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Aspects of pragmatics in ZuluMasubelele, Mthikazi Roselina 10 1900 (has links)
This study is set to explore the theory of speech acts
with special reference to Zulu. This is done with the
motive of discovering the applicability of this theory to
the utterances that are issued by the speakers of this
language. Particular attention is given to the
performatives as a special kind of speech act. Their
examination reveals that in Zulu, there are acts, which
could be performed by saying something. We distinguish
between explicit and inexplicit performatives. Explicit
performatives contain a verb in their main clause which
names the act that is performed when a performative is
issued. The inexplicit performative on the other hand
does not contain this verb.
Acts that are restrained as far as the explicit
performative is concerned, would rather be expressed by
means of the inexplicit performative. Utterances such as
those that express commands, customarily make use of the
imperative, which is an inexplicit performative.
A closer examination of how performatives are realised in
Zulu, reveals that in order for the performatives to be
understood as intended by the speaker, the illocutionary
force, of what the speaker intends or means by the
issuance of the utterance in question, comes to the
surface. It is the illocutionary force which connote
that an utterance is a request, a command, a warning,
etc. Performatives can also be double-natured in function.
One performative could be a request which is intended as
an order. In this case it is the responsibility of the
addressee to use contextual information in order to
determine that which is the speaker's intention. In this
investigation, what has surfaced as well, is that one
speech act could be expressed in various different ways.
For instance, a request, could be expressed by the use of
a performative, an imperative, a question and a
statement.
Another factor which we came across in this study, and
which has a significant bearing on the performative, is
that they should comply with the conditions of felicity,
if they are to be successful and understood as intended
by the addressee. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)
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Intrusive stop formation in Zulu : an application of Feature Geometry TheoryNaidoo, Shamila 12 1900 (has links)
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.
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