Standardisation : towards linguistically sound spelling rules for Northern Sotho transliterations

Abstract

One of the many aspects of language standardisation is the standardisation of the spelling of words by selecting a standard form from amongst different orthographical variations of a particular word. The aim of this study was to examine transliterations in Northern Sotho, to see if the orthography rules have been consistently applied. This was done through identification of foreign consonant clusters and how they are presented in Northern Sotho transliterations that occur in Northern Sotho Terminology and Orthography No. 4 of 1988. Theories of loanword adaptations and correspondence guided this investigation. The data collected was analysed through the document analysis method. The research concludes that Northern Sotho spelling rules are inconsistently applied when foreign words are adapted, and this was found to be the result of unclearly formulated rules.

Le lengwe la mahlakore a tekanetšo ya polelo ke tekanetšo ya mopeleto wa mantšu ka go kgetha sebopego se se lekaneditšwego gare ga mengwalo ye mengwe ya lentšu leo. Maikemišetšo a nyakišišo ye ke go tsinkela maadingwa a Sesotho sa Leboa go bona ge eba melao ya mongwalo e latela tirišo ye e sa fetogegofetogego. Se se dirilwe ka go laetša ditatelano tša ditumammogo mantšung a maleme a šele le gore di tšweletšwa bjang mo maadingweng a Sesotho sa Leboa ao a tšwelelago ka go Sesotho sa Leboa Mareo le Mongwalo No. 4 ya 1988. Nyakišišo ye e hlahlilwe ke teori ya kamogelego ya maadingwa le teori ya tshwano. Tshedimošo ye e kgobokeditšwego e sekasekilwe ka mokgwanyakišišo wa tshekatsheko ya ditokumente. Nyakišišo ye e hweditše gore melao ya mopeleto ya Sesotho sa Leboa e dirišwa ka go fetogafetoga ge maadingwa a amogelwa, gomme se ke ditlamorago tša melao ye e sego ya hlamega gabotse