This thesis is an ethnographic exploration of the people of the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa that trace Zulu and San or Bushmen ancestry. I found that as these people attempt to reclaim rights lost through colonization, assimilation and Apartheid they are creating new rituals and attaching new significance to rock art sites. I also found that the contemporary ethnography of the Drakensberg peoples in general can aid interpretations of the rock art and also challenges established hegemonies of interpretation. The research also challenges the ethnic/cultural distinctions that are assumed to be salient between different peoples of South Africa and adds to the 'Kalahari debate' by questioning notions of an either or situation of assimilation or subordination. The ethno-historical record indicates a much more complex web of relations existed historically than is related in the dominant academic discourses. The extent that these people will be recognised as aboriginal remains to be seen, and currently they are creating social and political links with San organizations with the hopes of future gains and political recognition of their rights and identity. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

After the release of Act No 108 of 1996, the status of the nine African languages of South Africa was elevated to that of English and Afrikaans and as a result, for the first time in the history of languages, South Africa became the first country in Africa to have eleven official languages. However, Sign Language for the Deaf was left out even though Section 6(4) of the South African School's Act No 84 of 1996 puts it clearly that "A recognized sign Language has the status of an official language for purposes of learning at a public school". In terms of Section 6 (5) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Pan South African Language Board was also given a task to promote, and create conditions for the development and use of the Sign Language. DEAFSA (1996), states that Sign Language is the first or natural language for the Deaf. In Act No. 108 of 1996: Section 29(2) stipulates that: "Everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice in public educational institution where that is reasonably practicable". The first objective of this study was to investigate if the South African Sign Language (SASL) was a fully-fledged language and to find out more about the present status of this language. The second objective was to examine if South African Sign Language was taught to Parents of Deaf children from the Zulu hearing community's point of view. Marcel Jousse; a French Jesuit Anthropologist and linguist, firmly believes in the anthropology of geste, which is synonymous with the anthropology of mimicry. This theory forms the basis of language acquisition of all peoples of the world. "The oral style with its mnemotechnic devices only comes into play once the individual has been informed by a reality which he receives and replays through his mimic being as a whole, (Fanning (1995:vii). This theory best describes the manner in which signers acquire their sign language, which solely depends on gestures made in the space by hands, body movements and facial expressions. In this theory, the anthropos plays out the receptions of the universe, replays them, stores them and revivifies them in expressions that are the mimisms of the whole human compound: corporeal, ocular and auricular manual. Unfortunately, the laryngo - buccal mimism is excluded in deaf people since they cannot speak. A multi-disciplinary approach from the educational, linguistic, historical, political and cultural perspectives was employed in collecting data for this study. The samples for the study comprised deaf learners, deaf educators, and hearing educators in schools for the deaf, interpreters of sign language, senior management from the schools of Deaf learners and parents of the deaf children. The researcher discovered that very little has been done by researchers and the government of the day to assist the deaf to gain recognition in his or her community. Parents of deaf children are unable to communicate fully with their children. The study also revealed that deaf children prefer to be taught by deaf teachers because they can identify much better with them. The researcher discovered that literature for the deaf is non-existent in all spheres of their lives. Sign language per se, is not taught as a subject. Deaf learners are not allowed to take their subjects at a Higher Grade; as a result, they feel extremely marginalized by the educators. Promoting this language would improve our trade and industry, travel & tourism etc. Student exchange programmes would also enhance the development of the sign language locally, nationally and internationally. The Deaf would become multilingual in the Sign Languages of the world when they come into contact with Deaf people from other parts of the world. This would involve sport, education, politics and other activities. The deaf would be equipped to meet various challenges in life. The Deaf people need to communicate freely amongst themselves and the hearing community of our country should make an effort to learn the Sign Language so that they are able to communicate with the deaf. This would improve the socio-economic status of our country. / Thesis (Ph.D)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

The study aims to investigate the extent to which isiZulu is promoted as a subject in the / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

This study aims to investigate how Grade One isiZulu teachers teach reading in the Foundation Phase of Schooling. History of teaching can be traced back as far as the 1800s up until the introduction of the Outcome Based Education (OBE) that came into being after the first South African democratic elections in 1994. Data for this study was collected from the three Grade One isiZulu teachers of my school. This was a qualitative study and data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. Interviews were taped, transcribed and analysed, and data was categorized into themes. The study revealed that there were some social conditions that did hinder the progress of reading in the school. There was a lack of motivation from parents. It was found out from the study that, in spite of all the Department of Education’s attempts to provide teachers with handbooks with strategies on how to tackle reading lessons, some teachers still have problems in putting these into practice. It also became clear that reading involves role players which are learners, teachers, parents and the community as well as the Department of Education. The study has also revealed that the best way to teach reading is through a variety of methods. It is recommended that Grade One classes should not consist of more than fifty learners. Policies implemented by both the Department of Education and various schools should be reinforced. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The research on implementation of portfolio assessment as part of continuous assessment (CASS), came about as I noticed the enormous challenges faced by educators as a result of implementation of the new curriculum, the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). As an educator, I have been curious to form an understanding of other educators' level of knowledge of the NCS policy as well as the extent of its implementation at school. During the research process, I have focused on portfolio assessment in order to understand the level of other educators' understanding of this form of assessment of learners, as well as the educators' shortcomings in the implementation of portfolio assessment in the classroom. The main findings of the research indicate a lack of understanding of the assessment policy amongst the educators. This tends to demotivate educators on policy implementation. This is more so as some of the educators interviewed indicated that they are not able to interact with the assessment policy document when planning. Some of the recommendations include the involvement of the department of education to help develop educators at school level. This could be done by employing learning area specialists with the intention to assist in the development of educators at school. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This study examines the attitudes of learners, teachers, governing body members, principals and parents towards the implementation of isiZulu as a subject in selected Durban High Schools and its implications for language planning and policy in South Africa. The learners selected for the purposes of this study were in grade 8, 9, 10 and 11. Combinations of quantitative (interviews) and qualitative (questionnaires) research methods are used to research the topic. Questionnaires were administered to learners, teachers and parents. Interviews were used to complement data obtained from the questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with learners, teachers, governing body members, principals and parents. An important finding of this study is that the majority of learners, teachers, principals, governing body members, and principals have expressed positive attitudes towards isiZulu and view it as an important language in KwaZulu-Natal. Most isiZulu language learners, parents and teaches view isiZulu as important for their culture and identity. The majority of non-isiZulu speakers perceive isiZulu as a language for wider communication in KwaZulu-Natal. The study found that there is a need for more support from the Department of Education to be more actively involved in the promotion of isiZulu in schools. There is also a shortage of trained teachers and teaching material in isiZulu. This study also established that some governing body members have limited knowledge of language policies at their schools. Most learners, teachers, principals, governing body members and parents expressed that it would be better for learners if they started learning isiZulu from primary school instead of high school. Some schools articulated that there appear to be different standards of isiZulu expected from schools and the Department of Education. The findings led to the following recommendations which are aimed at enhancing and promoting the status of isiZulu in KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa as a whole. • The Department of Education needs to be more involved in the promotion of isiZulu in KwaZulu-Natal • More educators have to be trained in the teaching of isiZulu • More educational material in isiZulu needs to be created and provided • IsiZulu needs to be invested with more intensively • The status of isiZulu in primary schools needs to be investigated • The role of governing body members needs to be evaluated • A common standard for isiZulu needs to be established / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

While translation can be studied with a view to throwing light on a number of aspects in life, in this thesis translation has been researched with a view to outlining the development of written Zulu from its earliest stages, using twelve texts of the Book of Matthew. The Book of Matthew has been chosen in this undertaking because it was the first book of the Bible to be translated into Zulu and was thought to be the most apposite instrument with which the development of written Zulu could be measured. The polysystem theory and the descriptive approach to translation studies are the theoretical models that inform the arguments presented in this study. Polysystem theory sees translated literature as a system operating in the larger social, literary and historical systems of the target culture, while with the descriptive approach translations are regarded as facts of the target culture. Against this premise the focus of this study is mainly on the twelve translations of the Book of Matthew and no comparisons between source and target texts are undertaken here. Corpus-based research provided tools such as WordSmith Tools 3.0 for linguistic analysis. Biblical texts were obtained, scanned and presented in electronic format ready to be analysed. From the findings drawn, written Zulu developed all the way through Bible translation, with some translations revealing slight developments and others showing enormous ones. As the findings of this study reveal, Zulu developed gradually, as evidenced by the change to conjunctive writing which occurred over a considerable period, along with the appropriate representation of Zulu speech sounds and grammar conventions. It could also be established at what point during the development of the language, processes such as consonantalisation and palatalisation were introduced into the written language. It is also clear that words of Greek and Hebrew origin were brought into the Zulu language through Bible translation. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that it is feasible to use corpus-based research for analysis in the indigenous languages of South Africa. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

The study of isiZulu medicine names as reflected in indigenous healing system. This research focuses on the meaning of names of nsatural herbs in isiZulu language which form part of traditional medicine within the Zulu society. It plays an important role in the manifestation of a composite picture of Zulu society. This research also proposes to investigate isiZulu medicine as reflected in indigenous healing systems within th Zulu society which forms what is known as Zulu cosmoloy. the primary objective of this research is to contribute to an understanding of the ways in which humans use natural herbs and animal parts in constructing healthy life as part of healing practice. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

M.A. (African Languages) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The lack of terminology in Zulu can be overcome if it is developed to meet international scientific and technical demands. This lack of terminology can be traced back to the absence of proper language policy implementation with regard to the African languages. Even though Zulu possesses the basic elements that are necessary for its development, such as orthographical standards, dictionaries, grammars and published literature, a number of problems exist within the technical elaboration and standardisation processes: * Inconsistencies in the application of standard rules, in relation to both orthography and terminology. * The lack of standardisation of the (technical) word-formation patterns in Zulu. (Generally the role of culture in elaboration has largely been overlooked). * The avoidance of exploiting written technical text corpora as a resource for terminology. (Text encoding by means of corpus query tools in term extraction has just begun in Zulu and needs to be properly exemplified). * The avoidance of introducing oral technical corpora as a resource for improving the acceptability of technical terminology by, for instance, designing a type of reusable corpus annotation. This study contributes towards solving these problems by offering a practical approach within the context of the real written, standard and oral Zulu language, mainly within the medical terminological domain. This approach offers a reusable methodological foundation with proper language exemplification that can guide terminologists in terminological research, or to some extent even train them, to achieve effective technical elaboration and eventual standardisation. This thesis aims at attaining consistent standardisation on the orthographical level in order to ease the elaboration task of the terminologist. It also aims at standardising the methods of word- (term-) formation linking them to cultural factors, such as taboo. However, this thesis also emphasises the significance of using written and oral technical corpora as terminology resource. This, for instance, is made possible through the application of corpus linguistics, in semi-automatic term extraction from a written technical corpus to aid lemmatisation (listing entries) and in corpus annotation to improve the acceptability of terminology, based on the comparison of standard terms with oral terms. / Linguistics / D. Litt et Phil. (Linguistics)