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Assignment heading: : Final Portfolio

Assignment number: 06

Name and Surname: Lucky Tshidiso Mofokeng

Student Number: 10336052

Group Number: 55T

Name of department and University: Department of African Languages, Unisa

Course code and name: AFL1501: Language through an African Lens

Name of Instructor or Module Co-ordinator: Dr. J. O. Nene

Name of TA: A Mpofu

Due Date: 17 September 2021

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Contents
Introduction....................................................................................(3)

First Portfolio Activity

Task 1: Screenshot.......................................................................(4)
Task 2: Blog Reflection.................................................................(4)
Task 3: Family Tree......................................................................(5-6)

Second Portfolio Activity

Task 1: 6 different South African vernacular languages...............(7)

Task 2: Family Interview...............................................................(7)

Third Portfolio Activity

Task 1: Culture and terms of address...........................................(8-10)

Task 2: Ukuhlonipha.....................................................................(11)

Forth Portfolio Activity

Cultural paradigm shift………………………………………………(12-14)

Final Reflection

Conclusion.....................................................................................(14)
Academic Declaration of honesty.................................................(15)
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Introduction

For one to know himself or herself, one needs to know their roots as Africans, where
you come from, how you came to exist, how it is that you are an African in general
and a South African in Particular. You also need to know the finer details of your
clan, your culture as it has bigger impact on who you are currently. Lastly for one to
know themselves, they need to know their cultural paradigm and what it is in the
current era and consciousness of how the current cultural era influences us in
relation to how we speak and how we interact with others.

After one has known themselves (Self Identity), the next step would be to
understand each one’s contribution in society and assess if it is positive or negative
and also to evaluate the element of Ubuntu in our contribution to a society.
Therefore, contents in this portfolio are to bring forth African Language in the context
of African Culture, behaviour and lifestyle as an African Phenomenon of UBUNTU.
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First Portfolio Activity

Task 1

NB// Task not Available

Task 2

Greeting All

My Name is Lucky vastly known as Tshidiso which is my second name and preferred
name, and my surname is Mofokeng. I am a Southern Sotho male, born in the Free
State but currently residing in Gauteng. I am the third amongst 5 siblings. I am a
Male surrounded by female siblings. I speak quite a number of languages but
Sesotho is my home Language also known as Language of birth. Though Sesotho is
my language of birth I also know how to speak, read and write IsiZulu, Afrikaan,
IsiXhosa, Setswana and SePedi. All the languages that I am able to speak today are
as a result of living with different communities in Gauteng and meeting different
people who are fluent speakers of these languages which influenced my Ecolect and
my Dialect.
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Task 3

SINGLE PARENT METERNAL FAMILY TREE

NB// This family tree represents one side of my family since I know not of my
paternal family.

MOTLALEPULA MOFOKENG
(GREAT GRANDFATHER) MOTSHIDISI SEKOABETLANE
(GREAR GRANDMOTHER)
LANGUAGE: SESOTHO LANGUAGE: SESOTHO

TSHEHLA MOFOKENG MODIEHE MODISE

(GRANDFATHER)
(GRANDMOTHER)
LANGUAGES: SESOTHO,
AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE: SESOTHO

PUSELETSO MOFOKENG
(MOTHER)
LANGUAGES: SESOTHO &
AFRIKAANS

TSHIDISO MOFOKENG
(ME)
LANGUAGES: SESOTHO, AFRIKAAN, ISIXHOSA, ISIZULU, SETSWANA, SEPEDI
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Mofokeng Family Tree and its impact to my Identity

My family tree is the simplest as I am a son of a single mother and never had the
opportunity to have a father or even know my father’s side of the family. I realised
that not knowing my paternal family has shaped my culture into mono-dimensioned
cultural experience as opposed to someone who has had the privilege of knowing
both side of their parents, where in such a case one would be exposed to different
languages and different cultural practices.

However this single parent experience did not hinder any multi-culture experiment as
I then later moved from the Free State where my grandparents and my great
grandparents have their domicile of origin to Gauteng where I spent most of my
teenage years. Living in Gauteng then exposed me to different societies and
different cultures. This is where I learned how to speak IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Sepedi and
Setswana. Am at a point where isiZulu is more dominant due to being married to a
Zulu wife. This also brings about a change of culture since my son is already
dominantly speaking isiZulu in the house.

It is also interesting that my grandfather and my mother also knew how to speak
Afrikaans which was a second language to them and were able to pass it on to me.
However they both learnt this language through their employers who were
predominantly Afrikaans speaking employers. What also had an influence was the
area they lived at (Free State) which was dominated by the Basotho but also vast of
its land owned by the Afrikaans speaking nationality.

My Great grandfather did not have much of external cultural influence as he lived in
the Sotho dominated area where they live from what they planted as opposed to
those who had to work with different people from different cultures.
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Second Portfolio Activity

Task 1 Task 2
NAME DEFINITION CLASSIFICATION REASON FOR NAME RESEARCHED CIRCUMSTANCES
Olerato One who is Love Reason was because The family was in so much
(SeTswana) loving they had a first born need of Love, which led to
who had passed on them naming her Olerato
after before naming
her Olerato, then it
was decided that she
would carry the
legacy which was to
be lived by the late.
Thandwa The Beloved Love He was so much His mother had felt like the
(Siswazi) one Love by his mother. father was rejecting the baby
Thandwa which till this day the
father is not present in his life
Ntsakisi Joyful or Joy The family was so The father had longed to have
(Xitsonga) Happiness happy and joyful that a baby boy
he was born
Gcobisa The one Joy Mother and Father It is said that the parents had
(IsiXhosa) who brings could not wait in not been able to bare children
excitement Anticipation for the longest of time
Motlalentwa Bring War! Negative The baby had The Mother of Motlalentwa
(Sesotho) Connotation brought fights from was very young when she bore
the Mother’s parents him
Luvhengo Hatred! Negative No explained reason The Parents did not want to
(Tshivenda) Connotation from the mother explain the circumstances,
however Luvhengo suspects
that there might have been a
situation connected to her
mother which led to an
unplanned pregnancy. This is
purely because her father and
mother had never been in a
long term relationship
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Third Portfolio Activity

Task 1:Culture and terms of address

The Zulu Practice of young and old men eating

As correctly quoted by Dr Nene in discussion about the Zulu practice of Politeness

which can also translate to respect, and not just respect but respect and politeness
towards elderly people, there is another Practice by the Zulu Nation which usually
occurs in areas of communal living within the Zulu society dominated by men, where
during eating times, food would dished-up for group eating sessions, the code would
be for the youngest to be the last one eating as it would be seen as a sign of
disrespect if the youngest would stop eating because of being full. This type of action
by the youngest is viewed as leaving the crumbs for the elders and also leaving them
to collect and clean-up after your mess. This practice is derived from the saying
“umunt’ omdala akashiyelwa iy’nsalela” which translate: You do not leave left overs
for an older person.

Practitioners of this Culture would advise that a young men would rather eat smaller
cuts of food once they realise that they are now full, up until the elderly people are
done eating and washing their hands as it does not end by eating only but cleaning
up one’s hands after eating. The last act a young person/ people would have do,
would be to clean the mess created by eating and make sure that all eating utensils
are put back in the correct places or areas of belong.

This Zulu Practice would be slightly contrary to that of the Xhosa nation but practiced
in conjunction of the Zulu Practice whereby the Xhosa culture defines a MAN as one
who has fulfilled the Practice of “Ukuluka” which is a Men initiation cultural practice.
This Initiation confirms a BOY into being a MAN as it is believed that through the
initiation process conducted at the initiation school, a boy would be thought on
principles and practices which make you a Man. It is therefore the reason why the
Xhosa nation strongly believes in this initiation process to an extent that irrespective
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of one’s age, if you haven’t undergone the initiation process you are therefore
referred as “Inkwenkwe” which means a boy.

In light of this Xhosa practice, boys never eat with those considered Men but eat with
those considered boys. The boys would then be the ones to show a sign of respect
to the elders after eating in making it a point that the mess of Men is taken care of…
It is also the same in the Basotho culture in that boys do not eat with Men or older
men but would be sent to clean up and take care of all that older men left.

All these cultural practices emphesis on respect, though it is practiced differently

from the other. However Africans in general are known for their sense of respect for
elders and being polite towards elders in one way or the other.

Dumelang Batho ba Baholo (Greeting to the Elders) Sotho Concept

Greetings in the Basotho culture are very important in acknowledging the elders
irrespective of whether you know them or not, to such an extent that walking passed
by a strange elder, a young person is expected to greet the elder. This is a Sothern
Sotho predominantly practiced culture mostly based in the Free state and in the
Sotho dominated areas in Gauteng.

It is important for one to differentiate how one would be expected to greet an elderly
person as opposed to their peer. When a young person walks passed by an older
person or a group of elderly people, one would need to use the most important four
words “Dumelang batho ba baholo” which translates: Greetings to Elderly people.
The last to words in the greeting are an acknowledgement of the age group of
people you are passing greetings to.

In so many occasions where a young person foreign from the culture would attempt
to greet the elders using “Dumelang” which translates: greeting, the young person
would be responded by a question Dumelang eng? Bo mang? Dintja? Which
translates: Greeting to what? Who? Are you referring to Dogs?. All these questions
are a sign of rejection of your greeting, meaning that your greeting was never
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acceptable. It can further be received as an insult or even worse, as though one is

matching themselves as a peer to the elders, which is an ultimate disrespect.

This culture may be slightly different from that of Zulu culture in that one as a young
person may greet at elders without specifically acknowledging them in his or her
greeting, but would instead, use a soft tone as a sign of politeness and respect and
also use gestures such as passing your greeting with your head bowed down or
even using hand gestures such as holding your hands together very low and say
Sanibonani! with a low tone.

These two examples from the two ethnic groups are a clear indication that Politeness
may mean a different thing from one culture to another. This also indicates that
different societies may do things differently but ultimately achieve the same results
which in this case is Politeness and Respect.
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Task 2: Ukuhlonipha/ Politeness

AFL1501 is an online module, and each ones views are posted on the open of all
students grouped with you and they get to comment on an individual’s work. It is very
easy for one to get offended by the response of the other student. I am very
fortunate that most student in group 55T are the most polite fellow group members
and have had an opportunity to learn this phenomenon of politeness. Most group
55T students have a way of disagreeing with you, in that they will first compliment
parts of your work which they relate to and agree with and later, politely, point out
views they disagree with, which I find very much respectful and polite. I hardly ever
had a comment offensive or strange to me.

This is a clear indication that there is a way to go about putting you opposing view
without being rude to other people or impolite. One needs to take into consideration
that the way you address the next person may be offensive to the next person’s
culture.
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Forth Portfolio Activity

Cultural paradigm shift

“Just because I disagree with you, does not mean I hate you. We need to
relearn that in our society.”
-Morgan Freeman-

Cultural Diversity yields different views in a society. Africa is the most diverse multi-
cultural continent and in that, manifests disagreements brought about a way of doing
and thinking. However despite such cultural diversity we need to understand that
when one has an opposing view about a matter, it is directed or channelled at the
matter and not an individual.

In proving such, one has to comprehend the fact that a view does not change its
meaning depending on who holds it. A perfect example would be an individual in
disagreement with the views held by Julius Malema of Expropriation of Land without
Compensation. This individual in disagreement would still be holding on their position
or view even if it was held by Musi Maimane (Former DA Leader). What does this tell
us? It tells us that it is actually an opposing view but not an attack on you as an
individual. Therefore I agree with the statement 1

Understanding each other’s language, language identity and culture

“When we don’t understand each other’s language, language identity and culture we view each
other differently”
-AFL1501-

Knowledge is power to unlock our minds (way of thinking)… It can be attained

through willingness and openness to exposing yourself to new ways, new cultures
and beliefs. This module AFL1501 has exposed me to an understanding of different
societies and cultures, but not only limited to understanding, but also eliminating

1
“Just because I disagree with you, does not mean I hate you. We need to relearn that in our
society.” (Morgan Freeman) https://everydaypower.com/morgan-freeman-quotes/
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incorrect myths about other cultures and societies. I agree very much with the
statement2

Understanding each other’s Culture – in the Venda culture a woman may be

viewed as disrespectful when handing over food to Men or elders without sitting or
bowing accordingly. This is also similar to that of the Zulu culture in that a woman
would have to bring a bowl of water and something to wipe as a sign of respect and
not only for hygiene purposes as opposed to the Sotho culture where a woman is not
expected to bow or be on the ground when serving food. It is therefore such
practices which can bring misunderstanding amongst societies if one does not open
themselves to learning other cultures.

Language and Language Identity- let me declare that the next example may be
sensitive to the reader when understood from a Zulu perspective, but is very vital in
understanding the importance of Language Identity. There is a Xhosa word
“Ukunyoba” which stands for Bribery in a Xhosa context, however means something
completely different in a Gauteng Zulu slang language which means “Sexual
intercourse”. This Language difference may be offensive to the Zulu community
while it means something else in the context of the other. This also stresses on the
understanding of other Languages, their Dialect, Idiolect and Ecolect hence the
module AFL1501 is referred to as Language Through An African Lens.

A Culture I have Learned from

I take great lessons from the Venda Culture. This Ethnic group is one of the smallest
ethnic groups in South Africa but it is also one the most quickest to adapt in different
societies which leads to their multi-lingual abilities. In my deep search about reasons
why? I discovered that the Venda ethnic group holds a high esteems of respect
towards peoples culture and honouring people’s diversity. One may ask, how do they
do so, when they also make sure that they do not lose their own language and
culture? Well, they are a true epitome of language preservation but also open to

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“When we don’t understand each other’s language, language identity and culture we view each other
differently”
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diversity in that the Venda people look beyond the advancement of other languages
as a disadvantage over and above the disadvantage of being the smallest ethic
group but they view this Phenomenon as an opportunity to learn a communication
skill for future purposes when need arises.

Conclusion

My previous before studying AFL1501 with regards to Language and Culture was
that harmonious relations between certain cultures was far from reality. I had never
imagined a Pedi person living in harmony with a Zulu speaking person, as there
would always be a conflict created by language barriers and tribalism in centre of the
conflict. However with the help of AFL1501 I now understand that ethnic groups can
co-exist with one space or environment guided by the philosophy of UBUNTU, and
the knowledge of who is an African. The ability of knowing an African and
understanding the notion of Ubuntu is exactly the foundation Social cohesion and the
downfall of Tribalism and Xenophobia
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PLAGIARISM DECLARATION

1. I know that plagiarism means taking and using the ideas, writings, works or inventions of

another as if they were one’s own. I know that plagiarism not only includes verbatim copying, but

also the extensive use of another person’s ideas without proper acknowledgement (which

includes the proper use of quotation marks). I know that plagiarism covers the use of material

found in textual sources and from the Internet.

2. I acknowledge and understand that plagiarism is wrong.

3. I understand that my research proposal must be accurately referenced.

4. This research proposal is my own work. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s research,

or part of it, is wrong, and that submitting identical work to others constitutes a form of plagiarism.

5. I have not allowed, nor will I in the future allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of

passing it off as their own work.

6. I confirm that I have read and understood UNISA’s Policy for Copyright and Plagiarism

- https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Apply-for-admission/Master%27s-&-doctoral-

degrees/Policies,-procedures-&-forms

Name: Lucky Tshidiso Mofokeng Student No: 10336052