Table of Contents
Introduction
Picture of the ceremony
Cultural ceremony’s impact on language use
Discussion of the pictures
Lesson learned
Personal views/ Reflections
Conclusion
References
, Setswana traditional wedding
Introduction
Marriage signifies a bond formed between a male and a female. It forges a
relationship between two families. According to Light and Keller (1980:383),
“marriage marks the start of a nuclear family or the expansion and continuation of an
extended family.” The purpose of this essay is to explain how Batswana use
language and perform marriage, lenyalo. It will explain how a cultural ceremony
impacts on the use of language. It will also reflect on the ceremony taking into
account language background, attitude and worldview.
Picture of the ceremony
Cultural ceremony in terms of how it impacts on language use
In Setswana culture, when a man is ready to marry he informs his family. Then, his
family writes a letter to inform the woman’s family about their intentions. The groom
and bride’s families each appoint mediators who will officially represent the families,
respectively. For instance, the groom’s family appoints malome (maternal uncle) to
lead the negotiations. The bride’s family will also do likewise. The mediators of both
families are responsible for delivering information/ messages from one family to
another. The uncles from the two families are accompanied by rakgadi (paternal
aunt), rangwane (paternal uncle) and mmangwane (maternal aunt, mother’s younger
sister) for formal negotiations. When the groom’s delegates arrive at the bride-to-be’s
home, they officially greet and are then welcomed. The uncle will then start the
conversation by saying, “re romilwe ke boora Kereeditse gore re tle go ba kopela/
bone sego sa metsi”; we have been sent by the Kereeditse family to request a water
gourd. The groom’ delegates will respond by disclosing the name of the woman.
Introduction
Picture of the ceremony
Cultural ceremony’s impact on language use
Discussion of the pictures
Lesson learned
Personal views/ Reflections
Conclusion
References
, Setswana traditional wedding
Introduction
Marriage signifies a bond formed between a male and a female. It forges a
relationship between two families. According to Light and Keller (1980:383),
“marriage marks the start of a nuclear family or the expansion and continuation of an
extended family.” The purpose of this essay is to explain how Batswana use
language and perform marriage, lenyalo. It will explain how a cultural ceremony
impacts on the use of language. It will also reflect on the ceremony taking into
account language background, attitude and worldview.
Picture of the ceremony
Cultural ceremony in terms of how it impacts on language use
In Setswana culture, when a man is ready to marry he informs his family. Then, his
family writes a letter to inform the woman’s family about their intentions. The groom
and bride’s families each appoint mediators who will officially represent the families,
respectively. For instance, the groom’s family appoints malome (maternal uncle) to
lead the negotiations. The bride’s family will also do likewise. The mediators of both
families are responsible for delivering information/ messages from one family to
another. The uncles from the two families are accompanied by rakgadi (paternal
aunt), rangwane (paternal uncle) and mmangwane (maternal aunt, mother’s younger
sister) for formal negotiations. When the groom’s delegates arrive at the bride-to-be’s
home, they officially greet and are then welcomed. The uncle will then start the
conversation by saying, “re romilwe ke boora Kereeditse gore re tle go ba kopela/
bone sego sa metsi”; we have been sent by the Kereeditse family to request a water
gourd. The groom’ delegates will respond by disclosing the name of the woman.
