A linguistic description of language varieties in Venda

Abstract

This thesis investigates the various language varieties of Venda. In traditional descriptions, researchers were mainly concerned with linguistic differences which characterised the socalled Venda 'dialects'. These are spoken forms which are mutually intelligible to one another and which occur within identifiable regional boundaries. Each of these forms in turn, is mutually intelligible to the so-called standard form, commonly known as Tshiphani. Various factors contributed to the evolvement of · the Venda dialects and, as this study shows, in some cases these factors are historical in nature and in others, they are determined by adjacent ethnic groups of people. The linguistic differences which characterise each of these dialects are identified and discussed. It is then argued that the term 'dialect' is far too restricted to account for the various spoken forms which characterise the Venda language, and the term 'language variety' is introduced to deal with the shortcomings of the traditional approach to language differences. The nature of different spoken forms is then discussed within the ambit of the definition of 'language varieties'. This is a term used in general linguistic studies and accounts for the many different forms that may characterise a language.+ To this end, a detailed discussion is presented of the social rural and urban varieties which are found in Venda. Some of these varieties are secretive in nature, and are not generally known to the general public. They include language varieties which characterise various institutions such as murundu, vhutuka, musevhetho, vhusha, thondo and domba . Then there are those varieties which are referred to as 'open' rural varieties which are not, generally speaking secretive in nature, for example those which characterise traditional religious beliefs, taboo forms, and those referred to as musanda and malombo. Finally, reference is made to the language varieties which permeate urban as well as rural areas, including those of divination, the church, tsotsitaal, gender, a variety which is referred to as the the linguistic restriction variety and finally the varieties used in the courtroom as well as that used by politicians.