A history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorLass, Rogeren_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMesthrie, Rajenden_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-05-09T08:57:00Z
dc.date.available2016-05-09T08:57:00Z
dc.date.issued1985en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: pages 308-318.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAlthough Indian languages have existed in South Africa for the last 125 years, there are no academic studies of any of them - of their use in South Africa, their evolution and current decline. Many misconceptions persist concerning their names, their structure, and status as 'proper' languages. This thesis deals with the history of one such language, Bhojpuri (more usually, but incorrectly, referred to as "Hindi"). I attempt to trace the origins of the South African variety of this language by examining the places of origin of the original indentured migrants who brought it to South Africa. A complex sociolinguistic picture emerges, since these immigrants came from a very wide area in North India spanning several languages. I also attempt to describe the early history of Bhojpuri in South Africa as a 'plantation' language. Subsequent changing patterns of usage are then detailed, including phonetic, syntactic, lexical and semantic change. The influence of other South African languages - chiefly English, but also Zulu, Fanagalo, and other Indian languages - is described in detail, as well as changes not directly attributable to language contact. A final section focusses on the decline of the language and the process of language death. From another (more international) perspective this study lays the foundation for comparisons between Bhojpuri in South Africa and other 'overseas' varieties of it, spawned under very similar conditions, in ex-colonies like Surinam, Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and others. Such a comparative study could well make as great a contribution to general and socio-linguistics as the study of creoles has in the recent past. Information concerning this unwritten language was gathered by field-work throughout Natal. This involved informal interviews with over two hundred fluent speakers, including four who had been born in India during the time of immigrations. The study also draws upon the author's observations on language practices as an 'inside' member of the community under study.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMesthrie, R. (1985). <i>A history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africa</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Linguistics. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19511en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMesthrie, Rajend. <i>"A history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africa."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Linguistics, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19511en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMesthrie, R. 1985. A history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africa. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Mesthrie, Rajend AB - Although Indian languages have existed in South Africa for the last 125 years, there are no academic studies of any of them - of their use in South Africa, their evolution and current decline. Many misconceptions persist concerning their names, their structure, and status as 'proper' languages. This thesis deals with the history of one such language, Bhojpuri (more usually, but incorrectly, referred to as "Hindi"). I attempt to trace the origins of the South African variety of this language by examining the places of origin of the original indentured migrants who brought it to South Africa. A complex sociolinguistic picture emerges, since these immigrants came from a very wide area in North India spanning several languages. I also attempt to describe the early history of Bhojpuri in South Africa as a 'plantation' language. Subsequent changing patterns of usage are then detailed, including phonetic, syntactic, lexical and semantic change. The influence of other South African languages - chiefly English, but also Zulu, Fanagalo, and other Indian languages - is described in detail, as well as changes not directly attributable to language contact. A final section focusses on the decline of the language and the process of language death. From another (more international) perspective this study lays the foundation for comparisons between Bhojpuri in South Africa and other 'overseas' varieties of it, spawned under very similar conditions, in ex-colonies like Surinam, Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and others. Such a comparative study could well make as great a contribution to general and socio-linguistics as the study of creoles has in the recent past. Information concerning this unwritten language was gathered by field-work throughout Natal. This involved informal interviews with over two hundred fluent speakers, including four who had been born in India during the time of immigrations. The study also draws upon the author's observations on language practices as an 'inside' member of the community under study. DA - 1985 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1985 T1 - A history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africa TI - A history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19511 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/19511
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMesthrie R. A history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africa. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Linguistics, 1985 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19511en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentLinguisticsen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherLinguisticsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherIndic languagesen_ZA
dc.titleA history of the Bhojpuri (or "Hindi") language in South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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