As relações entre as línguas africanas e o português brasileiro é tema recorrente nos estudos linguísticos produzidos no Brasil, desde o século XIX (cf., por exemplo, Macedo Soares 1942[1874/1891]) e parece estar em evidência no panorama contemporâneo, como o demonstra o número de trabalhos recentemente publicados. Ao analisar a história desta produção linguística, Bonvini (2009) propõe que os trabalhos produzidos podem ser distinguidos em duas tendências: influência e crioulização. Segundo ele, ambas as hipóteses sobre essas relações apresentam deficiências, especialmente quanto a dois aspectos: o tratamento das fontes e a metodologia de estudos empregada. Quanto às fontes, os trabalhos teriam sido formulados sem apoio em dados linguísticos precisos e identificados. Quanto à metodologia, as análises estariam centradas em aspectos léxico-semânticos ou morfossintáticos, níveis que Bonvini julga inadequados para tratar a questão. A partir dessas críticas, cumpre indagar: quais foram as fontes usadas nos trabalhos sobre as relações entre as línguas africanas e o português brasileiro? Toda a produção sobre o tema desenvolveu-se a partir dos mesmos princípios metodológicos? Houve mudanças no tratamento do tema: da hipótese da influência à crioulização? Nosso projeto teve como objetivos mapear e analisar a produção que investigou as relações entre o português brasileiro e as línguas africanas no Brasil e discutir a periodização para a história dessa produção. Tal análise foi baseada no conceito de programa de investigação, proposto por Swiggers (1981a, 1991a, 2004). Esse conceito permite distinguir e agrupar trabalhos produzidos sob diferentes teorias e em épocas distintas, uma vez que destaca sua natureza interna, isto é, a maneira de os estudiosos lidarem com um mesmo objeto de investigação. Assim analisamos essa produção a partir dos parâmetros de análise que definem um programa de investigação: visão (concepção de linguagem adotada, tipos de materiais de destaque e modos de conceber as relações entre linguagem e sociedade, linguagem e cultura, etc.), técnica\' (conjunto de princípios e métodos adotados) e incidência (formas linguísticas de análise privilegiadas e a natureza e função preferencialmente atribuídas a essas formas). O estudo desses três aspectos permitiu sinalizar tendências gerais na área do século XIX ao XXI: uma tendência sociocultural baseada na análise lexical e uma tendência híbrida, sociocultural e descritivista, cujo centro da análise é a sintaxe e a morfossintaxe. O percurso de pesquisa ainda permitiu elaborar uma bibliografia de textos fundamentais para o tratamento do tema nesses séculos. / The relations between African languages and Brazilian Portuguese are recurrent in the linguistic studies conducted in Brazil since the 19th century (cf., for example, Macedo Soares 1942[1874/1891]) and they are in evidence in the current scenario, as many works in the field have been recently published. When analysing the history of this linguistic production, Bonvini (2009) proposes that his work can be categorised into two trends: influence and creolization. According to him, both hypotheses on those relations present inaccuracies, especially regarding two aspects: the treatment of the sources and the research methodology adopted. As for the sources, the works would have been carried out without the support of identified accurate linguistic data. With regard to the methodology, the analyses revolved around lexical-semantic or morphosyntactic aspects, level considered inadequate by Bonvini to approach the subject. Based on those criticisms, the following questions are raised: what were the sources adopted in the investigations on the relations between African languages and Brazilian Portuguese? Has all the production on the subject been developed from the same methodological principles? Have there been changes in the treatment of the subject: of the hypothesis from the influence to the creolization? Our project aimed at tracking and analysing the production that investigated the relations between Brazilian Portuguese and the African languages in Brazil, and also the discussion on the periodization for the history of this production. Such an analysis was based on the concept of research program, put forward by Swiggers (1981a, 1991a, 2004). This concept enables the historiographer to distinguish and group research works produced under different theoretical approaches and from different periods, as it highlights their inner aspects, that is, the way in which scholars deal with the same object of investigation. By doing so, we analysed this production based on the parameters of analysis which define our \'research program\': view (view of language adopted, types of materials and ways of conceiving the relations between language and society, language and culture, etc.) technique (combination of principles and methods adopted) and incidence (linguistic forms of analysis which were privileged, as well as the nature and function preferably attributed to those forms. The study of those three aspects allowed us to point out the general trends in the field from the 19th to the 21st century: a sociocultural trend based on lexical analysis and a hybrid trend, sociocultural and descriptivist, the center of the analysis is the syntax and morphosyntax. The research course have also allowed it to prepare a bibliography of fundamental texts in order to discuss the topic in these centuries.

Este trabalho propõe uma análise preliminar de aspectos da fonologia e da morfologia da língua lembaama2, que pertence ao subgrupo banto, B.62 (Guthrie, 1971), do grupo Benuê- Congo, phylum Niger-Congo. Como esta língua não apresenta ainda nenhum estudo deste gênero, espera-se que esta primeira análise possibilite estudos posteriores mais aprofundados neste e em outros campos lingüísticos. A análise fonológica revelou de um lado, a existência de consoantes palatalizadas, labializadas, pré-nasalizadas, e pré-nasalizadas-palatalizadas, de outro, mostrou a existência de vogais longas. A análise de processos fonológicos demonstrou que a nasalidade é uma propriedade das consoantes que se transmite às vogais adjacentes aos segmentos nasais. Quanto à análise nominal, ela definiu a composição dos nomes da seguinte maneira: Prefixo Nominal (PN) + raiz, e os classificou em 12 classes. Foram também identificados em lembaama fenômenos fonológicos como a semivocalização, o alongamento vocálico, o apagamento vocálico, a variação livre e a palatalização que servem para evitar a ditongação e manter a estrutura CV desta língua. A análise dos tons evidenciou dois tons pontuais: um alto [´] e um baixo [`] e uma regra de apagamento do primeiro tom quando dois tons se encontram. / This work proposes a preliminary analysis of the phonological and morphological aspects of the lembaama language (B62) according to Guthrie (1971). This language is officially called obamba in Gabon. Lembaama is a Bantu language, from the Benue-Congo group and Niger-Congo phylum. As far as we know this language has not received any detailled study yet. Lembaama shows some interesting features. Endeed, the phonological analysis shows the existence of palatalized, labialized, and prenasalized consonants and of long vowels in the phonemic inventory. The analysis of phonological processes shows that nasality is a property of nasal or of prenasalized consonants which is transmitted to adjacent vowels.

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / The purpose of this study was to investigate the legislative and constitutional imperatives on the designation of language naming with special reference to Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa. The study was based upon the qualitative methodology and the data was analysed through qualitative and quantitative in the form of SPSS to explain numeric information. Data was collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaire and interview. Three groups of respondents took part in this study namely members of the community, administrators and professionals, and language practitioners. The findings of the study revealed that many people prefer the name Sepedi to be used to denote the language under research. It was again revealed that when the language was named proper procedure was not followed. Based on the information and findings of this research, it is recommended that the government make an effort to make sure that the language is re-standardised and the language correctly designated.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2007 / Refer to the document / University of Limpopo

Thesis ( M.A. (African languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study discovered that above mentioned situation has hardly changed English in the in the school under review is fill medium of instruction of the majority of learners,power of Afrikaans. A major recommendation of the study is that African languages should be introduced as medium of infraction for African language speakers in all former model school

This study investigates the strategies that learners of isiZulu use to understand and make themselves understood when they communicate in computer chatrooms. Chatrooms are viable tools for capturing linguistically rich interactions in conditions that are less restricted than the traditional classroom. The number and types of communication strategies that second language learners attempt, as well as their success in deploying them, have been a topic of interest to researchers in second language acquisition (SLA) because of their apparent role in the acquisition process. Strategies involve the efficient use of language to achieve successful communication in situations where there is some communicative deficiency, either in understanding or in self-expression. Examples of strategies are when learners ask for assistance from their chat partners, or when they check with their partners for confirmation of whether what they said is understood. This study explores differences in the strategies that intermediate learners of isiZulu use when the person they are chatting with is another isiZulu learner, compared to when their chat partner is a native speaker. The study also investigates whether the topic and type of interlocutor have any effect on communication strategy production. Eight learners were given cultural and personal topics to discuss alternately between their peers and native speakers. Given the tenet of the Interaction Hypothesis that language is best learned through interaction (Gass, 1997, 2003; Long, 1983, 1996), which is facilitated by communication strategies, exploring how strategies are utilized is important to the field of SLA as well as to African language pedagogy. The results of this study show no difference in the number, category and type of strategies used when chatting with peers versus native speakers about personal or cultural topics. The highest learners' use of CSs overall was to solve problems of self-expression when they chatted about cultural topics. This finding encourages the integration of culture and technology use in language classrooms. This study contributes to the small research base in technology and SLA for less commonly taught languages and, it is hoped, will promote the use of online chats and other communication technologies in the teaching of these languages.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 346-357). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 346-357). Also available on the Internet.

This thesis examines the presence of unhu, a process of becoming and remaining human through community ties, in Nervous Conditions and The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Dangarembga interrogates corrupt versions of community by creating positive examples of unhu that alternatively foster community building. Utilizing ecocritical, utopian, and postcolonial methodologies, this thesis postulates that these novels stress the importance of retaining a traditional concept like unhu while also acknowledging the need to adjust it over time to ensure its vitality. Both novels depict the creativity and resilience of unhu amid toxic surroundings.

This thesis is structured into four sections. The first section is a brief statement on the choice of the text chosen for the purpose of translation. Ityala Lamawele is one of the old and classic Xhosa texts and after seeing some translated texts either from Xhosa to English or English to Xhosa such as Uhambo Lomhambi (The Pilgrim's Progress) Ingqumbo Yeminyanya (The Wrath of the Ancestors), Akusekho Konwaba (No Longer at Ease) and having not seen any translation of Ityala Lamawele, I felt an attempt at translating Ityala Lamawele was long overdue. This first section also looks at the theoretical aspects of translation that will inform the translation of ltyala Lamawele. The second section is the actual translation (the process and the product) of selected extracts which deal specifically and exclusively with the case of the twins. Though the translation of the whole text is not a remote possibility or consideration, for the purpose of this thesis, selected extracts will be dealt with. The third section of this thesis is the reflection on and the discussion of the choices I have made. This section looks at the process of translating ltyala Lamawele, the challenges and obstacles that I have come across, the way I have put and expressed issues and why. / Thesis (M.A.) - University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.