A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy:African languages and linguistics in theSchool of Literature, Language and Media Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwaterrand , Johannesburg / The main focus of the study embraced the investigation the onomastic principles and also the socio-cultural factors to be taken into consideration when naming an official language. The fundamental objective of the study was to consider the two names Sepedi and Sesotho sa Leboa, to decide which one should be used and to determine which name is supported by the investigated onomastic principles of naming a language (official). Research was conducted involving a group of Higher Education students and lecturers; employees at the Sesotho sa Leboa National Lexicography Unit; employees at the Sesotho sa Leboa National Language Body; employees at the Pan South African Language Board; employees at the National Department of Arts and Culture and its sub-departments in Limpopo and Gauteng Provinces; and Traditional Leaders in almost all the District Municipalities that are inhabited by the first language speakers of the language under investigation. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Office of the Public Protector of South Africa were also involved in the study as to obtain a legal and constitutional implementation point of view on the current use of Sepedi and Sesotho sa Leboa as language names in official and policy documentation as one and the same language name while they are not.A mixed-methods research approach, including both quantitative and qualitative methodologies was employed in the study. In this quest, survey questionnaires, interviews, observations and text analysis were mainly considered as methods of data collection. The findings of the study revealed that neither the language names Sepedi nor Sesotho sa Leboa is supported by the onomastic principles of naming a language. An overwhelming majority of the participants in this study opined that the language under onomastic scrutiny should be reconsidered and replaced with a neutral and inclusive name that cannot in any way be associated with the influence of power and politics as well as with ethnic and dialectal status of a particular speech community. In summary, it was found in this study that the language under scrutiny was not properly named in the first place, since both Sepedi and Sesotho sa Leboa were found to have strong ties with colonialism as concomitant part of the Apartheid regime. / NG (2020)

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie verhandeling word skoolname as onderafdeling van die Onomastiek behandel. Die gee van skoolname is 'n amptelike aangeleentheid en daarom is die beleid onderliggend aan die handeling onder die loep geneem. Beleid bepaal die ortografiese aard van skoolname en die manifestasie daarvan is sosiolinguisties van belang. Skoolname, wat onder eiename ressorteer, is hoofsaaklik oor 'n semantiese en sosiolinguistiese boeg gegooi, daarom word terme soos verwysing, konvensie en agtergrondbeskrywing aan die hand van veral die teoriee van Devitt, Strawson en Kripke beskryf. Van Langendonck le veral klem op die pragmatiese aard van die eienaam en daarom vorm sy teorie, die hetekenisparadoks van die eienaam, 'n belangrike uitgangspunt by die konsepsuele en pragmatiese aard van skoolname. Die gee van name is In suiwer menslike handeling wat selde ooit ongemotiveer geskied. Die ontstaansmotiewe wat skoolnaamgewing ten grondslag le, word bespreek aan die hand van die verskillende kategoriee. Botsende sosiale faktore soos veral teweeggebring deur kulturele diversiteit beinvloed naamgewing en daarom verander name. Die faktore onderliggend aan naamsverandering word uitgelig en bespreek. Die moontlikheid om ten spyte van 'n multikulturele en multilinguistiese samelewing tog 'n nasionale identiteit te vertoon, word ten slotte ondersoek en bespreek. / In this dissertation, names of schools as a subdivision of Onomastics are dealt with. School names are researched mainly under the cloak of Semantics and Socio-linguistics. Therefore, terms like reference, convention and a backing of descriptions are referred to according to the theories of Devitt, Strawson and Kripke. Van Langendonck specifically emphasises the pragmatic nature of proper nouns in his theory the paradox of the meaning of proper nouns which is an important point of departure in the conceptual and pragmatic nature of the names of schools. The underlying motives in respect of school naming are categorized and discussed according to the motives of origin. Conflicting social factors play an important role in the naming of schools and therefore names also change. These changes are accentuated and discussed. The possibility for a country to reflect a national identity in spite of a multicultural and multilingual society, is explored and discussed. / Afrikaans & Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie verhandeling word skoolname as onderafdeling van die Onomastiek behandel. Die gee van skoolname is 'n amptelike aangeleentheid en daarom is die beleid onderliggend aan die handeling onder die loep geneem. Beleid bepaal die ortografiese aard van skoolname en die manifestasie daarvan is sosiolinguisties van belang. Skoolname, wat onder eiename ressorteer, is hoofsaaklik oor 'n semantiese en sosiolinguistiese boeg gegooi, daarom word terme soos verwysing, konvensie en agtergrondbeskrywing aan die hand van veral die teoriee van Devitt, Strawson en Kripke beskryf. Van Langendonck le veral klem op die pragmatiese aard van die eienaam en daarom vorm sy teorie, die hetekenisparadoks van die eienaam, 'n belangrike uitgangspunt by die konsepsuele en pragmatiese aard van skoolname. Die gee van name is In suiwer menslike handeling wat selde ooit ongemotiveer geskied. Die ontstaansmotiewe wat skoolnaamgewing ten grondslag le, word bespreek aan die hand van die verskillende kategoriee. Botsende sosiale faktore soos veral teweeggebring deur kulturele diversiteit beinvloed naamgewing en daarom verander name. Die faktore onderliggend aan naamsverandering word uitgelig en bespreek. Die moontlikheid om ten spyte van 'n multikulturele en multilinguistiese samelewing tog 'n nasionale identiteit te vertoon, word ten slotte ondersoek en bespreek. / In this dissertation, names of schools as a subdivision of Onomastics are dealt with. School names are researched mainly under the cloak of Semantics and Socio-linguistics. Therefore, terms like reference, convention and a backing of descriptions are referred to according to the theories of Devitt, Strawson and Kripke. Van Langendonck specifically emphasises the pragmatic nature of proper nouns in his theory the paradox of the meaning of proper nouns which is an important point of departure in the conceptual and pragmatic nature of the names of schools. The underlying motives in respect of school naming are categorized and discussed according to the motives of origin. Conflicting social factors play an important role in the naming of schools and therefore names also change. These changes are accentuated and discussed. The possibility for a country to reflect a national identity in spite of a multicultural and multilingual society, is explored and discussed. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)