Browsing African Languages and Literature by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-20 of 25
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Intersuffixing in Setswana: the case of the perfective -ile, the applicative -ela, and the causative -isa
(University of Botswana, Office of Research and Development, http://www.ub.bw, 1996)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). ... -
A phenomenological interpretation of Kerebe greetings
(Taylor and Francis, 2001)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 ... -
Patterns of language use and language preference of some children and their parents in Botswana
(Routledge (Taylor and Francis) www.routledge.com, 2002)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 ... -
“All that is fine in the human condition”: crafting words, creating Ma-Ramotswe
(Indiana University Press, www.iupress.indiana.edu, 2006)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 ... -
The dual nature of Setswana wedding songs: expressions of peace and conflict within families
(Department of communications, Polytechnic of Namibia, 2007)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 ... -
An alalysis of two setswana colour terms: ntsho and tshweu
(University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, 2008)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 ... -
The influence of school on the choice of language learning strategies in Botswana
(University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, 2008)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. ... -
The nature and origin of sex-related euphemisms in Setswana
(University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, 2008)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 ... -
English pronouns in the writing of some Batswana students
(University of Botswana, Department of English, http://www.ub.bw, 2008)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 ... -
Language maintenance or shift? attitudes of Bakalanga youth towards their mother tongue
(Routledge (Taylor and Francis)/www.routledge.com, 2009)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 ... -
Post Africa(n) feminism?
(Routledge (Taylor and francis), www.routledge.com, 2010)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 ... -
Understanding the rural-urban dichotomy in Mositi Torontle's the victims and Unity Dow's far and beyon'
(Indiana University Press, www.iupress.indiana.edu, 2010)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 ... -
The role of dictionaries in the documentation and codification of African languages: the case of Khoisan
(http://afrilex.africanlanguages.com/homelex.html, 2010)Khoisan speech communities are found in Southern Africa, with Botswana having the greatest ethnic and linguistic diversity. Living in small communities, the Khoisan have always found themselves in a situation of being ... -
Strategies for naming tourist sites in Botswana
(University of Botswana http://www.ub.bw, 2014)This paper aims at establishing and discussing the strategies for naming tourist sites in the languages of Botswana using a descriptive approach. In addition, the paper attempts a classification of these tourist sites in ... -
Second position clitics in Degema: a reanalysis
(West African Linguistic Society; www.westafricanlinguisticssociety.org, 2015)This paper reanalyzes so-called second position clitics in Degema as verb-adjacent clitics. The reanalysis is based on the observation that these clitics cannot be separated from the verb by intervening elements. Kari ... -
Parasynthesis in Degema: Simultaneous affixation or suffixation and concomitant prefixation
(Linguistics Association of SADC Universities, 2015-04)This paper discusses parasynthesis, also known as circumfixation, in Degema. It highlights the fact that circumfixes are controversial not only because of the possibility to analyze them as discontinuous units consisting ... -
Restrictions on the attachment of verbal extensions in Degema
(The Joongwon Linguistic Society of Korea, http://submission.jwl.or.kr/sobis/jwl.jsp, 2016)This paper discusses restrictions observed in the attachment of verbal extensions to all verb bases in Degema. Kari (1995) discusses verbal extensions in Degema focusing on the number, underlying forms, and phonological ... -
On the status of subject markers in African languages
(Joongwon Linguistic Society of Korea, http://submission.jwl.or.kr/sobis/jwl.jsp, 2017)This paper discusses subject markers in African languages, noting that whereas the grammatical functions of these morphemes are fairly clear; their status as affixes or clitics is not. The unclear status of subject markers ... -
Investigating language vitality in some parts of North Eastern Botswana
(University of Botswana, www.ub.bw, 2017)The main objective of this article is to investigate the level of language vitality in Botswana on the basis of patterns of language use, transgenerational language transmission, language attitudes and ethno-cultural ... -
Central Delta languages: an overview
(Stellenbosch University, https://www.sun.ac.za/, 2017)This paper presents an overview of the phonology, morphology and syntax of Central Delta languages. It also provides information on the geo-linguistic, demographic and sociolinguistic situation of these languages. It notes ...