The purpose of this study was to investigate how language used in the past was lost
with regard to pregnant women, as well as the rituals meant to be followed when a
woman is pregnant until child-birth. This study compared the language use of
modern times and of the past with regard to taboos during pregnancy and birth. The
components that the researcher investigated embrace how a pregnant woman
should handle herself, taboos that must be followed by pregnant women and the
infants, fortification and procedures which follow when the ceremony of the baby is
done and language development from pregnancy and child birth. In this study, the
researcher applied the Critical Language Awareness (CLA), Ethnography of
Communication and Ethnopragmatics models to best explain the Vhavenḓa cultural
practices and discourse in relation to child-aligned language with regards to
pregnancy, child-birth and anything associated with a newborn child.
Regarding research design, the researcher chose qualitative-ethnography research
design because it is more exploratory as it deals with human beings and the
environment in which they live. A qualitative research method was utilised in this
study. The population was Vhavenḓa elderly women who are knowledgeable about
taboos pertaining to pregnancy and childbirth. In this study, purposive and snowball
sampling techniques were appropriate since the researcher used her judgement to and snowball sampling were used to sample information from people who have
knowledge of the Tshivenḓa language and culture to establish if there is a difference
between the language used today and that used in the past. On the subject of data
collection tools, the researcher collected qualitative primary data with the aid of
interviews and interviews from the social groups including youth, elders, nurses and
doctors from various natural research settings in the Vhembe District. Ultimately,
the researcher identified various themes and concepts which emanated from the
data collection process in line with analytical comparison methods, namely, method
of agreement and method of difference.
From the research, it was discovered that the Tshivenḓa culture is being
undermined and the Western culture is being preferred in modern times. These
changes came about when Western and Christian ways of doing things were
v
followed and African customs were abandoned. Furthermore, this research
uncovered that the Tshivenḓa language is being lost while looking at the period from
pregnancy until the birth of a child into the world. Most importantly, this research
brought forth the knowledge of language used in pregnancy that has been lost;
including medicines that are no longer used for purposes of curing during pregnancy, child-birth and the raising of a newborn.
Ngudo ino yo ḓitika kha u sengulusa uri luambo zwe lwa vha lu tshi shumiswa zwone
kale lwo ngalangala zwo livhiswa kha muimana u swika a tshi vhofholowa. Musi i
tshi ya phanḓa, ṱhoḓisiso iyi i sedza luambo lwa zwiilaila uri ndi luambo lune lu kha
ḓivha lune lwa dzhielwa nṱha na musi ho sedzwa ho sedzwa vhuimana na mbebo.
Zwine muṱoḓisisi a khou ṱoḓulusa zwone zwi katela zwi tevhelaho: muimana u
ḓifarisa hani, zwiilaila zwine zwa tea u tevhedzwa nga muimana na lutshetshe,
muthuso na nḓila ine ya tevhelwa musi hu tshi khou itwa vhuṱambo na u sedza
luambo lwa muimana lune lwa shumiswa u swikela kha lutshetshe. Kha ṱhoḓisiso iyi
muṱoḓisisi o shumisa mutheo wa thyiori dzi tevhelaho: Critical Language
Awareness, Ethnography of Communication na Ethnopragmatics u ṱalusa
kushumisele kwa mvelele ya Vhavenḓa na luambo malugana na luambo lwa
zwilaila, lutshetshe na zwiṅwe zwine zwa elana na u vhofholowa.
U ya nga ha tshivhumbeo tsha ṱhoḓisiso na nḓila ya u ṱhoḓisisa muṱoḓisisi o nanga
u shumisa ngona ya khwaḽithithethivi nga uri o vha a tshi khou sedzesa kha vhathu
na hune vha vha vhe hone. Zwiṱoḓuluswa zwa ṱhoḓisiso iyi ndi vhathu vhahulwane
vha Vhavenḓa vhane vha vha na ndivho ya vhuilaila malugana vhuimana na, u
vhofholowa. Kha ngudo iyi purposive na snowball sampling techniques hune yo tea
u bva muṱoḓisisi o shumisa ndila yawe ya u nanguludza sambula a dovha hafhu a
shumisa u vhudzisa muvhudziswa ngae u wana munwe. Kha ndivho ya
zwishumiswa zwa u kuvhanganya mafhungo, muṱoḓisisi o kuvhanganya mafhungo
o shumisa khwalithithethivi kha tshi khou thusiwa nga ithaviiyu na ithaviuyu u bva
kha zwigwada zwo fhambanaho sa vhaswa, vhaluwa, manese na madokotela u bva
fhethu ho fhambanaho vhuponi ha ḽiisela ḽa Vhembe. Muṱoḓisisi o topola ndivho na
mihumbulo ine ya bva kha mafhungo e a kuvhanganywa ho shumiswa maitele a
Analytical Comparison Method ine ya shumisa: Method of agreement na Method of
difference..
U bva kha ṱhoḓisiso ho wanala uri mvelele ya Tshivenḓa i khou dzhielwa fhasi, ha
dzhielwa ntha mvelele ya vhukovhela . Tshanduko iyi ndi ine yo ḓiswa nga nḓila ine
Vhukovhela na vhutendi ha Tshikrisite zwa tshimbidzwa ngayo musi vha tshi
tevhedzela maitele a Tshirema. U inga kha izwo, ṱhoḓisiso iyi yo bula uri luambo lwa
Tshivenḓa lwo ngalangala musi ro sedza kha muimana u swikela a tshi vhofholowa.Tsha vhuṱhogwa, ṱhoḓisiso iyi yo ḓisa nḓivho ya luambo lune lwa shumiswa kha
vhuimana uri lwo ngalangala zwo katela na miuluso ine ya shumiswa kha vhuimani,
ṅwana a tshi bebiwa na u alusa lutshetshe.
