Hamlaoui, Fatima , Engelmann, Jonas , Szendrői, Kriszta Eszter
This paper concentrates on whether systematic variations in pitch, intensity, and duration can be observed as a function of the focused or discourse-given status of a constituent in Kinyarwanda (Guthrie code JD.61), and a relatively recent variety of “New English” in contact with this Bantu language. Kinyarwanda is a tone language, in which the information-structural notion of focus has been reported to be expressed through changes in word order, with focus appearing clause-finally (Kimenyi 1988, Ndayiragije 1999, Ngoboka 2016). In contrast, Standard English is well-known for the prosodic boost associated with narrowly focused words and the prosodic reduction of post-focal items. Crosslinguistically, the prosodic expression of focus and givenness is progressively being considered a marked feature. Zerbian (2015a) predicts that it should not be found in a second language or a contact variety if it is not already present in the first language of a speaker or a group of speakers. Our study finds no evidence that information focus, exhaustive focus, or givenness systematically affect the prosody of Kinyarwanda. We also find no systematic effect of information structure in the variety of English spoken by our Rwandan participants, confirming that this is probably an area of English that is difficult to acquire.
Philology. Linguistics, African languages and literature
In 2019, the Botswanan government reversed the hunting ban instituted in 2014. The ban had met with stiff opposition within Botswana and widespread critique. Some condemned the excessive influence of the international conservation community. Many focused on the negative impact of large herds of elephants on the physical environment and remote communities of the Northeast. However, although framed in terms of conservation concerns and the economic viability of remote communities, the controversies surrounding Botswana’s hunting policies reflected a much longer history of occupation, and discourses of power. By the mid-nineteenth century, new forms of global consumption and trade were transforming the economic and political map of southern Africa. For much of the region, hunting, cattle, and guns were at heart of these changes. Often issues of sovereignty and power were articulated in terms of access to land, access to animals and access to weapons. Likewise, group and individual identity also became embedded in rights in animals and rights in weapons. This article examines the role of hunting and herding as a local experience within a global economic context. As such it looks at the multiplicity of roles and actions involved in composing nineteenth century hunting parties, gaining access to animals, as well as dividing and distributing goods and compensations. In so doing it considers as far as possible, the motivations and strategies of those involved at various levels. It also argues that rights in animals, access to the global economy and resources are essential to understanding both the nineteenth century ivory boom and current debates.
History of Africa, African languages and literature
Safiriyu Ijiyemi Eludiora, Muhammad Auwal Abubakar
The invention of the numeration system is regarded as one of man's great accomplishments. It
greatly helps man express his communication needs and serves as an important tool in
language pedagogy, historical linguistics, comparative study of African languages, and
computational linguistics. However, the numeral system is reported to be an endangered area
being identified in the use and study of language, and in no distant time, the traditional number
system of the African indigenous counting systems may lose its contact with the new generation.
This paper presents a Hindu-Arabic to Hausa number transcription system. Secondary data
used was sourced from literature. Context-Free Grammar (CFG) and Unified Modelling
Language (UML) was used to design the system. The system designed was implemented using
the Python programming language. Mean Opinion Score (MOS) evaluation approach was used
to evaluate the implemented system. The result of the evaluation on Numbers with Single
Representations (NSR), and Numbers with Multiple Representations (NMR) is based on three
(3) metrics: syllable accuracy, orthography accuracy and syntax accuracy. The experimental
respondents', system developed, and human expert average scores on NSR were respectively
0%, 100% and 100% for syllable accuracy, 40.1%, 100% and 100% for orthography accuracy,
and 62.8%, 100% and 100% for syntax accuracy. Similarly, the experimental respondents',
system developed, and human expert average scores on NMR were respectively 0%, 100% and
100% for syllable accuracy, 21.4%, 100% and 100% for orthography accuracy, and 31.7%,
100% and 100% for syntax accuracy. The system is capable of transcribing cardinal numbers,
1 to 1-billion, and the expert response confirmed its accuracy. The study concluded that among
others, the developed system is of great importance in the teaching and learning of the
traditional Hausa counting system. Future work on contextual Hausa numeral system analysis
is recommended.
Reading ability is important in education, as it transcends all forms of learning. Poor reading ability usually means that a learner will encounter academic challenges and perform poorly at school. Grade 9 (form 2) learners in Zimbabwe were thought to have been disadvantaged during Zimbabwe’s economic turmoil from 2006 to 2008. There were so many disruptions and instances of absenteeism in government schools during that period that these learners, who were in grade R at the time, may not have received adequate reading instruction. The aim of the study was to investigate the reading comprehension levels of grade 9 (form 2) learners in Bulawayo Central District high schools in Zimbabwe to determine whether they were disadvantaged by the disruptions, and to what extent. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data to establish the learners’ reading proficiency and to determine what factors influenced their reading proficiency. Forty-eight learners from government schools and 22 from private schools voluntarily wrote a reading comprehension test and provided narratives on their reading development. The test results were analysed using ANOVA and the narratives were analysed using content analysis. The test results showed that the reading comprehension level of the cohort of grade 9 (form 2) learners in government schools was below that expected for grade 4. The narratives of the government school learners were also fraught with errors, whereas private school learners wrote better narratives. The study therefore showed that the reading proficiency of the government school learners who were in grade R in 2008 was below the required level. The learners’ reading development seems to have been adversely affected by the national disruptions. Recommendations are made for interventions to improve the reading proficiency of grade 9 learners in government schools before they pursue tertiary education.
Language and Literature, African languages and literature
This article considers the remaining hindrances for natural language processing technologies in achieving open and natural (human-like) interaction between humans and computers. Although artificially intelligent (AI) systems have been making great strides in this field, particularly with the development of deep learning architectures that carry surface-level statistical methods to greater levels of sophistication, these systems are yet incapable of deep semantic analysis, reliable translation, and generating rich answers to open-ended questions. I consider how the process may be facilitated from our side, first, by altering some of our existing language conventions (which may occur naturally) if we are to proceed with statistical approaches, and secondly, by considering possibilities in using a formalised artificial language as an auxiliary medium, as it may avoid many of the inherent ambiguities and irregularities that make natural language difficult to process using rule-based methods. As current systems have been predominantly English-based, I argue that a formal auxiliary language would not only be a simpler and more reliable medium for computer processing, but may also offer a more neutral, easy-to-learn lingua franca for uniting people from different linguistic backgrounds with none necessarily having the upper hand.
Philology. Linguistics, African languages and literature
In this article, I look at the ways in which Marlene van Niekerk’s Agaat re-orders the ideas of stewardship and land ownership in the South African plaasroman by invoking notions of cartography. I argue that cartography is particularly important for postcolonial theory because writers may project spaces other than, or position themselves in the spaces between, those endorsed by dominant cultures. This is particularly significant for feminism. I argue that the story of mapmaking is important both in Jakkie’s frame narrative and in the central narrative dominated by Milla de Wet and her servant Agaat. Together the female protagonists’ participation in mapmaking and their use of the alphabet chart through which Milla originally taught Agaat language enables them to escape phallogocentrism. This process of liberation climaxes in their joint involvement in Agaat’s embroidery. By embedding Milla’s and Agaat’s stories in the story of maps, van Niekerk brings about ‘a new relationship to the land, to other people and to the tradition of Afrikaans literature’ (Gerrit Olivier, The Dertigers and the Plaasroman: Two Brief Perspectives on Afrikaans Literature).
This article analyses the role of ‘race’ in Antjie Krog’s non-fiction trilogy Country of My Skull (1998), A Change of Tongue (2003) and Begging to Be Black (2009). It explores her explicit use of terms such as ‘heart of whiteness’ and ‘heart of blackness’. Claims that Krog essentialises Africa and ‘black’ people are investigated. The article also addresses accusations of racism in Krog’s work. A partial answer to the persistent question of why Krog is so determinedly focused on ‘race’ is sought in the concept of complicity. There is definite specificity in the way Krog writes about ‘white’ perpetrators and ‘black’ victims in South Africa, but her trilogy should be read within the broader context of international restitution discourses, allowing for a somewhat different perspective on her contribution to the discussion of the issue of whether ‘white’ people belong in (South) Africa.
Nafissatou Dia Diouf is a Senegalese author who has garnered recognition both in her home country and internationally since she began publishing in the 1990s. Her work, including fiction, poetry, children’s literature, and philosophical essays, portrays diverse topics as they relate to her country such as education, marriage, polygamy, maternity/paternity, the influence of the West, the roles of business and government, and the power of the media. Diouf provides her reader with a comprehensive yet critical view of Senegal and shows how her homeland is affected by and reacts to the changes it currently faces. In a recent interview, Diouf stated: “For me, the first role of a citizen, even more when one has the power of influence such as in the case of writers, is to take a critical look (a constructive critique, of course) at one’s own country.” In this article that combines an interview with the author and textual analysis of her work, I explore how Nafissatou Dia Diouf critically examines contemporary Senegalese society and portrays a country in the process of transition and transformation. Through her visionary writing, Diouf works to construct a new type of Senegalese society and identity of which she and her fellow citizens can be proud.
History of Africa, African languages and literature
Mathematical literacy is a real-world practical attribute yet students write a high-stakes examination in order to pass the subject Mathematical Literacy in the National Certificates (Vocational) (NC(V)). In these examinations, all sources of information are contextualised in language. It can be effortful for English second language students to decode text. The deliberate processing that is required saturates working memory and prevents these students from optimally engaging in problem solving. In this study, 15 items from an NC(V) Level 4 Mathematical Literacy examination are selected, as well as 15 student responses to each of these questions. From these responses, those which are incorrect are analysed to determine whether the error is due to insufficient mathematical literacy or a lack of English language proficiency. These results are used as an indication as to whether the examination is fair and valid for this group of students.
Language and Literature, African languages and literature
<p>Early development has been the focus of considerable research in the past few decades.However, only minimal information has been obtained on the phonological developmentamong the speakers of Southern African indigenous languages, most particularly Xhosa.</p><p>This study is based on corpus collected from 10 Xhosa-speaking children aged J 2 to 36months, for the period of J2 months, recording their spontaneous vocalisations. Languageand speech acquisition of Xhosa does not seem to follow the patterns of many Indo Europeanlanguages studied. Xhosa possesses a large repertoire of phenomenon, such as clicks, whichare unknown in other languages. The similarities and differences in existing data on otherlanguages and their significance for professions such as Speech-Therapy and Education areidentified and discussed.</p><p>Die afgelope paar dekades het 'n aansienlike hoeveelheid navorsing die fokus veral op vroeetaalontwikkeling laat val. Baie min inligting is egter ingewin oor die fonologieseontwikkeling van sprekers van die inheemse tale van Suidelike Afrika, veral van Xhosa.</p><p>Die artikel gee in hooflrekke 'n oorsig oor navorsing wat oor 'n tydperk van J2 maande op10 Xhosasprekende kinders tussen die ouderdomme 12 en 36 maande gedoen is. Diespontane klankuitinge van die kinders is gedurende hierdie tydperk opgeneem. Dievoorlopige bevindinge gee te kenne dat dit nie lyk asof taalverwerwing van uitlatings inXhosa dieselfde patrone volg as baie Indo-Europese tale wat bestudeer is nie. Xhosa het 'nlrye repertoire verskynsels, soos klikgeluide, wat onbekend is in Indo-Europese tale.</p><p>Hierdie artikel identifiseer en bespreek ooreenkomste en verskille wat tydens hierdienavorsing vasgestel is asook bestaande data oor ander tale. Dit dui ook op die belang vanhierdie navorsing vir professies soos Spraakterapie en die Onderlrys.</p>
Language and Literature, African languages and literature
This paper discusses the development of the vocabulary of grade 7 learners in a reading project currently underway at a school in Atteridgeville, a township on the outskirts of Pretoria. A library has been established at the school and teachers throughout the school attend workshops designed to heighten their awareness of the value of reading and the importance of vocabulary, and to provide them with strategies to facilitate the development of reading. This paper focuses on the vocabulary development of grade 7 learners – they are in the senior phase of primary school and will soon be entering high school where they will be faced with more academic vocabulary in context-reduced textbooks. Learners’ vocabulary was tested early in the year and then again towards the end to assess whether increased access to books and reading had had an effect on vocabulary growth. Results revealed that learners at the project school showed a lack of vocabulary, even at the end of the study period, not only in terms of academic words but also high frequency words. Extensive reading alone is clearly not enough – learners need explicit vocabulary instruction: in order to read successfully at high school level, learners need a working knowledge of academic vocabulary, and this knowledge is developed by reading – but learners cannot read successfully without an adequate basic high-frequency vocabulary.
Language and Literature, African languages and literature
This article focuses on Fay Weldon’s novel, “Praxis”, as a means of exploring the concept of “liberal feminism”. “Praxis” charts the development of the eponymous main protagonist from a woman complicit in her own patriarchal oppression to a radical feminist activist and finally to the point where she comes to a liberal realisation of the nuances of individual women’s experiences and the complexity of emancipation. The novel may be regarded as a liberal feminist text in its emphasis on both gender equality and individual liberty, and in its insistence that society may be positively reformed within the paradigm of the liberal state and without resorting to radical extremism. Published in 1978, the novel anticipates the later shift in feminist thinking from an exclusive concern with women’s rights to a more inclusive liberal vision of human rights.
Breyten Breytenbach’s Boek: language (poetry) as feelinginstrument to explore consciousness
One of the big questions of science is the mystery of consciousness. How is it possible that a state of consciousness, an awareness of your own being and actions, can originate from matter, from the movement of neurons in nerve tissue? While neuroscience does not have answers to these questions (yet), the subjective exploration of consciousness by means of works of art, could make a valuable contribution. Breyten Breytenbach explicitly views his art (writing and painting) as ways to investigate consciousness.
In “Boek” (1987) Breytenbach explains his views on art. In this complex work, he focusses, among other aspects, on the idea that the work of art, at a specific moment, produces an “other”, a meaning that has not hitherto existed somewhere, waiting to be discovered. This hitherto unknown meaning comes into existence in the moment of creation.
The creative moment in which the hitherto unknown is wrestled from the known, cannot be produced by following a recipe. The unknown, the other, virtually invades the world of the artist, as if the work of art happens to the artist, instead of him creating it. This experience has a changing effect on the artist and in the process he learns more about his own consciousness.
The changing effect is not restricted to the artist, as the reader of the poem shares this experience. Because the reader is also writer, according to Breytenbach, the work of art is recreated by the reader and the reader has the same experience of a virtual invasion of the “other” on his/her own life and in the process also discovers more about his/her own consciousness.
In this article two series of biographies written for children, and dealing with prominent personalities in Kenya and South Africa, are compared. In the line of argumentation developed the aim is to examine the main features in these biographies, and to indicate the importance of biographies in the general field of children’s literature. By examining a sample text from each series the specific ways in which the authors mould these personalities into heroes of their countries are scrutinised. Furthermore the way in which gender is represented in the two series is also examined and it is argued that both men and women form part of any country’s gallery of heroes. Underlying the main argument of the article is the contention that biographies are important in perpetuating the stories of the two countries’ heroes: also in teaching the history of each country to the young. A general motif of hard work resonates in these works, and therefore it is asserted that individuals’ biographies can be used as anecdotes to communicate with and to inspire and encourage young readers. The authors of the biographies actually intervene by presenting children with role models. Furthermore these role models are not abstract fictional characters but real human beings who made great sacrifices for their countries – people with whom children are thus able to identify.