The aim of this research is to investigate the nature and development of the detective narrative in Northern Sotho from its beginnings in the 1960s up to its present level in the 1990s. . Due to the peculiarities of each text under study, different literary approaches, viz. Marxism, Feminism and lntertextuality have been utilized in an attempt at getting the best out of each text. The basic requirements of a detective narrative as legislated by the Detective Club in Britain and Ronald Knox have been used as a scale on which to weigh this product in Northern Sotho. The study investigates also how the detective narrative in Northern Sotho reflects the social history of the society out of which it originates. The differences in the texts of the 1970s with those of the 1990s is highlighted and the accurate way in which they are mirrors of the socio-political developments is revealed. The study finally reveals the achievements and failures of writers of this genre in Northern Sotho. Different areas which need research by future scholars are suggested. By way of conclusion the most important observation made is the need of being guided by a text under discussion whenever a literary approach is to be chosen. Also, more of vmodern literary approaches need to be experimented on in relation with African literature written in indigenous African languages so as to assist in finally deciding upon the need of a home-brewed approach. / African Languages / D.Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

The main objective of this study is to explore the literariness in JRL Rafapa's novels published between 1979-1991. This study was prompted by views of literary scholars who claim that post-0.K. Matsepe writers such as Rafapa were all influenced by Matsepe's writings to such an extent that they actually emulate his themes, settings, characters, plots and so on. This kind of emulation is said to have put the Northern Sotho Novel in a cul-de-sac. The modus operandi in this study is as follows: Chapter one deals with the aim of study, critical comments on the post-Matsepe writers, biographical sketch on Rafapa, literary approaches and method as well as the scope. The second chapter concentrates on the relationship between the writer and characters as his creations. It also deals with conventional character stereotypes such as the hero, the opponent and the supporter. Narrative strategies such as self-display or exteriorization, the narrative voice and the creation of an autobiographical narrative are also looked into. Chapter three explores Rafapa's themes. The main themes discussed are: social decay, madness and vengeance, as well as protest and conflict. We conclude the chapter by examining Rafapa's titles. Chapter four focuses closely on "place" and "time" in Rafapa's novels. The two mentioned aspects of setting are discussed separately according to: place as a space of action and place as acting space. convoluted time and chronological time. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of the functions of setting. Rafapa's idiolect is dealt with in chapter five. Here, we consider the word as the writer's main tool of communication. The use of words in different types of sentences as well as in various types of paragraphs come into focus. Chapter six looks into Rafapa's use of non-prose forms such as the interior monologue, the dialogue and the praise poems as the writer's means of extending meaning. Chapter seven is the recapitulation of the main findings in the thesis. It also touches on aspects which may form bases for future research. It is followed by a bibliography and an Appendix. / African Languages / D.Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of selected monotransitive verbs in Northern Sotho as regard their argument structure and event structure. These Northern Sotho verbs will be examined within the general theoretical framework of Generative Lexicon Theory postulated by Pustejovsky (1996). This theory is in essence concerned with the account of word meaning as it relates to lexical semantic properties of lexical items in composition with other lexical items in a sentence. The arguments of the Northern Sotho verbs examined will include an agentive subject argument, the external argument, and a patient/theme object argument, the internal argument. In addition, a locative internal argument occurs in the sentences, which may have the status of a true argument, a shadow argument, or a default argument, in Pustejovsky’s classification of arguments. The Northern Sotho verbs examined demonstrate accomplishment events in that they entail a change of state and are telic (i.e. they have a logical culmination or endpoint). This telicity property of the verb is often the result of the occurrence of the internal arguments, i.e. the patient/theme argument and locative argument of the verb. The verb classes examined for Northern Sotho include (i) verbs of putting, (ii) verbs of removing, (iii) verbs of sending and carrying, (iv) verbs of exerting force/push/pull verbs), (v) verbs of change of possession, (vi) learn verbs, (vii) verbs of throwing, (viii) verbs of contact by impact, (ix) verbs of cutting, (x) verbs of separating and disassembling, (xi) verbs of creation and transformation, (xii) verbs of communication, (xiii) verbs of ingesting, (xiv) verbs of change of state, and (xv) verbs of motion.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to identify the basic emotion verbs in Sesotho. Five basic emotions verb are identified: anger, anxiety, disgust, sadness, and fear. The verbs, expressions, as well as idiophones that express these emotions, are identified. Furthermore, the emotion words are semantically and syntactically analyzed. The outlay of the nine chapters is as follows: Chapter One is an Introduction in which reference is made to the aim of this study, methods used in compiling the data, and the analysis of the data. Chapter Two offers an overview of the basic emotions. A psychological overview of the work of the following scholars is undertaken: Le Doux (1998), Johnson-Laird and Oatley (1992), Tomkins (1962), Plutchik (1980), and Izard (1971); as well as a linguistic overview of the work of the following scholars: Kovecses (1989), Wierzbicka (1989), Frijda (1986), and Goddard (1998). Chapter Three deals with the lexical semantics which will be used in analyzing the different emotion words. Chapter Four deals with anger words. It starts with an overview of anger as treated by the following scholars: Taylor and Mbense (1998), Kovecses (1989), and Lakoff and Kovecses (1987). The treatment of the data (the expression of anger in Sesotho) starts with the definition of anger, followed by expressions of anger and the verbs of anger which are analyzed semantically and syntactically. Another form of the expression of anger, namely the threat, is also analyzed semantically and syntactically. Chapter Five deals with anxiety, Chapter Six with disgust, Chapter Seven with sadness and Chapter Eight with fear. In all these instances, the definition of the emotion word is followed by relevant expressions and verbs which are semantically and syntactically analyzed. The last chapter, Chapter Nine, offers conclusions regarding the five different types of emotion words in Se otho. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie stu die is om die basiese emosie-werkwoorde in Sesotho te behandel. Vyf basiese emosies word geidentiflseer, naamlik toorn/woede, angstigheid, walging, droefheid en vrees. Die werkwoorde en uitdrukkinge, sowel as idiofone wat hierdie emosies uidruk, word geidentifiseer. Voorts word die emosie-woorde semanties en sintakties geanaliseer. Die uitleg van die nege hoofstukke is soos volg: Hoofstuk Een is die Inleiding, met besonderhede betreffende die doel van die stud ie, metodes gebruik in die inwin en opstel van die data, sowel as die analise van die data. Hoofstuk Twee behandel die basiese emosies oorsigtelik. 'n Psigologiese oorsig so os verwant in die werk van die volgende deskundiges word onderneem: Le Doux (1998), Johnson-Laird en Oatley (1992), Tomkins (1962), Plutchik (1980) en Izard (1971); daar is ook 'n linguistieke oorsig van die werk van Kovekses (1989), Wierzbicka (1989), Frijda (1986) en Goddard (1998). Hoofstuk Drie behandel die leksikale semantiek wat in die analise van die verskillende emosie-woorde gebruik sal word. Hoofstuk Vier behandel die woede-woorde. Dit begin met 'n oorsig van woede soos behandel in die werk van Taylor en Mbense (1998), Kovecses (1989) en Lakoff en Kovecses (1987). Die behandeling van die data begin met 'n definisie van woede, en word gevolg deur 'n semantiese en sintaktiese analise van uitdrukkinge en werkwoorde wat woede uitdruk. 'n Ander vorm van woedeuitdrukking, naamlik die dreigement, word ook semanties en sintakties geanaliseer. Hoofstuk Vyf behandel angstigheid, Hoofstuk Ses walging, Hoofstuk Sewe droefheid, en Hoofstuk Agt vrees. In elke hoofstuk word 'n definisie van die emosie-woord gevolg deur 'n behandeling van relevante werkwoorde en uitdrukkinge wat semanties en sintakties geanaliseer word. Die laaste hoofstuk, Hoofstuk Nege, bring sekere gevolgtrekkinge betreffende die vyf ver killende tipes van emo ie-woorde in Sesotho.

Thesis (DLitt (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The expression of aspect in Sesotho within the framework of the principles, properties and mechanisms of three different components of grammar, i.e. the syntactic, morphological and semantic components, has been established in a broader context. The application of the terms aspect and tense in the existing grammatical descriptions of the Sesotho verbs, however, has proved to be problematic. This is largely owing to the fact that these categories are established in Sesotho on the basis of notional distinctions. This study aims to examine comprehensively, firstly, the morphosyntactic system of Sesotho, in order to determine the range of categories that express grammatical aspect, which includes the Perfective and Imperfective aspects in Sesotho. The perfective-imperfective opposition is a particular area of focus in this study, and comprises the different tenses which are involved in the meaning of the situation types (activities, achievements, accomplishments and states). In this regard, questions relating to the distinctive properties of tense and aspect in Sesotho, namely: (i) the aspect categories that occur in the full range of tenses in Sesotho, (ii) the aspect categories that occur in deficient verb constructions, and (iii) the theoretical treatment of the relationship between aspect and the aspectual classes of verbs (activities, achievements, accomplishments and states) in Sesotho, undergo detailed examination and investigation in this study. Secondly, the study both defines and explores the theoretical frameworks pertaining to the analysis of: (i) the correlation between the Sesotho aspect system and the relationship between situation types and grammatical aspects in Sesotho, (ii) the distribution of aspectual classes of verbs with respect to grammatical aspect and temporal adjunct (for- adverbial and in- adverbial) categories in Sesotho, and (iii), the effect on telicity of certain complement categories on the inner temporal structure of aspectual verb classes. The study establishes the premise that the syntactic evidence for telic events in Sesotho usually turns on the feature of completion which involves the interaction of duration and a change of state. Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate that the existence and application of the durative adverbial provides syntactic evidence for atelic events. The argument for the causes and dynamics of the telic/atelic dichotomy, as approached in this study, is based on crucial shifts which are triggered by either completive or durative adverbials when appearing with situation types. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wyse waarop aspek in Sesotho tot uitdrukking kom binne die raamwerk van die beginsels, eienskappe en meganismes van drie verskillende komponente van die grammatika, naamlik die sintaktiese, morfologiese en semantiese komponente, is binne ‘n breër konteks vasgestel. Die toepassing van die terme aspek en tempus/tydsaanduiding in die bestaande grammatikabeskrywings van die Sesotho werkwoorde, blyk egter problematies te wees. Dit moet grootliks toegeskryf word aan die feit dat hierdie kategorieë in Sesotho op grond van begripsonderskeidinge gevestig geraak het. Die doel van hierdie studie is eerstens om ‘n omvattende ondersoek van die morfosintaktiese sisteem van Sesotho te doen ten einde vas te stel wat die omvang van die kategorieë is wat grammatiese aspek uitdruk. Dit sluit die Perfektiewe en Imperfektiewe aspekte van Sesotho in. Die perfektum – imperfektumopposisie is ‘n besondere fokus area in hierdie studie en dit behels die verskillende tye van die werkwoord wat betrokke is die betekenis van die situasietipes (aktiwiteite, verrigtinge, afhandeling en toestande). In hierdie verband word vrae wat betrekking het op die distinktiewe eienskappe van tempus en aspek in Sesotho, naamlik (i) die aspekkategorieë wat in die volle reeks tye in Sesotho voorkom, (ii) die aspekkategorieë wat in gebrekkige/ontoereikende werkwoordkonstruksies en (iii) die teoretiese hantering van die verhouding tussen aspek en die aspektiese klasse werkwoorde (aktiwiteite, verrigtinge, afhandeling en toestande) in Sesotho in hierdie studie in besonderhede ondersoek en nagevors. Tweedens omlyn en verken die studie die teoretiese raamwerke wat betrekking het op (i) die korrelasie tussen die Sesotho aspeksisteem en die verband tussen situasietipes en grammatikale aspekte in Sesotho, (ii) die distribusie van aspektiese werkwoordklasse ten opsigte van grammatiee aspek en temporele adjunkkategorieë (vir – adverbiale en in – adverbiale) in Sesotho, en (iii) die effek op “telicity” telisiteit van sekere komplementkategorieë op die binneste temporele struktuur van die aspektiese werkwoordklasse. Die verhandeling poneer die premis dat die sintaktiese bewys vir “telic” telies gebeure in Sesotho gewoonlik die kenmerk van voltooidheid aktiveer wat die interaksie van tydsduur en ‘n verandering van toestand betrek. In teenstelling hiermee beoog hierdie tesis om te demonstreer dat die bestaan en toepassing van die duratiewe adverbiale aspek sintaktiese bewys verskaf vir “atelic” gebeure. Die argument vir die oorsake en dinamika van die “telic/atelic” digotomie, soos in hierdie studie benader, is gebaseer op deurslaggewende verskuiwings wat teweeggebring word deur òf voltooide òf duratiewe adverbiale aspekte wanneer hulle saam met situasionele tipes voorkom. / KGUTSUFATSO: Tshebediso ya aspekte Sesothong e sibollotswe ka moelelo o pharalletseng ho sebedisitswe moralo wa molawana o bontshang dikarolwana tse tharo tse fapaneng tsa kwahollopuo e leng: kahopolelo/sintheks, kahontswe/mofoloji, moelelo/ semanthiks. Tshebediso ya aspekte le lekgathe ke bothata bo teng ditlhalosong tsa kwahollopuo ya dihlopha tsa maetsi Sesothong. Bothata bona bo amana le dikarolo tse latelang: Lebaka ke hobane aspekte le lekgathe di thehilwe ho latela phapano ya tsona mekgahlelong ya Sesotho. Tabeng ya pele, boithuto bona bo hlahloba ka botlalo tshebediso ya kamano ya mantswe le dipolelo (morphosyntactic system) ho hlalosa lethathama la mekgahlelo e bontshang aspekte kwahollopuong, ho kenyelleditswe diaspkete tse bontshang phethahalo (Perfective) le tse sa bontsheng phethahalo (Imperfective). Phapano pakeng moelelo o bontshang phethahalo (Perfective) le tsa moelelo o sa bontsheng phethahalo (Imperfective) ke e nngwe e toboketswang ka hara boithuto bona e bile e na le mefuta e fapaneng ya lekgathe mmoho le dihlopha tsa maetsi a bontshang (ketso (activity), phihlello e bontshang nako e telele (accomplishment), phihlello e etsahalang ka potlako (achievement) le boemo (state)). Ka tsela ena dipotso tse tobaneng le ditshobotsi tsa lekgathe le aspekte Sesothong, e leng (i) mekgahlelo ya aspekte e fumanwang lethathamong la lekgathe Sesothong, (ii) mekgahlelong ya aspekte e fumanwang dipolelong tsa mahaelli/mathusi, le (iii) mohopolo wa tshebediso ya kamano e teng pakeng tsa aspekte le dihlopha tsa maetsi a yona a bontshang (ketso (activity), phihlello e bontshang nako e telele (accomplishment), phihlello e etsahalang ka potlako (achievement) le boemo (state)) Sesothong. Tabeng ya bobedi, boithuto bona bo hlalosa ka bophara moralo wa mohopolo o amanang le manollo ya: (i) kamano e teng pakeng tsa tshebetso ya aspekte Sesothong le dihlopha tsa maetsi le kwahollopuo ya aspekte Sesothong, (ii) kabo ya dihlopha tsa maetsi ho latela aspekte ya teng kwahollopuong le ho mahlalosi a bontshang nako (hora ekasitana le ka hora) mekgahlelong ya Sesotho, hammoho le (iii) sekgahla sa mekgahlelo ya dipolelwana tsa tlatsetso tse itseng tse bontshang ketso e tswellang pele kapa e phethahatsang ho latela sebopeho se ka hare sa nako sa dihlopha tsa maetsi. Boithuto bona bo fumane bopaki ba dipolelo Sesothong hore diketso tse totobatsang phethahatso ya ditshobotsi tsa moelelo wa ketso e hlalosang phetelo/qetelo Sesothong di kenyelleditse le tshebedisano pakeng tsa botswelli le phetoho ya boemo. Le ha ho le jwalo boithuto bona bo rerile ho senola boteng le tshebediso ya mahlalosi a nako (hora le ka hora) a bontshang botswelli mme a nehelana ka bopaki bo netefatsang ketso e sa phethahalang mme e ka ikemela ka boyona e se na pheletso kapa diphetoho moelelong. Boithutong bona, bo bontshitse mabaka a phapanyetsano tshebedisong a thehilweng hodima ho phethahala le ho se phethahale le ho ritsa ha moelelo ho bakwang ke mahlalosi a bontshang phethahatso le botswelli ha a hlahella hammoho le dipolelo tsa dihlopha tsa maetsi.

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2009. / This study focuses on the morpheme le in Northern Sotho. It is sometimes confusing to establish the correct semantic function which the morpheme le expresses; and also to classify it into a certain word category. This study suggests the morphological features which the morpheme le bears in terms of its word categorization. The morpheme le in Northern Sotho can be used as a conjunction, a demonstrative pronoun, an agreement, a preposition, a copulative, an adverb and a complement as well. It is suggested in this study, ways of identifying the semantic function of the morpheme le in various contexts. This study reflects that the morpheme le in Northern Sotho can be used to denote: possession, accompaniment, location, additive focus, existentialism and honorifics.

Thesis (MA. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / This research is aimed at encouraging and empowering the Northern Sotho speaking people to make use of idioms in their everyday communication. A deep explanation of idioms was done as to how, where and when to use them. It has been discovered that idioms are not properly used at different places and levels. The researcher urges people to make use of idioms because they are rich with cultural values such as love and respect. It is very important, therefore, to understand and use idioms correctly as they have the literal as well as the figurative meanings.

M. Tech. Language Practice / South Africa's multilingual ecology requires acquisition of proficiency in several languages if one is to participate effectively in the economic, political, and socio-cultural spheres of the country. The study concentrates on the acquisition of a third language by adult university students in die Departments of Applied Languages, Education and Journalism, which they do as a requirement for their various qualifications. This study investigates the manifestation of Transfer of Cross-Linguistic Influence from the learners' previously-known languages during the acquisition / learning for a third language, Northern Sotho. The study examines errors identified in the language learners' written production of their interlanguage in Northern Sotho L3

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) -- University of Pretoria, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2000. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 9, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Graham A. Jones (chair), Cynthia W. Langrall, Michael Marsalli. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-131) and abstract. Also available in print.