Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators
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DigitalResources SIL eBook 38 ® Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators William Lorin Gardner Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators William Lorin Gardner SIL International ® 2012 SIL e-Books 38 2012 SIL International ® ISBN: 978-1-55671-306-4 ISSN: 1934-2470 Fair-Use Policy: Books published in the SIL e-Books (SILEB) series are intended for scholarly research and educational use. You may make copies of these publications for research or instructional purposes free of charge (within fair-use guidelines) and without further permission. Republication or commercial use of SILEB or the documents contained therein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the copyright holder(s). Series Editor Mike Cahill Managing Editor Bonnie Brown TOWARD TRANSCULTURAL TRAINING IN PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES FOR BANTU LANGUAGE MOTHER TONGUE TRANSLATORS By William Lorin Gardner A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the School of Intercultural Studies FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy April 28, 2010 ABSTRACT Gardner, William Lorin 2010 ―Toward Transcultural Training in Phonological Processes for Bantu Language Mother Tongue Translators.‖ Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Intercultural Studies. Ph.D. 300 pp. Hundreds of languages in Africa are still unwritten or do not yet have Biblical literature translated into them. Many of these belong to the linguistically similar family of Bantu languages which covers most of central, eastern and southern Africa. To help meet this need, translation degree programs for training Africans in linguistics have been developed in several countries across Africa. However, these programs have largely been adapted from Western training programs. For many African students, this formal training has not adequately prepared them for working in their own languages, in particular in analyzing and representing orthographically phonological processes, especially those which neutralize the distinctions between sounds. The purpose of this study is to develop a new model, to help improve training for Africans in analyzing sound systems and developing writing systems for Bantu languages. The goal is to facilitate the training process and improve the quality of mother tongue Bible translation and literacy, particularly in Bantu languages. The central research issue addressed in this study is to determine how to adjust existing theory in order to develop new contextual approaches to intercultural training in phonological processes for Bantu language mother tongue translators. I first researched the analysis and representation of sound processes that occur in Bantu languages, key principles of intercultural training, their interaction and their impact on mother tongue Scripture programs. ii Building upon this background research, I designed and conducted three case studies of translation degree programs in two Anglophone African countries, using several methodologies, including focus groups, archival research, participant observation and ethnographic interviews. The findings of these case studies indicate there is a need for more than just revising the present programs. Instead, because of significant cultural differences in dominant learning styles and preferred trainer-student relationships, as well as the distinct needs of those who study their own languages as insiders rather than as outsiders, there needs to be a new contextualized translation of the training program—transcultural training—in order to more effectively prepare Bantu language speakers for their contribution to mother tongue Bible translation, literacy and Scripture use. Mentor: R. Daniel Shaw 343 words iii DEDICATION To all who work to make the translated Word of God more available and more understandable, especially in Africa. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To the many people who have faithfully supported me in so many ways while I have been in my doctoral studies, I extend a big thank you. I wish to first thank my committee members—Judith Lingenfelter, Brian O‘Herin and my supervisor Daniel Shaw—who have all encouraged me to pursue excellence and inspired me by their own examples. And a special thanks to Sherwood Lingenfelter and again Daniel Shaw who both encouraged me initially to apply to the Fuller doctoral program. I am grateful to SIL Africa Area and SIL International, for their generous financial support for my research, including the Kenneth Pike Endowment Fund‘s sponsorship for my travel to northern Nigeria for the TCNN case study. I also wish to thank ―Partners in Translation‖ and the ―Global Studies Award‖ donors to Fuller‘s School of Intercultural Studies (SIS), who covered much of my tuition costs. I also appreciate the many SIL colleagues have encouraged and assisted me in many ways in the process of my research. And I thank my fellow SIS doctoral students who have walked alongside me on this path. Thanks also to my sons, Jonathan and Michael, who encouraged me to keep running when I sometimes felt like quitting this marathon race. Finally, I wish to express a special thanks to my wife and life partner Lori, who, besides being extra patient with and encouraging me these past five years, spent many long hours transcribing, from audio and video recordings, all of the focus group interviews and a key individual interview. She is the marathon runner who most inspires me to keep following our Lord and Master Craftsman in the race of life. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ....................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................xv LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................. xvi LIST OF MAPS .................................................................................................. xvii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................ xviii INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1 Background ...............................................................................................3 Purpose ......................................................................................................5 Goal .........................................................................................................5 Significance...............................................................................................5 Central Research Issue and Research Questions ......................................6 Delimitations and Scope ...........................................................................6 Definitions.................................................................................................7 Bantu Languages ...........................................................................7 Morphology...................................................................................9 Phonology .....................................................................................9 Orthography Development............................................................9 Mother Tongue Translators...........................................................9 Intercultural Training of Adults ..................................................10 Assumptions ............................................................................................10 Overview .................................................................................................10 PART I THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS ........................................................12 CHAPTER 1 LINGUISTIC FOUNDATIONS AND BANTU LANGUAGES ..13 Bantu Languages .....................................................................................13 Key Texts on Bantu Languages ..................................................13 vi Bantu Language Classification ...................................................15 Distinctive Characteristics of Bantu Languages .........................15 Morphology.............................................................................................16 Basic Morphological Concepts ...................................................16 Morphemes and Allomorphs...........................................17 Roots and Affixes ...........................................................17 Nominal Morphology......................................................18 Noun Classes .......................................................18 Noun Phrases and Modifiers ...............................19 Concord ...............................................................19 Verbal Morphology .........................................................20 Agreement ...........................................................20 Tense, Aspect and Mood.....................................21 Valency and Extensions ......................................21 Clitics ..............................................................................22