Standard languages have become a very important instrument of communication in most multilingual countries. Botswana is one of the Southern African countries that have a number of languages, hence the need for a standard language was chosen. Setswana consists of a number of dialects but none of these dialects has been used as a basis for standard Setswana; instead, dialects have been combined to form a standard variety. The aim of this study is to investigate and discuss the problems regarding the state of standard Setswana in Botswana, and the processes followed in standardising Setswana in Botswana. A questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Eight schools from different educational levels, namely primary schools, junior secondary schools, senior secondary schools and colleges of education were chosen for the study. The study was limited to Setswana teachers and to the National Setswana Language Council (NSLC) members. Two different questionnaires were designed for these respondents. The study has revealed that although standard Setswana exists in Botswana, the variety is not well known by most of the Batswana and they do not use it. Batswana do not seem to take standard Setswana seriously, as they think it does not benefit them economically. However, the study indicates that most Setswana teachers value the standard variety and would like other Batswana to take it seriously and regard it as an important communicative tool. The study found that one of the problems that hinders the progress of implementing standard Setswana in schools is the lack of suitable material. The National Setswana Language Council faces the same problem. Another problem identified during the research is that some respondents cannot differentiate between standard Setswana as a variety of Setswana and Setswana as a language. This indicates that the Batswana were never made aware of the standard variety nor of its importance; hence, it is not adequately known and used in high public functions. The study also analysed the National Setswana Language Council, the body responsible for Setswana language issues in Botswana. The Council deals with the whole process of language standardisation, as well as the accuracy and proficiency of language use. However, the study revealed that of the four stages in the process of standardization; (selection, elaboration, codification and acceptance), the Council seems to have succeeded with selection and a part of codification. The orthography has been standardised but not yet published. Other stages, such as acceptance and elaboration, need to be revisited. The study consists of six chapters. Chapter One outlines the purpose of the study as well as the problem statement. The sociolinguistic profile of Botswana and the Setswana language profile are also discussed. Chapter Two presents the theoretical framework, while Chapter Three discusses the historical background of the Setswana-speakers, the history of Setswana and the development of standard Setswana by the missionaries. Methods and techniques of data collection are dealt with in Chapter Four, while Chapter Five presents data analysis and interpretation. Summary, findings, conclusion and recommendations are presented in Chapter Six. / Dissertation (MA (Setswana))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / African Languages / unrestricted

Chapter One of this thesis investigates the growth and development of the Tswana short story. It commences with an evaluation of studies done on this genre and proceeds to a brief exposition of the Tswana short stories published prior to 1995. It also provides theoretical backgmund on the modern short story. The main focus of Chapter Two concerns the major themes explored in Tswana short stories. These include tradition and culture, love and marriage, the makgoweng motif, religion as well as corruption and other social problems. This thesis has discovered that the Tswana Miters not only criticise the negative aspects of these realities, but also recognise their significance and beauty. Chapter Three examines the organisational patte~ of the Tswana short story and tests it against the structural pattenl of the West. It is revealed that the Tswana short story, like short stories of other cultures, shows a continuous sequence of exposition, development and resolution. However, it occasionaHy deviates from the nonn and commences with philosophical commentaries and details irrelevant to the developmental phase. In structuring their stories, the Tswana writers also use flashback and foreshadowing to link their events. However, what has been discovered is that foreshadowing occurs less frequently than flashback in the Tswana short story. Chapter Four focusses on the word, the sentence and the paragraph and refers to other related clements such as repetition, rhetorical questions, proverbs, idioms and Biblical allusions. These elements serve to enhance the style of the Tswana short story and bring the readers into a dialogic relationship with their language and culture. Creative writing in Tswana illustrates a strong, dynamic relationship with oral tradition. Chapter Five shows how writers have cirawn from the wealth of their traditional and cultural heritage original and wlique devices to improve their works of art. The threads of oral tradition that reveal themselves in the Tswana short story pertain to the organisation of material, characterisation, setting, style and language as well as narrative perspective. In Chapter Six the findings of the earlier chapters are highlighted and recommendations for future research are outlined. / African Languages / D.Litt. et Phil.(African Languages)

Chapter One of this thesis investigates the growth and development of the Tswana short story. It commences with an evaluation of studies done on this genre and proceeds to a brief exposition of the Tswana short stories published prior to 1995. It also provides theoretical backgmund on the modern short story. The main focus of Chapter Two concerns the major themes explored in Tswana short stories. These include tradition and culture, love and marriage, the makgoweng motif, religion as well as corruption and other social problems. This thesis has discovered that the Tswana Miters not only criticise the negative aspects of these realities, but also recognise their significance and beauty. Chapter Three examines the organisational patte~ of the Tswana short story and tests it against the structural pattenl of the West. It is revealed that the Tswana short story, like short stories of other cultures, shows a continuous sequence of exposition, development and resolution. However, it occasionaHy deviates from the nonn and commences with philosophical commentaries and details irrelevant to the developmental phase. In structuring their stories, the Tswana writers also use flashback and foreshadowing to link their events. However, what has been discovered is that foreshadowing occurs less frequently than flashback in the Tswana short story. Chapter Four focusses on the word, the sentence and the paragraph and refers to other related clements such as repetition, rhetorical questions, proverbs, idioms and Biblical allusions. These elements serve to enhance the style of the Tswana short story and bring the readers into a dialogic relationship with their language and culture. Creative writing in Tswana illustrates a strong, dynamic relationship with oral tradition. Chapter Five shows how writers have cirawn from the wealth of their traditional and cultural heritage original and wlique devices to improve their works of art. The threads of oral tradition that reveal themselves in the Tswana short story pertain to the organisation of material, characterisation, setting, style and language as well as narrative perspective. In Chapter Six the findings of the earlier chapters are highlighted and recommendations for future research are outlined. / African Languages / D.Litt. et Phil.(African Languages)

M.A. (African Languages) / Various sets of nouns have been established as noun classes in Setswana as well as in other African languages. Generally speaking, a class of nouns is made up of words that have a specific prefix and are in turn linked with a unique set of concords which are morphophonemically related to the prefix. Each class is regarded to contain nouns sharing certain semantic features. However, these semantic characteristics are by no means clear-cut for every class. The purpose of this study is to analyze the semantic characteristics of the noun classes of Setswana. An approach different from that which is customary in describing the semantics of noun classes will be followed, in that I will attempt to establish those semantic features which uniquely characterize each class and distinguish it from other classes rather to list the various types of nouns occurring in it. The concept "core meaning" will be employed in this. regard. (See Section 1.7). In this chapter an overview will be given of the numbering and grouping of noun classes in publications on Setswana (1.2.1) as well as the prefixal morphemes employed (1.2.3). This will be followed by a discussion of the views of different authors on the semantics of the noun classes of Setswana (1.3) and of Bantu languages in general (1.4), the relation between noun classes and number (1.5), and semantic typologies of noun classes that have been suggested (1.6). The chapter will be concluded with a restatement of the aim of the research and of the method followed. The arrangement of the chapters that follow, is eclectic. Where there is a fairly simple singular-plural relation between two semantically similar classes, they will be grouped together for the purpose of discussion. Cf. Chapter 2 (CI 1, Ia, 2 and 2a), Chapter 3 (CI 3 and 4), Chapter 4 (Cl 7 and 8) and Chapter 5 (CI 9 and 10). Classes 5, 11 and 14 are grouped into one chapter (Chapter 6) because of their complex number relation to plural classes. A special chapter (Chapter 7)...

M.A. (African Languages) / This research is based primarily on the praise poems of the Bafokeng of Phokeng, and their history. Achievements of the tribe as well as their downfall from the previous Chiefs to the present Chief are documented. The study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter looks at the aim of the study, which is preservation of the history of Bafokeng and their praise poems, both heroic and clan poems. The second chapter is a brief outline of the history of the Bafokeng tribe, their heroic as well as their clan poems. The historical backgrounds of these poems are also outlined, as are performances at different occasions. The third chapter focuses on the divining bones, the actual divination and praises of divining bones as performed by witchdoctors of Phokeng upon consultation. The fourth chapter presents the structural features of these poems e.g. language, repetition, rhythm, eulogues etc. The final chapter of this study looks at the experiences during the time of research, as well as discoveries and recommendations.

This study is an analysis of Raditladi’s poetry with special emphasis on three aspects, namely, social, cultural and the historical perspectives. Raditladi blends indigenous African and Western influenced themes and forms to portray the common and shared ethos, beliefs and practices of the Batswana. He depicts artistic and edifying mechanisms of his people’s culture in remarkable styles. In addition to containing history and historical figures, his poetry also addresses social issues that are of particular significance to Africans who for so long have negotiated and navigated a world of contrasting social norms and values. For example, Selelo sa morati or a ‘A Lover’s Lament’ highlights the tensions and conflict between traditional, Batswana versus modern, Western practices of love and marriage. The poem also raises the deep-seated problem of tribalism, and by extension, racism. In the poem, an attempt to harmonise contrasting ways of living, loving and composing poetry, that resonates with contemporary Africans, and their quest for social change is a recurrent preoccupation. Many modern Batswanas continue to attempt to harmonise their cultural values and norms with what they feel to be useful and relevant from so the called modern norms and values. It is a journey beset with fearful odds. Raditladi’s poetry speaks to these everyday struggles we call life in the post-colonial and post-apartheid setting. An important aspect of Batswana cultural identity that emerges from a reading of Raditladi’s collection Sefalana sa Menate is the frequency of allusion to the significance of cattle. Thes significance that is manifested in considerable number of the poetic allusions or metaphors suggest a common view of cattle as nurture, sustenance, comfort, and possession of wealthy. Traditionally, cattle provided for the everyday needs of the Batswana, and in fiction as in real life, represent wealth and well-being. A strong relationship exists between cattle and the Batswana sensibilities. This strong identification with cattle by those who through countless generations have been shepherds is evidenced in cattle allusions carried forward in language, proverbs and poetry. Historical figures and events are conveyed through poetic aestheticism. These historical events constitute: • Leadership Lessons from the House of Kgama • Teaching Batswana Poetry: an African paradigm • South Africans in European Wars: Re-writing History and setting the record straight Raditladi’s work is based on life, lived as firsthand in the communal experiences of milking and caring for cattle as a child and this is viewed in the Batswana society as providing the foundation for understanding the Batswana sensibilities. There is a gap in in Setswana literary criticism regarding a critical exploration of the three themes mentioned above been analyzed.It is hoped that this research study will go a long way to address this gap / African languages / D Litt. et Phil.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study focused on three descriptive nominal modifiers which specify the attributes of nouns, i.e. the morphological adjective, the relative clause and the descriptive possessive. The morphological adjective appears in an adjectival phrase, which has to consist of a determiner and an adjective. The adjective must have agreement with the head noun in an NP. The adjective root may appear with nominal suffixes such as -ana and -gadi, it can be reduplicated, it may be transposed to other categories and it may even be compounded. The AP may also occur in predicative position as well as in comparative clauses. The relative clause may have the same semantic properties as the adjective. The relative clause in Setswana consists of a determiner in the position of the complementizer followed by an lP. Such an lP may have a copulative or non-copulative verb. Attention in this study has focused on the nominal relative, which appears as a complement of a copulative verb. These nominal relative stems have been divided into two sections, i.e. a section in which the nominal relative stems may not appear in a descriptive possessive construction and a second section where these stems may also appear as a complement of the possessive [a]. The semantic features of these nominal relative stems have been isolated and it is clear that they show a wide variety of semantic features. This type of relative clause represents the most prolific category, which specifies the attributes of nouns. The third category, which displays the semantic feature of an attribute of a noun, is the descriptive possessive construction. The syntactic and semantic structure of this type of phrase has been investigated. A wide variety of complements of the possessive [a] have been isolated in Setswana and some semantic features have received specific attention, i.e. group nouns and partitives. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie fokus op drie deskriptiewe nominale bepalers wat die attribute van naamwoorde spesifiseer nl. die morfologiese adjektief, die relatief en die deskriptiewe possessief. Die morfologiese adjektief kom voor in 'n adjektieffrase wat bestaan uit 'n bepaler en 'n adjektief. Die adjektief moet klasooreenstemming hê met die kernnaamwoord in 'n naamwoordfrase. Die adjektiefstam kan voorkom met nominale suffikse soos ana en gadi, dit kan geredupliseer word, oorgeplaas word na ander kategorieë en selfs samestellings vorm. Die adjektieffrase kan ook voorkom in 'n predikatiewe posisie sowel as in vergelykings. Die relatief kan dieselfde semantiese eienskappe hê as die adjektief. Die relatief in Setswana bestaan uit 'n bepaler in die posisie van die komplementeerder gevolg deur 'n infleksiefrase. So 'n infleksiefrase kan 'n kopulatiewe of nie-kopulatiewe werkwoord bevat. Die aandag in hierdie studie het gekonsentreer op die nominale relatief wat voorkom as 'n komplement van 'n kopulatiewe werkwoord. Hierdie nominale relatiewe stamme is verdeel in twee afdelings nl. 'n afdeling waarin die nominale relatiewe stamme nie kan voorkom in 'n deskriptiewe possessiewe konstruksie en 'n tweede afdeling waar hierdie stamme ook kan voorkom as 'n komplement van die possessiewe [a]. Die semantiese kenmerke van hierdie nominale relatiewe stamme is geïsoleer en dit is duidelik dat hulle 'n wye verskeidenheid van semantiese kenmerke het. Hierdie tipe relatief verteenwoordig In baie wye keuse t.o.v. die attribute van naamwoorde. Die derde kategorie wat die semantiese kenmerk van 'n attribuut van 'n naamwoord vertoon, is die deskriptiewe possessiewe konstruksie. Die sintaktiese en semantiese struktuur van hierdie tipe frase is nagegaan. 'n Groot verskeidenheid komplemente van die possessiewe [a] is geïsoleer in Setswana en sommige semantiese kenmerke het spesifieke aandag gekry nl. groepnaamwoorde en partitiiewe.

Thesis (M.A. (Sociolinguistics))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 178-192).

This study is an analysis of Raditladi’s poetry with special emphasis on three aspects, namely, social, cultural and the historical perspectives. Raditladi blends indigenous African and Western influenced themes and forms to portray the common and shared ethos, beliefs and practices of the Batswana. He depicts artistic and edifying mechanisms of his people’s culture in remarkable styles. In addition to containing history and historical figures, his poetry also addresses social issues that are of particular significance to Africans who for so long have negotiated and navigated a world of contrasting social norms and values. For example, Selelo sa morati or a ‘A Lover’s Lament’ highlights the tensions and conflict between traditional, Batswana versus modern, Western practices of love and marriage. The poem also raises the deep-seated problem of tribalism, and by extension, racism. In the poem, an attempt to harmonise contrasting ways of living, loving and composing poetry, that resonates with contemporary Africans, and their quest for social change is a recurrent preoccupation. Many modern Batswanas continue to attempt to harmonise their cultural values and norms with what they feel to be useful and relevant from so the called modern norms and values. It is a journey beset with fearful odds. Raditladi’s poetry speaks to these everyday struggles we call life in the post-colonial and post-apartheid setting. An important aspect of Batswana cultural identity that emerges from a reading of Raditladi’s collection Sefalana sa Menate is the frequency of allusion to the significance of cattle. Thes significance that is manifested in considerable number of the poetic allusions or metaphors suggest a common view of cattle as nurture, sustenance, comfort, and possession of wealthy. Traditionally, cattle provided for the everyday needs of the Batswana, and in fiction as in real life, represent wealth and well-being. A strong relationship exists between cattle and the Batswana sensibilities. This strong identification with cattle by those who through countless generations have been shepherds is evidenced in cattle allusions carried forward in language, proverbs and poetry. Historical figures and events are conveyed through poetic aestheticism. These historical events constitute: • Leadership Lessons from the House of Kgama • Teaching Batswana Poetry: an African paradigm • South Africans in European Wars: Re-writing History and setting the record straight Raditladi’s work is based on life, lived as firsthand in the communal experiences of milking and caring for cattle as a child and this is viewed in the Batswana society as providing the foundation for understanding the Batswana sensibilities. There is a gap in in Setswana literary criticism regarding a critical exploration of the three themes mentioned above been analyzed.It is hoped that this research study will go a long way to address this gap / African languages / D Litt. et Phil.