Lexicographyandlanguagerevival/raising:ThecaseofTshwao

S.Nyota&Z.Mamvura

Purposeofthestudy

Thisstudyaims:•  toshowtheimportanceoflexicographicalproductsforTshwaolanguagerevivalandlanguageraising.

•  tohighlighthowwearecarryingoutlexicographicalworkontheTswaolanguageinZimbabwe.

BackgroundInformaFon

BackgroundinformaFon

•  Tshwaoisoneofthe16languagesaccordedofficialrecogniFoninthe2013naFonalconsFtuFon.

•  Lowdemographicalstatus-TotalpopulaFonofabout2500members(CreaFveArts&EducaFonDevelopmentAssociaFon(CAEDA)census2013).

•  .Lowsocio-economicstatusofthelanguage•  Socio-historicalfactors-forcedTshwaotoshiUtoNdebeleorKalangaforsurvival.

ThestateoftheArtsonTshwao

•  Recentlydevelopedorthography(2015)•  SomeresourcebooksintheNdebeleorthography

•  AnonlinedicFonaryofTshwaobytheLivingTonguesInsFtuteforEndangeredLanguages(2014)

TheRoleofLexicography

•  Storingknowledge•  ImprovingknowledgeandculturalacquisiFonandtransmission

•  LexicographyisalsobelievedtobeasteptowardsthedevelopmentandstandardisaFonoflanguage(Ulrike2002,Chimhundu,2005)

Methodology•  Interviewsareon-goingrecordingoraltextsorwordlistscoveringdifferentareas/oflifebeginningwiththemostfrequentandcommonitems.TheinterviewparFcipantsare:

MthandazoMvundla(70s)BakadziTshumaandSibanda,(70s)(couple)MabhekaTshumaVoloTshuma(60s)(couple)HlanganisileMpofu-Moyo(80s)

•  SomeofthewordsarefromtheTalkingdicFonary-InsFtuteofLivingLanguages(2014)

Challenges

•  There are challenges we meet as we workwiththeTshwaoorthography.

-the language’s orthography has just beenformulated. -ThedatawecollectappearstobetwowriFngsystems.

SamplesoftheTshwaocorpusThefollowingistakenfromtheongoingcorpusbuildingexerciseonTshwao.

Humannounsbhara–fatherbhabhara–maternalgrandfatherdánàʧò–girl,eβè-boy,gxecwa–daughterkau-tsho–man(adultmalehuman)

kae-tsha-tsho–huntermara–mothernámà–child,negxetshwa–womanFbhabha–brotherFKwinkee–eldersistertshatsho-elderbrothertshu-cwan–baby

Hun)ngandgatheringterms

Áhhì(s)áhà(pl)–bird(s) cau–buffalocee–firecwan–bonedamu–tortoiseda-o–pathdao-hho–bull(elephant)dumba–drum

dzin-ra–daysdziraa–bird

ékáɲè-sweetgain–mountaingcana–leafgcau–hyenagcubaa–spidergudora–baboonsham–lionhitshe–dayhitshedzini–todaykari–rootkárìsèk’áù-biqer

khuri–pigkoho–meatkohora–animalkoroo–cavekwe-e–lake

kwee-riverja-u–bull

jii-du–forestjira–treepíì-milkpimboro–mosquitoshoko–monkeytákà–bloodtsárùwè-salty

tsini–smoke tsúà–elephanttswaa–elephant(comparewithearlierexample)turuu–ratuweuwaha–dawnxhana–valleyxhao–spearthama-grassxuu–tooth

BodyParts(humanandanimals)dam–tonguekam–mouthkao–neckkaree–foottsau–handtshai-eyetshee–eartswii–nose

Adjec)vesbushanu–five(influenceofBantu language)cam–twocwe-ha–fullk’ázwénàǁám–goodk’áìtáà-badngwanaye–threetswinye–smalltunye–roundxhoha–dry

OBSERVATIONS

•  Theexistenceofdifferentorthographies-thereisneedtogobacktothetranscripFonstageandharmoniseaccordingtotheapprovedorthography.

•  somevariaFonswerenotedinthelexiconvariaFonsoranerrorasinthewordeg:- elephant–tswaaandtsúà,-bull-ja-uordao-hho.•  TheprocessofdicFonarycompilaFonfollows.WehopetocomeupwithalltheplanneddicFonaries.

ExplanaFonsofComponentsofdicFonaryentries

•  Theheadwordandanyvariantspellings•  AnindicaFonofpronunciaFon•  Wordclass/partsofspeechtowhichtheheadwordbelongs

•  Morphology:inflecFons-aggluFnaFve,isolaFng--•  Thesyntax-potenFaloftheheadword-syntaxrestricFons

•  ExplanaFonofsenses•  ExamplificaFonsofusage•  Somederivedforms

•  HopefullythedicFonarywillbewriqenandotherlexicographicproductsonTshawoaretofollow.

References•  Adegbija,E.2001.SavingThreatenedLanguagesinAfrica:ACaseStudyof•  Chabata,E.2002.AnAdvancedDicFonary?SimilariFesandDifferences

betweenDuramazwiReChiShonaandDuramazwiGuruReChiShona.Lexikos12(AFRILEX-reeks/series12):105-116

•  Chimhundu,H.(2005)LexicographyandLanguageRaising’PubliclecturepresentedasaspartoftheGoldenJubileeCelebraFonsoftheUniversityofZimbabwe.13April2005

•  Mathumba,D.I.1999.TheStateofXitsongaLexicography.LEXICOS9:254-262Mosel,Ulrike2002.DicFonarymakinginEndangeredSpeechCommuniFes.ProceedingsoftheThirdInternaFonalConferenceonLanguageRecourcesandEvaluaFons.UniversityofLasPalmasdeGranCanaria26-27May2002.•  Oko.In:Fishman,J.A.(ed.)CanThreatenedLanguagesBeSaved?

ReversingLanguageShi8,Revisited:A21st CenturyPerspecBve.Clevedon:MulFlingualLtd.284–308.

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