Research Articles (African Languages)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/5632

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Terminologiebestuur binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks
(Bureau of the WAT, 2025) Goosen, Michelle; Taljard, Elsabe (Elizabeth); michelle.goosen@up.ac.za
ENGLISH : This article examines the systematic management of terminological information in South Africa through the use of terminology management systems. It argues for a structured approach to terminology management across different contexts, namely at macro, meso, and micro level. The focus is specifically on terminology management within the commercial context, where it can enhance productivity within an organisation, ensure effective communication, and improve return on investment. The importance of user-oriented terminological products is emphasised, with specific attention given to the profile of the target user. Various types of software for terminology management, namely standalone, internet-based, and mobile applications, are discussed. This discussion also includes the knowledge-based approach to terminology. The article proposes a practical terminology workflow diagram suited to the multilingual South African context. It highlights the necessity of further research, institutional support, and user involvement to establish a sustainable terminology infrastructure in South Africa. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie artikel ondersoek die sistematiese bestuur van terminologiese inligting in Suid-Afrika deur middel van terminologiebestuursisteme. Daar word argumenteer vir 'n gestruk-tureerde benadering tot terminologiebestuur binne verskillende kontekste, naamlik op makro-, meso- en mikrovlak. Daar word spesifiek gefokus op terminologiebestuur binne die kommersiële konteks wat binne 'n organisasie produktiwiteit kan verhoog, doeltreffende kommunikasie kan verseker en opbrengs op belegging kan verbeter. Die belang van gebruikersgeoriënteerde terminologieprodukte word beklemtoon waar daar spesifiek aandag aan die profiel van die teikengebruiker gegee word. Verskeie tipes sagteware vir terminologiebestuur, d.i. losstaande, internetgebaseerde en mobiele toepassings, word bespreek. Hierdie bespreking sluit ook die kennisgebaseerde benadering tot terminologie in. Die artikel stel 'n praktiese terminologiewerkvloeidiagram voor wat geskik is vir die veeltalige Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Dit wys op die noodsaaklikheid van verdere navorsing, institusionele ondersteuning en gebruikersbetrokkenheid om 'n volhoubare terminologie-infrastruktuur in Suid-Afrika te vestig.
Endemann's Wörterbuch der Sotho Sprache (1911) : a worthy candidate for digitisation
(Bureau of the WAT, 2025-07) Taljard, Elsabe (Elizabeth); Faab, Gertrud; Prinsloo, Danie J. (Daniel Jacobus), 1953-; Bosch, Sonja; elsabe.taljard@up.ac.za
ENGLISH : This article re-evaluates Wörterbuch der Sotho Sprache, a historically significant, yet neglected Sotho–German dictionary, published in 1911 by Berlin missionary Karl Endemann. Its marginalisation stems from its choice of German as target language, outdated orthography, missionary orientation, and deviation from modern lexicographic principles. Rather than a conventional comparison with modern Sepedi dictionaries, this study positions Endemann's work within its historical and cultural context. Key lexicographic elements such as grammatical formatives, alphabetical categories, high-frequency lemmas, semantically related paradigms, and culturally significant entries are analysed in detail. The findings often reveal strengths that match or even surpass those of later Sepedi dictionaries. Despite its value, user access remains limited due to linguistic complexity and unavailability. With digitisation now permitted by the publisher, this study outlines a multi-phase strategy to enhance usability, including the use of OCR4all, an open-source tool for text recognition. While the digitisation process is not without challenges, the application of OCR4all has yielded impressive accuracy. However, despite the high-quality output, this margin of error necessitates manual verification to ensure the integrity of the digitised content as a reliable and accessible resource for modern users. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie artikel herevalueer Wörterbuch der Sotho Sprache, 'n histories betekenisvolle dog verwaarloosde Sotho–Duitse woordeboek, wat in 1911 deur die Berlynse sendeling Karl Endemann gepubliseer is. Die marginalisering daarvan spruit uit sy keuse van Duits as doeltaal, verouderde ortografie, sendingoriëntasie en afwyking van moderne leksikografiese beginsels. Eerder as 'n konvensionele vergelyking met moderne Sepedi-woordeboeke, plaas hierdie studie Endemann se werk binne sy historiese en kulturele konteks. Sleutelleksikografiese elemente soos die hantering van grammatikale formatiewe, alfabetiese kategorieë, hoëfrekwensie-lemmas, semanties-verwante paradigmas en kultureel betekenisvolle inskrywings word in detail ontleed. Die bevindinge openbaar dikwels sterkpunte wat ooreenstem met of selfs dié van latere Sepedi-woordeboeke oortref. Ten spyte van die waarde daarvan, bly gebruikerstoegang beperk weens linguistiese kompleksiteit en onbeskikbaarheid. Met digitisering wat nou deur die uitgewer toegelaat word, sit hierdie studie 'n multifase strategie uiteen om bruikbaarheid te verbeter, insluitend die gebruik van OCR4all, oopbronsagteware vir teksherkenning. Alhoewel die digitiseringsproses nie sonder uitdagings is nie, het die toepassing van OCR4all indrukwekkende akkuraatheid opgelewer. Ten spyte van die hoë kwaliteit uitset, noodsaak 'n foutmarge egter handmatige verifikasie om die integriteit van die gedigitiseerde inhoud te verseker as 'n betroubare en toeganklike hulpbron vir moderne gebruikers.
The automatic determination of translation equivalents in lexicography : what works and what doesn't?
(European Association for Lexicography, 2024-12) Denisova, Michaela; De Schryver, Gilles-Maurice; Rychly, Pavel
Cross-lingual embedding models act as facilitator of lexical knowledge transfer and offer many advantages, notably their applicability to low-resource and non-standard language pairs, making them a valuable tool for retrieving translation equivalents in lexicography. Despite their potential, these models have primarily been developed with a focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP), leading to significant issues, including flawed training and evaluation data, as well as inadequate evaluation metrics and procedures. In this paper, we introduce cross-lingual embedding models for lexicography, addressing the challenges and limitations inherent in the current NLP-focused research. We demonstrate the problematic aspects across three baseline cross-lingual embedding models and three language pairs and outline possible solutions. We show the importance of high-quality data, advocating that its role is vital compared to algorithmic optimisation in enhancing the effectiveness of these models.
The history and development of Zulu as a literary medium
(South African Association for Language Teaching, 2000-12) Wilkes, Arnett; awilkes@postino. up. ac. za
This article examines the developmental history of Zulu as literary medium, starting from the time missionaries first reduced it to writing approximately 150 years ago up to 1993 when its current orthography was finalised. An orthography specifies a number of things about the writing of a language, notably how the speech sounds should be written and where the boundaries of words occur. In this article the focus primarily falls on the developmental history of the alphabetic system of Zulu. Contributions made by different language pioneers to the orthographic development of Zulu are highlighted. So too are the changes that from time to time were made to its alphabet. Only limited attention is given to word division in Zulu, not because it is regarded as a minor orthographic matter, but because it was a far less controversial issue among the scholars who were involved in the orthographic development of this language than what it later became in academic circles. Ever since Doke's theory on word identification in the African languages was accepted as an orthographic principle in Zulu, a certain uniformity in the writing of Zulu words was achieved so that when the orthography of this language first became standardized in 1934 (and in its subsequent revisions), the orthographic committees concerned found it necessary to regulate the writing of only a small number of words m this language - something which is borne out by the relatively small number of word division rules Zulu has. In conclusion a number of problems that writers have with some of the capitalisation rules in Zulu are pointed out.
Modal expressions in Xhosa, Part I : Necessity
(Peeters Online Journals, 2024-12) Crane, Thera Marie; Savić, Stefan; Slater, Onelisa; Bernander, Rasmus
This study reports on an investigation of modal expressions of necessity in Xhosa, a Bantu language of South Africa. Combining analysis of occurrences in a small corpus and the native‑speaker intuitions of one of the paper’s authors, we describe patterns and restrictions in the distribution of two markers of necessity, auxiliary‑like fanele and funeka; we also give some notes on the necessity marker mele. The most significant differences in the meanings and uses of these markers are in the participant‑internal and epistemic domains, and the lexical meanings (still active in Xhosa, in addition to the markers’ modal functions) are evident in their usage distributions.
Doing things with grammar : presupposition accommodation across grammatical categories
(John Benjamins Publishing, 2024-12) Khachaturyan, Maria; Sandman, Erika; Crane, Thera Marie
This paper studies the way utterances project properties of the interactional context via the choice of grammatical indexicals. Our analysis is an original combination of existing theoretical developments including notions of grammatical indexicality (Silverstein 1976), of the relational structure of indexical reference (Hanks 2014) and of presupposition accommodation (von Fintel 2008; Heim 1982; Karttunen 1974, among others). While Silverstein (1976) suggested that different types of grammatical indexicals can be (relatively) context-creating or (relatively) context-presupposing, we argue that presupposition vs creativity is not a property of specific categories, but rather of tokens in a given context and that in natural interaction, they are subject to negotiation. While all indexicals are presupposing, there are two types of uses of pragmatic presupposition involved forming a scale (Mazzarella & Domaneschi 2018; Sbisà 1999): non-informative (when the presupposition is already part of common ground of the interlocutors) and informative (when the presupposition needs to be accommodated by the addressee). The theoretical analysis is grounded in a discussion of data on evidentiality, egophoricity, pronouns of address, demonstrative reference, and tense and is based on literature review, as well as first-hand recordings of conversations in Wutun (mixed Sinitic language, China) and Mano (Mande, Guinea).
Comparative analysis of black queer feminist isiXhosa and English poetry
(Tydskrif vir Letterkunde Association, 2024-06-26) Chidi, Tsosheletso; Zondi, Nompumelelo; Mkhize, Gabi; u21767302@tuks.co.za
Black queer feminist literature remains under-researched. This reflects the societal marginalisation of black queer authors in South Africa. Our article offers a comparative analysis of the representation of black queer women by black queer and cisgender authors in selected isiXhosa and English poetry. The poems selected are from Unam Wena (2021) by Mthunzikazi Mbungwana and red cotton (2018) by vangile gantsho. Firstly, we explore how queer feminism is captured from a Xhosa perspective. Secondly, we explore how English is used to expose readers to black queerness, and, thirdly, we question how literary scholarship influences or limits black queer feminist literature and the functionality of queer feminist poetry as representations of black women. Discourse theory is used to examine how authors of the selected poetry construct knowledge about black queerness from a feminist perspective and shape how people understand it. In this article we adopt a narrative enquiry within the constructionism paradigm with qualitative textual analysis. Our analysis of the poetry reveals that, although the selected poets use two different languages, the same protest voice is foregrounded, with observable differences being primarily technical—namely how form, sound, and structure are employed to set the tone and mood in the issues addressed.
Geskiedenis van die Sepediskryfwyse
(South African Association for Language Teaching, 1999-12) Esterhuyse, C.J.; Groenewald, P.S. (Pieter Schalk)
The development of Sepedi as a written language extends over a period of 100 years, from 1870 to 1967 when the current orthography was finalised. The missionaries, who were to put Sepedi to writing, were members of the Berlin Missionary Society who arrived in South Africa in 1859. To fulfil their mission, they had to devise a writing system for Sepedi, because the translation of the Bible was their ultimate aim. In the development of Sepedi as a written language a clear distinction must be drawn between the period before October 1929 and the period thereafter. The period before October 1929 may be characterized as one of multiformity. Everyone wrote Sepedi as he thought best, since there was no coordinating body to control the development of the written form of Sepedi. The era after October 1929 is marked by the achievement of uniformity and standardisation. During this period an effort was made to create a uniform orthography for the written Sotho languages. At this point in time there were three written Sotho languages, namely, Sesotho (Southern Sotho), Setswana and Sepedi (Northern Sotho).
Gender stereotyping in Indlela yababi and Kuxolelwa abanjani? : a corpus linguistics approach
(NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor & Francis Group), 2023) Mncwango, Lungile; Van Niekerk, Jacomien (Jacomina); Taljard, Elsabe (Elizabeth); lungile.mncwango@up.ac.za
In this article, we use corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis to examine gender stereotyping in three isiZulu novels, namely Indlela yababi (‘The path of the wicked’) by RRR Dhlomo, Inkinsela yaseMgungundlovu (‘The tycoon of Pietermaritzburg’) by CLS Nyembezi, and Kuxolelwa abanjani? (‘Who deserves to be forgiven?’) by NG Sibiya. Our investigation regarding Inkinsela yaseMgungundlovu failed to deliver significant results, therefore our analysis is centred around the other two novels. Our focus is on the ways in which the body parts of female and male characters are used and described in the chosen texts. The article focuses on the following body parts: isandla and izandla (‘hand’ and ‘hands’), amehlo (‘eyes’), ikhanda (‘head’) and ubuso (‘face’). We investigate whether the ways in which female and male characters use their body parts and the ways in which they are described represent male and female characters stereotypically, as well as whether they reveal aspects of power relations between men and women. Our study employs the theoretical framework of gender studies. The results reveal that female characters are depicted as caring and supportive, emotional and beautiful, whereas male characters are depicted as courageous, in control of their emotions, aggressive and dangerous.
Consumptive and non-consumptive uses of water beetles (Aquatic coleopterans) in sub-Saharan traditional rituals
(MDPI, 2023-09) Mnisi, Lucky Nhlanhla; Zondi, Nompumelelo B.; Pikirayi, Innocent; mpume.zondi@up.ac.za
The use of wild animals in customary rituals and as a sustenance resource is a longstanding tradition within sub-Saharan Africa. The emergence of commercial trade, has, however, created unattainable demands and has led to the overexploitation of animals. These demands are threatening the conservation of animal species exploited in this trade. Comparatively little research effort has been dedicated to invertebrate species, and, specifically, their non-commercial uses. We explored the uses of water beetles in traditional rituals. We investigate the extent to which each of the non-commercial uses of water beetles exhibits consumptive and non-consumptive use features. The concepts are contested as their application for describing human–animal interactions has been challenged because of insufficient physiological and conservation data on the implications for animals of such interactions. The inadequacy of the available data pertaining to the use of animal resources was particularly pronounced. Most research efforts are skewed towards vertebrates at the expense of invertebrates. Regardless, the study shows that most non-commercial exploitation and uses of water beetles were mainly non-destructive and, if consumptive, the uses could be described as mainly nonlethal consumptive or sub-lethal consumptive. Rituals that could be described as lethal-consumptive comprised a smaller fraction of the uses of water beetles.
Subtitling, semiotics and spirited away
(European Association for Studies in Screen Translation, 2022-03) Sanders, Lisa
When translating a film according to typical subtitling models, the focus is usually solely on the dialogue of the film. Furthermore, the resulting translations are often impoverished to a large extent due to the constraints of the medium. The combined effects of this result in a significant loss of equivalence between the subtitles and the original linguistic and extralinguistic information. A potential method of preventing this loss is the application of a semiotic model for translation during the subtitling process. To this end, an existing model for the semiotranslation of film was enhanced and applied to the subtitling of the wildly popular Japanese animated film Spirited Away (2001). The resulting subtitles were evaluated for equivalence with the source text (ST) against the existing subtitle track that was distributed on a DVD release of the film. It was found that much more information, both from dialogue and on-screen extralinguistic content, could be conveyed by the semiotic subtitles than those created following more traditional subtitling norms.
The future of metalexicography : reaching for the mesosphere
(Bureau of the WAT, 2023-06) De Schryver, Gilles-Maurice
In this research article, a quantified look is taken at the metalexicographic endeavours of the past half century, starting in 1971. It is argued that the year 2021 represents a tipping point, and for that reason, when illustrations are needed in the article, those are preferably taken from the work of Sue Atkins, who passed away in 2021. It analyses the formation of the various continental lexicography associations, as well as their conferences and linked proceedings, and ends with the current and future role of the global lexicographic alliance. In addition, a comparative bibliometric study is undertaken of the four main journals of our field. It is shown that the number of metalexicographic studies and the impact these have continued to grow, to the point where dedicated tools and databases are currently needed for the efficient examination and use of the now many thousands of conference papers, journal articles, and other publications. A brief section also deals with modern dictionary user research, which is, according to current thinking, subsumed under metalexicography. With and from this vast amount of data, the future direction of metalexicography is extrapolated. The undertaken research is thus very much data-driven, and refrains from thought experiments to arrive at that future.
Generative AI and lexicography : the current state of the art using ChatGPT
(Oxford University Press, 2023-12) De Schryver, Gilles-Maurice
In this article, all ten papers and talks that have been devoted to the use of ChatGPT in lexicography so far are critically analysed, their results tabulated and cross-compared, from which the leading trends are determined. Extrapolating from the trendlines, a single short but robust new prompt is fine-tuned with which articles from different word classes are generated fully-automatically for a dictionary which compares favourably to the best practice in dictionary compilation. The conclusion is that a new age, that of the successful application of generative AI in lexicography, has dawned.
Optical character recognition and text cleaning in the indigenous South African languages
(Stellenbosch University, Library and Information Service, 2022) Prinsloo, Danie J. (Daniel Jacobus), 1953-; Taljard, Elsabe (Elizabeth); Goosen, Michelle; danie.prinsloo@up.ac.za
This article represents follow-up work on unpublished presentations by the authors of text and corpus cleaning strategies for the African languages. In this article we provide a comparative description of cleaning of web-sourced and text-sourced material to be used for the compilation of corpora with specific attention to cleaning of text-based material, since this is particularly relevant for the indigenous South African languages. For the purposes of this study, we use the term “web-sourced material” to refer to digital data sourced from the internet, whereas “text-based material” refers to hard copy textual material. We identify the different types of errors found in such texts, looking specifically at typical scanning errors in these languages, followed by an evaluation of three commercially available Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools. We argue that the cleanness of texts is a matter of granularity, depending on the envisaged application of the corpus comprised by the texts. Text corpora which are to be utilized for e.g. lexicographic purposes can tolerate a higher level of ‘noise’ than those used for the compilation of e.g. spelling and grammar checkers. We conclude with some suggestions for text cleaning for the indigenous languages of South Africa.
Male perpetrators of violence against women in Achilles Tatius' Leucippe and Clitophon
(Classical Association of South Africa, 2022) Haskins, Susan L.; susan.haskins@up.ac.za
No study of violence against women in Achilles Tatius’ Leucippe and Clitophon has yet focussed on the male perpetrators of that violence. I contend that the novel depicts male perpetrators as failing to live up to the masculine ideal, ‘othering’ them from traditional masculinity, and accompanying positions of power, within the novel. This allows the perpetrators to represent a male whose masculinity is conflicted due to shifting notions of masculinity, resulting in a sense of insecurity and powerlessness that is sometimes compensated for with violence against women. The novel invites male readers to identify with these perpetrators temporarily, thus allowing them a brief respite from their own concerns about masculinity and power by enjoying the effects of this violence.
Towards a monitor corpus for a Bantu language : a case study of neology detection in Lusoga
(European Association for Lexicography, 2022) De Schryver, Gilles-Maurice; Nabirye, Minah
This paper looks at whether, after two decades of corpus building for the Bantu languages, the time is ripe to begin using monitor corpora. As a proof-of-concept, the usefulness of a Lusoga monitor corpus for lexicographic purposes, in case for the detection of neologisms, both in terms of new words and new meanings, is investigated and found useful.
Metalexicography : an existential crisis
(European Association for Lexicography, 2022) De Schryver, Gilles-Maurice
While there was arguably a need for multi-authored, multi-volume, metalexicographic handbooks three decades ago – when the field of metalexicography was still ‘young’ – it is a bit puzzling to make sense of the current output-flurry in this field. Is it simply a matter of ‘every publisher trying to fill its shelves’? or is there really a need in the scientific community for more and (continuously) updated reference works? And once available, are such works also consulted? Which parts? By whom? How often? For what purposes? In this paper we look at an ongoing, real-world metalexicographic handbook project to answer these questions.
Reduplication in Lusoga
(Peeters Online Journals, 2022) Marlo, Michael R.; Nabirye, Minah; De Schryver, Gilles-Maurice
This paper provides an in‑depth description of reduplication of verbs, nouns, and other word categories in Lusoga, drawing on introspected and elicited data, along with data from dictionaries and corpus texts, as well as material presented in the literature in research by Larry Hyman. Our description focuses on phonological details like vowel length, as both shortening and lengthening processes are found, as well as similarities and differences across the categories. Reduplication is generally total in that the entire stem is copied. CVCV verb stems show lengthening of the final vowel of the first half of the reduplicated stem, though this lengthening is generally not found with nominal reduplication. Across categories, V‑initial stems appear with an initial y, except before an i‑initial stem. Verb reduplication does not copy prefixes, but nominal reduplication finds cases of nasal overcopy, the overcopying of CV prefixes with V‑initial stems. In addition, nominal reduplication includes some examples of tripling of CV stems, which is not found with verbs. The reduplication of quantifiers, numerals, and adverbs differ from verbs and nouns in generally involving whole‑word doubling which copies prefixes in addition to the stem.
Cultural adaptation and Northern Sotho translation of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers
(AOSIS, 2022-01-13) Vorster, Carlien; Kritzinger, Alta M. (Aletta Margaretha); Lekganyane, Enniah Matemane; Taljard, Elsabe (Elizabeth); Van der Linde, Jeannie
BACKGROUND : In recent reviews of autism spectrum disorder screening tools, the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/FTM) has been recommended for use in lower middle-income countries to promote earlier identification AIM : The study aim was to culturally adapt and translate the M-CHAT-R/FTM into Northern Sotho, a South African language. SETTING : An expert panel was purposively selected for the review and focus group discussion that was conducted within an academic context. METHOD : The source translation (English) was reviewed by bilingual Northern Sotho-English speech-language therapists who made recommendations for cultural adaptation. A double translation method was used, followed by a multidisciplinary expert panel discussion and a self-completed questionnaire. RESULTS : Holistic review of test, additional remarks and grammar and phrasing were identified as the most prominent themes of the panel discussion, emphasising the equivalence of the target translation. CONCLUSION : A South African culturally adapted English version of the M-CHAT-R/FTM is now available along with the preliminary Northern Sotho version of the M-CHAT-R/FTM. The two versions can now be confirmed by gathering empirical evidence of reliability and validity
‘Go beka’: Legato le bohlokwa la lenyalo la setšo
(NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor and Francis Group), 2021) Sefoka, Moipone Magdalina; Mojalefa, Mawatle Jeremiah (Jerry); jerry.mojalefa@up.ac.za
Nepokgolo ya nyakišišo ye ke go tsinkela lenyalo la setšo sa Bapedi go hlokometšwe kudu setšhaba sa ba Matlala ba tikologo ya Moutse. Go bile le dinyakišišo tšeo di dirilwego mabapi le lenyalo la setšo sa Bapedi. Le ge go le bjalo dinyakišišo tšeo di lebane le lenyalo la Bapedi ka kakaretšo leo le sa hlalošego magato a lenyalo ao ka Sepedi le ona a amogelegago mo lenyalong, bjalo ka legato la ‘Go beka’. Ge go lekolwa lenyalo la setšhaba se sa ba Matlala, go lemogwa gore sona se na le magato a lenyalo a go fapana le tšeo tše dingwe. Phapano ye kgolo ya lenyalo la setšo sa ba Matlala e theilwe godimo ga tshepedišo ya kgato ya go ikgetha ya go bitšwa legato la ‘Go beka’, leo ge le ka se phethagatšwe go thwego lenyalo la setšo ga se le felelele.

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