South African Journal of African Languages

Ku susa vukoloni eka nhlamuselo ya rito ‘nsati’ na ‘nuna’ eka Xitsonga – dyondzo ya nsusavukoloni

Magezi Elijah Baloyi — 2024-06-18

Xikoloni xi swi kotile ku hundzuluxa vutomi bya Maafrika hi tindlela to tala, hikwalaho hi lo sala ntsena na ndzhuti eka Vuafrika bya hina. Ntiyiso hileswaku vutomi bya Maafrika a byi salangi bya ha ri leswi a byi ri xiswona endzhaku ka ku fika ka xikoloni. Hikokwalaho ko lava ku tsakisa no amukeriwa hi lavo basa, nkucetelo lowu veke kona ehenhla ka tindzimi ta Xintima wu onhile tinhlamuseloxidzi ta marito mo tala kufikela namuntlha. Xikombiso, namuntlha hi lahlekeriwa hi nhlamuselo ya ntiyiso ya rito ‘nsati/nuna’, leri hi ku ya hi mavulavulele ya namuntlha ri nga tekeriwa xindzhuti hi ku va ri fananisiwa kumbe ku ringanisiwa ni marito yo fana na muhlekisani, munghana, masihlalisane, sw. Sw. A hi rili ntsena hi nhlamuselo ya rito leri, kambe na xona xindzhuti xa ‘vusati’ bya xiviri xi va xi tekeriwe ehansi no vavisiwa. Ku onhaka ka nhlamuselo ya ‘nsati/nuna’ namuntlha eka tinxaka tin’wana ta Maafrika ti hoxekile naswona ti kanganyisa hi tindlela to hlayanyana. Xikombiso, ti tekela ehansi ntiyiso wa leswi nsati/nuna a nga swona.

The colonial agenda succeeded in changing African life in many ways, hence we are left with a diluted kind of Africanism. The truth is that African life never remained the same after colonisation. The Western influence on African languages also played its role in changing the correct meaning of a wife and husband. For instance, concubines, partners, boy- or girlfriends, etc., are often confused with wife or husband. The distorted meaning of ‘wife/husband’ today for some African tribes is problematic in many ways. For instance, it undermines the status of what a real wife or husband is.

A historical analysis of tense-aspect variations in Malawian CiTonga (N15)

Winfred Mkochi — 2024-06-18

This article presents cases of tense-aspect variations in Malawian CiTonga and traces the historical processes of change that have led to the different realisations of tense-aspect grammatical units (grams). The author is a CiTonga native speaker and the primary source of the data. The majority of tense-aspect grams are based on motion verbs, including the present tense-aspect tú-/tí- which seems to originate from t-á ‘go- FV’, which is unlike Chichewa (N31) and CiTumbuka (N21) which use ku-, believed to be based on the Proto-Bantu li-ku- ‘be + INF’. The remote past kú- seems to have ku- ‘INF’ as its origin. The language leans towards CiTumbuka more than Chichewa as it shares many tense-aspect features with it. Crucially, while a majority of variants are conditioned by phonology, there is also an indication that some of them are morphologically conditioned. There is also an indication that several others are dialectal or occur in free variation.

‘Andifuni madyakophu apha!’ Uphicotho lwepolitiki nocalucalulo ngeendlela ezinoburharha, ukhwenkco, nezigqebhelo, kwinoveli kaZotwana Imijelo yegazi

Simthembile Xeketwana — 2024-06-18

Iinjongo zombhali ziba liqela kuze kuthi kulowo ufundayo kubekho uxanduva lokutolika nokuhlalutya oko kubhaliweyo. UZotwana kwincwadi yakhe yenoveli ethi, Imijelo yegazi usibalisela ibali, kuze kuthi xa umfundi efunda elo bali ancothule ubuchule bokubhala bukaZotwana. Xa eveza okwenzekayo kwiifama zabamhlophe nendlela imidaka ibisakuphatheka ngayo kuloo maplasi usebenzisa isakhono esahlukileyo kwaye ephendula imiba etshisa ibunzi. Lo kaZotwana uthi asebenzise ipolitiki, ucalucalulo esebenzisa izixhobo nezakhono ezifana noburharha, izigqebelo (irony) izikweko, izenyeliso neentetho ezikhwenkcwayo (satire). Ngokusebenzisa nokukhokelwa yinkcazobungcali yesakhono-bunzululwazi sokubhala, eli phepha liphicotha iindlela uZotwana azisebenzise ngayo ezi zithako ukuveza ubutyhakala bamafama ngeminyaka yocalucalulo phakathi kowe1948 no1986. Ukwaleka, ukwaveza oku esebenzisa ixesha lengcinezelo apho impathogadala yemidaka yayigquba. Uphengululo luncwadi lubonisa ukuba ababhali besiXhosa bazisebenzisa kakhulu ezi zakhono ukuzama ukubonisa iindlela zokumelana nempatho egadalala ababehlangabezana nayo kumaxesha ocalucalulo. Uburharha bubonwa njengendlela esetyenziswa ngababhali kakhulu ukuquma le ntlungu, ngokuba babhale ngeendlela ezihlekisayo kodwa beveza indlela abaphetheke ngayo. Ngokusebenzisa uphando ntyilazwi, eli phepha liphonononga esi sakhono sikaZotwana. Ulwimi olusetyenziswe ngumbhali luyavezwa kwaye lujongwa nzulu kusetyenziswa iindlela zokufunda ngeendlela zokukhangela iintsingiselo zoko kubhalwe ngumbhali. Eli nqaku liqukumbela ngokuxoxa nzulu ngendlela lo kaZotwana athi asebenzise ngayo ulwimi lwesiXhosa ebhentsisa izakhono zokubhala, nesilulutho kubafundi boncwadi. Kananjalo, likwabonisa ukuba le ndlela yokubhala kumele ikhuthazwe kuba ikhulisa inkcubeko nolwimi olo. Ukudadela enzulwini, eli phepha liza kuqukumbela ngokuveza ingxoxo ebonisa ubuchule bukaZotwana ekubhaleni le noveli yezopolitiko nokubaluleka kwayo ekufundiseni ulwimi.

There are many reasons for writers to write, and the responsibility lies with the readers to interpret what has been written. Zotwana in his novel Imijelo yegazi tells us a story. When a reader reads this novel, they find the many ways of writing used by Zotwana. Zotwana writes his book in a way that portrays politics and discrimination using humour, irony, metaphor and satiric language. By using a stylistic theory, this article analyses Zotwana’s ways of using these language tools to portray the idiocy of farmers during the apartheid years between 1948 and 1986. Additionally, he does this in the context of apartheid where the ill-treatment of black people was the order of the day. A literature review shows that isiXhosa writers use these language tools to show how people withstood this ill- treatment during apartheid times. Humour can be used to dilute pain, but authors also use it as a coping mechanism so that they do not always feel the inhumane treatment. Using the qualitative methodology of literary analysis, this article undertakes to analyse these skills of Zotwana. The use of language by the author is portrayed and analysed using different ways of analysing and trying to find the hidden meaning and message. This article concludes by discussing that Zotwana has shown prolific skills through the use of language. Furthermore, the article discusses that this way of writing should be encouraged as it further promotes culture and language. Finally, the article indicates that there is value in this way of writing, and it can be used for teaching, learning and analysing literature.

A postcolonial structuralist critique of Yolisa Madolo’s Ndinetyala kusini na? (Am I guilty?)

Mlamli Diko — 2024-06-18

Yolisa Madolo’s Ndinetyala kusini na? (‘Am I guilty?’) proves the notion that isiXhosa short stories could be viewed as making sociopolitical commentary on pertinent subjects such as natural creation, language and politics, road safety and accidents as well as HIV/AIDS stigmas and mythologies. It cannot be denied that Ndinetyala kusini na? contains covert meanings for the very reason that isiXhosa literary writers commonly use metaphorical expressions and sometimes magical realism. With this in mind, this article aims to critique how Madolo interweaves these subjects in the selected isiXhosa short story. The short story itself is recognised as a primary source of data, while postcolonial structuralist theory is applied to uncover and unravel the selected subjects. The objective of this article is to find the hidden meanings that Madolo may have purposively or inadvertently embedded in this literary narrative. During the discussions, it becomes clear that this short story is multifaceted in terms of meaning, and thus, cannot be classified as possessing just one subject. The closing remarks underline the necessity to appreciate that Ndinetyala kusini na? is epistemologically multidimensional in nature, in that multiple meanings could be enacted through literary critique.

Uphicothonzulu lweentsingiselo zegama elithi ‘kaffir ’ kusetyenziswa inkcazobungcali yobuhlanga

Mlamli Diko — 2024-06-18

Kukho ingcinga ephosayo, neyalatha ukuba amagama ocalucalulo nathoba isidima sabaNtsundu kwimeko yoMzantsi Afrika omtsha, anokuqondwa ngeenkcazobungcali zesimantiki nepragmatiki kuphela. Loo nto yenza kubekho ukuqhwalela ekuqondeni iintsingiselo ezondele nzulu kwimbali nocalucalulo olwalugquba eMzantsi Afrika. Oku, kungaphezu kokuba kusekho iimpawu nemikhwa yokusetyenziswa kolwimi olucalucalulayo kuMzantsi Afrika omtsha, nto leyo ethi ithibaze kwaye ithintele intsebenziswano nokubumbana phakathi kweentlanga ngeentlanga. Ngesi sizathu, eli nqaku lijolise ekuphicotheni nzulu nasekucubunguleni iintsingiselo eziminxiselwe kwigama elithi kaffir elisetyenziswa kakhulu kwimeko yoMzantsi Afrika ukubulala isidima nokutshabalalisa ubuntu kwisizwe somgquba. Ukuchongwa kweli gama kutyhalwa kukungaqondakali kobunzulu beentsingiselo ezincathame kulo, into
ke leyo ethi ikhokelele ekubeni abaMhlophe bangabonakalisi kurhoxa nganeno ngokungqamene nokusebenzisa ulwimi oluthoba isidima sabaNtsundu. Ukuphalisa iingxoxobunzululwazi zeli nqaku, inkcazobungcali yobuhlanga isetyenziswa njengegqwesileyo ukuze kuvele iintsingiselo ezincathame kwigama elithi kaffir kwimeko yoMzantsi Afrika. Iziphumo kunye neengxoxobunzululwazi zeli nqaku zibonisa ukuba eli gama lithi lithunuke, livuselele iinkumbulo kwaye lisebenze njengesithuko kwisizwe sabaNtsundu ngenxa yezenyeliso elizimumethileyo. Phakathi kwezinye iintsingiselo, kuvela ngakumbi nangakumbi ukuba igama eli linentsingiselo ejolise ekwenzeni abaNtsundu izicamba zokuxangxathwa. Ngamazwi aqukumbelayo, kuyabonakala ukuba ulwimi olucalucalulayo lumumethe imbali etyebileyo. Loo nto ibonise ukuba olu lwimi kusafuneka ukuba luphicothwe ngokubanzi kuxhathiswe ngeembonobunzululwazi zaseAfrika. Okungamandla, kugxininiswa ukuba asingombono omhle ukuyeka imbali yabaNtsundu emumethwe lulwimi icime, njengoko ubani enokuqaphela ukuba ulwimi lusisisele senyathi.

There is a misconception which underlines that the linguistic terms of discrimination for the Ntsundu people in the new South African context can only be understood through the theories of semantics and pragmatics. This makes it challenging to understand the meanings that are interwoven in the history of apartheid that prevailed in South Africa. This is more than the reality that there are still lingering signs and behaviours where discriminatory language is used in the new South Africa. This delays and prevents cooperation and inclusivity among different races. For this reason, this article aims to critically examine the profoundly entrenched meanings attached to the word kaffir which has been widely used in the South African context to distort and degrade the nobility and humanity of the Ntsundu people. The preference for this word is motivated by the ambiguity of the depth of the meanings concealed in it. This is what leads to the fact that white people do not seem to discontinue its use, and this degrades the dignity of the Ntsundu people. To advance the discussions of this article, critical race theory is used as a lens to uncover the meanings hidden in the word kaffir in the context of South Africa. The results and discussion in this article underscore that this word is painful, evokes memories of colonialism and serves as an insult to the Ntsundu nation. Among other meanings, it becomes clear that this word has a meaning aimed at making Ntsundu people the target of mockery and humiliation. In closing, it is obvious that discriminatory language has a rich history. This is indicative that this language still needs to be exhaustively critiqued by scholarship and supported by African theoretical perspectives. In addition to this, it is underscored here that it is not an appropriate idea to let the history of the Ntsundu people reproduced by language be erased, as one may observe that language serves as a part of knowledge and history.

Mqhayi’s UDon Jadu as a contribution to the ‘Native Republic Policy’ discourse

Godfrey Vulindlela Mona — 2024-06-18

The central argument of this article is that Mqhayi’s utopian prose, UDon Jadu, reveals that the ‘independent native republic’ discourse that was dominant in the African National Congress and South African Communist Party alliance (1927–1934) had a profound influence on the conceptualisation of Mqhayi’s narrative. The fundamental tenet of his utopia, non-racialism, echoes the basic principle of the envisaged ‘Native Republic Policy’ which, during this period, was the policy of the South African Communist Party (SACP). The argument of this study is that the book is Mqhayi’s creation and his contribution to the model of society envisioned in the native republic debate, specifically by introducing a social and cultural dimension. Because of the segregation ideology (1910–1948), Mqhayi had to find a way of making an encoded political comment through his utopia. However, because of the Cold War (1947–1991) and the apartheid ideology (1948–1990), his inspiration could not be fully exposed by literary critics who feared reprisals from the repressive state apparatus of the time.

Retorts in Igbo discourse

KelvinFrancis Olisaemeka Obitube — 2024-06-18

This article studies the social factors influencing the use of retorts in Igbo discourse and how these factors determine the psychological impact of retorts. By adopting a cross-sectional survey design and anchoring on the concept of politeness system, the study observes that in face-to-face conversations involving retorts in Igbo, age, gender and relationships are key social factors, and that female interlocutors are most predisposed to using retorts. Retorts are also used mostly by older to younger members of Igbo society, among peers and people sharing close relationships. Younger people retorting to elderly members are frowned on. Furthermore, though the younger individuals may feel angry about certain retorts, they habitually do not react hostilely, which indicates how tolerant Igbo discussants are when retorts come from their older interlocutors and, sometimes, from their peers. The study contributes to Igbo studies as it offers insights into the dynamics of retorts in Igbo interactions. The study recommends more domestication of research on retorts in specific speech communities, especially in Africa.

Vowel hiatus resolution strategies in the Lungu, Mambwe and Namwanga languages: a micro-variation analysis

Pethias Siame — 2024-06-18

Guthrie classifies Lungu as M14, Mambwe as M15 and Namwanga as M22. Lungu, Mambwe and Namwanga (LuMaNa) have been characterised as emanating from a language called Fipa. The purpose of this article is to account for similarities and microvariations in the LuMaNa languages by examining the strategies evident in the manner that vowel hiatus is resolved. Using micro-variation linguistic theory, particularly in Bantu languages, and insights from studies on hiatus resolution in Bantu languages, the article identifies and presents the various morphophonological processes used in the three languages to resolve the VV [vowel, vowel] sequences. The article concludes that vowel elision and glide formation are the preferred hiatus resolution strategies, and that these strategies are largely applied similarly in the LuMaNa languages. In particular, Lungu and Mambwe are so similar that they might as well be regarded as the same language. Namwanga shows minor variations in some aspects of vowel hiatus resolution from the other two languages, but not wide enough to be considered mutually unintelligible.

Ditumelo tša majammogo dingwalong: bohlatse go tšwa pading ya OK Matsepe, Lešitaphiri

James Seanego — 2024-06-18

Le ge bontši bja batho bo bona tumelo bjalo ka searoganyi sa ditšhaba, Oliver Kgadime Matsepe yena o e bona bjalo ka sefala se bohlokwa seo ka sona setšhaba se ka phedišanago ka khutšo. Go ya ka Matsepe, ditumelo di nepiša fela kwano. Ditumelo di ka ba bagwera bao ba sepedišanago tsela ye tee. Matsepe o bonagatša bohlokwa bja kwano ya tumelo ya setšo sa Seaforika le ya Sekeresete mo go padisetšo ya gagwe ya boraro, Lešitaphiri. Mo sengwalong se, go šomišwa tikologo ya segologolo (fa go nyarela tumelo ya setšo sa Seaforika) go rarolla melato ka tirišo ya tumelo ya Sekeresete. Taodišwaneng ye go yo sekasekwa ka mokgwa woo modumedi wa tumelo ya setšo sa Seaforika, kgoši Taudi, a kgakganago le modumedi wa tumelo ya Sekeresete, morwa wa gagwe Tšhwahledi. Morago ga dikgakgano tše, go yo sekasekwa tema yeo e kgathwago ke moanegi go kwantšha ditumelo tše pedi tšeo mafelelong ga kanegelo. Nyakišišo ye e šomiša mokgwanyakišišo wa boleng woo o ikadilego ka go diriša tshekaseko ya dingwalo go sekaseka tshedimošo. Dikutollo tša nyakišišo ye di bontšha gabotse gore ge batho ba ka šomiša ditumelo ka tshwanelo le kwano, gona lefase le ka buna tšwelopele.

Though plenty of people seem to consider religion as the divider of nations, Oliver Kgadime Matsepe sees it as a uniting tool from which communities can harvest peace. According to Matsepe’s world view, religions are only capable of unity. Religions can move along one route. Matsepe reflects the importance of religious unity between African cultural religion and Christianity in his third traditional novel entitled Lešitaphiri (1963). In this text, a traditional milieu (reflecting African religion) is employed to resolve issues with the intervention of the Christian faith (religion). This article analyses how an African religion believer, Chief Taudi, clashes with a Christian believer, his son Tšhwahledi. After looking at these conflicts, the analysis further scrutinises the paramount role played by the narrator in uniting the two religions at the end of the narrative. The study uses a qualitative approach undergirded by the document analysis method to analyse the data. Findings from this study show that the world may enjoy a significant development if people rightfully and unitedly apply religions.

The right to an interpreter in the Zimbabwean health care system: an appraisal

Eventhough Ndlovu — 2024-06-18

The right to an interpreter in the health care sector is an indispensable right, especially given that issues in this sector have a bearing on life and death if language becomes a barrier to diagnosis and prognosis. Against this background, this article examines the policy position and practice in Zimbabwe in relation to the right to health. It also examines the implications of the two on the right of access to health. Findings of this study show that the right to health care services and information in Zimbabwe is not guaranteed in the language understood by the patient and in forms of communication suitable for persons with disabilities or through an interpreter. Some patients’ right of access to health care services and information is compromised due to the language barrier. There are no linguistic considerations in the deployment of medical practitioners such that some practitioners find themselves in communities with languages they cannot speak or understand. This compromises diagnosis, prognosis and patient adherence to treatment. It was observed that persons with disabilities and minority language speakers are the most affected in this regard.

Problems encountered in the translation of Tshivenḓa into English: a case of musanda language terminologies and expressions

Mutshinyani Mercy Mahwasane — 2024-06-18

Translators encounter challenges when translating terminologies and expressions of the musanda royal language from Tshivenḓa into English. For this reason, it is important to investigate the obstacles Tshivenḓa translators encounter when translating expressions into English. It is commonly believed that there is generally a lack of equivalent terms for Tshivenḓa when translating them into English. The aim of this article is to investigate how cross-cultural practices shape translation in relation to musanda terminologies and expressions. Thus, it is important to come up with translation techniques that could be adopted to overcome these obstacles. Unstructured face-to-face interviews were used as data collection tools for this study. The participants were 18 language practitioners, members of the royal families and postgraduate students from the University of South Africa, University of Limpopo and University of Venda who were selected purposively. This study used the qualitative research approach. The Skopos theory was applied in understanding translating the musanda variety into English. This theory was useful because it looks at translation with a purpose. Textual analysis was used as a data analysis method. The qualitative findings show that language practitioners, members of the royal families and postgraduate students encounter difficulties in translating musanda terminologies and expressions from Tshivenḓa into English.

The exploration of syntactic links: subject-verb agreement defilement in Sesotho

Madira Thetso — 2024-06-18

The article explores the violation of grammatical agreement in Sesotho. Grammatical agreement is a significant characteristic in sentence construction. There should be covariance relations between the noun phrase (NP) subject and the device that links it with the verb phrase. However, I have observed that language users violate this agreement relation in their daily conversation. Using the Minimalist Program, sentences collected from native speakers casual conversations were analysed to identify the type of NPs that are commonly associated with the non-corresponding agreement device. The collected sentences were further examined to investigate factors that contribute to the phenomenon. The analysed data reveal that NPs that comprise titles and metaphoric nouns are the ones mostly used in sentences that violate the agreement relation, while lack of knowledge of syntactic rules, semanticity of noun classification and negligence are the contributing factors.

The properties of adverbs and adverbial expressions in Runyambo

Lea Mpobela — 2024-06-18

This article identifies and classifies adverbs in Runyambo, a Bantu language spoken in north-west Tanzania. Runyambo is classified as E21. This article aims at discussing the morphology, syntax and semantics of adverbs and adverbial expressions ranging from the most to the least prototypical members of this group. Adverbs in this language are heterogeneous in nature. They are found in a range of forms and structures which make them reveal various morphological behaviours. Their morphological behaviour is not predictable, hence the prototype theory is used to characterise them in Runyambo. Members of this category range from most prototypes of the category to least prototypes to the words which perform the functions of adverbs but fall into different categories.

Manuel de conversation, Français–Zoulou et Zoulou–Français

Gibson Ncube — 2024-06-18

No abstract