The use of the second person pronoun by Xitsonga-speaking women within the marital institution

Abstract

This article examines whether or not the use of the second person pronoun by women when addressing their husbands legitimates hlonipha or nhlonipho as a form of hegemonic masculinity, and whether this is changing with the passage of time. Selected through convenience sampling, the respondents comprised women of different age groupings and marital statuses in a Xitsonga-speaking area of Hlanganani, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Collected both quantitatively and qualitatively, data show that the tendency by the majority of mainly elderly married women to use the pronoun of respect when addressing their husbands legitimates hlonipha as a form of hegemonic masculinity. The data further pinpoint a number of themes as reasons for women’s use of hlonipha. In addition, it emerges that rather than static, this cultural practice is changing with the passage of time.