Volume 3 (2018)
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Item An analysis of linguistic features in the selected speeches of Bishop Kleopas Dumeni in the pre-independence era in Namibia(University of Namibia, 2018) Mbenzi, Petrus A.Linguistic features were used by Bishop Kleopas Dumeni of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) in the pre-independence era to persuade the audience to support the struggle for independence. Bishop Kleopas Dumeni used linguistic devices in an attempt to convince his target audience that the Namibians suffered a great deal at the hands of the colonial authorities. Thus international community support was desired to break the shackles of colonialism. Although Bishop Kleopas Dumeni employed various linguistic features in his speeches as a tool to whip up support for struggle for independence of Namibia, his language choices were never subjected to a critical examination to unravel their contribution to the effectiveness of the speeches. This paper thus examines how Bishop Dumeni used linguistic devices in his speeches to appeal to his audience as well as the effects these features had on the audience to support the struggle for Namibian independence. The paper is pegged on Aristotelian theory to reveal how language choice affects the three appeals of Aristotle namely, ethos, logos and pathos. Content analysis was used to deconstruct the selected speeches of Bishop Dumeni thereby identifying and evaluating the linguistic features in the speeches. The conclusion from this investigation is that Bishop Kleopas Dumeni effectively used the linguistic devices to woo his audience to his side to support in his efforts to end the wickedness of colonialism in Namibia.Item Challenges of teaching Kiswahili polysems and homonyms through translation in foreign language classes(University of Namibia, 2018) Malangwa, Pendo S.In teaching a foreign language, certain language features (i.e. polysems and homonyms) are not introduced as issues or topics for discussion and therefore, they emerge as weeds in the discussion (Klepousniotou, 2002). When this occurs, instructors struggle to handle them differently. This article investigated the challenges of teaching Kiswahili polysems and homonyms through translation in foreign language classes. The data for this study was collected through observation and documentary review methods. Findings show that Kiswahili has a complex system of polysems than homonyms. It has been further observed that translation method alone may not be adequate in handling problematic issues such as polysems and homonyms. Since polysems and homonyms are characterized by multiple meanings, a combination of translation method and componential analysis (analysis of semantic features) works better. Lastly, instructors should teach them in context instead of treating them as isolated words and they should be introduced at the intermediate through advanced levels of foreign language proficiency.Item Dhima za kipragmatiki za kialami pragmatiki ‘ah’ katika mazungumzo ya Kiswahili(University of Namibia, 2018) Kibiki, Magreth J.; Malangwa, Pendo S.This study examines the pragmatic functions of the pragmatic markers ah in spoken Kiswahili. The data has been obtained from informal conversations made by Swahili speakers in informal social settings. These include ‘vijiwe vya kahawa’ (setting of informal conversations created around people drinking coffee) and ‘vijiwe vya mamantilie’ (setting of informal conversations around women preparing and selling food on the streets). Using Conversation Analysis (Sacks, 1962) and Contextualization Theory (Gumpers, 1982), the results show that the pragmatic marker ah conveys different meanings depending on context of use and hence has various pragmatic functions. Among the pragmatic functions identified in this article are; to be used as gap filler (the interlocutor is thinking about what to say), is used to start the conversation, is used to disagree with what the other interlocutor has said, to show that the speaker has changed from the state of not knowing to the state of knowing (Now I get you) and to show exclamation. Interestingly, also, the study shows that intonation and other paralinguistic features (like gestures) play a role in determining the pragmatic functions of this marker. Generally, this article concludes that pragmatic markers in spoken Kiswahili are rich in meanings. Therefore, they are wealthy to be investigated.Item A discourse analysis of the second Aristotelian canon, arrangement, in the selected(University of Namibia, 2018) Mbenzi, Petrus A.This study investigates arrangement in the speeches of Bishop Kleopas Dumeni. The paper hinges on an Aristotelian theory of rhetoric. Aristotle divides arrangement into the following components, exordium (introduction), narratio (statement of facts), partitio (division), confirmatio (proof), refutatio (refutation) and peroratio (conclusion). These components of arrangement were used to evaluate arrangement in the speech of Bishop Kleopas Dumeni. Bishop Dumeni conducted various speeches calling for the independence of Namibia from 1979 to 1988. However, the speeches of Bishop Dumeni were not subjected to analysis to reveal how his speeches were organised to woo the audience to his side to support him in his decolonising efforts. Content analysis was used to dissect the speeches of Bishop Dumeni to identify the elements of arrangement in these speeches. The study reveals that Bishop Dumeni effectively used the elements of arrangement as expounded in Aristolean theory.Item "Eraka Lyomukondi Kapi Aligwire Pevhu"(University of Namibia, 2018) Hamunyera, ErenstineItem Evaluation of article structure components in English-Kwanyama Dictionary (EKD) with reference to the target users(University of Namibia, 2018) Shikesho, EdwardThis paper evaluates the article structure components in English-Kwanyama Dictionary (EKD) with reference to the target users. For any bilingual dictionary to satisfy the needs of the target users, it should be user-friendly. Important aspects that have to be considered when one compiles a bilingual dictionary are, among others, orthography, pronunciation, inflections, parts of speech, and translation equivalents. All these aspects are all parts of the microstructure (Gouws, 2002; Gouws & Prinsloo, 2005; Svensén, 2009). A target user should also be defined in any bilingual dictionary, and should be indicated in the dictionary’s front matter texts (Gouws & Prinsloo, 2005). EKD was compiled in 1954, about four and half decades ago, and there is no comprehensive research done to analyse its quality. The study’s theoretical frameworks are the Function Theory and the Text theory. Sven Tarp and Henning Bergenholtz are the leading proponents of the Function theory which was established in the late 1980s, and deals with dictionary functions and the user needs. The Text theory, proposed by Herbert Ernst Wiegand in the 1990s, deals with dictionaries’ textual structures. It is a qualitative study in a form of text analysis. Systematic dictionary research, which consists of two types, functional text segmentation as well as philological methods, is adopted. The findings reveal that EKD has become old and much needs to be improved in terms of aspects such as orthography. EKD’s target users are not defined in the dictionary’s front matter text, therefore, this paper recommends that lexicographers should define their target users in their future dictionaries’ front matter texts. They should also take into consideration the correct presentation of article structure aspects, based on the comment on form and the comment on semantics, such as spelling, parts of speech indication, lemma inflection, morphology and translation equivalents.Item Flea market voices on literacy in Botswana(University of Namibia, 2018) Arua, Arua E.This paper presents the views of some flea market vendors and clients, especially those whose voices are never heard, on the literacy and education issues that affect Botswana. Although small, the sample of respondents used for this study is representative of the kinds of people that populate flea markets. However, a large percentage of the respondents are male, thus indicating that male voices are dominant even in this setting. The findings of the study, which are similar to those in the literacy literature on Botswana, include the following: children lack interest in reading; parents have not been involved in their children’s reading development; and there are inadequate library and other resources to support a reading culture in Botswana. Some respondents advocate direct teaching of reading to their children, procuring reading materials for them and sending them to good private schools as ways of improving their children’s reading. Overall, the study shows that there is need to complement the top-down approach with the bottom-up approach, as there are valuable lessons policy makers can glean from canvassing the views of those in non-traditional government structures such as the flea markets.Item Germanising Oshiwambo language: Phonological integration of German loan words into Oshiwambo(University of Namibia, 2018) Uushona, Johannes; Mbenzi, Petrus A.Oshiwambo, a Bantu language spoken in Northern Namibia and Southern Angola, like other languages in contact, has adopted foreign words from other languages to meet the needs of its daily life vocabularies and activities. This paper identified and described the phonological changes which the loanwords from German go through to fit into Oshiwambo speech system and established the phonological rules that account for these changes. The paper is based on the hypothesis that words borrowed from other languages, especially European languages, into Oshiwambo, are phonologically modified to fit the Oshiwambo speech system because little information is available on the phonological wambonisation of German words. The data were collected from school textbooks, daily conversations and personal vocabularies of the researcher. The loanwords were transcribed for phonological analysis. The paper investigated how Oshiwambo borrowed words from German yet the two languages differ widely in terms of phonemic inventories and phonotactics. It has become evident that there are several vowel and consonant changes in the process of borrowing. The paper contributes to the linguistic study in the area of Oshiwambo in particular and Bantu languages in general. The knowledge acquired could be utilized by the institutions of higher learning too.Item Iho popitha aantu? – Don’t you greet people?: A contextual analysis of Oshiwambo greetings(University of Namibia, 2018) Mbenzi, Petrus A.; Mulema, Justina; Amakali, LatendaThis paper is intended to investigate the socio-pragmatic context of Oshiwambo greetings. There is a dearth of literature on the intricacies of Oshiwambo forms of greeting and the metamorphosis that it has undergone to date. Thus there is a need to investigate the present state of Oshiwambo greetings. The paper is pegged on Austin’s Speech Act theory that emphasizes that utterances are the production of words and sentences on particular occasions by particular speakers for particular purposes. In view of that, Oshiwambo greetings are expressed to convey a specific message to the addressee by the addressor. Two approaches were employed to collect information for this paper namely, ethnographic approach to gauge the impact of Euro-western culture on Oshiwambo greetings and, documentation to dissect the socio-pragmatic context of Oshiwambo forms of greetings. The paper focuses on the functions, situations and types of greeting that exist in Oshiwambo. It further focuses on the paralinguistic and extra-linguistic features which complement the forms of greetings. The analysis has shown that greetings are an integral part of interactional discourse and serve as a prelude to the establishments of social relationships and that they can vary according to the age of the interactants and the circumstances under which the greetings take place. The paper further reveals that there are circumstances in which no exchange of greeting is expected. In the final analysis the paper reveals that western culture has an effect on the extra-linguistic features which accompany greetings thus both verbal and non-verbal modes of greetings are partly westernized.Item Laba(University of Namibia, 2018) Nakanyete, Ndapewa FennyItem Passive constructions in Setswana: Argument structure alternations from Lexical Mapping Theory perspective(University of Namibia, 2018) Morapedi, SetumileThe paper analyses passive constructions in Setswana from morpho-syntactic view point, showing that the suffixation of a passive morpheme to the verb reduces the argument structure of the verb. Previous studies carried out in Setswana verbal suffixes have confined their investigations to these morphemes as elements of morphology but have failed to observe that these affixes overlap into syntax. Chebanne (1996) observes that in Setswana, verbal extensions can combine with a single verbal base but fail to observe the overlap into syntax. Further, the studies do not give any insight in the features that Setswana shares with other Bantu languages. The passive construction in Setswana, like in other Bantu languages, is a bit complex in the sense that the verbal extension –iw brings into effect the dropping of the subject, and the object becomes the grammatical subject, thus rendering the transitive verb, such as, apaya ‘cook’ intransitive. Conversely, other derivational suffixes, such as applicative and causative, increase the verb’s arguments by two. For instance, the suffixation of the verbal suffix –el suggests an entity carrying out the action and somebody benefiting. The paper also compares passive with other verbal extensions such as neuter, applicative, causatives and reciprocals. It shows that while the passive occurs with most verbs and other verbal extensions, such as, applicative or causative suffixes, the neuter is rigid in occurring with other verbal extensions. The paper also appeals to Lexical Mapping Theory, whose role is to constrain mapping relations between thematic roles, such as an agent or patient and the corresponding grammatical functions, such as the subject, patient and oblique that have been subcategorized for by predicatesItem Persistence of African languages and religions in Latin America since slavery(University of Namibia, 2018) Nakanyete, Ndapewa FennyThis paper examines the presence of African languages and spiritual practices of Candomblé, Santería and Vodou religions in Brazil, Cuba and Haiti respectively. The three religions are known to have been originated by African slaves that were mostly captured in- and transferred from West and Central Africa to Latin America. Currently, the three religions are not only followed by African descendants, but also by people of various ethnic backgrounds worldwide. Thus, people flock to the three countries regularly to be initiated into this African-based religions and cultures. On the other hand, similar spiritual practices on the African continent seem to be generally stigmatized if not demonized. Findings presented in this paper are as a result of direct observations and open interviews over a four months of fieldwork, as well as desktop reviews of existing literature. The findings demonstrate etymologies of terms and expressions that are of various African languages origin and are used in the three religions. The paper calls for integral comparative studies of parts in Africa with parts of Latin America to auxiliary identify linguistic and spirituality similarities, and significance roles of African slaves in maintaining African traditions.Item The role of drama in teaching English: Towards the enhancement of students’ communicative skills at the University of Namibia(University of Namibia, 2018) Namundjebo, Elizabeth Q.; Kangira, Jairos; Morgan, ElizabethThe purpose of this study was to explore the role of drama in teaching English to enhance students’ communicative skills at the University of Namibia. The discussions of the research focused on assessing the benefits of using drama in the teaching of English to increase students’ motivation and self-confidence, as well as to enhance their communicative skills. Research findings revealed the effectiveness of drama oriented English lessons to the benefits of students’ speaking skills, motivation, self-esteem and confidence in their abilities to communicate in English. In addition, the findings revealed that drama activities aided students develop a community and foster group cohesiveness, which helped in building students’ confidence when speaking English in front of their classmates. Moreover, the study results revealed that motivation is linked to self-confidence as the drama activities accorded students the opportunity to use the target language in real life situations.Item Sexism in Haya language personal names selection(University of Namibia, 2018) Buberwa, AdventinaThis paper examines sexism in naming focussing on the meaning of Haya personal names used in Haya community of North Western Tanzania. It is based on the assumption that some conscious personal names are selected in favour of men. This disparity is well examined by using the Critical Discourse Analysis approach. The paper presents field data from Bukoba Rural district in Kagera Region. The results reveal that meanings of male names were associated with high worthwhile the meanings of female names were associated with low worth. This was justified by the point that Haya male names referred to male as a saviour and helper of the family and society, a strong person, a fighter, a winner, rich and famous person while female names were connected with love, attraction, comfort, soothes and parents disappointment for having a baby girl. The study found that names of female children indicate an important argument that parents consider female child as a burden and liability. Generally, it was observed that selection of some Haya personal names was done in discriminatory manner that need an urgent emphasis on the value of names of girls in families and society in general.Item Shakespeare and Botswana politics in 2014: A case of life imitating art(University of Namibia, 2018) Koketso, DanielShakespeare’s influence cannot be confined by subject, theme, spatial and/or temporal setting. His works transcend disciplines and geographical identity. He is a linguist, a psychiatrist, ecologist and a political, social and economic commentator. Three thousand new words and phrases all first appeared in print in Shakespeare’s plays. Through Shylock’s resolve on three thousand ducats repayment, readers of The Merchant of Venice learn about the dangers of a cash nexus on human relations. The major tragedies and tragicomedies impart knowledge about politics at both national and family levels. Julius Caesar; Macbeth; King Lear; Othello, and Romeo and Juliet each touches on the important aspect of power dynamics in the private and public spheres. This paper considers some of the major political events in the build-up to the 2014 Botswana general elections and compares them to Shakespeare’s political intrigue in Julius Caesar. The paper concludes that there is credibility in Oscar Wilde’s argument in his 1889 essay ‘The Decay of Lying,’ that "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life" (Wilde, 1889, p. 11).Item Skills needed to interpret transcendental languages: The case of Bhasukuma spirit medium language mediation(University of Namibia, 2018) Mpemba, TitusThe present paper examines linguistic and non-linguistic skills and competencies that are inherent and necessary in interpreting transcendental languages, in view of giving indigenous interpreting forms and sub-forms more visibility in the interpreting research landscape and discourse. As its theoretical underpinning, the paper is guided by ideas from postcoloniality and scriptocentrism. The data were obtained through observation of 24 spirit medium language mediation events and semi-structured interviews to 24 Bhasukuma spirit mediums and 24 mediators in Mwanza, Geita, Shinyanga and Simiyu administrative regions of the United Republic of Tanzania. Findings suggest that there are prior-to-mediation-process skills and during-mediation-process skills, which provide more support to the previous studies which found that mediation of transcendental languages is an aspect of interpreting. It is recommended that African scholars should take it as their prerogative to expose more African realities to the world to better peoples’ understanding.Item The treatment of equivalent relations in English-Kwanyama dictionary(University of Namibia, 2018) Shikesho, Edward; Mbenzi, Petrus A.This paper investigates the treatment of equivalent relations in English-Kwanyama Dictionary (EKD) by G. W. R. Tobias and B. H. C Turvey compiled in 1954. For any bilingual dictionary to satisfy the needs of the target users, it should treat the equivalent relations effectively (Gouws, 2002; Gouws & Prinsloo, 2005 & Svensén, 2009). Although EKD was compiled 65 years ago, it seems no comprehensive study has been conducted to evaluate its effectiveness. Hence this paper is an attempt to evaluate its treatment and the effectiveness of equivalent relations. The paper is couched on the text theory of Herbert Ernst Wiegand which deals with dictionary textual structures, function theory developed by Sven Tarp, and Henning Bergenholtz that focuses on dictionary functions as well as the user needs. In addition, lexicographic theory of communication developed by Beyer (2014) is employed to analyse EKD purposes. The findings reveal that full equivalence is treated well in EKD, but partial equivalence and zero equivalence have not been presented effectively in EKD. This paper recommends that EKD be revised extensively to present all types of equivalent relations adequately.Item A true friend(University of Namibia, 2018) Domingo, Natasha LientjiesItem Ujinsi wa nomino za mkopo katika lugha ya Kiswahili(University of Namibia, 2018) Msigwa, Arnold B.Masculine, the world languages are generally categorized into two categories; masculine language, feminine language and neuter language. Many Bantu Languages, Swahili inclusive is generally categorized as neuter language; meaning that objects have on its vocabulary like noun has no grammatical gender. However, if you underscore a close observation especially on the borrowed noun, you find something different. The aim of the current article therefore is to investigate how the borrowed noun that enters into Swahili from gendered language behaves. The questions raised by this article are: first, do really borrowed noun that come from gendered language into Swahili become neuter like other noun? Secondly, by looking those borrowed now from gendered language and the way they behaves in Swahili, is it correct to generalize that Swahili language is neuter. These questions and other of this trend are the ones addressed in this article. Data collected from through interview and observation is used to support the argument.Item Uushiindaism as a collective poverty alleviation mechanism and social support(University of Namibia, 2018) Mbenzi, Petrus A.; Ashikuti, SelmaThere are attempts to break the cycle of poverty among indigent people in communities globally and in Namibia in particular. In Africa, attempts are made to devise various strategies and develop tools to alleviate poverty. There is, thus a need to implement poverty alleviation tools based on the indigenous knowledge system. By employing and promoting the existing tools among the indigenous people, poverty is likely to be alleviated. This paper presents uushiindaism as one of the existing indigenous tools that can be used to lessen poverty among the poor and marginalized people. Using the collectivism theory which advocates for communal, societal, or national interests in various types of political, economic, and educational systems, the study investigates the concept of uushiindaism as practiced by Aawambo. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The narrative approach is used in the paper to unravel the role, significance and relevance of uushiindaism and to highlight threats to uushiindaism. It is revealed, in this paper, that poverty may be alleviated through sharing of resources, coupled with work related programs and not through the creation of dependency syndrome.