Browsing Research articles (Dept of African Lang & Lit) by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-12 of 12
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Chebanne, A. (University of Botswana, Office of Research and Development, http://www.ub.bw, NaN, 1996)[more][less]
Abstract: Our motivation and inspiration to undertake this aspect of the phonology of Setswana is derived from research in Setswana phonology by Creissels (Notes, 1991-1992) and from the Bantu languages phonology by Bastin (1983). The reanalysis of the phenomenon that we earlier treated under what the two linguists describe generally as "imbrication"l (cf. Chebanne, 1993, ACAL 24), and which means an affixal imbedding which transforms morphemes has yielded new mterpretations on the Setswana data. We are now inclined to call this phenomenon "intersuffixing", which refers here to the adjustment of positions and forms undergone by verbal suffixes according to morpho-phonological rules. The two terms, intersuffixing and imbrication, actually do not mutually exclude each other. Imbrication may result after certain suffixal permutations in the process of intersuffixing have occurred. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/863 Files in this item: 1
Chebanne_PBJAS_1996.pdf (415.4Kb) -
Kezilahabi, E. (Taylor and Francis, NaN, 2001)[more][less]
Abstract: This article argues that greeting among the Kerebe is a phenomenological project of everydayness in which the concept of being manifests itself in a dialogic manner. This is revealed through the four variables on which greetings are based: time, age, gender and relationship. The variables give us a glimpse of how the Kerebe view the question of temporality of being, the idea of being-for-the-other and the question of truth; and they cast some light on the general concept of a person in Kerebe thought. The article is oriented toward an inquiry into the concept of being-in-the-world from an African point of view. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/421 Files in this item: 1
Kezilahabi_JACS_2001.pdf (1.480Mb) -
Magocha, K.; Arua, A.E. (Routledge (Taylor and Francis) www.routledge.com, NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper examines the patterns of language use and language preference of some children aged 6–15 and their parents at the University of Botswana. The results indicate that the majority of the children speak Setswana and English, despite the fact that they come from different language groups. However, Setswana, the national language, is the more widely spoken. Very few of the children speak languages such as Ikalanga, Otjiherero and Sesotho and other minority languages. The language preferences of the children and their parents differ. Although many of the children speak two or three languages, they prefer only one – Setswana. However, the parents of the children prefer them to speak English rather than Setswana, especially in the school and playground. They also prefer their children not to speak English at home, although the children actually do so. Children from other language groups prefer English to their mother tongues. Generally, the study shows the continued growth of Setswana and English, and the gradual decline of the other local languages, except Ikalanga. The government is reported to be considering introducing a third language as a medium of instruction in the hope that it will stop the decline of minority languages. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/654 Files in this item: 1
Magocha_JMMD_2002.pdf (828.5Kb) -
Mekgwe, P.; Smith, A.M. (Indiana University Press, www.iupress.indiana.edu, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: Acclaimed Edinburgh-based author Alexander McCall Smith is a professor of Medical Law and a prolific fiction writer. He has written over fifty books. It is, however, with the fictional character Ma-Ramotswe that his name is most readily associated. Ma-Ramotswe is the protagonist in McCall Smith’s Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series, which comprises six novels to date. The seventh and last in the series, Blue Shoes and Happiness, is to be released in 2006. The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series is widely read in thirty-two languages across the world. The novels are set in Botswana, where McCall Smith was previously in the Department of Law at the University of Botswana. The author retains a strong relationship with the country and its people. In July 2004, Alexander McCall Smith visited Gaborone, Botswana, to begin work on adapting The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series into a film. In this interview with Pinkie Mekgwe, McCall Smith talks about the importance of creating a character who represents “all that is fine in the human condition” in an era and geopolitical space where nihilism reigns. The author opens up on his life, work, awards, and future possibilities. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/968 Files in this item: 1
Mekgwe_RAL_2006.pdf (1.127Mb) -
Nhlekisana, R.O.B. (Department of communications, Polytechnic of Namibia, NaN, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: Songs are very important components in the folklore of Botswana as they accompany almost all social activity. Every occasion in which people come together has particular songs for the event, including work, wedding and funerals. This paper argues that Setswana wedding songs have a dual nature, that is they express peace and harmony, but they also insinuate conflict within families. Most of the songs talk about what should be done in order to have a peaceful marriage and a good relationship with one’s in-laws. They also talk about possibilities of conflict that may arise in a marriage if one does not conform to the prescribed expectations. The paper analyses selected wedding songs thematically to exemplify the dual nature of these songs. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/472 Files in this item: 1
Nhlekisana_NAWA_2007.pdf (1.365Mb) -
Alimi, M.M. (University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper examines the morphological and syntactic differences between English and Setswana pronouns, and how these differences manifest in students usage of English learners may be assisted to become more proficient in using English pronouns. An analysis of 542 essays written by second and fourth year students of the Department of English reveal the following categories of pronoun errors: the intrusion of an independent subject pronoun between a subject and its verb, the conflation of the standard expression the one...the other into the other...the other, inter substitution of they/there/their, lack of gender and case distictions, use of pronouns without antecedents and pronoun referent agreement errors. In terms of the sources of these errors, the paper shows that the first six types of errors seem to relate directly or indirectly to the morphological and syntactic structures of Setswana pronouns while the last type is largely intralingual. The paper recommends that policy, tests and exams in country. It also suggests that teachers should raise their awareness of Botswama English in order to be able to distinguish between learners usage that are unpredictable and those that have become systematic localisms, and delegate more learning resposibility to the learners themselves. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/865 Files in this item: 1
Alimi_MJLL_2008.pdf (3.634Mb) -
Magogwe, J.M. (University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This research seeks to examine the role that context or learning situation plays in strategy choice by comparing the strategy patterns of a private English medium secondary and a government secondary school in Botswana. More specifically, the main ofjectives of this study are to, firstly, investigate whether the type of school influences the choice of language learning strategies of its students: secondly, to find out whether private English medium secondary school students use more strategies than government secondary school in Botswana: and, thirdly, to explore the role played by gender on the choice of language learning strategies. Form four students from oneprivete English medium senior secondary school and one government senior secondary completed the strategy inventory for language learning (SIILL). The data was analysed using descriptive statistics to calculate means and standard deviations of strategies and inferential statistics such as ANOVA to establish the relationships between group and individual strategies. The findinds of this study showed that the choice of strategies was not greatly influenced by the type of school from which the student came. However, this study found that government school students relied more on the use of dictionaries. On the other hand, private English medium students volunteered to look for conversation partners in order to get practice in speaking English. In relation to gender, the findings of this studyconfirmed other previous findings that female students use more language learning strategies than do male students. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/859 Files in this item: 1
Magogwe_MJLL_2008.pdf (3.125Mb) -
Otlogetswe, T.J.; Bagwasi, M.M. (University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper explores the linguistic contexts, uses and meanings of the colour terms ntsho (black) and tshweu (white) in Setswana. Using a corpus data, the paper argues that the two terms display cultural and linguistic meanings which are sometimes lacking in Setswana dictionaries and certain translations. The analysis of the data reveals that the two colour terms collocate with a variety of other words in the language to result in a complex array of meanings. Further, the analysis reveals that while traditionally ntsho is associated with negative semantics, it is used in a variety of senses to celebrate heroes and heroines in Setswana culture. In a similar way, tshweu has ngative senses in certain limited contexts. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/856 Files in this item: 1
Otlogetswe_MJLL_2008.pdf (2.264Mb) -
Batibo, H.M.; Kopi, M.M. (University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate sex-related euphemisms in Setswana. Although sex matters, as embarrassing phenomena, are not usually talked about in Setswana communities, they have recently been brought to the open by the incidence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The assumption in this study is therefore that, with more open discourse of sex-related matters in Botswana, more euphemisms have been created to camouflage the embarrassing nature of the various referents in this field. The sex-related matters include private parts, sexual activities, sexual secretions, sexual diseases and related phenomena. This study describes the nature, origin, and types of these euphemisms and considers their place and role in the social interaction of the people of Botswana. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/852 Files in this item: 1
Batibo_MJLL_2008.pdf (2.902Mb) -
Letsholo, R. (Routledge (Taylor and Francis)/www.routledge.com, NaN, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: This article reports the findings of a study whose objective was to investigate whether there was a likelihood of a language shift (or loss) from Ikalanga (a minority language spoken in Botswana) to either Setswana or English. The focus of the investigation was 17-25 year olds. The findings indicate that although Ikalanga (unlike indigenous languages like Khoe and Shekgalagadi) is not under imminent threat of loss, there are, nevertheless, clear indications of a gradual shift to Setswana. This conclusion was reached based on informants’ language use patterns and their attitudes towards using their mother tongue, particularly around people with a different mother tongue from them. The results show that informants use Setswana frequently, even in domains where they could use their mother tongue, e.g. when speaking to peers from the same mother tongue. In addition, the responses to a question which required them to indicate which language(s) they would use with their children show that the subjects embrace linguistic diversity (a large majority indicated they would teach their children Ikalanga, Setswana and English), showing no clear conviction to Ikalanga. Some of the subjects also expressed negative feelings towards using their mother tongue around non-native speakers of the language. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/766 Files in this item: 1
Letsholo_IJBEB_2009.pdf (1.261Mb) -
Mekgwe, P. (Routledge (Taylor and francis), www.routledge.com, NaN, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: The growing body of literature authored by women in Africa and the African Diaspora over the past four decades has been accompanied by vigorous debates out of which has evolved a body of theories pertaining to African Feminism(s). Theoretical models such as ‘Third World Feminism’, ‘African Feminism’, ‘Womanism’, ‘Stiwanism’, ‘Afrikana Womanism’ and ‘Nego-feminism’, amongst others, have responded to the anomalies exhibited by mainstream feminism, particularly its inability to address the cultural specificities out of which ‘other’ feminisms are theorised. The focus of this article has arisen out of the realisation that while such theories are invaluable to the development of feminist discourse, they have tended to focus predominantly on the politics of naming associated with the term ‘feminism’. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/997 Files in this item: 1
Mekgwe_TT_2010.pdf (311.8Kb) -
Rasebotsa, N.L.; Lederer, M.S. (Indiana University Press, www.iupress.indiana.edu, NaN, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper examines how place is represented in two Botswana novels, Far and Beyon’ by Unity Dow and The Victims by Mositi Torontle. Conventional notions of rural as the “authentic” experience that is threatened by moral breakdown in modern towns do not fit the experiences that these two novels describe. Instead, place reveals attitudes that influence identity formation, and it does so by foregrounding the importance of human relationships. Thus, the important point is to restore and maintain a person’s sense of belonging to a family and extended community, regardless of whether those communities are rural or urban. Breakdown threatens people when they do not know to whom they belong, regardless of where they live. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/926 Files in this item: 1
Rasebotsa_RAL_2010.pdf (1.231Mb)
Now showing items 1-12 of 12