret and compare. The study also adopted narratology theory. This theory is directly linked to the plot of the text, and does not focus on the author. It is also important in helping to explain the distinction between these two types of narratives, because various types of narratives (including essays or short stories of various kinds) may wrongly be seen as fairy tales. The contents of a short story may show events that have never happened in reality, but are in a world of possibilities of such actions. Even though a fairy tale does not narrate the literal truth, it is literature, because this genre has all the characteristics of literature, namely content, a plot and style, as well as characters, a reader/listener and an author/narrator. The function of the reader/listener of a fairy tale is not to identify ‘mistakes’, but to enjoy the narration, and to realise the depth that the author/narrator has to create the tale. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / African Languages / PhD / Unrestricted

Thesis (Ph.D. (Media Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / This study focuses on the impact of social media towards conserving African languages, particularly Sepedi, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Social media are given attention to explore their impact in conserving African languages amongst youth. Youth is a suitable group to focus on as they are the future and are thus expected to carry their African languages and pass them on to succeeding generations. This exercise should be done to ensure that African languages should not face extinction in the future. Generally, youth are constant users of social media platforms, hence it is cardinal to investigate their language-usage patterns on social media platforms. The majority of the African youth in South Africa use either one or more of the nine (9) indigenous African languages that are official, namely, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga. Therefore, one would expect speakers of these indigenous African languages to effectively use them on social media, particularly, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. African language heritage is undoubtedly a valuable resource, however, it needs state resources to develop it further and establish it as a core economic driver on various media platforms. The study employs exploratory and descriptive designs. These designs are appropriate for this study because it permits data to be collected through observations, focus group interviews and questionnaires. Focus group interviews, observations, and questionnaires were used to collect data. Focus group is a data-collection tool for understanding people’s behaviour and attitudes. The researcher moderated three focus groups. One hundred (100) questionnaires were distributed to the participants in this study. These tools are apt for the data-collection process in this study because they assist to discover factors that influence opinions, attitudes, and behaviours. Social media have great potential to conserve the African languages but the speakers of these languages should play a cardinal role in this process. Majority of the youth do not prefer to use the African languages on social media. Conversations on both Facebook and Twitter are dominated by English as youth prefer it ahead of Sepedi, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga. In contrast, youth prefer to use the African languages on WhatsApp because they know their contacts. However, code-switching is used a lot by youth on social media. Despite the fact that Sepedi, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga are not mostly used on Facebook and Twitter they remain relevant and useful amongst their speakers on a daily basis. Nevertheless, there is a need to develop the African languages based social media sites to stimulate their usage on these platforms. Additionally, these languages should be developed to fit the needs of social media. / National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS)

Thesis (M. A.(African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / This study focused on identifying and analyzing the perceptions of Sepedi poets on women. This qualitative, descriptive research was conducted to determine if there were any discrepancies between role perceptions and role expectations. Data was collected from texts (poetry books) in the form of poems that poems which portrays negative perceptions of poets on women. Poems were selected randomly and analyzed to expose their perceptions on women. The study has exposed the prejudices that were unfairly inflicted upon women through poetry. The findings revealed that there is a need to rehabilitate authors, poets in particular to write positive about women, perceive women as capable and gifted beings. If this social ill is left unattended, it may result in confusion and role conflict among members of the society, which can ultimately transgress the attainment of credible and aesthetic element of literary work.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Refer to ducoment

While the study of emotions is of universal interest because of its central role in the social sciences and humanities, emotions are of special interest for South Africa for both theoretical and applied reasons. South Africa, with its eleven official languages, is a true multicultural society with extreme differences in terms of culture, acculturation, and socio-economic status. Cultural frameworks differ substantially between ethno-cultural groups, and clarification of the differences between cultural frameworks can counter interpretation biases that could result in daily frictions and major conflicts. Additional fundamental cross-cultural research on emotional differences between cultural groups, together with the generation of a mutual understanding of the different cultural frameworks, makes these frameworks explicit and facilitates the incorporation of these frameworks into daily communication and interaction processes. The objectives of this research were to determine what the emotion structure of the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda languages groups within a sample of Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking participants is, and how it compares with the European Emotion Structure. Furthermore this research aimed to establish the emotion structure and the relevant and representative features for each emotion component (such as appraisals, action tendencies, and subjective experiences) that have been encoded in a sample of Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking participants. Like\vise it was deemed necessary to verify (a) the extent to which the emotion words refer to specific positions on each of the emotion features of these language groups and (b) the extent of similarity or dissimilarity between emotion experiences of the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda groups in the SAPS, as well as to compare the meaning structure between a "bottom-up" and a "top-down" (as conducted in Nicholls' research in 2008) approach between Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking participants. A survey design with convenience sampling was used to achieve the research objectives. The study population (n=390) consisted of Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking entry-level police applicants from the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda GRlD questionnaires were administered. Statistical methods and procedures (multidimensional scaling and descriptive statistics) were used and Cronbachrs alpha coefficients were determined to analyse the results. Results of this study on the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda cultural groups indicated the extraction of a two-factor model within the Sepedi group. Due to the extremely low reliability analyses of the Xitsonga and Tshivenda language groups' data, a reliable scale analysis and the meaning structures of these two groups could not be determined. The low reliabilities could be attributed to the direct language translation of the questionnaire and the assessment may not have captured the full understanding of the items in the GRlD instrument. Results of this study for the Sepedi language group corresponded well with the results found in the study for the Sepedi group conducted by Nicholls (2008) on the emotion lexicon on the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda language groups in South Africa. The Nicholls study (2008) indicated the extraction of a three-dimensional structure (evaluation, arousal, dominance) and a four-factor loading (positive emotion, sadness, fear, anger) for the Sepedi-speaking language group. In comparison, this research presented the extraction of a two-dimensional structure (evaluation and arousal) and a two-factor loading (positive emotion and sadness). Emotion concepts of the Sepedi group indicated that basic emotion concepts (love, joy, anger, sadness, fear, and surprise) readily came to mind in both Nicholls' (2008) and this study. Emotion concepts listed by the Sepedi group could be interpreted as emotion words associated with social, personality or environmental aspects and may be related to negative evaluation, dominance and/or aggression. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.