Masters Degrees (African Languages)

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    A genre-based analysis of grade 12 agricultural sciences textbook: advancing bilingual academic literacy (uhlalutyo lwencwadi yezolimo yebanga le-12: ukuphuhlisa okufundisa ngeelwimi ezimbini)
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-11) Anesipho, Kroza; Marianna, Visser
    INTRODUCTION: This study's aim is to investigate the characteristics of the academic writing that learners in grade twelve are expected to produce using a framework of genre-based literacy. The primary/dominant language of the study is isiXhosa. The study will investigate how firstlanguage speakers of isiXhosa can be prepared to use the writing abilities they have developed in their mother tongue for writing across the curriculum or in their subject areas, such as history, geography, biology, agricultural science, economics, or life sciences. For Grade 12 learners in South Africa, agricultural science is a target content area for this writing. By investigating the tenets and characteristics of the genre-based theoretical framework and methodology, the study's goals and objectives will be realized.
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    Developing a theoretical model for an improved use of outer texts in xitsonga monolingual dictionaries
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03) Hlongwane, Mangalani Joshua; Gouws, Rufus H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept of African Languages
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study proposes a theoretical model for the use of outer texts in Xitsonga dictionaries in order to enhance their quality. Dictionaries in African languages have shown a central list bias and outer texts have not been maximally used as venues to accommodate lexicographic data. The statement of the problem the quality of dictionaries in African languages is outlined in Chapter I. The study also presents a brief profile of Xitsonga that could be used as an outer text in Xitsonga dictionaries. Lexicographic theories of dictionary structures, the genuine purpose and lexicographic functions are also discussed. The study also takes a critical look at outer texts in Xitsonga dictionaries complied over the years, and in the last chapter it proposes a model that could be used for outer texts that can be included in both the front matter and back matter sections of these dictionaries. The concept of high frequency usage of words is also introduced in the last chapter.
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    An analysis of persuasive messages in Shona family set-up
    (2018-12) Mutsvairo, Jack; Dlali, Mawande; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African languages.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Persuasion is an interesting, integral yet complicated communication field that has received little research in Shona. Persuasion in Shona family set-ups has shown that conversation partners engage in arguments and counterarguments that result in either the success or failure of the compliance-gaining attempts. Of much interest are the message dimensions of explicitness, dominance and argument which characterise these persuasive messages. An understanding of how and why compliance-seeking and -resisting strategies are used may help persuaders like advertisers, politicians, family counsellors, teachers, and evangelists to promote cohesion in families. Findings in this study will be useful to the study of persuasion by future students. Also, the knowledge of Shona persuasion may come in handy when non-Shona speakers engage in persuasive conversations with Shona-speaking people. This qualitative research study analyses interview notes, audio recording transcripts and observation persuasive messages in Shona family set-ups. For the first two, content analysis is done. For persuasive messages, source arguments and target arguments are identified and compared, and then the clinching compliance-seeking argument or compliance-resisting argument for the influence goal is identified, followed lastly by an analysis of the message dimensions. The study found out that a range of compliance-seeking and -resisting strategies are used by different members of both nuclear and extended families when they pursue certain influence goals. It also found that the sequencing of compliance-seeking strategies differs depending on the influence goal the source will be pursuing and the relationship of the influence interactants. The study also found that proverbs, clan praise names, reference to the Bible and silent treatment are strategies used habitually by Shona persuaders. My hope is that my research findings will stimulate interest among persuaders to improve their persuasive skills since it has shed light on the use of persuasive strategies among the Shona. Students of persuasion will find it as pioneer work from which they will launch further investigation in this area.
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    Active, passive and neuter-passive verb constructions in Oshindonga: Argument alternation and event structure properties
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Shiwanda, Simon; Visser, Marianna W.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African languages.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the argument alternations and event structure properties of active, passive and neuter-passive of various verb classes in Oshindonga and also to develop a more formal syntactic and semantics approach which is equally relevant in differentiating the passive from the neuter-passive. This study take into account the traditional aspectual semantic classification postulate in Vendler (1957) further developed in (Smith, 1997). These aspectual approaches are invoked for the reason that the two alternants in the neuter-passive and passive alternation in Oshindonga are associated with aspectual verb class differences. The syntactic decomposition approach is employed in order to provide a principled account for the phenomena in which arguments in passive and middles are assumed to be derived from the common detransitivisation base. The middle and passive variants are supposed not to represent each other in a deriviational relationship. This approach, however, assumes that the event structure of word meanings is constructed from two major elements; the eventive predicates indicating causation (CAUSE), action (ACT) and change of state (BECOME) and the other element is indicating idiosyncratic aspects (Beaver, 2012:332). The data contained in this study includes sentences constructed using various verb classes as proposed by Levin (1993), viz. verbs of change, verbs of communication, verbs of existence, experiencer verbs, verbs of contact, motion verbs, verbs of creation and weather verbs (cf. Du Plessis 1998). The findings of the study reveals that two types of alternations are identified in Oshindonga. These alternations are decided by the verb roots, and not by thier semantic classes. The first alternates comprise of the subject argument that appears with subject NPs. The second alternates, the subject argument NPs are not morphlogically marked, thus they appears with null subject. The findings of the present study demonstrate that in Oshindonga a single verb displays distinct aspectual behavior when used in passive and neuter-passive alternations, regardless of their common properties in terms of argument realization and alternations. The findings of the study further revealed that the classification of verbs roots in Oshindonga is semantic since different verbs classes are distinguished by the different properties of the events in their denotations. In addition, other sentence elements such as; tense aspects and predicate modifications play an important role in deciding the aspectual classes of the verb. However, this study has established that although some non-alternate verbs in Oshindonga such as pya, do not alternate, others such as pepa have satisfied the diagnostic test.
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    Role played by Swazi literature in preserving and promoting the culture of Swazi people
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Pato, Jabulani Sabelo Jarreth; Kondowe, Zandile; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The prime concern of this study is to give evidence that Swazi literature has been used to promote and preserve the culture of the Swazi people. With the changing times, Swazi culture losing its sting, Swazi literature plays a pivotal role in conserving the Swazi being, and in teaching the generations to come the ways of their forefathers. The study focuses on both the role played by Swazi modern and Swazi oral literature. Modern literature comes in the form of prose (novels and short stories), drama and poetry. Likewise, the oral literature which has been passed from one generation to the next by the word of mouth has been brought back to life. It has been inscribed, and in this study it is explored. Amongst those used are the oral narratives, oral poetry (lullabies, praise poetry, children’s rhymes to name a few) traditional songs (ceremonial songs, dance songs and works songs). Finally, the study recommends that literature with Swazi cultural experiences be translated to English since it (English) is another official language and more to it Swaziland has a number of immigrants. Again, people are encouraged to write materials that depict and explore the ways of living of the Swazi society. Another important thing recommended in the preservation and promotion of the culture of the Swazi people is making the native language (SiSwati) a must-learn subject and a passing subject too.