Browsing by Author "Brenzinger, Matthias"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    A comparative analysis of the phonology and morpho-syntax of Cisukwa, Cindali and Cilambya
    (2016) Mtenje, Atikonda; Brenzinger, Matthias; Mesthrie, Rajend
    This PhD thesis describes and compares the grammars of Cisukwa, Cindali and Cilambya (SuNdaLa) - three closely related varieties spoken in the northern region of Malawi. The analysis of the language data collected in this research project focuses on the phonological and morpho-syntactic systems of the SuNdaLa varieties by examining variation among them and by identifying the shared linguistic features. Within this research project, the linguistic distance among the three varieties has been analysed and suggestions have been made as to whether the SuNdaLa varieties should be considered as being three dialects of one language or as constituting three distinct languages. The study also places the SuNdaLa cluster into a wider context of the Bantu languages spoken in the region and more generally. Quantitative and qualitative language data was collected in the field from "native" speakers of all three varieties. The SuNdaLa survey included the collection of a comparative word list by using a questionnaire that was designed based on existing wordlists, such as „Swadesh 100 word list‟ (Swadesh 1955) as well as the SIL Comparative African Wordlist (Snider and Roberts 2006). Language data on the morpho-sytax and phonology was collected in elicitation sessions as well as by recording natural conversations among the key language consultants as well as their conversations with other community members.
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    'Cutting' and 'breaking' events in Akan
    (2017) Agyepong, Dorothy Pokua; Brookes, Heather J; Osam, E Kweku; Brenzinger, Matthias
    This study investigates the grammar and semantics of verbs that describe separation events in Asante Twi (Akan), a Kwa (Niger-Congo) language spoken in Ghana. It adopts a constructionist approach combined with a 'monosemic bias' perspective in the analysis. It theoretical starting point is that contextual interpretations are derived from the interaction of the prototypical meanings of verbs and their arguments. A multi-method approach was used in data gathering: (i) compilation of verbs that code separation as well as sentences in which they are used from literary texts (bibles, and novels) and dictionaries. (ii) Descriptions of separation activities elicited using video-stimuli Bohnemeyer et al. (2001), 61 video clips depicting cutting and breaking events (fieldmanuals.mpi.nl) supplemented by 82 clips created by the author involving culturally appropriate objects (Agyepong 2015). (iii) Spontaneous narratives, and procedural discourses about cultural events/practices involving separation e.g. cooking, palm-wine tapping. (iv) Introspection based on the author's native speaker intuitions. The main findings of the thesis are that there are two central verbs in the separation domain in Akan: twá 'to cut' and bú 'to break'. There are, in addition, more specialized verbs for specific types of object separation, e.g. nú 'harvest palm fruit by poking with a bladed instrument' or pòrò 'to pluck fruit'. The choice of a particular verb in context is determined by the following parameters: instrument involvement, manner of separation, physical properties of entities as well as the end-state result of the situation. Crucially, the thesis further addresses the challenge of how to account for the interpretation of the typical as well as atypical argument realization patterns associated with the separation verbs. It shows how constructional meanings contribute to the interpretation of collocations of the verbs. Other principles such as coercion, addition and suppression of components in the lexical semantics of both the verbs and its arguments as well as cultural implicatures are invoked in the compositional process of calculating the contextual interpretations.
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    Ouma Geelmeid ke kx’u ǁxaǁxa Nǀuu
    (CALDi, University of Cape Town, 2016) Shah, Sheena; Brenzinger, Matthias
    Three sisters living near Upington in the Northern Cape province of South Africa are the last fluent speakers of Nǀuu. Linguists from the Centre for African Language Diversity (CALDi) at UCT produced an illustrated 160 page trilingual Nǀuu-Afrikaans-English reader in collaboration with community members to support revitalisation efforts of this highly endangered language. The hard copies of the reader are used in the Nǀuu language classes conducted by Ouma Geelmeid, the youngest of the three Nǀuu-speaking sisters. The reader features twelve thematic areas with phrases and sentences derived from everyday conversations, as well as games, prayers and songs taught by Ouma Geelmeid. Core cultural terms and basic vocabulary used in the Nǀuu language classes have been compiled in Nǀuu-Afrikaans-English and Afrikaans-Nǀuu-English glossaries. In addition, new Nǀuu language data is available to a wider audience, both academics and other interested parties, through the electronic online copy of the reader. This language data will be of particular interest to scholars working in a number of subfields of linguistics, including typology, historical linguistics and language contact studies.
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    Silozi, a mixed language: an analysis of the noun class system and kinship terms
    (2018) Mbeha, Gustav Nyambe; Brenzinger, Matthias
    Silozi, the language of the Malozi people in Zambia and Namibia is a mixed language that has been the subject of a classification debate between scholars. Doke (1943) classifies Silozi in the same zone as Sesotho languages due to linguistic similarities. Guthrie (1948) in contrast, classify it independently because of its geographic location. Therefore, this study analyses and describes the mixed character of Silozi with focus on two areas. Firstly, the noun class system of Silozi is compared to those of Sesotho and the neighbouring languages to identify the origins of Silozi's noun classes. Secondly, present-day Silozi kinship terms are compared to Sesotho terms to determine which kinship terms are borrowed from Sesotho and which are not. The Silozi terms collected by early scholars are also compared with the presentday terms to identify differences. First hand language data was collected in the Kavuyu village (Zambia) and the Mahohoma settlement (Namibia) by employing a mixed methods approach. This involved the use of tailormade questionnaires which included open-ended questions and a wordlist. Furthermore, participant observations and open interviews were conducted. Twelve participants between the ages of 15 and 56 completed the questionnaire. Additionally, one family from each of the research sites was observed and for natural language data. The data used for comparative analysis was drawn primarily from Stirke and Thomas (1916) and Jalla (1936). Sesotho and Setswana native speakers were consulted for translations into the respective languages. The data analysis led to the following conclusions. Sesotho, Siluyana and some of the neighbouring languages contributed to Silozi significantly. The noun classes 1-10, 14 and 15 of Silozi are shared with Sesotho but the use has been modified due to contact with Siluyana. The diminutive classes 12-13 and locative classes 16-18 which have been lost in Sesotho were reinvented in Silozi through borrowing from Setswana and Siluyana. Most of Silozi's kinship terms from Sesotho have retained their semantic meanings but some have undergone semantic expansion. The kinship terms of non-Sesotho origin were borrowed from Siluyana and Simbunda. Though Silozi has more noun classes than its parent languages, it contains fewer kinship terms. The aim of this study is to illustrate the mixed character of Silozi in the noun class system and the kinship term, thus aiding the better understanding of Silozi.
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    Spatial languages in IsiXhosa
    (2016) Botsis, Rachel; Brenzinger, Matthias
    This thesis investigates some aspects of spatial language of isiXhosa. It identifies the elements of isiXhosa used in the spatial domain and analyses their use and distribution across the language. Six isiXhosa-speaking language consultants were interviewed, all males between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two years. They have all grown up in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and are currently attending tertiary institutions within the Western Cape. The methodological framework adopted for this research was developed by the 'Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics' (MPI) in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Their research tools "Man & Tree" and "Space Games" were employed to gather the language data on spatial language of isiXhosa. A particular focus in this study was placed on investigating the underlying spatial models employed in the deictic axis, i.e. the face to face model or the single file model. The data reveals that both models seem to be employed by the young male isiXhosa-speakers of the study. Furthermore, the thesis also analyses what frames of reference these particular isiXhosa speakers utilize. The survey revealed variation in the use of models among these young speakers. This variation can be explained as language contact phenomena since all language consultants are in an English speaking environment at least for several years.