South African Journal of African Languages

Indigenous African language media: practices and processes

Kealeboga Aisen — 2024-11-28

No Abstract

Editorial

Gibson Ncube — 2024-11-28

No Abstract

A discursive construction of self in selected songs by Azeez Fashola (aka Naira Marley)

Temidayo Akinrinlola — 2024-11-28

Studies on Azeez Fashola (aka Naira Marley) have only made passing comments on his personality. Most of the comments present negative perceptions about the personality of Naira Marley (NM). Such negative commentaries, this study contends, are insufficient in describing the construction of identities in NM’s lyrics. This study investigates the construction of self in selected songs of NM with a view to describing what the construction of self reveals about his music. Twenty-five songs by NM constitute the study population. However, data were drawn from eight purposively selected singles of NM. Using a fusion of social constructionist theory and literary stylistics, the study situates NM’s lyrics in global hip hop culture to show the meeting and departure points between NM’s tropes and those of other artistes. The study reveals that contextual variables are deployed in the construction of identities in NM’s songs. Against the submission of scholars that the contents of NM’s lyrics are replete with negative realities, he articulates the prevalence of alcohol addiction and cyber fraud among Nigerian youths. He equally assumes the role of a social reformer. Apart from the danceable beats that garnish his lyrics, NM also articulates burning societal issues.

Tshivenḓa death-related names as a communicative act: an ethnopragmatic study from Vhembe District in Limpopo province, South Africa

Thilivhali Mukosi — 2024-11-28

This article interrogates Tshivenḓa death-related names against the communication acts they encapsulate among Vhavenḓa society in the Vhembe District. Anthroponym scholars agree that personal naming moves from just identification to becoming a communication act. Like other African groups, the sampled society’s world view sees death as not occurring without the malevolence of supernatural forces through either a witch, dissatisfaction from ancestors, a neighbour, or a disaffected family member. This can be prevented through communication that serves as a warning, reprimand, praise, etc. Among the Vhavenḓa, this is achieved through a death-related personal naming process, which gives them the freedom to communicate controversies without confrontation. This study further demonstrates that this society sees personal names as useful towards creating different messages that communicate with those deemed culpable. Diviners are consulted about the cause of any death, irrespective of the circumstances and age of the deceased in the quest for closure among the surviving family members. Names in this category have different messages directed to suspected perpetrators, whether known or unknown. The article strives to add new knowledge to anthroponym studies.

The role of isiZulu communal notifications in sustaining the communityorientated lifestyle

Mzuyabonga Gumede — 2024-11-28

The dissemination of communal notifications across the proximally distant homesteads in a rural area is not an easy practice. Against this backdrop, this study investigates the forms of communal notifications and their role in sustaining the community-orientated lifestyle in an isiZulu-speaking rural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study adopted a qualitative research method which employed face-to-face interviews, in isiZulu, that involved 16 participants. The data revealed the prevalence of these forms of communal notifications: social occasion-related notifications, death-related notifications, izimbizo (open meetings)-related notifications, notifications instructing the community dwellers to clear footpaths, politics-related notifications, school meeting notifications, livestock or pet immunisation notifications, and land tilling-related notifications. The study maintained that the custodians who pronounce these notifications to the community employ strategies that aid their effective dissemination. Such strategies involve landscape usage, social occasion platform usage, whistle or horn blowing, loud shouting and the sending of messengers. Importantly, the study established that the communal notifications help inculcate the spirit of ubuntu or humanness among the community dwellers hence sustaining the communityorientated lifestyle, which finds expression in isiZulu.

Code-borrowing and its effects on the development of Sepedi: the case of soccer commentaries on Thobela FM

Gabriel Babili — 2024-11-28

This article investigates code-borrowing which happens during soccer commentaries in Sepedi on Thobela FM, a radio station which broadcasts in Sepedi. Qualitative in approach, the study collected data from purposively selected Thobela FM listeners to determine whether code-borrowing is beneficial or detrimental to the development of Sepedi soccer terminology. The participants were selected from Mamelodi, Soshanguve and Atteridgeville in Pretoria, where Sepedi is a dominant language. Four different recorded soccer commentaries of five minutes each were played to the participants prior to interviewing them for approximately 30 minutes. The study’s findings showed that listeners believe that code-borrowing contributes positively towards the development of soccer terminology in Sepedi, further suggesting the coinage of Sepedi soccer terminology from English equivalents.

Analysis of orthographic errors in Grade 11 isiXhosa First Language texts

Nonzolo Titi — 2024-11-28

In a selected Western Cape school, Grade 11 isiXhosa First Language (L1) learners’ written language presents errors which seem to be an indication of both their poor linguistic competence and learning performance. Their writing not only reflects various orthographic errors, but also inconsistency in their isiXhosa usage. These errors tend to affect learners’ academic performance when made in written tasks which are used for assessment purposes. Tendencies towards serious violations of the standard orthographic rules are noticeable, and this observation presents concerns in terms of the fate and sustainability of the language. Adopting a qualitative approach, this study examines errors presented in the writings of Grade 11 isiXhosa L1 learners with a view to establishing the nature and scope of these errors. Findings reveal that learners commit a variety of errors and thus demonstrate significant deviation from the standard orthography. This study proposes recommendations in the form of interventions and strategies that are applicable in the teaching and learning of Grade 11 learners’ isiXhosa with a view to maintaining its standard orthography and thus improving the learners’ academic performance.

An evaluation of PanSALB’s progress in monitoring and managing language rights violations in South Africa

Aaron Mabasa — 2024-11-28

This article evaluates the extent to which the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) managed to monitor and dealt with language rights violation complaints. The board’s role is to implement the language policy and to develop the official languages. The constitution of the country recognises 12 languages as official, including South African Sign Language. English continues to dominate regardless of its equal official status with other languages. This study used a qualitative method through document analysis and observations. The findings show that PanSALB has encountered various challenges in ensuring that language policy is implemented in a manner that satisfies all language groups and ensuring that language rights are protected. The study also found that few speakers of indigenous languages lodged complaints with the board compared to the speakers of other official languages. Data also revealed that out of 245 complaints lodged between 2004 and 2013, the board resolved only 60 complaints, while 185 remained unresolved. This article makes recommendations for how PanSALB could effectively fulfil its mandate and fast-track resolutions to the complaints. The article also suggests the use of awareness campaigns to encourage speakers of other languages to lodge complaints when their language rights are violated.

Perceptions about the development of Black South African languages for use in basic education in South Africa

Lefty Mabela — 2024-11-28

The development of Black South African languages (BSALs) has been a subject of discussion for indigenous languages activists. This development was deemed necessary in basic education, hence our research targeted parents and guardians of the learners. The study assessed the perceptions of parents and guardians about the development and use of BSALs in basic education. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire and Likert scale. That was done to investigate the awareness of parents and guardians about their freedom to choose a language of their choice for learning and their perception and attitudes about the use and development of BSALs in basic education. The survey revealed, among other things, that parents and guardians preferred English for their children to BSALs, although they accepted that these languages are also important for identity and culture maintenance. Furthermore, the notion of monolingual education was rejected. It was also discovered that they thought mother tongue education would deprive their children of socio-economic mobility. Moreover, the respondents expressed that BSALs are not developed and promoted enough by the government. These findings led the researchers to conclude that the parents and guardians value English in education for the power, status and opportunities it presents, while BSALs should be in the system to preserve culture and identity.

Revisiting the technology acceptance model: the influence of colonial mentality on technology acceptance

Maglin Moodley — 2024-11-28

The introduction of technology into the South African education sector has been met with optimism, as it can enhance education. The success in adoption of technology is not dependent only on access and skills, but technology acceptance is just as essential. Various models of technology acceptance have been proposed over the last two decades by various technologists such as Chuan-Hoo Tan, Richard Bagozzi and Youjae Yi, of which the technology acceptance model (TAM) is central. TAM focuses on the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of technology. In South Africa, adopting the TAM to understand the acceptance of technology by teachers is doubtful, since most digital content is in English, while the majority of the population speaks an African language. In 2017, the Teacher Assessment Resources for Monitoring and Improving Instruction (TARMII) software was introduced to South African primary school teachers that allowed them to choose between an English and Setswana interface. A purposive sample of seven Setswana-speaking teachers who could also speak English was chosen from the Madibeng District in the North West province. The findings showed that the participants were pleased to use the Setswana software but opted for English. This reasoning had less to do with technology, but more with the perception of English. Hence, a modification of the technology acceptance model was required to understand and explain these findings.

Approaches to interpreting emojis as evidence in South African courts: a forensic linguistic perspective

Zakeera Docrat — 2024-11-28

This article highlights the importance of emojis as evidence in courts of law. The article outlines the history of emojis from a global perspective, and how they have come to be used as a form of implicit and explicit communication. The global inconsistency of the interpretation of emojis is explored against the backdrop of multilingualism and multiculturalism. This creates complications when emojis are presented as evidence in both criminal and civil cases. All of the above is explored in relation to South African courts, and emojis are examined as part of the discipline of forensic linguistics. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 25 of 2002 (ECT Act) provides guidelines on the rules of admissibility pertaining to data messages and other electronic communications, and is used for the interpretation of emojis as evidence in courts. Recommendations are made regarding the use of emojis as evidence in courts of law.

Gender assignment in Datooga nouns

Kuria Michael Mdoe — 2024-11-28

This study describes gender assignment in Datooga nouns. The article shows that gender is linguistically expressed in Datooga nouns. Noun gender in Datooga is a non-agreeing one depicted as both overt and covert. The overt gender is morphologically represented using u/ud(v)- (feminine gender) and gi/ gid(v)- (masculine gender) prefixes. The covert gender is realised from the semantics of a given referent. The parameter size (sometimes understood in terms of consequences) of a referent, affective values associated with a referent and association with a male or female cultural sphere of life guide the semantics of noun gender assignment. Further, mythological association overrode the semantics of noun gender assignment in Datooga.

The morpho-sociolinguistic aspect of the morpheme /-ng~-eng/ in Sesotho

Litsepiso Matlosa — 2024-11-28

This is a morpho-sociolinguistic article that adopts a qualitative approach to investigate the attachment of the morpheme /-ng~-eng/ to Sesotho parts of speech and to determine the validity of the justifications provided for this type of suffixation. The study employs the integrated frameworks of item-and-process and variationist sociolinguistics. It is a known fact that human language is inherently a culturally evolving system. That is, it is not monolithic, but instead, is dynamic or variable. Among the social dynamics stimulating language variability is age. In our everyday experience, we witness a generational gap between youngsters and adults in terms of communication. Adults tend to be conservative, while the youth are innovative in their language use. Through their peer groups, the youth are able to establish new linguistic norms which may diffuse into the wider community. In Sesotho, one such linguistic norm is the current suffixation of /-ng~-eng/ to some parts of speech to which traditionally it was not suffixed. The article further discusses the semantic implications of the attachment of this suffix and the reaction of the elderly towards it.