Student Number: 15085295

Group Number: AFL-1501-24-S1-132T

Department of African Languages, Unisa

AFL1501: Language through an African Lens

Due date: 04 May 2024

Your myLife email address: 15085295@MYLIFE.UNISA.AC.ZA

Task 1
1. According to my understanding of the Word family, it consists of a group of
two or more people living together Who can be related by birth or adoption or
even marriage. In a family, all the descendants have a common ancestor.

We have a nuclear family which have two different types namely a basic
nuclear family and compound nuclear family. A basic nuclear family
compromises the father, the mother and their children. In a compound
nuclear family, the children do not have the same set of biological parents,
or it can be family involving a polygamous marriage.

In the father's family we have a grandmother and a grandfather from the

paternal which can be referred to koko and rakgolo and their children as
ramogolo(uncle) and rakgadi(aunt).

Here in the mother's

family, we have the grandparents which are referred to Koko and rakgolo
from the maternal side. Their children are called mmagolo(aunt) and
malome(uncle)

Then in the extended family the children of the aunts and uncles are called
cousins. The relationship that one has with a paternal uncle’s child is
similar to that of siblings. They are one’s brothers and sisters.

2. The elementary or nuclear family consists of a husband and wife and

their children. African customary law 41-50.
A family is a group of two or more people related by birth or marriage.
Health resources and services administration
A family is group of people affiliated either by affinity or co-residence.
Burgess and Locke

3. The first quote taught me that there are different kinds of Family it can
be a nuclear family or compound family Meaning it can be monogamous or
polygamous.

The second quote taught me that a family can be a group of two or more
people which are related by a certain thing or a specific thing.

The third quote basically taught me that a family can be brought together
in terms of co-residence in simple terms meaning living together or it can
be by affinity which means a relationship.

4.The community often shares a collective responsibility for raising and

nurturing children. This can involve communal decision making, discipline,
and guidance with multiple family members contributing to the upbringing
of children. The community reinforces cultural traditions and values that
are an important part of the family structure which may include rituals,
ceremonies and customs that strengthen family bonds and identity. The
community social norms and expectations can influence family behaviour,
parenting styles, and relationship dynamics. The presence of different
family members can significantly influence their structure of a family.

5. Family members often serve as the first language models for children
influencing their linguistic and communicative patterns. This linguistic
influence is a significant aspect of cultural identity. Family socialises
individuals into the norms, customs and behaviours of their cultural group.
This includes teaching etiquette, rituals and social expectations which
contribute to the formation of cultural identity. Through interactions with
family members individuals develop their beliefs, attitudes and worldview
which are rooted in cultural practices and traditions even in nonbiological
or chosen families or adoptive individuals can still experience the same
cultural influence and the cultural connection as relationships also provide
a sense of belonging and the cultural connection.

Task 2

1. Clans are closely associated with totems. A totem is an object that

symbolises a clan. Totemism would therefore loosely be explained as a
belief system that recognises the people sharing a totem have some
ancestral link. Clans are often based on blood relations, fostering a
strong sense of kinship and solidarity among members, this shared
ancestry forms the basis of social identity providing a sense of
belonging and support. Clans often have distinct names and lineages
and serving as markers of social identity and providing a sense of
historical continuity and belonging. Clans use symbols and rituals to
reinforce identity such as totems emblems and ceremonies that
strengthen the bond among members and their shared identity. Clans
uphold cultural values, traditions and the customs preserving and
transmitting them across generations. Clans provide a framework for
social organisation, influencing marriage patterns, inheritance, and
social roles within the community, this contributes to the formation of
individual and collective identities. Clans Integral to African
communities, shaping social identity through kinship solidarity and
social organisation.

2. Have you ever heard a person greeting or calling another by an animal

name! And someone from the Sithole clan would be addressed as
 Jobe! Sometimes these address names are used as surnames. Thus,
the clan name Ntuli has the address name Sompisi, which is now the
surname of some members of the Ntuli clan. Everyone will know the
isithakazelo of the clans in the neighbourhood. Two people known to
each other will greet each other using the isithakazelo, e.g., Sanibonani
Gatsheni! (When addressing someone of the Ndlovu clan) and
Sanibonani Mageba! (When addressing someone from the Zulu clan).
When a stranger calls at someone’s homestead, he or she will always
shout out the isithakazelo of that homestead, for example, Eh!
Gatsheni! (When approaching the Ndlovu homestead). Each clan may
have more than one address name; for instance, the Zulu clan has the
address names: Mageba and Ndabezitha. Using address or clan
names shows politeness and respect. An African will always
appreciate your use of their clan’s name. Zulu married women, for
instance, never address their husbands by name or clan name but
always use the address name.

3. Another category of individual personal names among many clans of

the Northern Sotho is greeting/praise names. They are called direto
(singular: sereto) and they are used when greeting, praising, or
affectionately referring to or addressing an individual. Examples of
direto are: Serogole, Hlabirwa and Mologadi. Several of them have
masculine-feminine variations such as Nape, Mphela, Ngwato and
Mosebo with feminine Napjadi/Napšadi or Napogadi, Pheladi,
Ngwatomosadi and Mosebjadi, respectively. It should be noted that not
every Northern Sotho clan would have this category of names – people
of the Northwestern[1] dialectal cluster, for instance, do not have direto.
A bride that comes from a clan that does not practise this or from a
different language group altogether is usually given sereto on
incorporation into her in-laws’ family. She would usually be named
after someone in the family, and she too would have a personal
greeting name. In South Africa, there are many examples of praise
songs, praise poems, etc, used in times of celebration and great joy.
Another common place to hear praise songs at Unisa is at the
Graduation ceremonies where people celebrate that achievement.

4. Close neighbours in one’s community can become your immediate

family. Is this statement true in your situation? Explain what your
relationship is with the people who live around you?
That neighbours in one’s neighbourhood can become one’s immediate
family is true to communal settings. In these settings, social ties are
linked through closeness, loyalty, and affection. Individuals know and
care about one another and depend on each other not only for basic
necessities but for relationships. Owing to the strong ties that have
developed among neighbours, it is important that neighbours exchange
greetings whenever they meet. Strong neighbourhood ties promote
stronger bonds where all the children belong to all the parents, and a
reprimand of errant children is not interpreted negatively. In such
community’s people become and take it upon themselves to go and
see an ailing or distressed neighbour.

When one neighbour is in trouble, it is a necessity that the other

neighbours be of assistance. A field is never plowed by the owners
only, but helpers rally around the plowing so that the plowing is done in
a much shorter time; the same applies to building a hut. The word ilima
(Zulu)/letšema (Northern Sotho) means communal cultivation. It is
specifically used when help is solicited from neighbours and other
community members. During bereavement, neighbours are the first
people to come to the deceased's home to pay their last respects.
Even during joyous times such as marriages, and other celebrations
such as when one’s daughter comes of age, the neighbours in one’s
community help with all the preparations. African languages abound in
proverbs that demonstrate community interdependence. ] Among
others, there are several instances in African communities where
families have recategorized their father’s first name as a surname and
are still within the same clan.

Task 3

1.Marriage in the African sense is not a union only between a husband

and his wife; it is a union between the two families as well. In the
traditional African way, a young man would not personally approach his
prospective father-in-law and ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage –
it would be interpreted as disrespect. A young man would make his
intentions known to his family, and the family would approach the
prospective in-laws on his behalf. Negotiations go in phases, and
some specific people must be included in specific delegations. In most
clans of the Northern Sotho, for instance, malome/ umalume must be
part of the delegation that takes magadi/ ilobola to the lady’s family. In
Northern Sotho, the verb used with magadi neither connects with
payment nor suggests payment or buying. Magadi is not ‘paid.’ Ba
ntšha magadi (they take out magadi) or ba iša magadi … (they take
magadi to …). It is taken out of one family to be received by another
family. Magadi/ ilobola is traditionally livestock taken from the groom’s
family to the bride’s family. Scarcity, unavailability, and in some cases,
impracticality of owning livestock have ushered in substitution by
money, which is in the case of marriage talked of in terms of livestock.
For instance, a family would speak of receiving ten heads of cattle and
further specify that ‘their head of cattle’ is such and such an amount in
monetary terms.
After magadi/ilobola, the next step is to go bekwa (to be taken to the
groom’s parental home), where the bride will move to her own house
after some time. Specific people, according to kinship-based suitability,
are included in the delegation from the groom’s family to come and
take the bride, while some from the bride’s side are more suitable to
lead the delegation accompanying her to her in-laws. The wedding
ceremonies are usually a farewell celebration at the bride’s home
followed by a welcome celebration at the groom’s home the following
day. The bride would be given a new name at her in-laws’ home to
mark that she is no longer a girl but a woman. The new name relates
to her being a mother because normally, according to certain clans’
naming patterns, the name of her first male child would already be
known. Naming has already been dealt with.

2.Due to today’s lifestyle, such as having to return to work, the attire

may be different to suit the workplace, and the term may be shortened.
One of the difficulties that career people may face is that before one
takes off mourning clothes at the end of the term, you are not to still be
outside the homestead by sunset. Since the way of life is not the same
as in the past, such rules may be impossible to follow and possibly
create conflict and/ or resentment in the case of people who find it hard
to break from tradition. It all has to do with the living conditions of the
people involved and their level of flexibility. A cleansing ritual is
performed approximately a year (sometimes three to six months) after
an adult has passed away. Following through with the example of a
widow, her hair would be shaved for the first time after it had been
shaved on the day of the funeral, and she would discard the mourning
dress she had been wearing for the past year. Although the whole idea
is cleansing, family and relatives would bring presents. It is hoped that
she has gone through almost all the stages of grief, has come to
accept what has happened, and is fit to live a normal life again. The
occasion would traditionally be witnessed by others who took part in
helping her through, and that would be family, neighbours, and other
villagers. For various reasons relating to the unavailability of individuals
at certain times in today’s fast-paced life and the fact that the family
would be relatively stronger, the cleansing ceremony does not attract
the same size of the crowd as the funeral – it has gradually narrowed
down to family size. And because of changing religious beliefs, not
every family observes the rite
Academic Honesty 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 includes verbatim copying and the extensive use of
another person’s ideas without proper acknowledgement (which
consists of the appropriate use of quotation marks). I know
plagiarism covers using material from textual sources and 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 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 to pass it off as their work.

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

Copyright and Plagiarism