Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://dlibrary.aiu.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/3
Welcome to Africa International University intellectual output
News
Source and reservoir of Knowledge.
Browse
184 results
Search Results
Item Tense, Mood and Aspect in the Ngbandi language(2014-05-15) Mbagesi, CrispinItem The Pronoun in Dogon(2014-05-15) Teme, DagalouItem Tense, Aspect and Modality Systems in the Mbandja Verb(2014-05-15) Mabele, GomaItem Derivation of Nouns ( Nominalizations ) from Toposa Verbs(2014-05-15) Kadanya, James LokuudaItem Nominalization in Olusuba :process and function.(2014-05-14) Okumu, Jeremiah OchiengAbout one third of Olusuba nouns are nominals derived from other lexical categories such as .verbs, adjectives and adverbials. This process, known as nominalization, and its reverse process of denominalization are crucial in aiding reexpression of ideas in idiomatic translational communication between different languages. This paper explores the process and function of nominalization as a derivational process in morphology and its importance in Bible translation work in Olusuba language. It is also the undertaking of this paper to assess the properties of derivational forms, such as prefixes and suffixes, which produce nominalized forms in this language. Finally, this paper explores grammatical and pragmatic implications of these forms to ascertain their functions in discourse of different kinds. This research paper, therefore, documents research findings on Olusuba nominalization forms and concludes that these forms have great contributions in the production of various lexical units, for the construction of clause and discourse structures, which are needed for communicating and expressing numerous nominal ideas and concepts. This is a crucially important discovery in which 'Relevance Theory' principles of communication are supported through the general function of Olusuba nominals. On the basis of Olusuba noun structure, the nominalization processes follow uniformly the noun class system and its consequent syntactic form and function to give us a coherent Olusuba grammar.Item A Comparative Study of Causatives in Bantu(2014-05-14) Briony Murrel, JosephineThis study will investigate causative formation in three major Bantu languages; KiSwahili, Kikuyu and Lingala. These three languages are from different subgroups of Bantu, and thus one would expect to find differences between them in the ways in which causatives are formed, as well as finding similarities common to all. KiSwahili and Kikuyu are more closely linked to each other than to Lingala, and the author will research whether this is reflected in the similarities and differences in the ways causatives are formed. Even within the most well-studied of the Bantu languages, KiSwahili, there are some questions regarding causative formation which seem to remain unanswered, such as why one verb root may take more than one type of causative suffix, but others may not. The author will seek to provide explanations for some of these questions, as well as investigating whether they are widespread, and reflected in the other Bantu languages studied here, or restricted to KiSwahili only. Comparative studies such as these have their place in Bible Translation. With the implementation of the SIL initiative Vision 2025, which seeks to have a Bible translation started in every language of the world which needs one by the year 2025, there is a need for far greater teamwork than has existed before in translation work. Groups are forming which aim to work together on related languages, pool resources, and help each other in their respective translations. One such group is the Bantu Initiative. A current target of this group is to provide a grammar template, helping linguists to know what they can expect from a Bantu language in each area of the grammar whilst at the same time illustrating the types of differences which exist. The author hopes to be able to provide a basis for this Bantu grammar template in the area of causatives, using the three languages studied to provide examples.Item The Expression of Negation in Nuni(2014-05-13) Kadio, Abou CornelilleItem The Particle No in Zarma : A relevance Theory Perspective(2014-05-12) Grigson, Jetta ElizabethThis paper examines the role of the particle no in Zarma discourse. What is theoretically interesting about this particle is that one might see it as having two differing or contrasting functions. It seems to function both as a "focus marker" and as a "discourse topic marker". In this thesis, however, I would like to argue for a more economical analysis that takes into consideration both functions of the particle. Using Sperber and Wilson's Relevance Theory (RT) as the theoretical basis for this thesis, I will argue that this particle serves as a marker of syntactic scope, containing within its scope either a particular constituent of a clause or an entire clause. The information contained within the syntactic scope of the particle should be seen to contribute directly or indirectly to relevance for the hearer. Thus, the particle seems to have a basic watch this!' function. The speaker is signaling to the hearer that the information within the syntactic scope of the particle is essential for comprehension and relevance. In RT terms, as the indicator of focal scope, the information within the scope of the particle has the potential of creating cognitive effects in the listener, adding to his conceptual knowledge of the world. As an indicator of the scope of the discourse topic, it has potential of establishing a new context for the listener. Although I will not analyze the particle as a focus and/or topic marker, the syntactic scope that the particle indicates is, however, to be analyzed as either focus or discourse topic. I will, therefore, deal with focus and discourse topic as such. After having introduced the language background, the research methods and orthography, I will review the literature on focus and discourse topic. This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter I incorporates the introduction, including language background, purpose of study, and research methods. Chapter II reviews the linguistic literature on the issues oi focus and discourse topic. Chapter III investigates the grammatical distribution of the particle no. Chapter IV introduces RT. Chapter V examines how the particle no is used in discourse, applying RT.Item Alienable and Inalienable Possession in Dholuo(2014-05-12) Lang, EmeseIn his book A Grammar of Kenya Luo (Dholuo) (1993) Tucker explores the different types of genitives he found in the language. He attempts to differentiate between alienable and inalienable genitive constructions, basing his argument on the different forms of genitive head noun in Luo. However, after thorough investigation, it can be said that Luo does not have the semantic distinction of alienable and inalienable genitives. It does have two different forms of genitive construction but these have no difference semantically. The difference between Tucker's findings and those in this document may be due to recent language change, but this would need further investigation.Item The concept of power or authority in Jeremiah 22:1-9, 13-23 with implications for Africa(2014-05-09) Katho, BungishabakuGod alone is the perfect ruler and his power is dependent upon none. Human beings who possess power can rightly exercise it only if they acknowledge that their power is delegated. God made it clear to the Israelites, even before they asked for a king, what such a king should be and how he should lead his people. Deuteronomy 17:14-20 sets forth a number of limitations placed upon the monarchy. The motive behind these limitations was to ensure that the Israelite king will not behave like the kings of the other nations, but that he will follow the will of God and maintain a society which is right with itself and right with God. 1 Samuel 8 warns the people of Israel against the potential danger of the establishment of kingship. More than a warning, 1 Samuel 8 can also be seen as another guideline which could hel\') the kings of Israel to realize the temptations and dangers they were going to face in the exercise of their authority. From the text of Jeremiah 22, we chose two kings of Judah: Josiah and Jehoiakim as case studies of the use of power or authority in the Israelite monarchy. Josiah understood his task as a king in terms of complying with the standard set in Deuteronomy and 1 Samuel. As a result, it went well for him and for the nation. But Jehoiakim was condemned for his failure to comply with God's standard. Because of the failure of Jehoiakim and many other kings like him, Israel was destroyed and the people ~re) of Judah were taken to exile. This means that the moral, social, economic, and religious conditions of any nation or society depend, in large part, on the kind of leadership of those in power. In the political sphere, the church in Africa has two responsibilities: (1) to teach the nation and their rulers the proper use of power and (2) to help the citizens to understand that they are responsible for the kind of government in power because their destiny is linked to the kind of leadership they have accepted to rule over them.