Detection and lexicographic treatment of salient features in e-dictionaries for African languages1

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-287
Author(s):  
D J Prinsloo
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Language Family ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Bantu Language ◽  
Northern Sotho ◽  
Word Lists ◽  
Salient Features ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Maximum Utilization

Abstract As for many e-dictionaries across the globe, e-dictionaries for African languages embarked on the unfortunate route of being ‘paper dictionaries on computer’ often simply enhanced with additional search features or simply by perpetuating the practice followed in paper dictionaries of compiling e-dictionaries which are just translated word lists. In this article it will be argued that e-dictionaries for African languages should firstly be compiled through maximum utilization of ‘true electronic’ features enabled by the computer era. Secondly, specific attention should be given to the salient features of the Bantu language family, taking Sepedi (Northern Sotho) as a case in point. Thirdly attention is given to the issue of dictionary survival in the information era and how innovative e-support systems can contribute to ensure that future dictionaries will remain the preferred point of departure for users for information retrieval.

Web-Based Support Systems for Information Retrieval

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamlesh Padaliya ◽  
Ashutosh Kumar Bhatt ◽  
Amarjeet Singh
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Web Based

Double articulations in some Mangbutu-Efe languages

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-154
Author(s):  
Didier Demolin ◽  
Alain Soquet
Keyword(s):  
Language Family ◽  
African Languages

This paper examines double articulations in three African languages, Mamvu, Lese and Efe, all belonging to the Central Sudanic language family. The phonetic inventory of these languages exhibits some very interesting facts, among which the most striking are voiceless labial velar stops with double bursts, and a labial uvular stop which shows the combination of a voiceless and a voiced part in the same consonant. Acoustic and aerodynamic measurements describing the production of these sounds are presented.

Kumzari: The Forgotten Language

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Al Jahdhami
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Academic Work ◽  
Minority Languages ◽  
Language Family ◽  
Bantu Language ◽  
To Come ◽  
Future Status

<p>Arabic is the first widely used language in Oman. It is not uncommon, however, to come across Omanis who converse in minority languages other than Arabic. Remarkably, these languages are of three different families: Indo-Iranian languages such as Kumzari, Lawati, Zadjali, Baluchi; Modern South Arabian languages such as Harsusi, Bathari, Hobyot, Mehri, and Jabbali /Shehri; and Bantu language family which includes Swahili. Named after the ethnic groups speaking them as mother tongues side by side with Arabic, the number of speakers of these languages varies as some are spoken by thousands of speakers while other languages may claim only a few hundred speakers. Academic work geared towards exploring these languages is scarce indeed, especially languages such as Kumzari, Harsusi, Zadjali, Bathari and Hobyot, a fact that makes them lesser-known and uninvestigated as opposed to their counterparts. In view of this, the focus of this paper lies on one of the lesser-known and unexplored minority languages spoken in Oman, namely Kumzari. In line with this, the study highlights the genetic affiliation of Kumzari, its speakers and their location, views on the origin of its name and its future status.</p>

scholarly journals Die bestuur van didaktiese steunstelsels aan ‘n verplegingskollege

Curationis ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pullen ◽  
A.C. Botes
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Nurse Educator ◽  
Direct Influence ◽  
Current Time ◽  
Nursing College ◽  
Point Of Departure

The learning accompanists (nurse educator), in the didactic situation within the context of a nursing college, is midst a process of transformation. This transformation has a direct influence on the learning accompanists didactic role fulfilment. Didactic support systems enables the learning accompanist to fulfil her/his didactic role. These didactic support systems should be managed during the process of transformation, in such a way that it enables the learning accompanist to fulfil her/his didactic role. A new creative approach to the management of the didactic situation is necessary. The goal of this study was to describe guidelines for the management of didactic support systems, at a nursing college, to enable the learning accompanist to fulfil her/his didactic role. An inductive, qualitative, contextual, exploring, descriptive strategy was used to reach the goal of the study. No explicit conceptual framework was used as point of departure. Because the participants are midst a process of transformation, their knowledge and experience was used as source of data, as they can express their needs and views the best. The goal of this study was reached by setting four objectives. The uniqueness of the study lies in the relevance within the current time frame context and that it expresses the needs of the learner accompanists and the views of the managers at a nursing college. An abundance of possibilities for further research was created.

scholarly journals ’n Oorsig oor die grammatiese beskrywing van die sogenaamde ‘onderwerpskakel’ in Sotho en Zulu: histories en kontemporêr

Literator ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-90
Author(s):  
W. J. Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Clear Distinction ◽  
Morphological Description ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Northern Sotho ◽  
Related Language

A synopsis of the grammatical description of the so-called ‘subject concord’ in Sotho and Zulu: historical and comtemporary viewsThe term "concord” is generally used as an umbrella term for a diversity of language forms in the morphological description of language units in African languages. Since “concord" does not specifically indicate a unit of rank in the morphological hierarchy of language symbols, but implicitly refers to the function of language units, the result of this practice is that a purely grammatical distinction between related language units is not always possible. For example, historically and contemporarily, the so-called "subject concord" is often interpreted in morphologically diverse and often even contradictory ways. This article examines the grammatical status of the so-called "subject concord” in Northern Sotho and Zulu in terms of existing views regarding its morphological or word status in the light of Van Wyk's (1953, 1958 and 1967) research. Specific attention is paid to changes in rank, drawing a clear distinction between “subject concords” as verbal prefixal morphemes and “subject concords” as particle words. Finally, it is recommended that a clear grammatical distinction should be drawn between morphemes and words, and furthermore that reference to these units should differ terminologically. This viewpoint suggests that the term "concord" should rather be avoided completely.

Central Cushitic

2020 ◽  
pp. 307-322
Author(s):  
Zelealem Leyew
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Language Family ◽  
Verb Morphology ◽  
Semitic Languages ◽  
The North ◽  
Separate Branch ◽  
Salient Features ◽  
Central Highlands

This chapter describes the Central Cushitic (hereafter CC) language family, one of four branches of Cushitic. CC, traditionally known as Agäw, contains four languages: Awŋi, Bilin, Kemantney, and Xamt’aŋa. Apart from Bilin, which is spoken in Eritrea, the CC languages are spoken in the central highlands of Ethiopia. The name CC was evidently given to Agäw on account of the geographical distribution of the North, South, East and the then West Cushitic (later Omotic) subgroups. The morphology, especially the verb morphology, identifies the CC languages as Cushitic, but they are classified as a separate branch of Cushitic on the basis of salient features exhibited in them. CC languages exhibit striking similarities in the lexicon, and due to longstanding language contact there exists much inter-influence with the Ethio-Semitic languages. These and other linguistic properties of CC are discussed in this chapter.

scholarly journals Identifying phonological processing deficits in Northern Sotho-speaking children: The use of non-word repetition as a language assessment tool in the South African context

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carien Wilsenach
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
South African Context ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Word Repetition ◽  
Northern Sotho ◽  
Language Tests ◽  
African Context

Diagnostic testing of speech/language skills in the African languages spoken in South Africa is a challenging task, as standardised language tests in the official languages of South Africa barely exist. Commercially available language tests are in English, and have been standardised in other parts of the world. Such tests are often translated into African languages, a practice that speech language therapists deem linguistically and culturally inappropriate. In response to the need for developing clinical language assessment instruments that could be used in South Africa, this article reports on data collected with a Northern Sotho non-word repetition task (NRT). Non-word repetition measures various aspects of phonological processing, including phonological working memory (PWM), and is used widely by speech language therapists, linguists, and educational psychologists in the Western world. The design of a novel Northern Sotho NRT is described, and it is argued that the task could be used successfully in the South African context to discriminate between children with weak and strong Northern Sotho phonological processing ability, regardless of the language of learning and teaching. The NRT was piloted with 120 third graders, and showed moderate to strong correlations with other measures of PWM, such as digit span and English non-word repetition. Furthermore, the task was positively associated with both word and fluent reading in Northern Sotho, and it reliably predicted reading outcomes in the tested population. Suggestions are made for improving the current version of the Northern Sotho NRT, whereafter it should be suitable to test learners from various age groups.

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