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Item The Problem of Word Division in Written Shona: A Historical Survey(National University of Lesotho: Faculty of Humanities, 2008) Muringani, BerthaThe exercise of reducing Shona to written form was undertaken by non-native speakers most of whom were Europeans. Their linguistic knowledge of their languages, whose structures are different from that of Shona, tended to influence the manner in which they dealt with Shona orthography, particularly its word division. In this paper, the methods of word division used by these early grammarians, namely conjunctive and disjunctive, are examined with the aim of discovering their sources and how they were applied to the Shona language. Different groups of missionaries worked on various Shona dialects using these two methods of word division. Here, this is illustrated by analyzing examples of the earliest gospel translations. They treated nouns and verbs differently in relation to disjunctive and conjunctive systems. Two types of words that result from the methods of word division used by early grammarians, namely phonological and morphological, are brought out and discussed.Item ‘Entangled Objects’: Cultural Contact in Things Fall Apart and Stars of the New Curfew(National University of Lesotho: Faculty of Humanities, 2008) Mokuku, MolefiItem The Structural Configuration of Linguistic Code-Switching: Examples from Sesotho and English(National University of Lesotho: Faculty of Humanities, 2008) Khati, Thekiso G.The inquiry investigated the structure and systematicity in bilingual code-switching (CS). It further determined whether grammatical complexity of switches and length of switched utterances can be regarded as an indication of bilingual competence. The study was motivated by perceptions that CS is a “gruesome mixture” of languages in contact; that is, an unsystematic juxtaposition of languages. (Sebopeho-Puo sa Sesotho, 1981:11). The researcher used a sample of standards six and seven pupils from three English-medium, and three dual-medium primary schools in Maseru as respondents or CS performers. Also, two teachers in each school were used as anonymous observers and recorders of the CS corpus. As with previous CS studies, this inquiry has revealed that CS is a structured linguistic performance. Further, it has indicated that advanced or fluent bilingual pupils in English-medium schools produce more grammatically complex switches than less proficient bilinguals in Sesotho-English medium schools, thus indicating that CS is an index of bilingual competenceItem Folktales as an Educative Device(National University of Lesotho: Faculty of Humanities, 2008) Ekanjume, Beatrice IlongoStudies on folklore (William Bascom 1954, Cox, M. 1968, Wolfgang Mieder, 1981, Perez-Stable, M. 1994, amongst others) have focused on how cultural views are expressed in societies through tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, and proverbs. Folklore is thus considered as a set of practices through which these expressive genres can be shared. The present paper looks at one aspect of Folklore - “Folktale” - from the educative perspective. Given that folktale can be considered as a general term for different varieties of traditional narratives, this paper seeks to depict the communicative and educative values of folktales using one of Cameroonian tales entitled “Baku, Prince of the Forest”. The claim here is that the choice of words and characters makes the tale a vital element in moral education and character building. This folktale tells about the essence of life and the role of mankind in it. It shows how the evil characters are disposed of and the good ones rewarded. This folktale as a tool and method for teaching moral education asserts that folktale is a very effective means in teaching moral education since it instructs while entertaining to enable learners to see the moral concepts of the society. These include the biophysical, the social, the political, and the economic aspects. Through participation in the folktale, learners are also able to bring out the possible moral and environmental risks, crises and challenges surrounding their society.Item Staging Rebellion: The Plays of Yulisa Amadu Maddy(National University of Lesotho: Faculty of Humanities, 2008) Dunton, C.Sierra Leonean dramatist Yulisa Amadu Maddy is one of the most radical voices on the West African stage, both in terms of the iconoclastic political orientation of his work and in terms of its dramaturgy. As Julian Spencer points out, “He has made a powerful impact in the theatre in Sierra Leone, as well as in other African countries” (Spencer, 99). To date, however, Maddy ‘s plays have received virtually no critical attention beyond brief notes in reference texts on African literature and reviews of stage performances. The present paper offers a detailed critical analysis of seven of Maddy’s’ plays, with particular emphasis on the interface between theme and dramaturgy. It argues that Maddy‘s work is most successful when the radical tendencies of the latter are matched by a significant level of seriousness in the former, and least successful when the convention-defying actions of Maddy ‘s characters fail to resonate beyond the level of theatrical rhetoric.