The research 'Specialized Lexicography with reference to the Zulu Slang' focuses on the aspects of language development which have not yet been considered in isiZulu language. The study also tries to uncover how other languages have benefited from slang words. Linguistic, lexicographical and psycho-social theories have been used in this study to guide the analysis and interpretation of the data. Fromkin and Rodman's (1978) general linguistic theory states that for one to understand one's humanity, one must understand the language that makes one human. The only specific theory of lexicography is that of Zgusta (1971). This theory says that lexicography is connected with all language disciplines. However, there are other theories that have been used like Symbolic Interaction Theory by Mead (1934) which focuses on the way in which people interact with others. Attraction Theory has been used. This theory states that some people get attracted to others, while some incur losses during the process. The Attraction Theory by Grush, Clore, and Costin, (1988) is a psychological theory which proposes that it is human nature to be attracted to things which come easily. Data was collected by means of the participant observation method so that naturally occurring data could be observed and noted. In the case of slang, speakers use this subconsciously at most times. Hence, this method proved to be the best and most reliable method for collecting primary data. The findings of the study indicates that slang words have a major contribution in a language development. Zulu slang words are constantly being used in texts, television and radio. Hence, these words are very much part of Zulu language development and change. However, they have not been documented in a dictionary or otherwise. The main conclusion of the study is that Zulu slang words are part and parcel of many Zulu speakers vocabulary. This, therefore, creates the need for documentation of these words in a dictionary viz. a dictionary of Zulu slang. The following recommendation are made: 1. The formulation of a Zulu Slang Dictionary is an imperative. 2. Other African languages should also pursue such an endeavor. 3. NRF, PANSALB and other language related councils should not only focus on the standardization of languages, but ought also to focus on the development of non-standard varieties e.g. Slang, these institutions should also offer funding with regard to such developments. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / This study examines data from communication-theoretic refusal in isiZulu, relating to pragmatic theorists’ argument that every human interaction to a large extent carries with it an element of threatening one or both participants’ face. The speech act of refusal has been identified as one of the most effective speech acts to be employed for this phenomenon in this study. Every speech act is influenced by contextual, cultural and many other background factors associated to age, gender and rank, to mention a few, which contribute towards the composition of speech act. The issues relating to the theory of politeness prompted this study in the extent to which politeness plays a role in refusals in educational contexts of Zulu speaking students. The study has evaluated Brown and Levinson’s (1987) theory of politeness as a universal phenomenon against the findings of my data, in that the universality advanced by these theorists does not quite fit with this study. The variable percentages in this data, especially in refusals, indicate that politeness does not always exist in terms of positive and negative face in the participants’ mind but other considerations related to the goal of the speech act are the main source of the speech act. In this study, refusal in the Zulu context has demonstrated that politeness has been employed as a strategy for encoding distance between speaker and solicitor.

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main concern of this thesis relates to an investigation of the lexical-semantic nature of the motion verb –phuma (exit, go out) in isiZulu within the framework of Generative Lexicon Theory. In particular, the thesis explores the event structure and aspectual verb class properties in the locative-subject alternation with the verb –phuma in isiZulu. Chapter one presents a general introduction to the study, stating the purpose and aims of the research, giving a broad perspective of the theoretical framework adopted, and outlining the organisation of the investigation of the lexical-semantic properties of –phuma. Chapter two presents a detailed discussion of Generative Lexicon Theory, which centrally concerns accounting for polysemy phenomena across various nominal and verbal expressions. The four dimensions of lexical-semantic representation that constitute the central theoretical properties in Generative Lexicon Theory are reviewed, i.e. Argument structure, Event structure, Qualia structure and Lexical Inheritance structure. In addition, the various facets of meaning of Qualia structure namely Fomral, Constitutive, Telic and Agentive facets, are described in relation to their theoretical significance in accounting for word meaning and polysemy. Chapter three examines in a systematic and comprehensive way the range of locative-subject alternation possibilities with the verb –phuma. In particular the range of semantic types of the NP subject argument of –phuma taking a locative complement is explored to determine whether all these sentences permit a corresponding locative-alternation construction. In addition, the aspectual verb class properties of the two variants in the alternation are analysed with regard to a range of diagnositics associated with stative events, activity events, achievement events and accomplishments events. It is known that the two variants in the alternation can be distinguished in terms of their aspectual verb class properties. Chapter four summarises the main findings of the study and presents the conclusion. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoofbelang van hierdie tesis hou verband met die ondersoek van die leksikaal-semantiese aard van die bewegingswerkwoorde –phuma in isiZulu binne die raamwerk van Generatiewe Leksikon teorie soos uiteengesit deur Pustejovsky (1996). Die tesis ondersoek spesifiek die gebeurtenis ('event') struktuur en aspektuele werkwoordklas eienskappe in die lokatief-subjek alternasie met die werkwoord –phuma in isiZulu. Hoofstuk een gee 'n algemene oorsig van die studie, stel die doelstellings van die teoretiese raamwerk wat aanvaar word, en skets die organisasie van die studie oor die leksikaalsemantiese kenmerke van –phuma. Hoofstuk twee bied 'n detail bespreking van Generatiewe Leksikonteorie, wat sentraal verband hou met die verklaring van polisemieverskynsels van naamwoordelike en werkwoordelike uitdrukkings. Die vier dimensies van leksikaal-semantiese representasie wat die sentrale teoretiese eienskappe vorm in Generatiewe Leksikonteorie word beskou, naamlik argumentstruktuur, Gebeurtenis ('Event') struktuur, Qualiastruktuur en Leksikaleerwingstruktuur. Voorts word die verskillende fasette van betekenis van Qualiastruktuur, nl. Formeel, Konstitief, Doel ('Telic') en Agentief beskryf rakende die teoretiese belang daarvan vir die verklaring van woordbetekenis en polisemie. Hoofstuk drie ondersoek op 'n sistematiese wyse die verskeidenheid van lokatief-subjek alternasie moontlikhede met die werkwoord –phuma. In die besonder, word die semantiese tipes van die NP subjek argument van –phuma wat 'n lokatiewe komplement neem ondersoek om te bepaal watter van hierdie sinne neem 'n lokatiewe-alternasie konstruksie. Voorts word die aspektuele werkwoordklas kenmerke van die twee variante in die alternasie ontleed met verwysing na 'n reeks toetse vir die onderskeid van aspektuele werkwoordklasse. Daar word aangetoon dat die twee alternasies onderskei kan word in terme van aspektuele werkwoordklas. Hoofstuk vier gee die opsomming en konklusie van die studie. / UKUBUKEZA KAFUSHANE: Lesi sifundo sibheka ucwaningo lwesimantikhi yelekhizikhoni yezenzo ezikhethiweyo esiZulwini. Esahlukweni soku – 1, injongo yalesisifundo iyashiwo, imiphumela yocwaningo mayelana nesimathikhi yelekhizikhoni yesenzo u – phuma kanjalo nengqikithi yelekhizikhoni itshengiswe ngokukaPustejovosky (1996). Isimo sengqikithi kanye nokulungiselelwa kwesifundo kuzoxoxwa ngakho kulesisifundo. Isahluko sesi – 2 siveza uhlobo lwesimantikhi yethu. Ulwazi olucutshunguliwe lwelekhizikhoni lufaka amazinga amaningi amele izinhlobo ezahlukeneyo zolwazi lwesimantikhi. Kula mazinga singabala isakhiwo sempikiswano, isakhiwo sesigameko, isakhiwo sekhwaliya kanye nesakhiwo esisohlwini ololandelayo. Lesi sahluko sesibili sibuye siboniso ngokucace kakhulu ngokwesakhiwo sekhwaliya nangendima edlaliwe ekuqhubekiseni imisebenzi yamagama kanye namabinzana ahlanganisiwe. Isahluko sesi – 3 sihlola ucwaningo lwesimantikhi lwesenzo u – phuma esimayelana nezingxenye zezimpawu ezikhethiweyo zempikiswano yebinzana lebizo eliyinhloko yesenzo u – phuma kanye nezincazelo ezahiukahlukene ezivela emagameni ahlanganiswe ngokwempikiswano yemfezeko. Izindlela zezincazelo eziningi zesenzo u – phuma zihloliwe esakhiweni sokushintshana emishweni ngokubandakanye esakhiweni sesigameko. Incazelo yelekhizikhoni ngokwamagama esakhiwo sempikiswano kanye nesakhiwo sesigameko sesenzo u – phuma emishweni eyahlukahlukene icutshunguliwe. Isahluko sesi – 4 siyisiphetho esifingqa konke okutholakala ezahlukweni ezindlule esifundweni socwaningo lwelekhizikhoni yesimantikhi yezenzo ezikhethwe esiZulwini.

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This study invesitgates a selection of hard news articles in isiZulu that were published in the newspaper Ilanga within the framework of genre theory. The study invokes in particular the orbital structure approach to the organisation of the structure of hard news articles advanced by White (1997) in analysing the isiZulu articles. Hard news reports are typically associated with eruptive violence, reversals of fortune and socially significant breaches of the moral order. Hard news reports are distinguished in terms of two types, namely those reports which are primarily grounded in a material event such as an accident, natural disaster, riot, or terrorist attack, and those reports grounded in a communicative event such as a speech, interview, or press release. The research in this study presents an analysis of four articles in isiZulu of each of these two types. The analysis of the isiZulu articles presents support for White’s view that both types of hard news reports exhibit the same generic structure, a mode of textual organisation unique to mass media which gives hard news its textual distinctiveness. Both types hard news reports achieve their informational and rhetorical objectives through a non-linear, orbital structure in which dependent ‘satelites’ elaborate, explain, contextualize and appraise a textually dominant nucleus.

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / This study aims to investigate the speech act of complimenting in Zulu. It is divided into five chapters, which are arranged as follows: Chapter one provides special details regarding the aim of this study, the method that has been followed, and the organizational structure of the study. Chapter two focuses on both speech act and politeness theories. The central notion relates to (a) the acts of locution, (b) illocution and (c) perlocution. These elements of speech acts entail the notion that utterances that are produced by participants in a conversation comprises of (a) the actual sounds and words uttered, and those words and sounds (b) are intended towards the fulfillment of the force or intention behind them and (c) the effect of that force is intended to the hearer. Although there are other related elements, this notion is prominent in this chapter. Chapter three examines the speech acts of complimenting in Zulu along with their responses. This examination is informed by various ideas from the respective researchers. For an effective and successful investigation of speech acts, a guideline which serves as a base follows a method of ethnography of communication. Almost all these researchers are putting emphasis on this view. The elements of the responses, the principles, their nature, structure and appearance in general conversations with specific reference to complimenting, are other key properties examined in this chapter. Chapter four focuses on the functions of compliments. For example, almost all the researchers in the field are in agreement that compliments serve to revitalize, establish or create or encourage solidarity. Although there are other functions relating to this speech act, such as replacing other conversational formulas, e.g. greetings, softening criticism, the function of solidarity is perceived to be central. Another area which receives attention is the structural qualities of the compliment, along with syntactic and lexical features. This analysis explores the syntactic categories that relate to this work, together with the formulaic nature of this speech act. Chapter five is the last chapter of this study. It represents the conclusion in which the main findings in the study are summarized.

Thesis (DLitt (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / This study investigates the Intrusive Stop Formation process in Zulu. In this process an intrusive stop arises when a nasal and fricative are juxtaposed resulting in the following seven affricate sounds /þf’, {v, ts’, dz, tñ’, dL, tS’/. These sounds are theoretically distinct from the four affricate phonemes which occur in Zulu, namely /kl’, dZ, ts’, tS’/. In this study the former are termed derived affricates and the latter pure affricates. Two aspects of Intrusive Stop Formation are focused on - firstly, determining experimentally whether durational differences obtain between pure and derived affricates and secondly, using the results of the experimental investigation to facilitate a feature geometry description of the Intrusive Stop Formation process. In the experimental investigation nine affricate sounds were examined. Words, containing these sounds, were recorded in frame sentences by five speakers, using PRAAT, a speech–processing platform. The duration of the pure and derived affricates were then determined. It was found that pure affricates are durationally longer than derived affricates. The next progression in this study was the incorporation of the experimental results into a feature geometry description of Intrusive Stop Formation. Feature Geometry Theory has enjoyed acclaim because of its ability to retain Distinctive Feature Theory – the crux of Phonology – in a nonlinear framework. However, Feature Geometry Theory faces challenges with regard to the extent to which it includes phonetic detail; and its formalization technique. This study – Intrusive Stop Formation in Zulu : An Application of Feature Geometry Theory – brings a new perspective to Feature Geometry Theory with the incorporation of the Duration tier – significant for the description of the Intrusive Stop Formation process. Furthermore the study introduces a more efficient formalization technique, which facilitates the explanation of the process. It is always incumbent upon endeavours like this study, which examine specific phonological processes, to show relevance. In the concluding section the application of the experimental approach and Feature Geometry Theory is evaluated in terms of the contribution made to the disciplines of Human Language Technology and Speech Disorders. A compact disk accompanies this thesis. It contains the sound files, spectrograms and textgrids of the recorded data.