African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Bantu Languages)

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / During this research it became apparent that there are shortcomings in existing approaches regarding the conjunctions which may precede situatives in Northern Sotho, as well as their semantic functions. It has been found that conjunctions may appear in different semantic relations regarding situatives. These relations are classified as temporal, temporal-conditional, causal, contrastive and actualising. Although they display morphological, semantic and syntactic similarities, the situative and the relative are viewed as separate moods. On the semantic level , a relation between conditional situatives, on the one hand, and the conditional mood, on the other, has been observed . Situatives without conjunctions act either with a temporal semantic connotation or with a qualificative meaning. A distinction is made between situatives with a momental temporal meaning and situatives which indicate a lapse of time. This semantic difference among temporal situatives is related to the occurrence or omission of conjunctions. / Uit hierdie ondersoek het dit geblyk dat daar l eemtes be staan in beskouinge rakende die aanwending van konjunktiewe voor situatiewe werkwoorde in Noord - Sotho, asook die semantiese funksies wat konjunktiewe het in gevalle waar hulle wel voor kom. Daar is bevind dat konjunktiewe in verskillende semantiese verbande tot situatiewe kan staan. Die verbande word getipeer as temporaal, temporaal -kondisi onaal, redegewend, teenstelling en aktualisering. Die situatief en relatief word as aparte modi beskou, ofskoon hulle morfologiese, semantiese en sintaktiese raakpunte vertoon. Op semantiese vlak is ook 'n verband waargeneem tussen situatiewe wat kondisie uitdruk enersyds, en die kondisionale modus, andersyds. Situatiewe sonder konjunktiewe tree op met 'n temporale betekeniskonnotasie of kwalifiserend op. Wat eersgenoemde betref, word onderskei tussen situatiewe met 'n momentaantemporale betekenis, enersyds, en situatiewe wat op tydsverloop dui, andersyds. Die onderskeid hou direk verband met die aan- of afwesigheid van konjunktiewe voor siluatiewe werkwoorde. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

African Languages / M.A. (Bantoetale)

Abstract in English / The aim of this study was to find out what constituted in Zulu the phenumenon which in the Bantu languages is generally known as the Causative. A corpus of 50 arbitrarily chosen sentences was gleaned :from two Zulu novels. Most of these sentences contained a verb which displayed formatives that are usually considered to be those which bring about the causative derivation. To complete the corpus verbs containing other formatives were also included, mainly on the grounds of a hunch by the author that they might be causative derivations. These verbs and sentences were then put to a threefold test: morphological,syntactical and semantic. In each case a criterion was first worked out and then the verbs in the corpus were one by one measured against the respective yardstick. Morphologically the criterion consists in large parts of a ·transcription forrnula which is :made up of the subject concord of the doer-substantive plus the superordinate of all Zulu verbs i.e. -enza, plus the conjuctive-noun 'to be' i.e. ukuba plus the second concord of the done to-substantive plus subjunctive stem of the base form of the verb under test. Syntactically the criterion needed a newly-introduced subtantive replacing the subject of the basic sentence to become the object of the derived sentence. The state or process contained in the basic verb must however still be ascribed to the now new object of the derived sentence, whereas the derived verb must still be ascribed to the new subject. Semantically the criterion calls for a verb which is inherently a state or a process to be changed into an action-process. Verbs which are action-processes from the outset naturally do not fit the criterion. Of importance here was also the semantic features of agent, patient etc. which substantatives have, and the relation in which such nouns have with the verb. The outcome of these 3 tests, in each case led to the same 32 verbs being pointed out as causatives. A significant conclusion reached was that only intransitive verbs could be be made, causative by means of a derivative formative. A further conclusion was that there are no exclusively causative formatives in Zulu. The causative is determined by a special semantic-syntactic interrelationship between the derived verb and the substantitives in the sentence , A causative sentence must contain an agent, a agent as object and a derived verb which has been changed into an action-process from a base form which was inherently a state or a process / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / In hierdie studie word meerduidigheid as n subkategorie van meervoudigheid van betekenis beskou. Onder die hoofverdeling tussen leksikale en nie-leksikale meerduidigheid word verskillende tipes en subtipes meerduidigheid onderskei, wat almal die volgende gemeen het, dat dit telkens om een vorm gaan met meer as een moontlike, duidelik onderskeibare interpretasie. Daar word gepoog om eerstens op algemeen-teoretiese vlak die aspekte van meerduidigheid aan te toon waarvan 'n beskrywend adekwate teorie rekenskap sal moet kan gee. Die wesenlike aspekte verbonde aan die verskynsel word uitgelig by wyse van n kritiese oorsig van die tradisionele, die sintakties- en semanties-gerigte, die psigolinguistiese en die pragmatiese benaderings. Tweedens word daar gepoog om op taalspesifieke vlak meerduidigheid in Afrikaans op n adekwate wyse te verantwoord, deur die aard en die bereik van die meerduidigheid op verskillende vlakke te ondersoek, en taalspesifieke meerduidigheidskeppende faktore en vereenduidigingsmeganismes te isoleer. Daar word ingegaan op verskeie teoretiese beskouinge aangaande die leksikon, en stilgestaan by die leksikografiese problematiek - veral met betrekking tot die onderskeid tussen homonimie en polisemie. Verskillende kategoriee van leksikale en nie-leksikale meerduidigheid word ten opsigte van meerduidigheid s keppende faktore, meerdui digheidsbereik en vereenduidigingsmeganismes en -strategiee onder die loep geneem. In die proses word die wisselwerking tussen fonologiese, sintaktiese, semantiese en pragmotiese parameters wat n rol speel by die interpretasie van uitinge, verken. Verder word daar ingegaan op intensionele meerduidigheid soos dit neerslag vind in verbale humor- veral in die vertelgrap en raaisel . Daar word aangesluit by Raskin (1985) se onderskeid tussen die bona fide-modus en die nie-bona fide-modus van kommunikasie. Die voorwaardes vir en die meganismes van humor in n paar Afrikaanse grappe en raaisels word ontleed aan die hand van Raskin (1985) se skrip-semantiek, in terme waarvan hy linguistiese humor probeer verklaar binne n taalhandelingsraamwerk. Die studie dui daarop dat daar op algemeen-teoretiese vlak 'n behoefte bestaan aan omvattende taalgebruiksteorie waarbinne die moedertaaI spreker se jntuitiewe inlerpretasie en vereenduidiging van meerduidige uitinge op adekwate wyse verantwoord kan word. / In this study cimbiguity is analysed as a sub-category of multiple meaning. Within the main div ision between lexical and non-lexical ambiguity, a distinct ion is made between various types and sub-types of ambiguity which all share one characteristic: that of consisting of a single form representing more than one possible, clearly distinguishable interpretation. Firstly, an attempt is made on a general theoretical level to show which aspects of ambiguity an adequate theory must account for. The essential aspects of the phenomenon are dealt with by means of a critical review of the pragmatic, syntactic, semantic, psycholinguistic and traditional approaches. Secondly, an attempt is made on a language-specific level to give an adequate account of ambiguity in Afrikaans by investigating the nature and scope of ambiguity on different levels. Various theoretical approaches to the lexicon are considered, focusing inter alia on lexicographical problems, with particular reference to the distinction between homonymy and polysemy. Different categories of lexical and non-lexical ambiguity are considered in an attempt to isolate those factors causing ambiguity, and to ascertain the scope of the various ambiguities as well as the constraints and disambiguation mechanisms and strategies applicable in each case. In the course of this investigation attention is drawn to the interaction between phonological, semantic, syntactic and pragmatic parameters pertaining to the interpretation of utterances. In my investigation of intentional ambiguity in verbal humour, a number of Afr ikaans jokes and riddles are analysed according to certain conditions for and mechan isms of humour. This analysis draws on Raskin's (1985) theory of script-semantics and his distinction between the bona fide-mode and the non-bona fide-mode of communication. On a general theoretical level this thesis indicates a need for a comprehensive theory of language use which can adeq uately account for the mother-tongue speaker's intuitive interpretation and disambiguation of ambiguous utterances. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / D. Litt. et Phil.

The aim of this study is to make a critical examination of the different perceptions presented by Zulu authors on King Shaka, the most controversial and celebrated Zulu king. Chapter one is an introductory chapter which provides a short biography of Shaka and identifies the mythology surrounding his name. The chapter ends with an exposition of theoretical approaches too be used in the study. Chapter two assesses the novelists' views and chapter three examines how the playwrights present Shaka. In both genres Shaka emerges as a hero. In chapter four, which is on poetry, various themes conveyed by Zulu poets on Shaka are discussed. In the concluding chapter, opinions by some historians on Shaka are stated and assessed. Further, general observations on the findings of this study are summarised / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

African Languages / M.A. (Bantu Languages)

There are many words for the riddle in Zulu. It is commonly called isiphicophicwano or isiphicwaphicwano, imfumbe, impicabadala, umgandeliso and inggayinggayi. The riddle is described as an indoor game engaged in at night and intended as a social pastime. Riddles are found all over the world. They are common amongst all the Bantu peoples living in the Republic of South Africa and even outside the Republic of South Africa. They have been collected all over Africa, Europe, Asia and America. This is an attempt to study Zulu riddles somewhat more than has been done . Attention is paid to the statement of the riddle called by Harries (1976, p.41) the precedent. He calls the answer , the sequent. A collection of Zulu riddles has been made which has been divided into two sections. Riddles were collected from Radio programmes, books, periodicals and from people interviewed. The scientific approach to the riddles follows different methods i.e. functional, structural and activist method which concentrates on the action involved in riddling. Then the introductory formulae of riddles are explained. The importance of performance and drama during the riddling is elucidated. The place and time of riddling is indicated in order to show the value of riddles to society . An analysis of riddles is made. Firstly, the grammatical analysis is made, and secondly, a structural analysis is undertaken. Under this section it is found that the riddle has descriptive elements which are also regarded as content elements. It is also found that riddles are non-oppositional and oppositional. Under non-oppositional riddles there are literal and metaphorical riddles. Oppositional riddles are characterised by the occurrence of an opposition between at least one pair of descriptive elements. Then in antithetical oppositional riddles one of the elements opposes the other by word or action . In privational oppositional riddles one descriptive element is a denial of logical or natural attribute of the first . In casual oppositional riddles the second element explicitly denies the expected consequence. Stylistically, the riddles show~ the use of ideophones which are an idea-in-sound to express vividness and the repetition of words . The technique of riddling i s explained whereby an animal is replaced by an object , a plant by a human being and vice versa and so on. And finally, the metaphor in riddles is analysed and it is shown that riddles have versions and that there are different riddles for the same referent. The riddles are then classified according to contents, structural analysis and their types. Riddles are then regarded as a form of living tradition and old and new types are shown .Riddles are then regarded as a form of living tradition and old and new types are shown. And in the conclusion the main findings from the study of riddles are given. At the end there is an appendix, a list of Zulu riddles with their translations. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

The thesis investigates the factors which lead to the development of 'prestige' terminology in the Northern Sotho vocabulary. It investigates the factors which lead to the development of 'prestige' language varieties and 'prestige' dialects, which are sources of 'prestige' terminology. These factors include, inter alia, urbanization, industrialization, the missionary activities and standardisation. The thesis tries to explain the reason why most of the Northern Sotho people do not feel free to speak their language when they are among other communitiesK__U explains the reason why the speakers of the so-called 'inferior' dialects of Northern Sotho have an inferiority complex while the speakers of the 'prestige' dialects have confidence when speaking their dialects. The people who are residents of the urban and industrialized areas have a high standard of living due to the availability of employment opportunities, while the rural communities are usually unemployed and, as such, their standard of living is low. This elevates the urban community to a high status which is shared by the type of language they speak. The rural communities start associating themselves with the urban communities by imitating the urban varieties in order to elevate themselves. This is one of the reasons which lead to the widespread use of urban slang and other language varieties which are associated with the urban areas of South Africa, i.e. the PWV (Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Vereeniging). Standardisation of Northern Sotho and the missionary activities within the Northern Sotho communities led to the creation of 'superior' and 'inferior' dialects. The missionary societies established missionary stations among certain Northern Sotho communities while other communities did not have these stations, and became the vanguards of Western civilization among the indigenous people of Southern Africa. ~The dialects among which the missionary stations were established came to enjoy a high status since these varieties were the first to be converted to written forms. In this case, the first varieties to be considered during standardisation were those which had a written orthography, and this is exactly what happened in the standardisation of Northern Sotho. / African Languages / D.Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

In chapter 1 a short exposition of the history of the Tsonga tribes is given. In chapter 2 the reflexes of the different Proto-Bantu sounds in the particular Tsonga dialects are given. Chapter 3 is a short exposition of the grammar of Nkuna, the dialect on which the standard language is based. Chapter 4 The grammar of all the other dialects is compared with that of Nkuna in chapter 4. Chapter 5 a classification of the Tsonga dialects is made. The writer shows that a linguistic classification of dialects based on geographical principles or on the history of the different tribes speaking the dialects is untenable, since no account is taken in such a classification of the present state of the various dialects. A classification of dialects according to isoglosses is also not scientifically correct, because of the subjective judgement of' the investigator in deciding which isoglosses must be regarded as primary and which as secondary. Chapter 6 The writer then makes a classification of the Tsonga dialects into dialect clusters according to principles which he regards to be purely objective and scientific in which all the similarities and differences of the dialects are taken into account without the writer's subjective judge- ment playing a role. Capter 7 According to these principles, the Tsonga dialects of' the Republic of South Africa are divided into the following dialect clusters: Nucleus dialect cluster consisting of the following dialects: Changana of Gija, Changana of Komatipoort, Nkuna, Changana of Bushbuckridge, Gwama, Hlave, N'walungu, N 'walungu of the Vakavaloyi, Changana Mnisi and Changana of Makhuva. (b) Periferal dialect cluster consisting of Konde. (c) Intermediate A dialect cluster consisting of Xiluleke of Makuleke, Xiluleke of Mhinga, and Nhlanganu. (d) Intermediate B dialect cluster consisting of Xonga. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil.