Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates how gratitude expressions may be expressed in Tshivenda. Studies on the expressions of gratitude have been conducted in various languages. Politeness is a pragmatic mechanism in which a variety of structures work together according to the speaker's intention of achieving smooth communication. Speech acts on the other hand is the same as an illocutionary act (intention of the sender). The same world can be used to perform different speech acts. The findings in this study is based on situations in which gratitude is expressed in response to receiving a reward, gift, favour, service and compliment (Eisentein and Bodman 1986). Gratitude is expressed when a person benefits from another person. In this study the data shows consistent use of expressions of gratitude within specific contexts. The results of this study are consistently interpretable in that the bigger the imposition on the giver, the more polite expressions are employed. Gratitude expressions have been analysed from gratitude functions. These functions include the following: Thanking, appreciations, liking, surprise, generosity, pleasure, indebtedness, relief, desire, caring, enthusiasm, reciprocate, reason, reassurance and compliment. In Tshivenda thanks, pleasure and appreciation have a high frequency and these gratitude functions show extreme politeness of the Venda people. There are also certain functions in Tshivenda which have a very low frequency, i.e. reason, desire, enthusiasm, reciprocate, generosity and caring. Therefore, they are not considered as possible gratitude functions in Tshivenda and are also unfamiliar in Tshivenda. / AFRRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe uitdrukkings van dankbaarheid in Tshivenda uitgedruk kan word. Studies oor uitdrukkings van dankbaarheid is gedoen in verskeie tale. Beleefdheid is 'n pragmatiese meganisme waarin 'n verskeidenheid strukture saamwerk volgens die spreker se bedoeling om gladde kommunikasie te bewerkstellig. Spraakhandelinge, aan die anderkant, is dieselfde as illokusionere handelinge (bedoeling van die spreker). Dieselfde woord kan gebruik word om verskillende Spraakhandelinge uit te voer. Die bevindinge in hierdie studie is gebaseer op situasies waarin dankbaarheid uitgespreek word as antwoord op die ontvangs van 'n beloning, geskenk, guns en kompliment (Eisenstein en Bodman, 1986). Dankbaarheid word uitgedruk wanneer 'n persoon voordeel trek uit 'n ander persoon. In hierdie studie toon die data eenvormige gebruik van uitdrukkings van dankbaarheid binne spesifieke kontekste. Die resultate van hierdie studie is telkens interpreteerbaar soos volg: hoe grater die druk op die gewer, hoe meer beleefd is die dankbaarheids- uitdrukkings. Suike uitdrukkings is geanaliseer vanaf dankbaarheidsfunksies, naamlik bedanking, waardering, voorkeur, verrassing, vrygewigheid, plesier, skuld, verligting, begeerte, entoesiasme, wederkerigheid, rede, versekering en kompliment. In Tshivenda het bedanking, plesier en waardering 'n hoe frekwensie van voorkoms en hierdie dankbaarheidsuitdrukkings toon die besondere beleefdheid van die Venda. Daar is ook sekere funksies in Tshivenda wat 'n bate lae frekwensie het, naamlik rede, begeerte, entoesiasme, wederkerigheid, vrygewigheid en sorg. Dus kan hulle nie beskou word as moontlike dankbaarheidsfunksies in Tshivenda nie.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: 1.1 AIM OF THE RESEARCH Relational nouns are those nouns which have the characteristic of being related in some other way. These nouns also show us that there is always equality and inequality in status amongst the people. It is in this research where I am going to show this difference amongst tshivenda nouns. At the end of this study tshivenda relational nouns, with the involvement of vertical relations of dependency and horizontal relations with no dependency, will be explained. Focus on this issue will be paid to different kinship terms with dependency and no dependency. 1.2. ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY Chapter 2 is going to focus on the tshivenda relational nouns. In this chapter vertical relations of dependency and horizontal relations with no dependency will be clearly explained. Kinship terms and non-kinship terms are also going to be illustrated. In the illustration of non-kinship terms, different situations in which they occur are also given. Venda antonyms and synonyms as words that occur in horizontal relations with no dependency are distinguished and classified. Chapter 3 will basically be doing with the kikinship terms. Anthropological views on kinship will also be looked at. Anthropologists Radcliffe – Brown and Fortes give their different views on the concept of kinship. This chapter goes further by showing the linquistic views on kinship. Here Doodenough comes with two relationships that lead to lineal descent. Lounsburry also shows the structural analysis of lexical set of covers and partitions a semantic field. The chapter proceeds by defining marriage and also shows how the Vhavenda boys choose their partners, pay lobola and marry. A Venda lineal descent has also been illustrated. Different generations, from the fourth ascending generation to the third descending generation are explained. Chapter 4 will be showing the outcome of the research. This will be based on chapters 2 and 3.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the cognitive, conceptual, linguistic, communicative and cultural nature of metaphors in Tshivenḓa in spoken discourse within the framework of conceptual metaphor theory extended to the framework of metaphor research on language, mind and culture, developed especially in the works of Kövecses (1999, 2000a,b, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2011a,b). This study on metaphor in Tshivenḓa assumes an intuitive method in that the analyst identified metaphor usage in Tshivenḓa introspectively, while a more data-driven methodology is also assumed through the systematic identification of metaphors within a pre-determined set of lexical-semantic items and the conceptual mappings of selected metaphors from previous metaphor research. The study systematically identifies metaphors in spoken communication in Tshivenḓa by considering the occurrence of the following types of nouns as source and/or target: (i) natural objects and phenomena, (ii) human beings, (iii) animals, (iv) body shape and colour, (v) body parts, (vi) medicine, (vii) diseases, (viii) food-related nouns, (ix) artifacts and possessions, (x) emotions, (xi) character traits and virtues, (xii) religious terms. The study gives evidence of the striking nature of metaphors as cultural products or constructs in the interpretations evoked by the source domain nouns and the cross-domain mappings posited for the source and target, thereby providing compelling evidence that metaphor research needs to take into account the cognitive, linguistic, communicative and cultural nature of metaphor usage. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie doen ‘n ondersoek van die kognitiewe, konseptuele, linguistiese, kommunikatiewe en kulturele aard van metafore in gesproke kommunikasie in Tsivenḓa binne die breë raamwerk van konseptuele metafoorteorie soos uitgebrei na die raamwerk van metafoornavorsing oor taal, denke en kultuur, soos veral ontwikkel in die werk van Kövecses (1999, 2000a,b, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007 en 2011a,b). Die studie aanvaar ‘n intuïtiewe ondersoekmetode in die sin dat die navorser metafoorgebruik in Tshivenḓa introspektief geïdentifiseer het, terwyl ‘n meer data-gedrewe metodologie terselfdertyd ook aanvaar is deur die sistematiese identifisering van metafore binne ‘n voorafbepaalde stel leksikaal-semantiese items asook deur die konseptuele karterings van geselekteerde metafore vanuit vorige metafoornavorsing. Die studie identifiseer op sistematiese wyse in Tshivenḓa gesproke kommunikasie die volgende semantiese tipes naamwoorde as bron of teiken in die metafoor: (i) natuurlike objekte en verskynsels, (ii) mense, (iii) diere, (iv) liggaamsvorme en kleur, (v) liggaamsdele, (vi) medisyne, (vii) siektes, (viii) voedsel-naamwoorde, (ix) artifakte en besittings, (x) emosies, (xi) karakter kenmerke en attribute, en (xii) religieuse terme. Die studie bied evidensie aan die treffende aard van metafore as kulturele produkte of konstrukte in die interpretasies opgeroep deur die bron-domein naamwoorde en die kruis-domein karterings gepostuleer vir die bron en die teiken, en bied daardeur oortuigende bewyse dat metafoornavorsing die kognitiewe, linguistiese, kommunikatiewe en kulturele aard van metafoorgebruik in aanmerking moet neem.

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study presents an investigation of basic emotions in Tshivenda: A cognitive Semantics Analysis. The study starts with a literature review which shows what other scholars say about emotions. The study includes mainly the emotion metaphors and force on emotion in Tshivenda. The emotion concepts that receive specific attention in this study are anger, fear, sadness, love, pride and happiness. These concepts are discussed under the “source domains” as postulated. by Zoltan Kövecses in his book (Metaphor and Emotion) (2000) wherein he discusses a number of metaphorical source domains that characterize these emotion concepts.