While the study of emotions is of universal interest because of its central role in the social sciences and humanities, emotions are of special interest for South Africa for both theoretical and applied reasons. South Africa, with its eleven official languages, is a true multicultural society with extreme differences in terms of culture, acculturation, and socio-economic status. Cultural frameworks differ substantially between ethno-cultural groups, and clarification of the differences between cultural frameworks can counter interpretation biases that could result in daily frictions and major conflicts. Additional fundamental cross-cultural research on emotional differences between cultural groups, together with the generation of a mutual understanding of the different cultural frameworks, makes these frameworks explicit and facilitates the incorporation of these frameworks into daily communication and interaction processes. The objectives of this research were to determine what the emotion structure of the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda languages groups within a sample of Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking participants is, and how it compares with the European Emotion Structure. Furthermore this research aimed to establish the emotion structure and the relevant and representative features for each emotion component (such as appraisals, action tendencies, and subjective experiences) that have been encoded in a sample of Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking participants. Like\vise it was deemed necessary to verify (a) the extent to which the emotion words refer to specific positions on each of the emotion features of these language groups and (b) the extent of similarity or dissimilarity between emotion experiences of the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda groups in the SAPS, as well as to compare the meaning structure between a "bottom-up" and a "top-down" (as conducted in Nicholls' research in 2008) approach between Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking participants. A survey design with convenience sampling was used to achieve the research objectives. The study population (n=390) consisted of Sepedi-, Xitsonga- and Tshivenda-speaking entry-level police applicants from the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda GRlD questionnaires were administered. Statistical methods and procedures (multidimensional scaling and descriptive statistics) were used and Cronbachrs alpha coefficients were determined to analyse the results. Results of this study on the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda cultural groups indicated the extraction of a two-factor model within the Sepedi group. Due to the extremely low reliability analyses of the Xitsonga and Tshivenda language groups' data, a reliable scale analysis and the meaning structures of these two groups could not be determined. The low reliabilities could be attributed to the direct language translation of the questionnaire and the assessment may not have captured the full understanding of the items in the GRlD instrument. Results of this study for the Sepedi language group corresponded well with the results found in the study for the Sepedi group conducted by Nicholls (2008) on the emotion lexicon on the Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda language groups in South Africa. The Nicholls study (2008) indicated the extraction of a three-dimensional structure (evaluation, arousal, dominance) and a four-factor loading (positive emotion, sadness, fear, anger) for the Sepedi-speaking language group. In comparison, this research presented the extraction of a two-dimensional structure (evaluation and arousal) and a two-factor loading (positive emotion and sadness). Emotion concepts of the Sepedi group indicated that basic emotion concepts (love, joy, anger, sadness, fear, and surprise) readily came to mind in both Nicholls' (2008) and this study. Emotion concepts listed by the Sepedi group could be interpreted as emotion words associated with social, personality or environmental aspects and may be related to negative evaluation, dominance and/or aggression. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages))-- University of Limpopo, 2014 / The study was intended to investigate the influence and the impact which Sepulana as a dialect has on the learning of Sepedi as the standard language. The findings included among others: Sepulana has a negative impact on the learning of Sepedi as a standard language in Sabie circuit, Bohlabela district of Mpumalanga Province. Secondly, most Sepedi educators who speak Sepulana use the dialect to offer Sepedi in the formal classroom situation, and as such, learners become confused on whether to use Sepedi or Sepulana words. The study recommends that teachers of Sepedi be encouraged to teach Sepedi and not Sepulana in class, and also that teachers should upgrade their Sepedi qualifications to enable them to have in-depth knowledge of the language.

The objective of this investigation is to look into, and to describe, the development and merit of the Sepedi essay-oeuvre. The works taken into account are the essay collections that were published from 1943 to 1996. At the same time, the various sub-genres of the essay are described. These works are also appraised according to merit, in order to be able to illustrate the evolution of the genre. In order to succeed herein, the researcher has to describe, interpret, classify, and evaluate these works. The descriptive frame of reference used here is the one that has been established by the Department of African Languages, and which is an adapted model of the narratological. Here, three levels are distinguished, namely: (a) the narrative material where the subject is the primary concept; (b) the strategy of composition where the theme concept is especially relevant; and (c) the stylistic finishing of the work in which the author implants his own view of the matters therein. Before the investigation could be tackled formally, the road had to be traversed on what had been done previously on the essay in Sepedi. The articles of Groenewald and Mojalefa respectively, as well as the dissertation of Mohlala, covered only a scanty area of the total field of investigation. The essay concept is then defined. This necessarily led to a description of the genesis of this genre. Here short reference is made to the early French art of the essay. At this point the essay in English is also mentioned, primarily because of the connection to the essayist in Sepedi. The distinction between the formal and the informal essay is briefly discussed, after which we focus our research primarily on the latter. Because the essay, akin to the short story and the sketch, forms part of the art of the pithy, the difference between these three narrative forms is comprehensively elucidated. The various essays are then considered. The narrative material is summarised. The composition of material is discussed under the following headings: (a) The title; (b) the introduction; (c) the elaboration of the data; and (d) the recapitulation. According to these, three distinct categories of essay are differentiated, namely (a) the pioneering phase, (b) the experimental phase and (c) the phase of maturity. The essays of Matlala are classified in the first phase; in the second phase the labours of Masemola, Mojapelo, Tlooke and Mangokwane, then the essays of Mahapa, Mabitje, Selwalekwanadi, Makopo, Phala and Chupyane are grouped in the third phase. In the final, recapitulative chapter, the particular merits of (a) Matlala and Chupyane and (b) Mahapa and Mabitje are investigated. In the former, the versatility of Matlala and Chupyane is discussed, especially with respect to the wide range of types of essay that they wrote. Mahapa and Mabitje are then considered as essay innovators: first for the use of metaphor in the composition of the tale and, secondly, because the essays of both are presented in sequences, a fresh practice that enriches the traditional craft of the essay. / Thesis (DLitt (African Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / African Languages / DLitt / Unrestricted

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The purpose of this study is to apply existing theories with regard to second language acquisition in a South African context, in order to address specific needs of Sepedi second language learners in the South African Police Service, with specific focus on the Community Service Centre and within the guidelines of the Batho Pele principles. The study presents an overview on Universal Grammar and the roles it played within second language acquisition as well as the principles and parameters it presented for language development. It further analysed the acquisition processes of languages and the roles the learner plays as individual and part of a social interacting group. Form-meaning connections utilised by learners is defined as a fundamental aspect for both first and second language acquisitions are discussed broadly in the study, inclusive of the psycholinguistic consequences as well as other input factors that may influence form-meaning connections. The specific role of language instruction is also reviewed in this study. Specific focus is placed on the roles of implicit and explicit instruction and the effectiveness thereof in second language acquisitioning and noticing. Task-based theories were also evaluated, with the accent on the definition of tasks, task characteristics, task grading and other factors relating to tasks such as procedural factors. The role of tasks was further explored in second language acquisition, inclusive of the variables that need to be addressed. The definition of tasks into focussed and unfocused tasks are also scrutinized against the learner interaction in the acquisition process. The implementation of tasks and the impact thereof on comprehension and language acquisition is also reviewed. Different models of methods to design a focussed task are discussed. The successful acquisition of a second language will also be based on the correct collation of data and the sequencing thereof in such manners to allow learners the opportunity to comprehend it as sufficiently as possible. The study further focuses on the methodology of task-based teaching and the use of communicative tasks in second language acquisition. Finally the interviews between the community and the police officials are then analysed in respect of complexity models, against the cognitive and syntactic complexity for specific purposes as well against the genre-approach to second language teaching. The characterizing of such interviews will allow the defining and grading of tasks to ensure sound development of teaching models for second language learning.

Thesis (MA. (Translation Studies and Linguistics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study sought to investigate the challenges that the learners and educators encountered in learning and teaching when they use English as a medium of instruction. The study reveals that African languages, along with their culture are being dominated by English. Most of Pedis’ learners cannot speak Sepedi without mixing it with English, and most of African people usually read English books and neglecting the Indigenous books. In addition, the study shows that learners performed better when they were taught in Sepedi than in English. The educators’ responses showed that learners have difficulties in understanding English as the medium of instruction and that they code-switch from English to Sepedi to enhance understanding.

In this dissertation, the art of the short story as practised by S.N. Nkadimeng (Mmantshaotlogele) is investigated in accordance with the narratological descriptive model. According to this approach the literary work is divided into three levels, namely, content level, plot level and style level. The level of style, however, is not discussed in detail in this dissertation. In this study, Nkadimeng's art is placed within the framework of a brief discussion of the Northem Sotho short story as an art form. Furthermore, the aim of this investigation is formulated. Thereafter the relevant concepts which are discussed in this dissertation are also illustrated. In the second, third and fourth chapters attention is paid mainly to the analysis of a single short story, that is 0 nyalwa lenyalo mang .. . ; however, the other short stories in this collection, among others Nna nka se je dipute and Thapelo ya pula are referred to as examples. In the last chapter, Nkadimeng's work, particularly with regard to his ironic stories, is compared to Mpepele's and Matsepe's work. Nkadimeng writes with compassion about his people; his irony is delicate and mocking without venom, which differs from that of Matsepe and Mpepele. Whereas Matsepe mocks important figures in the society, such as leaders, kings, the rich and so forth, Nkadimeng's and Mpepele's mocking is aimed at the weaknesses of the ordinary people. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Philosophy / unrestricted

The study examined the typical development of early literacy in a group of typically developing preschool Sepedi first language children residing in Atteridgeville, by determining their performance on a protocol of early literacy tasks. The following aspects were included: written language awareness, narrative abilities, phonological awareness, letter name knowledge, grapheme-phoneme correspondence and literacy motivation. The performance of the participants on the various tasks was used to describe the early literacy development of the target population and to identify relevant risk criteria that may indicate delayed early literacy development in the target population. The performance of participants on these tasks differed from those of other participants in local and international studies, which underscores the necessity of culturally sensitive procedures for identifying delays in the early literacy development of children. The influence of factors such as the mother’s level of education, gender, participants’ level of engagement in literacy activities and participants' current academic performance on the development of early literacy skills were also investigated. Based on the results as well as other indications from the literature, possible risk factors for delayed early literacy development for this group are listed. / Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

Thesis (Ph. D. (Translation Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Some research has been done on the intellectualisation of African languages. However, African languages are still not used enough in academia; in fact, they are undermined. They need to be developed into languages of education, economy and social interaction. This means preparing the languages for use in more advanced contexts. The aim of this study was to examine the intellectualisation of African languages at the University of Limpopo. Methodologically, this study was achieved through a qualitative-descriptive research design, with the use of semi-structured interviews to find out if the University of Limpopo was actively involved in intellectualising African languages. The data collected was analysed through thematic content analysis. The first finding is that the University of Limpopo has a language policy whose implementation requires improvement. It was found that there is no parity or equitable use of the languages of the university, mostly between African languages and English. It has been observed that African languages can improve the academic performance of students at the University of Limpopo. The study further found that the development of African languages can help students and lecturers to learn these languages, so they can communicate with each other in these languages and thereby promote multilingualism. It has been found that the University of Limpopo is a good place to promote and exercise multilingualism as it is a multicultural community. The significant point here is that there is a need to devise strategies to improve the implementation of the university’s language policy. It is concluded that the intellectualisation of African languages would help minimise (if not erase) any language barriers, particularly for those who would be working with individuals on a daily basis in their respective fields. There is a need to do campaigns to educate students about the importance of mother tongue and African languages as well as to remove the negative perceptions about these languages. One recommendation for the university is that the University of Limpopo must come up with an implementation plan to implement its language policy. One recommendation for other researchers is to come up with more strategies on how xi higher institutions of learning can implement their language policies and intellectualise African languages. / National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) and South African Humanities Deans Association (SAHUDA)

Thesis (M.A.(Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / The aim of the study was to explore the notions of childhood mental illness by Sepedi-speaking elderly people in the Mankweng community of Limpopo Province (South Africa). Using the phenomenological method, the researcher sought to understand these elderly people’s notions with a view to: i) describing their conceptualizations of childhood mental illness; ii) determining their notions of the types and causes of mental illness; and iii) describing their views regarding the management of childhood mental illnesses. A total of 8 participants who were selected through snowball sampling were interviewed using unstructured interviews. The results of this study suggest that; i) childhood mental illness is better understood if described than defined, ii) childhood mental illness is manifested through behavioural and physical features, iii) there are many causal factors attributed to childhood mental illness, and iv) both Western and African traditional methods are recognized in the treatment of childhood mental illness in this rural community. The results are discussed in the context of the psychological literature on multicultural counseling and psychotherapy. / Department of Health and Social Development

Thesis (Ph.D. (Translation Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Some research has been done on the intellectualisation of African languages. However, African languages are still not used enough in academia; in fact, they are undermined. They need to be developed into languages of education, economy and social interaction. This means preparing the languages for use in more advanced contexts. The aim of this study was to examine the intellectualisation of African languages at the University of Limpopo. Methodologically, this study was achieved through a qualitative-descriptive research design, with the use of semi-structured interviews to find out if the University of Limpopo was actively involved in intellectualising African languages. The data collected was analysed through thematic content analysis. The first finding is that the University of Limpopo has a language policy whose implementation requires improvement. It was found that there is no parity or equitable use of the languages of the university, mostly between African languages and English. It has been observed that African languages can improve the academic performance of students at the University of Limpopo. The study further found that the development of African languages can help students and lecturers to learn these languages, so they can communicate with each other in these languages and thereby promote multilingualism. It has been found that the University of Limpopo is a good place to promote and exercise multilingualism as it is a multicultural community. The significant point here is that there is a need to devise strategies to improve the implementation of the university’s language policy. It is concluded that the intellectualisation of African languages would help minimise (if not erase) any language barriers, particularly for those who would be working with individuals on a daily basis in their respective fields. There is a need to do campaigns to educate students about the importance of mother tongue and African languages as well as to remove the negative perceptions about these languages. One recommendation for the university is that the University of Limpopo must come up with an implementation plan to implement its language policy. One recommendation for other researchers is to come up with more strategies on how higher institutions of learning can implement their language policies and intellectualise African languages. Key words: African languages, higher education, implementation, intellectualisation, language policy, Sepedi, Tshivenda, University of Limpopo, Xitsonga. / National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) in collaboration with the South African Humanities Deans Association (SAHUDA)