AFL2601 Assignment 2 Semester 2 2024

[Date]




AFL2601
Assignment 2
Semester 2 2024
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS

,AFL2601 Assignment 2 Semester 2 2024



QUESTION 1: SOCIO-HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN
LANGUAGES

1.1 List the nine official indigenous South African Languages, and critically
discuss why these languages can be classified as a ‘language family’ on their own.
(13)

1.2 Does Afrikaans form part of indigenous South African languages? Give
reasons for your answer. (2)

1.3 Demonstrate language zone in your province of residence, and how the
standard language has been chosen or selected. (5) /20

QUESTION 2: STRUCTRAL OVERVIEW OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES

2.1 In order for borrowed nouns to be able to generate agreement morphemes
which then link them to other elements in the sentence, they need to be
accommodated in one of the noun classes. Give a brief explanation regarding the
importance of the above statement using suitable examples from your own
language. (4)

2.2 Explain why noun classes such as class 14, and 15 are regarded as productive
nouns. Use examples from your own language to support your answer. (4)

2.3 A verb can be extended using a suffix and this is evident in all indigenous
South African languages. Give one example from your language where
“reciprocal” as an extension is used. (2)

QUESTION 1: SOCIO-HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN
LANGUAGES

, 1.1 List the nine official indigenous South African languages, and critically
discuss why these languages can be classified as a ‘language family’ on their
own. (13)

Nine Official Indigenous South African Languages:

1. isiZulu

2. isiXhosa

3. Sepedi (Northern Sotho)

4. Sesotho (Southern Sotho)

5. Setswana (Tswana)

6. siSwati (Swazi)

7. Tshivenda (Venda)

8. Xitsonga (Tsonga)

9. isiNdebele (Ndebele)

Classification as a Language Family: These nine languages can be classified as a
'language family' on their own due to several linguistic and cultural factors:

1. Linguistic Similarities:

o Phonology: Many of these languages share similar sounds and
phonetic patterns. For example, click consonants are found in isiZulu
and isiXhosa.

o Grammar: These languages often follow similar grammatical
structures, such as noun class systems and verb conjugation patterns.