Assignment 6: final portfolio

Shatadi mahlako Kathleen paile

Student no. 69764360
AFL1501-23-S1-10T
Department of African languages
AFL1501: Language through an African lens
Due date: 15 may

First portfolio activity: answer

My name is Shatadi Mahlako Kathleen paile, I am 21 year old, second year university,
Guateng. I fluently speak four South African languages, which include iSipedi, isiZulu,
iSisotho and English. My particular idiolect and ecolect has indeed changed as I have gotten
older, however it has only changed in the sense that through education my vocabulary in
English has evolved to a more sophisticated level and through more interactions with
people, so has my vocabulary with the indigenous languages. Geographical location has
definitely made a difference towards my idiolect, this is because five years ago, my family
moved to an area populated with more isiZulu speaking people. As a result my vocabulary
with regards to the skill level of isiZulu I speak became broader. An example of how my
idiolect has changed with isiZulu per say would be how much better I communicate with
Zulu speakers. Initially in my formative years I could only manages greetings in Zulu,
however like I mentioned, this changed five years ago when my family relocated to a
predominantly Zulu speaking area. The more I got out and interacted with people, the more
I understood certain terms and phrases, this led to a further understanding of the language
as whole.
Second portfolio activity: answer
1) With regards to having more of an understanding towards cultural differences, I do
believe that there were more appropriate ways of handling the situation. Firstly seeing as
the people in the picture seemed to be meeting under the presumption of a business
matter. It could have been notified beforehand that the individuals involved in the meeting
were of different cultural backgrounds. This would have let everyone involved know that
they may encounter a person of a different culture and would have allowed them to act
accordingly when interacting with them. Another solution would be if a misunderstanding
already occurred to politely let the other person know that one is not familiar with whatever
caused the misunderstanding in the first place.
2) In comparison to my self-reflection in assignment 4, I would say that my thoughts on the
matter remain unchanged. However with regards to how this module affected me I would
say that it definitely had a positive impact on my perception of language and cultural
diversity. I say this because initially my opinion of cultural differences was very simple, it
was a simple fact of life. However, since engaging with this module I have now learned that
there is a lot more to it than it simply being a fact. I have learned that the way people
behave and interact is a direct reflection of their upbringing and home life. This has given
me the insight to proceed with an attitude of openness and understanding when interacting
with other people from different cultural backgrounds.
3) I experienced a revelation with a comment from one particular student, who made
reference to her own opinion on the impact of intercultural on us as people and that they
can either make or break the relationships we have with people. I say it was a revelation
because she explained it in such a way that was very relatable to me.
Reference: interpersonal relationships. Friday, 14 April 2023. Thabang Dorcus Shipalane.
[accessed 15 may].
A comment from another student brought to my attention the importance of making a
conscious effort to learn about the cultures of others. It is through this that successful
interpersonal relationships thrive.
Reference: interpersonal relationships. Friday, 14 April 2023. Johane Botha. [accessed 15
may].
Third portfolio activity: answer (my family tree goes according to age from oldest to
youngest)

Great Grandmother-
Mmakobeng Nkadimeng.
Sepedi speaker

grandmother, daughter of
mmakobeng -Kathleen
Nkadimeng moshabane.
sepedi and swazi speaker.

My mother, daughter of
My aunt, daughter of My uncle,son of kathleen-
kathleen-rebecca
kathleen -mary joseph selathole
mmakobeng moshabane.
moshabane. sepedi, tswana moshabane. sepedi and
sepedi, zulu and sotho
speaker. zulu speaker.
speaker.
 My aunt, daughter of my aunt, daughter of
kathleen-rita lunning. kathleen-ruth
sepedi, sotho and moshabane. sepedi
zulu speaker. speaker.

my aunt, daughter of my cousin, son of

kathleen- connie mary- samual
boshielo. sepedi and moshabane. sepedi
zulu speaker. and english speaker.

my cousin, son of mary-

godfrey moshabane.
my cousin, son of mary- english speaker. my brother, son of
ignacious selathole rebecca- bernard
moshabane. sepedi, zulu moshabane. sepedi, zulu
and sotho speaker. and english speaker.

my cousin, daughter of my cousin, daughter of

ruth- refiloe moshabane. joseph- lerato
sepedi and english moshabane. english
speaker. speaker.
 Me, daughter of
My cousin, son of
My brother, son of rebecca- shatadi
connie- thalefo
rebecca- karabo paile. mahlako kathleen paile.
bosheilo. sepedi and
english speaker. sepedi, sotho, zulu and
english speaker.
english speaker.

My cousin, daughter of My cousin, daughter of

ruth- lozlilo moshabane. connie- taesto bosheilo.
english speaker. sepedi, zulu speaker.

My cousin, son of My cousin, daughter

joseph- mioli of joseph- ratile
moshabane. english moshabane. english
and xhosa speaker. and xhosa speaker.
2) The process of creating my family tree was rather enlightening. I say because throughout
my research, I learned from my mother that my maternal grandfather had Swazi roots
within his side of the family. Specifically it was his mother whose tribal origins were in
Swaziland. Prior to learning this, I had assumed my family only had sepedi ancestry in our
line. This revelation caused me to become more curious of my family’s ancestry on my
grandfather’s side going back before the generation of my great grandparents. However I
would necessarily say that the revelation completely altered my sense of cultural identity. I
still very much, identify as a woman of the sepedi culture, this because it was how I was
raised and thus affects how I engage and present myself in society. It has rather made me
view the aspect of cultural identity as being very subjective or relative to each individual.
This meaning that a person’s cultural identity could either be swayed by how much they
know about their lineage or not, as well as how confident they are in their heritage.

Fourth portfolio activity: answer

1) Nontsi: response
Yes I understand it is somewhat old fashioned to have a traditional wedding in this day and
age. However I am doing what I taught is required of me as a daughter of my family. There
are certain, specific traditions and rituals that need to be performed for my wedding to be
recognized and acknowledged by not only my family but by my ancestors. For example in
my culture, it is customary to buy gifts for me (the bride) and hand deliver them to my
family, then once that has been completed, the slaughtering of an animal must happen to
signify the joining of the two families, usually the animal is a goat or a sheep. Having said
that a “modern wedding” simply would not be the right setting or atmosphere for these
rituals to take place. Aside from that, I do not really have any regard for the frivolity of
modern weddings. I feel that having a traditional wedding is more in line with my beliefs
and with the manner in which I was raised by my family. The aspect of a traditional wedding
carries more meaning for me than a “modern wedding”, the rituals solidify my love for my
heritage. It is simply my preference to do it, this way.
2) Phila: response
I believe I need to remind you of the fact there is indeed a difference between culture and
religion, though often times the two can mean the same thing in some instances. Simply
because I have started frequenting church does not mean that I no longer respect or
acknowledge the existence of my ancestors. My recent church goings are the result of my
need for spiritual uplifting. I have grown up, always being taught to revere my ancestors and
I still do, however there are moments when I need answers to the questions I have about
certain things that my ancestors have yet to give me or cannot tell me. Going to church
provides me with those answers and a lot of ways it is similar to having a connection to my
ancestors. Praying to my ancestors will be part of my culture, which I will always practice. I
feel I must add that I find your saying that I completely neglected my culture to be a little
judgmental and my cultural identity is my own and I will explore it how I see fit. It is my
humble opinion that people are well within their rights to believe and engage in multiple
different cultures or religions.
3) Pieter: response
I am quite surprised that you would say that. In this day and age of awareness to the social
struggles of sexual orientation, you should be mindful that your words can be viewed as
sexist and possibly even homophobic. It is no secret that every young adolescent child has
different talents and strengths. The choice to participate in ballet instead of rugby has
nothing to do with one’s masculinity but with the simple decision that I am better at it than
rugby. There are plenty of successful, well accomplished men, who have never played rugby
and yet there does not seem to be any ridicule being placed on them for never having done
so. That being said, I do not come from heavily ingrained sports background, my family
encouraged me to explore my creativity through different avenues and this is simply me
doing that. I understand that for you, maybe rugby was part of your life growing up,
however this is not the same for other people and I suggest that you learn that not
everyone’s life experiences are the same.

Final reflection: answer

1) The thing that I have learned from this module regarding respecting linguistic diversity
and cultural diversity is that the topic in and of itself is very subjective to each individual’s
experience. With regard to linguistic diversity, especially in the South African context, it has
been revealed to me that people in this country encompass a wide range of linguistic skill,
ability, and overall interaction. Furthermore, given the country’s history, this makes sense.
Through learning this module, I have experienced multiple revelations regarding cultural
diversity. This is because, through research and the provided information, I learned of the
cultural diversity and nuances within my own family and familial history. The aspect of one’s
upbringing contributing to how that individual presents and engages in the world, was
highlighted when I viewed and inspected my own behaviours or ways of doing things. This
further made me realise the importance of respecting the different cultural backgrounds of
the people I interact with now and in future. In saying that I have also learned to try see the
perception of others when meeting someone who believes in an alternative way of going
about life and experiences. Finally, in conclusion, general respect and dignity, is what I have
learned to give every culture or religion I encounter.
2) I have learned to appreciate the fact I come from a culture of honour. This is to say that a
lot of the reasons as to why we do certain things is because, we want to encourage
individuals to act in a manner that is honourable, thus creating healthy relationships. My
familial culture was an interesting aspect to explore and to find out that, my family’s history
was not in fact so singular was enlightening. To discover that I have roots in the culture of
the swazi made me intrigued to begin learning the language, so that I could confidently
claim that my family was part swazi. My linguistic diversity, I have come to learn is a result
of my surroundings, growing up. I always engaged with others from different linguistic
backgrounds and so I somewhat naturally developed the ability to adapt.
3) In conclusion, I have come to understand that everything, including cultural and linguistic
diversity and identity all starts with the home that one comes from. The home environment
is what shapes a person’s development with regards to what was mentioned, that and one’s
familial culture. In saying that, it has also been brought to my attention that if an individual
was not brought up with any cultural form of a base, often times they grow up to be very
misguided or troubled individuals in society.

Plagiarism declaration
1. I know that plagiarism means taking and using the ideas, writings, works or inventions of
another as if they my own. I know that plagiarism not only includes verbatim copying, but
also the extensive use of another person’s ideas without proper acknowledgement. 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 is constitutes as
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 understand and understood UNISA’S policy for copyright
and plagiarism.