Doctoral Degrees (African Languages)

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/11660/510

Browse

Browsing Doctoral Degrees (African Languages) by Advisor "Malete, Elias Nyefolo"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Historical perspectives on the development of Sesotho linguistics with reference to syntactic categories
    (University of the Free State, 2021) Nhlapo, Moselane Andrew; Malete, Elias Nyefolo
    𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 Numerous scholars, including missionaries of various denominations of the past as well as other contemporary Sesotho linguists, have written on various aspects of the Sesotho language, especially in unpublished research theses and dissertations. However, there is no publication, which formerly traces the diachronic development of Sesotho linguistics, and in particular, the identification and classification of Sesotho syntactic categories within a particular linguistic developmental period. This research study traces the historical development of Sesotho syntactic categories. It also traces over time how various linguists have identified, described, and analyzed Sesotho syntactic categories, looking at the prominent characteristics of various linguistic periods, namely the pre-literacy period (1659-1800), historical-comparative period (1800-1826), missionary period (1826-1927), structural/functional period (1927-1975) and modern/Chomskyan period (1975 to date). It has been observed that during the pre-literary period, Sesotho was a spoken language and the transmission of information, history, and involvement within the Basotho was predominantly through the oral practice and performance rather thano n written texts. The Basotho people used oral traditions such as folklore, proverbs, riddles, songs, and stories to pass information from one generation to another. The missionaries introduced Sesotho orthography and Sesotho grammar where syntactic categories such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections were identified; where grammatical concepts such as case in Sesotho and its various types were also identified, the concept that was later disputed by Doke and Mofokeng. In the structural period, Doke, van Wyk, and Ziervogel identified more syntactic categories besides nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and conjunctions. They added copulatives, interjections, and relatives. The Chomskyan period broadly classified Sesotho syntactic categories; it provides a full description and analysis of sentences, phrases, and words. It identified five broad syntactic categories, namely i) sentences as parts of speech, ii) Phrases as grammatical categories, iii) Lexical categories as syntactic categories (this category consists of nouns, verbs, copulatives, deficient verbs, adverbs, adjectives, relatives, conjunctions, prepositions, quantifiers, and enumerative), iv) Inflectional categories (agreement of inflection, tense, mood, aspects, and negatives) and v) Empty categories such as pronouns, null subject, and the infinitive. Finally, this study presents an observation that the analysis of grammatical phenomena at different times in the history of African Languages, were patterned and classified according to European classical languages and prominent characteristics of a particular linguistic period, despite their unique grammatical structures, and that with the arrival of the modern linguistic approaches (Generative Transformational Grammar), which filtered through at a later stage in the historical development of African languages, recognized the uniqueness of syntactic categories of African Languages, bringing them back into their spaces of history and securing their lost identity. ___________________________________________________________________
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Portrayal of witchcraft in selected IsiZulu novels
    (University of the Free State, 2023) Ndebele, Siphiwe Alfred; Malete, Elias Nyefolo; Zulu, N. S.
    𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 This study investigates the various depictions of witchcraft in selected IsiZulu novels from South Africa. The objective is to investigate witchcraft techniques in each novel by thematically classifying the different and dominant types of witchcraft portrayed. A thematic approach to literary analysis is employed. This study is prompted by the lack of scholarly works that have focused on the practices of witchcraft in Zulu culture. Focus has been placed on the novels from the years 1935 up to 2014. The novels analysed were divided into two (2) categories of eras, namely; the colonial period and post-colonial period. IsiZulu novels written during the South African colonial-era such as Noma Nini (1935), Nje Nempela (1943), Amalutha Emalutheni (1960), Ikusasa Alaziwa (1969), Shumpu (1974), Abafana Boqunga (1977), Umbuso KaShaka (1987) and Ulaka LwabeNguni (1988) chronicle the use of witchcraft practices during the period of white-domination. IsiZulu fiction written in South Africa’s post-colonial period includes texts such as Ithemba Lami (1993), Kungasa Ngifile (2002), Kuyoqhuma Nhlamvana (2004), Ngacishe Ngazibambezela (2006), Akuyiwe Emhlahlweni (2007), Imiyalezo (2008), Kunjalo-ke (2008) and Bakithi! Impi Yothando Iyimpi Yegazi (2014). The study reveals how representations of sorcery, occult practices and witchcraft as portrayed in the chosen IsiZulu novels highlight witchcraft beliefs that are systematically related to specific cultural, political, socio-economic and psychological institutions. The study also thematically retraces how witchcraft practices such as otikoloshe (a mischievous and evil spirit), ukudlisa (poisoning) and izulu (lightning) form part of what Niehaus (2001) considers to be elaborate social dramas which reflect how beliefs about at communal and personal level witchcraft are organised. ___________________________________________________________________