THE ORIGINS OF MAKHUTSWE/SEKORORO PEOPLE AS PART OF THE NORTHERN SOTHO GROUP

Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »

Social varieties

Mulaudzi (1999:124) describes social varieties as varieties which are not determined by geographical area. The existence of social varieties is determined by various factors, such as occupation, education, religious practice, class, politics, sex, age and culture. These factors appear to be related fairly directly to how people speak. The existence in a speech community of a social distinction such as class and occupation gives rise to differential rates of linguistic change, favouring the creation of new speech differences or the preservation of existing ones.
Hudson (1980: 28), quoting Bolinger, observes:
There is no limit to the ways in which human beings league themselves together for self-identification, security, gain, amusement, worship or any of the purposes that are held in common, consequently there is no limit to the number and variety of speech communities that are to be found in society.
Social varieties are based on social groups but also depend on several factors, such as social class, religion and ethnicity. Wardhaugh (1992:132) says:
A social dialect would be a variety associated with a specific social class or group, marking that class or group off from other classes or groups.
On the other hand, Ferguson and Gumperz (1960:) believe:
Any group of speakers of language x which regards itself as a close social unit will tend to express its group. The existence within a speech community of social distinctions such as those of caste, class or professional guild therefore gives rise to differential rates of linguistic change, favouring the creation of new speech differences or existing ones.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This section focuses on research, population sampling and data collection procedures. The research data was collected during field trips to the twelve villages in the Makhutswe area that the researcher was able to visit. Data was collected by interviewing various individuals including traditional doctors, indunas and parents. In addition to these interviews, questionnaires were administered to all these participants.
In an effort to cover as much of the area of Makhutswe as possible, the researcher engaged clan research assistants who collected information during June and July of 2009, when it was time for lebollo (circumcision). The researcher also spent some time observing how the social varieties were used as languages of instruction in schools in Makhutswe.
The researcher took advantage of the information and help which was freely given by members of the royal family and elderly people in the villages. Koma (initiation school) and Mawa a ditaola (consultation through divining dice) was also gathered in this study through the use of questionnaires and the analysis of curriculum documents. The interviews allowed the researcher to probe more deeperly into some of the questions. Findings from interviews revealed the existence of efforts being made by different social groups and institutions in Makhutswe.

READ Limitation of classical fixed priority assignment algorithms

MAIN SECTION OF BANARENG PEOPLE AT MAKHUTSWE

According to my informants, Mr SC Mahlo and Letswalo Marothi, Banareng ba Sekororo/Mahlo and Banareng ba ga Letswalo/Mamathola were brothers, the elder being Mahlo and the younger Letswalo. Banareng ba Mahlo and Letswalo are the main clans of Makhutswe.
According to Mokgokong (1966: 27):
The Nareng, whose totem is nare (buffalo) or kgomo (bovine), comprise three sections, the Letswalo or Mmamathola who are now settled at a place called Metz in Tzaneen; the Mahlo or Banarene ba ha Sekororo, and the Banareng ba Mmutlana on the farm Putney 290 in the Lulu area of Sekhukhuneland.
The Banareng ba Letswalo speak Lobedu because they were influenced by the Lobedu during the time they spent in Agatha. The Balobedu were their neighbouring tribe and the Banarene ba Sekororo retained their Roka languages as they were from Boroka. The two tribes have as their totem the Nare (Buffalo) or Kgomo (Cow).

CHAPTER 1
1.1 PREAMBLE
1.2 AIM OF THE STUDY
1.3 THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.4 PROBLEM STATEMENT.
1.5 BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEM.
1.5.1 Van Warmelo (1935)
1.5.1.1 Central dialect cluster.
1.5.1.2 Eastern dialect cluste
1.5.1.3 North-eastern dialect cluster
1.5.1.4 Northern dialect cluster
1.5.2 Van Wyk (1969) .
1.5.2.1 Central dialect cluster,
1.5.2.2 East-central dialect cluster
1.5.2.3 Northern dialect cluster .
1.5.2.4 Eastern dialect cluster
1.5.2.5 North-eastern dialect cluster
1.5.3 Mokgokong (1966)
1.5.3.1 The Pedi-like cluster.
1.5.3.2 The Tlokwa-like cluster
1.5.3.3 The Lobedu-like cluste
1.5.3.4 The Kopa-like cluster .
1.5.3.5 The Pulana-Khutswe cluster
1.5.3.6 Pai.
1.5.4 The debate on the classification
1.6 HYPOTHESIS
1.7 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK.
1.8 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .
1.9 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY.
CHAPTER 2 THE ORIGINS OF MAKHUTSWE/SEKORORO PEOPLE AS PART OF THE NORTHERN SOTHO GROUP
2.1 INTRODUCTION .
2.2 AN OVERVIEW OF THE NORTHERN SOTHO CLAN
2.3 ORIGIN OF MAKHUTSWE PEOPLE
2.3.1 Ba Letswalo
1.3.2 Ba Mahlo
2.4 MAIN SECTION OF BANARENG PEOPLE AT MAKHUTSWE.
2.5 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 3 ‘CLOSED’ SOCIAL RURAL VARIETIES.
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 RURAL SOCIAL VARIETIES
3.2.1 Closed Rural Varieties .
3.3 THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL VARIETIES ON STANDARD VARIETIES.
3.4 CONCLUSION.
CHAPTER 4 OPEN (OVERT) RURAL SOCIAL VARIETIES.
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 MALOPO VARIETY
4.3 MAWA A DITAOLA
4.5 THE MOURNING VARIETY
4.6 THE POLITICIANS’ VARIETY
4.7 THE MARRIAGE VARIETY
4.8 THE IMPACT OF THE SOCIAL VARIETY ON THE STANDARD VARIETY
4.9 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
5.3 CLOSED SOCIAL VARIETIES
5.4 OPEN SOCIAL VARIETIES.
5.5 RECOMMENDATIONS.
BIBLIOGRAPHY