In hierdie studie word die fonologie en die morfologie van Lobedu, 'n dialek van die Noordoostelike dialekbundel van Noord-Sotho, beskryf. Historiese gegewens, soos in hoofstuk 1 weergegee, toon aan dat die Balobedu vroeer uitgebreide kontak met die Bavenda gehad het. Die vokale van Lobedu is anders as hulle standaard ewekniee op die vokaalkaart geposisioneer. In hoofstuk 2 word aangetoon dat die vokaalsisteem in sekere opsigte met 'n vyfvokaalsisteem ooreenstem, maar nogtans oor sewe foneme beskik. Tekens van 'n verskuiwing in die rigting van die meer tipiese sewevokaalsisteem is opgemerk. Die konsonante van Lobedu word gekenmerk deur veral vier a-tipiese artikulasies: dentale klanke vervang die standaard laterale sluitklanke, retroflekse sluitklanke vervang alveolere sluitklanke, oorwegend stemhebbende sluitklanke vervang tipiese Noord-Sotho se geejekteerde klanke, en affriksie by die vrylating van retroflekse plosiewe is prominent. In hoofstuk 3 word gekonsentreer op die toonpatrone wat verskillende naamwoorde en werkwoorde kenmerk. lnteressante verskille tussen standaard Noord-Sotho en Lobedu is gedokumenteer, hoewel daar uiteraard ook heelwat ooreenkomste bestaan. In hoofstuk 4 word die oorsprong van foneme diachronies nagespeur, terwyl alle geidentifiseerde klankveranderinge in hoofstuk 5 opgeneem is. 'n Uitstaande kenmerk van Lobedu is dat die kombinasie van labiale konsonante geheel en al anders as in tipiese Noord-Sotho hanteer word. In hoofstukke 6 tot 8 word die woordkategoriee morfologies beskryf en ontleed. Kenmerke van die werkwoord in die verskillende verbale subkategoriee kom ook aan die orde: Daar word na diachroniese feite verwys ten einde die voorkoms van sekere allomorfe te verklaar, terwyl die herkoms van sekere morfeme na Venda en Tsonga teruggevoer word. Hoofstuk 9 bevat 'n gedetailleerde uiteensetting van die struktuur van die verskillende kopulatiewe. In die finale hoofstuk word tot die slotsom gekom dat Lobedu wel as 'n dialek van Noord-Sotho beskou moat word, ten spyte van aansienlike Venda-beinvloeding. Die voorkoms van a-tipiese kenmerke diskwalifiseer Lobedu nie as 'n Noord-Sotho dialek nie; indien wel, moat die status van verskeie ander Noord-Sotho dialekte ook bevraagteken word. Die Balobedu beskou hulleself as Noord-Sotho manse, en die effektiewe kommunikasie tussen die Balobedu en sprekers van Noord-Sotho bewys dat onderlinge verstaanbaarheid 'n werklikheid is / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Afrikatale)

The central argument that underpins this thesis is that the Bataung, Bafokeng and the Bakuena lineages are found across all the Basotho groups of Basotho (Southern Sotho), Batswana and Bapedi. The thesis concerns itself with the similarity of the Sotho groups, a topic that has seldom received a sustained scholarly attention. Scholars have devoted much attention in discussing Sotho groups of Batswana, Basotho (Southern Sotho) and Bapedi, but their concern has mostly been to describe one group at the time discussing their cultural, social and political dimensions.The thesis aim investigates the oneness of Sotho by discussing the cultural, social and political similarities of the Batswana, Basotho (Southern Sotho) and Bapedi. The thesis drew on a range of semi-structured interviews with academics, senior people with knowledge of Sotho culture and literature to crystallise the information from the narrative analysis of documents, media and secondary literature. The thesis maintains that Basotho (Southern Sotho), Batswana and Bapedi are similar people. Their cultural dimension shows they have similar languages that share the same collection of words (langue) that indicates the same same origin. They also share the name ‘Basotho’ ~ Abeshundu that emanates from their similar way of dressing. The Sotho groups’ social dimension shows that they have similar practices of birth, raising children, lebollo (initiation school) and handling of death. They share similar games, folktales and taboos that reflect the aforementioned four cycles of human experiences in similar narratives across the groups. The thesis finds that Sotho groups have similar way of governance. They come together in the hierarchy of similar clans (e.g. Bafokeng, Bataung and Bakuena), chiefdoms and a group. These subdivisions in a group help with the allocation of resources for each individual and maintaining status quo in governance. The Sotho groups have similar proverbs and idioms to counsel proper leadership. The thesis discusses Sotho groups together as they come from the same origin although they have gone their separate ways. The thesis uses Gellner and Smith theories of ethnicity to explain the similarity of the Sothogroups. Gellner’s view is that one chooses to belong to a particular culture and associates oneself with people who practice this culture. Ethnicity is socially constructed due to experiences and people’s circumstances. Smith complements the description of the Sotho in forming different groups by saying that in these groups, there are memories of shared historical past. There is a continuum of the original culture where the groups have resemblance in their ways of life and symbolical elements, although adapted to their new environments and time. The variations of the groups’s practices are not their differences but they are changes caused by a quest to adapt to the new environment. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study is concerned with a task-based analysis of specific purposes Sesotho learning tasks for the learning and teaching of Sesotho as a second language by personnel of the small business development corporation. A range of authentic tasks in Sesotho has been constructed to demonstrate authentic specific purpose learning and teaching, and hence assessment tasks for personnel in the small business development corporation.

Thesis (M.A. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The prime goal of this study is to explore, form and analyse the semantic content of compound words in Sepedi. The study used the qualitative method. Data were collected using participant observations from various written sources and it was analysed through Content Analysis. The Theory of Construction Morphology was tested on endocentric, exocentric, and copulative compound words to locate the headedness of Sepedi compound words. The study revealed that the head of compound words can be located on the nominal prefix, left-hand side, right-hand side, on both nominal prefixes and it can be determined outside of the compound word for metaphoric exocentric nominal compounds. Furthermore, because of the role noun class prefixes play on determining the head of compound words, the study found that Sepedi compound words are nominals. The formation of Sepedi compound words involves the combination of different word aspects such as objects concords, deverbatives, verbal roots, stems, suffixal endings, and lexical categories such as nouns, Adjectives, and verbs. The resultant compound word of these combinations always results in a compound noun. It was recommended that future researchers should investigate the semantic content of exocentric compound words in African languages, especially the Sepedi language. The study further highlighted that there is still a need for a study that looks at the influences of nominal prefixes on the headedness of compound words in Sepedi. Furthermore, the study recommended that to alleviate the gap of shortage of literature in Sepedi, future studies should focus on word formation processes in Sepedi. / Feenix Crowdfunding and C Track Fleet Management Solutions Pty Ltd

The dissertation tries to explain why most of the Bapedi people do not feel free to speak their language when they are among other communities. It explains why the speakers of the so-called ‘inferior’ dialects of the Limpopo Province have an inferiority complex while the speakers of the ‘superior’ dialects are confident when speaking their dialects. The standardisation of the Northern Sotho Language Board and the missionary activities within the Bapedi communities led to the creation of 'superior' and ‘inferior’ dialects. A detailed discussion is presented of the social rural and urban varieties, which found in Bapedi culture. Some of these varieties are kept secret and therefore are unknown to the public; and others, which are not secretive in nature. The use of language and the impact of language contact between languages is discussed. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

No abstract added / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

The dissertation tries to explain why most of the Bapedi people do not feel free to speak their language when they are among other communities. It explains why the speakers of the so-called ‘inferior’ dialects of the Limpopo Province have an inferiority complex while the speakers of the ‘superior’ dialects are confident when speaking their dialects. The standardisation of the Northern Sotho Language Board and the missionary activities within the Bapedi communities led to the creation of 'superior' and ‘inferior’ dialects. A detailed discussion is presented of the social rural and urban varieties, which found in Bapedi culture. Some of these varieties are kept secret and therefore are unknown to the public; and others, which are not secretive in nature. The use of language and the impact of language contact between languages is discussed. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Thesis (M.A. (Translation studies and linguistics)) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Refer to document

One of the main themes of South African history is the modification of African tribal life and institutions by the impact of the white society. Both British officials and settlers played a part in this process, but with very different motives and effect. The British, anxious above all else to save defence expenditure, were not prepared to risk provoking a war and had very little incentive to invest large sums in the administration of tne tribes. Settlers, on the other hand, had a vested interest in manipulating tribal society for their own ends: not only did their personal security rely upon quiescent tribesmen, but so did the economic development of the colony, dependent as it was on trade and labour. in addition, the settlers lived, at least along the eastern border, in close contact with the tribes, and were therefore more conscious than officials of those aspects of tribal life which offended Victorian Christianity's ideas of decency and morality. Tribal society was regulated by tribal law under the control of the chiefs; in order to attack aspects of the society, alterations had to be enforced in tribal law. As a result, once the grant of Responsible Government in 1872 gave the settlers control of their own internal affairs, Cape policy on tribal law becomes of particular Interest as a study of how a colonial society attempted to impose often unwelcome changes on an indigenous people, and with what results for both societies. As the problem presented by the African tribes bulked so large in the settler view, there is very little documentation available on the position of the few Khoi and San still living in tribal units, and they have not been included in this study.

No abstract added / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)