LIZZYGOLD TUTORIALS
ENG1502 ASSIGNMENT 01
DUE DATE: 17 APRIL 2024
Questions answered:
In Tutorial Letter 501, Unit 1, you are introduced to the idea of language as being a ruled-governed
system. Basically, this means that every language component/aspect follows certain rules.
Bearing this statement in mind, answer all the sub-questions in this question. Before answering
the questions make sure that you have read the sub-heading Language as a system, specifically
focusing on Table 1 in the Tutorial Letter. 1.1 The English language follows certain grammatical
rules that determine grammatical correctness of sentences. Taking this point into consideration,
read the following text and answer the questions that follow. The lines in the text have been
numbered for convenience.
1 After a long life in the buzzing city of Johannesburg, Mr and Mrs Molefe moved to a small,
2 quiet, rural town in the North-West. They explained that their children is adults; so, there
3 was no need to be in the city anymore. Me will adopt their style of parenting when I become
4 a parent. We are told that Western modern life requires that when children become adults,
5 they have to supporting themselves, which includes moving out of their parent’s home.
Text created by DN Mkhize
1.1.1 Identify three words that make the above text grammatically incorrect. (3 marks) 1.1.2
Briefly explain why each word is grammatically incorrect in the text. (6 marks) 1.1.3 Provide a
grammatically correct word for each word you identified in 1.1.1 Do NOT rewrite the text. Simply
list the words. (3 marks)
1.2 Every word in a sentence must have a meaning for the sentence to make sense. Taking this
comment into account, read the following sentence and answer the questions that follow.
Excitedly, my cousin called me to share the news that she won a holiday prize to
the beautiful Zanzibar and promised to bring me a stizz as a souvenir.
1.2.1 What word makes this sentence somewhat meaningless? (1 mark)
1.2.2 Briefly explain why the word you identified in 1.2.1 makes the above sentence somewhat
meaningless. (2 marks)
1.2.3 Find a word you think could replace the word you identified in 1.2.1 such that the sentence
makes a complete meaning. (1 mark)
, 1.2.4 Which language component/aspect helped you to answer all the above three questions?
Refer to the Table on page 8-9 of Tutorial Letter 501. (1 mark)
1.3 Context plays a crucial role in making meaning in a text. Given this explanation, read the
following sentence and answer the questions that follow.
He complained the whole day that the shoes were killing him; I responded by telling him
to get a new pair of shoes.
1.3.1 Which word plays a crucial role in making meaning in the context of this sentence? (1 mark)
1.3.2 Provide another way of stating the meaning of the above sentence. Make sure that you do
not change the original meaning of the sentence. (2 marks) (Total=20 marks)
Question 2
Study Activity 1.3 on page 9 and the feedback to this activity on page 10 of your Tutorial Letter
501. This activity illustrates an incident of communication breakdown because of how language
has been used. Based on your reading about language and its systems, do the following activities:
2.1.1 Find a picture or text that depicts breakdown of communication. Do NOT draw your own
picture. (1 mark)
2.1.2 Explain how language use contributed to the breakdown you have identified. In your
response make clear which aspect of language led to poor communication e.g. pronunciation,
vocabulary, syntax, semantics etc (see page 8-9 in Tutorial Letter 501). (7 marks)
2.1.3 Acknowledge the source of the text following the Harvard referencing style. (2 marks) N.B.
Your response should not exceed half a page. (Total=10 Marks)
Question 3
3.1 In your own words, explain the following terms. Use one appropriate example for each term
to illustrate the explanation you have given. Do NOT use examples from Tutorial Letter 501. (a)
Euphemism (4 marks) (b) Jargon (4 marks)
3.2 In this module, you were introduced to several functional speech varieties. Read the following
conversation and answer the questions that follow.
L: Ei bro, did you get what the brother was talking about? Iyo, die man o a bora tjo (… this man is
boring…) K: Tjo le muntu u ya confusa, one minute o ringa ngabo Bandura, the next u ringa
ngaboZuma (… this person is confusing; one minute he speaks about Bandura and the next one
he speaks about Zuma) L: Ya parliament le ditheorist di mixana kae? (Where do the parliament
and theorist mix?) K: Eintlik die man othole le degree yakhe waar? It must be from e Pick’n Pay or
Shoprite (Actually, where did this man get his degree?) Adapted from: Makalela, L. 2013.
Translanguaging in kasi-taal: Rethinking old language boundaries for new language planning.
ENG1502 ASSIGNMENT 01
DUE DATE: 17 APRIL 2024
Questions answered:
In Tutorial Letter 501, Unit 1, you are introduced to the idea of language as being a ruled-governed
system. Basically, this means that every language component/aspect follows certain rules.
Bearing this statement in mind, answer all the sub-questions in this question. Before answering
the questions make sure that you have read the sub-heading Language as a system, specifically
focusing on Table 1 in the Tutorial Letter. 1.1 The English language follows certain grammatical
rules that determine grammatical correctness of sentences. Taking this point into consideration,
read the following text and answer the questions that follow. The lines in the text have been
numbered for convenience.
1 After a long life in the buzzing city of Johannesburg, Mr and Mrs Molefe moved to a small,
2 quiet, rural town in the North-West. They explained that their children is adults; so, there
3 was no need to be in the city anymore. Me will adopt their style of parenting when I become
4 a parent. We are told that Western modern life requires that when children become adults,
5 they have to supporting themselves, which includes moving out of their parent’s home.
Text created by DN Mkhize
1.1.1 Identify three words that make the above text grammatically incorrect. (3 marks) 1.1.2
Briefly explain why each word is grammatically incorrect in the text. (6 marks) 1.1.3 Provide a
grammatically correct word for each word you identified in 1.1.1 Do NOT rewrite the text. Simply
list the words. (3 marks)
1.2 Every word in a sentence must have a meaning for the sentence to make sense. Taking this
comment into account, read the following sentence and answer the questions that follow.
Excitedly, my cousin called me to share the news that she won a holiday prize to
the beautiful Zanzibar and promised to bring me a stizz as a souvenir.
1.2.1 What word makes this sentence somewhat meaningless? (1 mark)
1.2.2 Briefly explain why the word you identified in 1.2.1 makes the above sentence somewhat
meaningless. (2 marks)
1.2.3 Find a word you think could replace the word you identified in 1.2.1 such that the sentence
makes a complete meaning. (1 mark)
, 1.2.4 Which language component/aspect helped you to answer all the above three questions?
Refer to the Table on page 8-9 of Tutorial Letter 501. (1 mark)
1.3 Context plays a crucial role in making meaning in a text. Given this explanation, read the
following sentence and answer the questions that follow.
He complained the whole day that the shoes were killing him; I responded by telling him
to get a new pair of shoes.
1.3.1 Which word plays a crucial role in making meaning in the context of this sentence? (1 mark)
1.3.2 Provide another way of stating the meaning of the above sentence. Make sure that you do
not change the original meaning of the sentence. (2 marks) (Total=20 marks)
Question 2
Study Activity 1.3 on page 9 and the feedback to this activity on page 10 of your Tutorial Letter
501. This activity illustrates an incident of communication breakdown because of how language
has been used. Based on your reading about language and its systems, do the following activities:
2.1.1 Find a picture or text that depicts breakdown of communication. Do NOT draw your own
picture. (1 mark)
2.1.2 Explain how language use contributed to the breakdown you have identified. In your
response make clear which aspect of language led to poor communication e.g. pronunciation,
vocabulary, syntax, semantics etc (see page 8-9 in Tutorial Letter 501). (7 marks)
2.1.3 Acknowledge the source of the text following the Harvard referencing style. (2 marks) N.B.
Your response should not exceed half a page. (Total=10 Marks)
Question 3
3.1 In your own words, explain the following terms. Use one appropriate example for each term
to illustrate the explanation you have given. Do NOT use examples from Tutorial Letter 501. (a)
Euphemism (4 marks) (b) Jargon (4 marks)
3.2 In this module, you were introduced to several functional speech varieties. Read the following
conversation and answer the questions that follow.
L: Ei bro, did you get what the brother was talking about? Iyo, die man o a bora tjo (… this man is
boring…) K: Tjo le muntu u ya confusa, one minute o ringa ngabo Bandura, the next u ringa
ngaboZuma (… this person is confusing; one minute he speaks about Bandura and the next one
he speaks about Zuma) L: Ya parliament le ditheorist di mixana kae? (Where do the parliament
and theorist mix?) K: Eintlik die man othole le degree yakhe waar? It must be from e Pick’n Pay or
Shoprite (Actually, where did this man get his degree?) Adapted from: Makalela, L. 2013.
Translanguaging in kasi-taal: Rethinking old language boundaries for new language planning.
