Some phonological aspects of the Tekela Nguni dialects

Abstract

This is a phonological study of some aspects of Tekela Nguni dialects, found in Southern Africa. Six of such dialects have been identified, namely: Swati, which is found in Swaziland, KaNgwane and South-Eastern Transvaal; Bhaca, found in Mount Frere and Umzimkulu in the Transkei, and between Ixopo and Bulwer in Natal; the Lala cwho accupy a large part of Southern Natal from Umzinto to Ezingolweni, as well as around Durban and Kranskop; the Nhlangwini, found north of Port Shepstone; Phuthi which is spoken at Quthing in Lesotho, Herschel in Transkei, and all the way from Mt Fletcher to Matatiele in South Africa; and finally Sumayela Ndebele found in the Northern Transvaal between Potgietersrus and Pietersburg. Aspects which are compared are phonemes which are dealt with in Chapters 3 and 4, from a synchronic and diachronic angle, respectively. In the synchronic approach the focus is on Tekela phonemes currently in use as opposed to the diachronic approach where Tekela cognates are compared and the derivation of Tekela reflexes from Proto-Bantu traced. Chapter five deals with phonological processes, and two types are distinguishable. Firstly there are processes which are common to Nguni in general. Secondly, there are those which are peculiar to Tekela Nguni. These include nasalisation of vowels; vowel replacement and labialisation. Chapter 6 is an elementary comparison of tone in these dialects. Tonal patterns of the noun and verb are identified and explained by means of tonal rules. The linguistic evidence is corroborated by common origins and history of the Tekela peoples as postulated in chapter 2. The conclusions drawn are that the Tekela dialects are but members of one and the same Nguni sub-group, and that besides foreign influences, they still share a number, not only of phonological, but also lexical and morphological features, which are commented upon in chapter 2. The study ends with a humble submission that it would be a most viable and pragmatic proposition if Nguni had only two written languages: one Tekela and the other Zunda Nguni.