Thesis (DLitt (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is an experimental investigation of vowel duration. It focuses on phonetic and phonological aspects of vowel duration in Civili, and African language spoken in Gabon and some of its neighboring countries. It attempts to bring new insights into the phenomenon of vowel lengthening, and to assess the implictions of these insights for standardizing the orthography of this language. ...

Healthcare providers increasingly recognize the importance of collaboration among stakeholders in cost-effective healthcare delivery. While collaborative relationships offer great advantages, little research has addressed their relevance in an international development aid context, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The region is a major recipient of international development support, yet health indicators on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and child and maternal mortality indicate the health of the region is among the weakest worldwide. This sequential mixed method, descriptive study of a USAID-funded community health program in Ghana examined the nature of collaboration among six stakeholders and impact of this collaboration on effectiveness of program implementation. Stakeholder and resource dependence theories provided conceptual frameworks for analysis. Data were collected through surveys and interviews of officers of participating organizations (POs) and community health officers (CHOs). Surveys were analyzed using means, standard deviations, and t tests, while coding and themes determination were adopted for the interview data analysis. Results from both sources were integrated. Findings indicate both POs and CHOs perceived human relationship factors as more critical than physical resources. Collaboration, shared decision making, and frequency of communication in the relationship were perceived to substantially improve CHO skills and rural healthcare quality. Recommendations include active development of strong trust and dialogue in future relationships. These results could have important implications for positive social change by identifying the bases for collaborative success in providing impoverished rural communities with cost-effective and quality healthcare to address critical community health needs.

This study is on standard isiXhosa in a multilingual classroom and includes an interpretation of both urban and rurual learners’ literary texts. An attempt is made to examine a selection of isiXhosa texts in order to interprete the state of affairs of the isiXhosa language in the 21st century. Organization of the study This dissertation was organized in the following manner: Chapter one includes an introduction to the study, its aims and objectives as well as the research methodology. Since the isiXhosa language is the focal point of the study, it is discussed in some depth. In chapter two, the researcher concentrates on the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) "Imibono yethu". Imibono yethu is an anthology of learners' writings. The learners were invited to enter a competition by using various genres, e.g. short stories, poems, one-act dramas, rap songs, kwaito, essays, and melodic poems. The researcher wanted the learners to use whatever genre inspires them, to put it colloquially, "what turns them on!" Any aspect of the urban lifestyle could be explored within the theme of each entry and fell under the following headings: • Standard language. • Standard isiXhosa. Chapter three investigates non-standard language varieties with special reference to isiXhosa and the language policy of South Africa. In this chapter, a comparison was drawn between non-standard language and standard language. vi In chapter four, the researcher discusses the overall findings of the competition, comparing the results emanating from the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. Chapter five deals with achievement of the objectives and highlights of the research. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

The study sought to explore perception and attitude towards the study of African languages in high schools and the resultant implications on human resources development and management. The research basically explored the diverse perception and attitude that prevail towards African languages in African countries in general and Zimbabwe in particular. The descriptive survey research design was used mainly for its effectiveness in exploratory research. Participants were drawn from selected high schools and universities in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and documentary analyses were used to collect data. Data gathered were then subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analyses for triangulation purposes. Major findings indicated that the perception and attitude towards the study of African languages in Zimbabwean high schools is generally negative. English language is preferred to and valued more than African languages. Such perception and attitude determine choices of programmes of study at tertiary level and the selective channeling of people into specific professional fields. Consequently, that impact on the development and management of potential human resources in professions related to African languages. The current language policy in Zimbabwe has no clear instrument that defines the place of African languages in the curriculum and work place as is the case with English. The choice of language to study at high school is thus determined by fossilised perception and attitude towards languages in general, coupled with lack of career guidance on the link between African languages and related career opportunities, in the belief that English is the gateway to success. The study clearly reveals that it is the Zimbabwean education system that should realize the potential of schools as agents of change in improving the status of African languages. Hence the study advocates restructuring of the curriculum. Proposals and recommendations to re-engineer the Zimbabwean curriculum so that indigenous African languages are made compulsory up to ‘A’ level were made. Such a bold move would uplift the status of African languages and at the same time improve perception and attitude towards their study as well as indirectly, but positively, impacting on human resources development and management in related disciplines. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

As the title suggests, the purpose of this investigation is to establish a clear picture of what constitutes a verbal root in Xhosa, and to classify the various means whereby a simple verbal root may be extended to modify its meaning. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Bantu Languages)

Postconflict governments and counterparts have collaborated to provide skills training to communities as a critical postconflict development strategy. In these undertakings, the role of community members remains largely undefined. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to understand the perceptions held by rural community members regarding the role they played in influencing government's policy priority for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a local human development strategy in postconflict Liberia. The conceptual framework was based on human capital theory and concepts of motivation and achievement. Fourteen participants were purposefully selected for the study. Data were collected from interviews, focus group discussion, and documents and analyzed using constant comparison. Results indicated that increasing human capital, restoring self-esteem, encouraging civic participation, and building peace were among the community members' motivations for establishing a skills training institution. Leadership, advocacy, and ownership were major roles community stakeholders played in establishing their local skill training institution; voluntarism and collaboration were found to be strategies for support to the local TVET initiatives. Findings have positive social change implications for facilitating community-initiated TVET programs for youth employment as well as informing TVET policies in countries transitioning from conflict to development.

The number of orphaned children in many parts of Africa is increasing as their parents die from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The research problem addressed in this qualitative study was lack of understanding by others about how the managers of orphanages in 2 African countries -- South Africa and Zimbabwe - were responding to the emotional and social needs of these orphans. The purpose of this study was to develop an orphanage management theory or model that could replicate the African kinship environment in the orphanages under study. Nurturing leadership theory provided the conceptual backdrop for this study. The research design was informed by Glaser's grounded theory (GT) approach. Data collection involved a qualitative survey of 20 administrators in 2 orphanages in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Open coding, memoing, and selective coding of this data yielded a nurturing model for orphanage management in the cultural context of the African kinship system. From the viewpoint of social change, this research suggests development of a family-oriented orphanage management system to help the orphans live healthy and productive lives without the stigma of HIV and AIDS.

The basic aim of this study is to investigate the nature of the narrative, concerning itself with the structures inherent in a system of signs which reveals the communicative function of literature. The general aim is to interpret the meaning of the narrative against the cultural background. The study makes a synthesis of formalist and structuralist points of view on the relations between story and discourse. A comparison of the oral and written narratives reveals that the discourse of the latter displays more artistry than that of the former. An examjnation of the problems of theme selection and development in the Northern Sotho prose narrative, from the point of view of African literature, is made. This reveals that the South African censorship laws have caused the emergence of sophisticated writers with a highly developed artistic way of portraying the South African situation sensitively by making it speak for itself. The study also examines some aspects of character in the narrative, analyzing the actions of characters in the story rather than psychological essences about them, and showing how these characters help the reader to understand the narrator's moral vision of the world. A comparison of the narrative techniques in the oral and the written narrative shows that in the former, the narrator is limited by tradition to the actions and the events that can be seen or heard, while the narrator in the latter can even describe what his characters are thinking or feeling. The study finally examines the relationship between symbolism and culture in the Northern Sotho narrative to reveal the general African philosophy in which -life is perceived as a perpetual journey undertaken by the hero from the natural to the non-natural world, whence he returns to the original world after experiencing moral lassitude and frustration. In the conclusion it is observed that both the oral and the written narratives deal with the intricacies of life as series of patterns and developments. The functional nature of the traditional African aesthetics reflected in the narratives prescribes the study of their meaning against the African cultural background. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

The use of the mother tongue (MT) as a medium of instruction in schools is still a problematic subject of debate in South Africa and the continent at large. In most African countries, English remains the medium of instruction (MoI). This structured research sought to highlight the pros and cons of using mother tongue instruction in schools, specifically Northern Sotho, which is spoken by one of the ethnic groups in South Africa. Currently, in South Africa, children receive mother tongue education from grade one to three. In this study, the researcher argues that mother tongue should be used from grade one to twelve. For this study, the researcher relied on extant literature on mother tongue education. The concept of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) by Cummins (2001) was used to guide this study. The argument for mother tongue education is premised on the fact that it is crucial for the success and progress of children at school. As an example, studies have shown that children who are taught in their mother tongue such as Afrikaans and English, which remain the defacto mediums of instruction in the schools in South Africa, and French, German, Mandarin, etc. in other countries, excel in school and understand subjects such as Maths and Science better. / Ngangišano ya tšhomišo ya polelo ya gae bjalo ka polelo yeo e šomišwago go ruta dikolong e sa le taba ye bothata dinageng tše ntši le mo Afrika Borwa. Dikolong tše ntši mo dinageng tše, Seisemane ke leleme leo le sa šomišwago bjalo ka leleme la go ruta. Tlhamo ya nyakišišo ye e nyaka go gateletša bohlokwa bja go šomiša polelo ya gae bjalo ka polelo yeo e ka šomišwago dikolong, kudukudu Northern Sotho yeo e bolelwago ke ye nngwe ya dihlopha tša MaAfrika Borwa. Gonabjale mo Afrika Borwa, bana ba rutwa ka leleme la gae go tloga go mphato wa 1-3. Mo thutong ye, monyakišiši o nganga gore polelo ya gae e swanetše go šomišwa go tloga go mphato wa pele go fihlela go wa masomepedi. Thutong ye, monyakišiši o ipotile ka dingwalo tšeo di ngwadilwego ka ga thuto ya polelo ya gae. Kakanyo ya “Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)” yeo e tlilego ka Cummins (2001) e tla šomišwa go tlhahla thuto ye. Ngangišano ka ga thuto ya leleme la gae e theilwe godimo ga nnete ya gore le bohlokwa kudukudu go katlego le tšwelopele ya bana sekolong. Bjalo ka mohlala, dithuto di bontšhitše gore bana bao ba rutwago ka leleme la gae bjalo ka leleme la SeAfrikaanse le Seisemane, ao e sa lego maleme a thuto dikolong mo Afrika Borwa, SeForentšhe, Sejeremane, SeMandarini bjalobjalo kua dinageng tše dingwe, ba dira mošomo wo mobotse sekolong gomme ba kwešiša dithuto tša go swana le Thutadipalo le Saense bokaone. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

The study sought to explore possibilities of using indigenous African languages of Zimbabwe as official media of instruction in the education system. The aim was to find out the extent to which indigenous African languages could be used as languages of instruction in primary, secondary and tertiary levels of the education system. The other objective of the study was to examine the attitudes of Zimbabweans towards the use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction in schools. A total of 1000 participants took part in this study, which included 200 teachers, 300 parents/guardians and 500 learners. Questionnaires and interviews were the main techniques used to collect data and the processing of the collected data was both qualitative and quantitative. Information collected from the questionnaires was mainly presented in tables and information from interviews was presented qualitatively in words. The study revealed that Zimbabwe inherited from colonial Rhodesia a language policy that marginalizes the use of indigenous African languages in the education system. English continues to be the prestige-laden language enjoying high status while indigenous languages enjoy relatively low status. Study findings clearly show that the majority of the participants prefer English to be the medium of instruction in both secondary and tertiary education because it is a language that gives power and prestige. The study concludes that Zimbabwe can never regain its dignity and cultural identity unless the education system is African oriented. The continued use of English as medium of instruction means that no scientific ideas can be formulated using African languages in the present schooling system leading to perpetual scientific bankruptcy. The study finally recommends the need for a linguistic revolution and calls for a change in the country’s language policy so as to avoid the exclusion of the majority from public and national developmental discourse. / African Languages / D.Litt et Phil. (African Languages)