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A Critical Analysis of Online Sesotho Ict Terminology A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ONLINE SESOTHO ICT TERMINOLOGY THESIS Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS AT RHODES UNIVERSITY IN THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES Thato Natasha Nteso JANUARY 2013 School of Languages: African Language Studies Rhodes University Grahamstown Supervisor: Dr. Dion Nkomo Co-supervisors: Dr. Pam Maseko Prof Russell Kaschula i DECLARATION I the undersigned, hereby declare that this thesis is my own original work and has not, in its entirety or part, been submitted at any university for a degree and that I have acknowledged my sources. SIGNED: T.N Nteso DATE: 11 December 2012 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sesotho sere motho ke motho ka batho (in Sesotho we say, a person cannot live in isolation. It is through the help of others that one succeeds - that is humanity) I would like to pass my gratitude to my supervisor Dr Dion Nkomo for walking this road with me from the initial stage until this moment. It was not an easy journey, even though there were discouragements, he kept on pushing more. I also would like to thank Dr Maseko for her input and suggestions through the writing up of the thesis together with Dr Nkomo. They made valuable efforts to drive me in the right direction. My sincere gratitude also goes to Prof Kaschula for his efforts and time spent on the thesis and the speedy responses received from him when work was submitted to him. I also would like to thank the Rhodes University’s African Languages Studies Section in the School of Languages for believing in me and affording me the opportunity to study. Finally I express my gratitude to the Department of Arts and Culture for the funding of the research since 2011. I am also thankful to the staff at Manthatisi High School in Qwaqwa and to the learners who participated in the research and contributed as much as they could. I must also thank the staff at the University of the Free State who in their busy schedule managed to make time available for me. The Department of African Languages head at the School Mme Dladla, I personally thank her for the efforts she put into making sure that I get all the data in time. I would also like to thank the university principal, Dr Elias Malete for his inputs and contribution to the research. My warmest gratitude goes to Mr Thota, who opened his home for me while I was in Qwaqwa and made me feel welcomed. I really appreciate all the hospitality during my stay. Being this long away from home, I would like to thank my family especially my three girls Mamello, Dimpho and Paballo for understanding that it had to happen, and to the man in iii my life Lucas Lamola who was very supportive and encouraging when there were times I felt like giving up, and who is still doing so even now. I thank you all. iv ABSTRACT Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has taken over every aspect of our daily lives, from commerce to leisure and even culture. Today, mobile phones, desktop computers, hand-held devices, emails and the use of the internet have become a central part of our culture and society. ICT has made us a global society, where people can interact and communicate efficiently. In order for South Africa to be competitive in the global economy, it will need to develop a workforce with appropriate Information Technology skills. Of necessity, these skills will extend to using a computers and developing appropriate software and technical support skills (DOE, 2008). This thesis represents a critical analytical study in that it explores the online Sesotho Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It aims at analysing terminology development in this area. The study aims to determine how Sesotho and ICT correlate and how the linguistic aspect plays a role in online ICT terminology. The focus is not on creating new terms but to analyze the already existing ICT terms available, with regards to linguistic rules and principles and to critique if they are of quality. Furthermore, the thesis explores whether there are other strategies that can be used in the development of this terminology. It also seeks to determine if the terms are easily accessible to students and if they are used at all. Terms will be sourced from the Department of Arts and Culture ICT term list, and the focus will be on extracting only terms that have to do with computer literacy. Other online sources that list Sesotho equivalents will also be considered. The study also assesses the quality of the terms created by the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) together with the Department of Communications (DOC) for a multilingual ICT terminology list. Furthermore, the thesis explores whether the Sesotho equivalents adhere to the linguistic rules and principles of the language. The other question asked is whether the terms are used by the intended users and if they are easily accessible to the speakers of the language. This entire aspect of the thesis speaks to the notion of the intellectualization of African languages and in this case Sesotho in particular. v Not only does the thesis engage with computer literacy terminology, it also presents a detailed literature review of studies and work that has been done in this field. The thesis engagement is also done by linking the backdrop of the history of Sesotho and the Basotho peoples. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………ii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………………..iii Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….v Chapter 1: Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………1 1.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1 1.2. Background and context of the study ………………………………………………………………….2 1.3. Research goals…………………………………………………………………………………………………….13 1.3.1. Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………………………….14 1.3.2. Research methods…………………………………………………………………………………………….14 1.3.2.1. Qualitative research………………………………………………………………………………………15 1.3.2.2. Quantitative research……………………………………………………………………………………16 1.3.3. Content analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………….16 1.3.4. Interviews…………………………………………………………………………………………………………18 1.3.5. Questionnaires…………………………………………………………………………………………………19 1.3.6. Scope and limitations of the study……………………………………………………………………20 1.4. Exposition of the chapters.………………………………………………………………………………….21 1.5. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..21 Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework and Literature Review…………………………………..23 2.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..23 2.2. History and theory of terminology….………………………………………………………………..23 2.3. Theory of terminology……………………………………………………………………………………..26 2.3.1. Traditional general theory of terminology……………………………………………………26 vii 2.3.2. Dimensions of terminology………………………………………………………………………..31 2.3.2.1. Cognitive social dimension………………………………………………………………………31 2.3.2.2. Linguistic dimension………………………………………………………………………………..31 2.3.2.3. Communicative dimension……………………………………………………………………..32 2.3. Translation strategies……………………………………………………………………………………34 2.3.1. Term formation strategies………………………………………………………………………...36 2.4. Language planning………………………………………….................................................37 2.4.1. Types of language planning……………………………..…………………………………………38 2.4.2. Standardisation …………………………………………………………………………………………44 2.5. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………….49 Chapter 3: History of Terminology Development and use of Sesotho in Education……………………..……………………………………………………………………………………51 3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………..51 3.2. Historical background to South African language policies……………………………51 3.3. Background on terminology development in South Africa…………………………..56 3.4. General historical background on Sesotho…………………………………………………..60 3.4.1. The Basotho people …………………………………………………………………………………60 3.4.2. Sesotho language ……………………………………………………………………………………62 3.4.3. Sesotho dialects ………………………………………………………………………………………64 3.5. ICT in education and related policies …………………………………………………………70 3. 6. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………….79 viii Chapter 4: Intellectualisation of African languages with reference to Sesotho..81 4.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………81 4.2. The impact and role of English ……………………………………………………………………….82 4.3. Language planning (policy) and intellectualisation …………………………………………85 4.4. Intellectualisation of African languages …………………………………………………………87 4.5. Agents of intellectualization towards development of African languages…….94 Council on Higher Education…………………………….......................................................95 • UNESCO…………………………………………………………………………………………………….95 • PRAESA……………………………………………………………………………………………………..96 • Government………………………………………………………………………………………………96 • Universities……………………………………………………………………………………………….97 • Publishing companies……………………………………………………………………………….99 • Media and broadcasting…………………………………………………………………………..99 4.6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………..100 Chapter 5: Presentation of Data and Analysis……………………………………………………101 5.1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………101 5.2. Research objectives ……………………………………….……………………………………………..102 5.3. Research site ……………………………………………..………………………………………………….103 5.3.1. Research participants………………………………………………………………………………….104 5.4. Participant observation ………………………………………………………………………………….105 5.5. Questionnaires.………………………………………………………………………………………………106 5.6. Interviews ………………………………………………………………………………………………………106 5.7. Information and Communication Technology terms with Sesotho equivalents.106 5.8.
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