Thesis (MA) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines data from account-giving in Sesotho. Am account-making process according to Warren (1989), is more like a "life in motion" in which individual characters are portrayed as moving through their experiences, dealing with some problem in their lives and at the same time diligently searching for a resolution. It is then this quest to understand the major stresses in each individual's mind that is at the core of this study. The reasons that lead to the result of the daily experiences of destitution, depression, death, disability etc, are also addressed here. Narrative accounts form the basis of moral and social events and as such, stories have two elements through which they are explored. They are explored firstly in the way in which they are told and secondly, in the way they are lived in the social context. These stories follow a historically or culturally based format, and to this effect, Gergen (1994) posited narrative criteria that constitute a historically contingent narrative form. Narrative forms are linguistic tools that have important social functions to satisfactorily fulfil such needs as stability narrative, progressive narrative and regressive narrative. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek data oor verslagdoening in Sesotho. 'n Verslagdoeningsproses is volgens Warren (1989) soos 'lewe in beweging', waarin individuele karakters voorgestel word as dat hulle beweeg deur ervarings, en een of ander probleem in hulle lewe aanspreek, en terselfdertyd soek na 'n oplossing. Dit is hierdie soeke om die spanninge te verstaan in die denke van elke individu wat aan die kern van hierdie studie lê. Die redes wat lei tot die resultaat van die daaglikse ondervindings van eensaamheid, depressie, dood, gestremdheid, ens. word ook beklemtoon in hierdie studie met verwysing na Sesotho verslagdoenings. Narratiewe verslagdoening vorm die basis van morele en sosiale gebeure, en as sulks, vorm dit die twee elemente waardeur hulle ondersoek word. Dit word ondersoek, eerstens deur die wyse waarop dit vertel word en tweedens, deur die wyse waarop dit beleef word in die sosiale konteks. Hierdie stories volg 'n histories of kultureel-gebaseerde formaat en, tot hierdie effek, het Gergen (1994) narratiewe kriteria gepostuleer wat 'n histories afhanklike narratief vorm. Narratiewe vorme is linguistiese gereedskap wat belangrike sosiale funksies het om behoeftes te vervul aan stabiliteit narratiewe, progressiewe narratiewe, en regressiewe narratiewe.

Analyses of Sotho and Xhosa seem to concentrate predominantly on morphological, tonological and phonological studies. Semantics seems to be a relatively neglected area in African Languages. It is the view of the writer that attention should now be turned increasingly to semantics. In fact, except perhaps for van Rooy's Venda work semantic field analysis does not seem to have been undertaken in African Languages. This thesis is an attempt to contribute in this particular area of linguistic analysis. In addition to that, the present study is an attempt to explore new dimensions in African language study, namely the application of componential analysis to two African languages, Sesotho and Xhosa. In general terns, the aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between language and culture. Very little seems to have been done in this particular area in African languages. In this connection the only work that comes to mind is van Rooy' s Venda work which has already been referred to above. In that work, van Rooy tries to show the integration of language and culture in the communication of the Christian message as illustrated by the Venda Bible. Perhaps with the notable exception of Siertsema there seems to be some scholarly concensus about the relationship between language and culture as the following brief survey will show. Boas, the American anthropologist, for example has investigated the interplay of the environment, cultural life and linguistic form. This be has done by comparing Kwakiutl, an American Indian language, with the Eskimo language. Lotz shows how the structure of one semantic field, or area of semantically related terms, namely numerals, can shape the goals a particular linguistic community strives for in a major cultural activity such as sports. Conklin shows how languages may differ not only in their segmentation of a semantic field e.g. colour, but also in the dimensions of semantic fields themselves. Siertsema, on the other hand, takes a different view from the above views. Only a brief summary of his views will be given here. A fuller exposition will be made in the next chapter when some theoretical issues are considered. He disputes the view that language and culture are related. It must be noted though that he does not speak specifically of culture but of a world view. He examines four "properties" of language and on their basis disputes the language - world view relationship which he eventually dismisses as showing circular reasoning. Perhaps another scholar that needs to be mentioned is Whorf who admittedly is not writing about semantic fields. His relevance to the present discussion lies in the fact that he also considers the relationship between language and other phenomena, namely thought. He writes, "We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions 'Which has to be organized by our minds - and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds. We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe signfiicances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it in this way - an agreement that ... is codified in the patterns of our language". Whorf 's theory has been called the Dissection Theory from the opening line of the quotation that has just been referred to. Put in a nutshell, what Whorf is saying is that language has a constraining influence on thought or cognition. Or, perhaps put in another way, it is through language that reality is NECESSARILY apprehended. Thought and cognition have to be seen as necessarily dependent on language, at least in certain respects. Whorf discusses a linguistic - philosophic problem which is not really relevant to a study that addresses itself to semantic fields. In exploring the relationship between language and culture some semantic fields will be analyzed. A lexical analysis of each semantic field will then be done applying some of the insights and techniques of componential analysis. What this means, is that we shall start with vocabulary, analyze it and see through its structure the structured world of culture. The question may well be asked, why Sotho and Xhosa? Firstly, the reason for choosing these two languages is for comparison and contrast. Sotho and Xhosa belong to the same language area, traditionally known as the south-eastern zone. As a result, these two languages share certain morphological, syntactic and phonological phenomena. Because the present study is basically semantic one can also add that the choice of the two languages is meant to reveal the extent of semantic similarities and differences between them. Secondly, the writer is, so to speak, bi-cultural. He is very well acquainted with both Basotho and amaXhosa cultures firstly, because of the circumstances of his birth and secondly, because of his education. The writer is actually Sotho speaking with a Xhosa speaking mother. He also has university training in both Sotho and Xhosa, languages he can speak fluently. All these factors are mentioned here in order to lay some claim to competence in both Sotho and Xhosa. Basotho and amaxhosa live in slightly distinct worlds despite all linguistic affinities between their languages. They have slightly different perceptions of the same reality. This accounts for the difference in the organization of any selected field, however slight in some cases. This factor seems to be an indication of the fact that the conceptualization of the universe differs from language to language. This is the point that is also made by Hoijer and Lyons. Hoijer argues that the "real world" to a large extent depends, perhaps unconsciously , on the language habits of the speakers. He goes on to say that no two languages are so similar as to be considered to represent the same social reality. This naturally goes for Sotho and Xhosa as well. The world in which different peoples live are different and cannot merely be characterized as the same world with only different labels. Lyons is even more pertinent to the present study, ''Every language is integrated with the culture in which it operates; and its lexical structure reflects those distinctions which are (or have been) important in the cultures. This statement cannot be overemphasized. While the assumption will be held that language reflects culture, one may hasten to add that not every word in a language does so. For example, there does not seem to be anything particularly cultural about interjectives or about ideophones. In other words, some lexical items are more significant than others in this respect. One should therefore rather speak of lexical items as being a mirror of culture in 'a selective kind of way. As Hymes puts it, "In a particular culture a language serves as a sort of "metalanguage", a cultural way of communicating about much, not all of the culture". (Emphasis added).

Thesis (MA (African Languages))-- University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The study on accounts examines how people account for the activities and experiences through our personal stories emanating from how they behave in the community, and because of the past stories they tell. The study thus provides an examination of accounts as well as account-giving. It provides a scientific understanding of the value and impact of personal stories and story-telling in people’s lives. The problem experienced in relation to accounts relates to how accounts impact on people and vice versa. One hypotheses of this study on accounts relates to the nature of the process associated with people’s presentation of personal account to others. The aims and objectives of this study crucially relate to providing an analysis and understanding of accounts. The research method used in this study provides a basis to the analysis and understanding of accounts in the sense that individuals who were interviewed in the process, provided informative accounts of their childhood stories, some of whom were not aware that they have or had an impact on their daily lives. The main findings of the research provide insights into accounts. The findings are informative and contribute to theory development as regard account-giving, including factors relating to deference and respect. The recommendation that given in this work is that personal stories have a scientific merit in terms of a comunication-theoretic approach to narratives, as shown in the study.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is a narration of personal experiences of the Northern Sotho people and their way of doing their activities. The Northern Sotho people and their ways of doing things have been characterized by a proliferation of different ways of living governance. This living governance is by people who are a distance from the Northern Sotho way of living that has been influenced by day to day changes of technology and the style of living, whereby people can do anything to can fit in the current lifestyle. The problem experienced in relation to accounts is how accounts impact on us and visa versa. The Northern Sotho narration dates back from the pre-colonial, colonial and apartheid era. These linear stages of governance have had an influence in the transformation of the Northern Sotho. This transformation has seen a delusion of the original Northern Sotho discourses. A mixture of different cultures in the process of transformation has also characterized this, where the Northern Sotho people have adopted other tribes’ norms and values; in the process losing their own original identity. Other tribes have also lost their original ways of doing things by absorbing Northern Sotho norms and values. The findings of research will determine how difficult it is to transform original cultures to the most dominant culture of today, which is more westernized. People will analyze the findings influential in doing self-introspection, which will assist in determining oneself. The recommendation that could be given would be that one need to look back at the importance of cultural values from where he or she comes and to make it fit into today’s life as this will prevent uncertainties and assist in building the current and next generation’s future. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: gemeenskap en hul manier om met hul aktiwiteite te handel. Die Noord-Sotho gemeenskap en hul manier om dinge te handel word gekenmerk deur ‘n vinnige toename in die diverse invloede deur mense wat verskillende lewenswyse as hul eie het. Hierdie lewenwyse word gekenmerk deur die vinnige ontwikkelende tegnologie en lewenstyl waarvolgens mense enigiets kan doen om in die hedendaagse maniere om dinge te doen in te pas. Ondervindinge in verhouding met die beskrywings is hoe die beskrywings ons beinvloed en andersom. Die Noord Sotho vertelling is gedateer vanaf die prekoloniale-, koloniale-, apartheid- en pos-apartheid eras. Hierdie liniere fases van magsuitoefening het ‘n invloed gehad in die transformasie van die Noord Sotho. Hierdie transformasie het gesien tot die verkeerde ideé van die oorspronklike kommunikasies van Noord-Sotho lewenswyse. ‘n Mengsel van verskillende kulture in die proses van transformasie het ook hierdeur kenmerk, waar die Noord Sotho bevolking ander stamme se norme en waardes aangeneem het en sodoende hul oorspronklike identiteit verloor het. Ander stamme het ook hul oorspronklike manier om hul dinge te doen verloor deur dat hulle norme en waarders van die Noord –Sotho geabsobeer het. Die navorsings bevindinge sal bepaal hoe moeilik dit is om suiwer kulture te omvorm tot die mees dominante hedendaagse kultuur wat meer verwesters is. Mense sal die bevindinge analiseer wat op instrospeksie impakteer en selfbeeld bepaal. Die aanbeiling is dat die historiese belangrikheid van die kulturele waardes in ag geneem moet word as die basis waar ons vandaan kom en dat ons dit in werking moet stel in die hedendaagse lewe. Dit sal onsekerhede voorkom en ook help om die toekoms van die huidige en toekomstige generasies te bou. / KAKARETŠO: Ke kanego ka ga bophelo bja batho ba Sesotho sa Leboa le mediro ya bona. Mekgwa le mediro yeo e akaretšago bophelo ka bophara bja setšo sa Leboa e hweditšwe ke mebušo yeo e bušago. Mebušo yeo le yona e hweditšwe ke diphetogo tša tšatši ka tšatši tša setekiniki le bophelo bja selehono moo batho ba lekanago ka maatla go ka ikhwetša ba kgona go phela maemong a selehono. Ditlhalošo tša setšo sa Leboa di balelwa go tloga mehleng ya pele ga koloni, ka nako ya kgatelelo le ka morago ga kgatelelo. Nakong tše ka moka tša go fapafapana, mebušo ya gona e bile le khuetšo e kgolo setšong sa leboa. Go lekana ga ditšo tša go fapafapana diphetogong setšong le gona go amile dipheto setšong sa batho ba Leboa gomme ba thoma go loba boitšhupo bja botšo. Merafe e mengwe le yona e lahlegetšwe ke botšo ka go latela ditlwaedi le mekgwa ya Sesotho sa Leboa. Go ya ka dinyakišišo, go nale sešupo sa gore ga go bonolo go ka fetoga setšong sa bogologolo go fetogela go setšo sa sebjale seo se tibilego ka mekgwa ya sekgowa. Batho ba tla lebeledišiša ditšhupetšo tšeo di nago le khuetšo ya go inyaka le go inyakišiša, e lego seo se tla thušago motho gore a te tsebe. Kakanyo yeo e ka tlišago phetogo ke ge go ka lebelelwa morago botsong bja setšo. Go lebelelwe ka moo se bego se hlomphiwa ka gona e bile se latelelwa gomme go be le tlhotleletšo ya gore se šomišwe bophelong bja selehono. Tlhotleletšo ye e ka thibela dipelaelo le go thuša go aga bokamoso bja meloko ya lehono le yeo e sa tlago.