KwaNtu feature: UFS unveils landmark Sesotho sa Leboa dictionary in historic double launch

Lebua and Sesuto. Maybe then it would for our listeners will be able to relate to why it is so important that we also as the unvest of the free state, we did also help in publishing and launching that was a prey dictionary. You see that the dis dictionary was written by just an ordinary a teacher who is now I think more than sixty years old, and he has

been collecting all this Siperi terminology. And when he was just asking to say where can I get help, we came in handy to say we cannot just let loose of such a beautiful collection of superdi terminology. There's a huge relationship between Sipedi and Sisuto. For example, the Bapedi were the first people to be called Basuto Badanguni. Remember from Mahuruza, we have Malope, we have the modern and Tavanni. And then the first son of moderna Tavani then produced

the nation that today called Bapedi. And when they moved to the eastern part of the now the trans b they met with the Angunis, and because of their addressing they were known as to say, you guys, how do you wear? You know, a cloth that covers and healthy and not behind soon to abashould. But there are of course two theories of the origin of the name Basuto. But I would say the first people to be referred to as Godba Babi and those five sons of bad look of Tavani had to move to the eastern part.

Probably they were looking for greener pastures and because of the temperatures until the Batropua also they moved to that area before they came to the free stage. And Basta also use this weight the name Basuto, which was also officially used in eighteen twenty four when Mastrature came to Tabaos. So if I look at that dictionary, there are a number of ways that are similar, and some of the ways, because of the land of the of the change in language, we see that some insto some of the ways have

been lost. But if you look at this dictionary, we can say that the number of ways that as we translate some of the technologies in our sub subject that universities and schools, we can refer to that dictionary. So a dictionary is not only about the term least and so forth, but you also help us with the primitive vocabulary that we can now our tach in to really try and equate or try to get equivalents for our subjects.

That we teach our students that schools and universities. So it is very important because it also carries the culture and that's very same history of the way that we come from. What is the relationship between these nations. It was it tried really to know, to discriminate and so that we look at each other with score while we orientate from the same person and our language are so related that we can learn from each other instead of

just coming up with strange you know, technologies. So it is very important to we have very excited that we did and I needed to help and that they want to go. I need to publish the Disciperey Dictionary.

the other languages, but this one in particular. There's Solomon Mutroguani who comes from Sonova Arana in Limpopo, comes from or originate from the place known as Bakropabahama Chak Sahama Chak. Now, he was telling us when we were launching the dictionary that he when he was still young and at school, he happened to meet with an African speaking person who from time to time used to you know, scanned him to say, you people, you don't write. I am with us.

We have got everything to turn down and it would always feel very little belittle the for the fact that we the black people, we don't really resort to writing we always are oral most of the time. And eventually, as he graduated from the college to go and teach at primary school, he then collected all these terms into into a into a book. You know when we try. We first looked at the first manuscript. It was hand written.

It was so interesting, so we said, you know, looking at the similarities that we have with the to group languages and Susanna, this book, we said, no, this dictionary, it is very important. That is where the interest came in to say, there are also technologists that we're so surprising to say. I've been struggling myself alone about and

there is still a debate today. What do we call a widow and a widow for an example, I know that most of the people, yeah, I would, right, But there's also a term that I learned from dig six SCENARII about a divorce, and I didn't know about that. I said, well, what to do we have first hands? Yeah, so I would. And also when I looked at that, it says here chala, it is to divorce, yes, yes, but if it is the person who have divorced is a man. The dictionary is saysa but Masadi it says

had probably it is the stem it's about mosala. If it is a man masalakadi masala. So for me it was say, maybe we should then reserve, preserve this type of terminology so that when we are busy with the translation and terminology building, we're able to differentiate, we're able to use this term. So so we did have them, probably they did disappear, as will we interact with other people, and those languages always they just disappear with time. So for me that was what brought the interest to say,

it is always important to preserve whatever we have. I mean, what is an old guy a person? So it means the vocabulary it might behaving, you know, primitive, the vocabulary that we might also tap into when we're doing and developing our terminal ladies, you.

your views. Also under development zero double one, double a three seven two. That's the number that you can call. What do you think of this new dictionary, this new project. I think it's very exciting and I think it lays the foundation for lots more like it, particularly in other languages that might not necessarily be considered official languages.

of suffixes if you are a limit or gramarian. But it is very simple. It can be a pot of the dictionary. It can run two more or less more than one hundred pages, just small. But of course it can be very useful just to have. For an example, here a heavyweight says a more too more really one more yes, But here it says the explanation is more to yo bot so bad one. Then maybe I might be pronouncing it's differently here. And then if there's another way here that says shi yeah. So it gives but

those short type of descriptions. So for us it was important that we take it. We take it as it as a manuscript, but it needs father development and that is where also we can probably come up with the grammatical descriptions of every weight and then how they with the application of certain parts of speech, then they can

we can have different meanings. But then that will also help us to have an a preamble where we discuss and explain the relationship between this Suto group and maybe also direct Arran to say, I know that there's a controversy to whether the group, being that the Suto group includes Vajana, Bapedi and Basuto, which of course I do agree that it refers to Wapedi and Batu and not Batana Vagana. They are stand alone because they are the

ones that produce the two groups. And that is why if you are in Hawking and Limpopo, when you say adam Mosto, the Vapi would say, oh, just to differentiate between the two. So this dictionary, it is for a little bit of more elaboration, is more linguistics. It is a monolingual dictionary, but with short descriptions, but it is more loaded with the M alphabet. But it is more This is the case the same with all the the African languages group. The M has got more terms and names,

equivalents and so forth. Because the name as the noun in English, then it is the one that is easily land and the M it is heavily loaded with names and so forth. Yeah, that is how I can explain it that this dictionary, but it is important to really encourage people to say, if we still have a list of ways that with the short description, they can submit them and be published so that we can have them preserved for future reference generations.

was reading about this. It really surprised me because you'd imagine, because Sabati is one of the most one of the official languages, they would have already be happy, you know, this type of literature available, and then you would expect with some of the smaller quote unquote or the ones that are less spoken of, then you would imagine that

we're still lagging behind. But the sense I'm getting, doctor, is that we're lagging behind generally with many of our African languages in preserving the languages through this form of literature.

and that is what is important to here. The trogon to say he's a Spaedish speaking person, and he is he has lid write this dictionary. We did have for an example in so Soto got Paroles that is an old dictionary. I think we published through pencil the Socuti dictionary also that was developed by Elexocratic Unit the universt of the

Free State. So yes, we are doing well in terms of you know, the development of dictionaries, but we are still leaking, especially if with regard to monolingual dictionaries where which are written by the African people themselves, because like this one, this person, he didn't go to school to learn about this these terms. It is the terminology that is developed because of the experience when they are still and also learning from the environment how they we are

used by the other people in the same community. So for me really it is also to say and this is what we are also looking at the our you know programs as well that you know, with with with the within the University of the Free Stage, I see more speaking people coming down to the university here to such an extent that we are also thinking of when we read language. We made an example in English Spedians

as well, so that the study guide becomes multilineoirs. So yes, I think that we still have a long way to go where we will have the multilinual dictionaries as well. You said something here that there are times where you would want to know a or Sipedi term, but you know it in English. We should have such dictionaries where we have a list and a description in soto or sapedi, but we also have a list of what does that way to mean in English? That could also be very useful.

are used today but in my own life like for example, your sim cards, your memory cards.

in in Chanaana. So what I need sort of from from from the professor is perhaps where can where can he guide me to sort of make my my my sort of findings to be you know out there, so that can be test published in in a way because I believe that it can sort of contributing to grow into us in helping grow in my language and also other language that are you know, our native language, because it's going to be easy if if if if if, if something is translated into the sec A language like

a native language, then it can be easy to be transcered to other native languages. And like they say, if there is no term for that at all, for me, I found it, you know, to to to to have needed where for myself to sort of get get those names, those difficult terms that can can explain the technological terms that we are using on a daily basis, like your smartphones. You know, we don't we normally don't have those names

in our native language. So I have managed to find the meanings for those terms.

And what I like about it is that it should be the terms that are used every day, and that terms that are not formulated by academics when we are sitting in office, because we have a lot of such tereminology that just sitting there in the shelves, but are not useful because those are they they are not being used in every day line. I was listening a student from one of the stations who said, well, because I have this list, but we rarely use such you know,

temninology that has been produced. But now if I'm listening to just a few of the terms that and that have just alluded to, it's quite interesting. He has to come up at least when he sign it to the publisher, he must just make sure that he keep a copy with himself. And then but that terminology has to go

through maybe to the National Language body. They look at those terms and the space and so forth, and then they can publish its through pencils as well, and you will find that it is it will be useful in this in the sense that instead of just cracking your head, we already have people who have formulated as these terms.

Because this one I can understand that because in the terms of technology in formation, it's either you have an equivalent, but because we the our in life, you know, these technology developed, development and so forth, so we realize that there are no terms that are coming in and we have to come with innovations. If we can't have an equivalent, you innovate like the examples that that have now used. So in that way it is we can have you know, if in as much as we would say, how do

we publish them? But I think wherever he is, where he can, if he can go through the pencil, we can get maybe some contact details there where he can submit the times. But like we did with the superio, even if with this mostly where mostly soudents begin the free stage, we can also assist with the building of the terminology or see if maybe the dictionary is I mean the technology is authentic. We have to have it often authenticated by one of the structures of pencil process. UNA.

of on that if I'm and also a doctor. And the other thing, it's also in our names, the way our we actually name our children, you know, a name like Cephalani Cephalani. When I wanted to find out. But now what is the meaning of this weight? Thephalani yahm cephalan is actually after the harvest what they keep for seed. They call it cephalanpalan you'll see. Yes, so I think also it's so important that maybe and uh, and I'm

happy that they and an initiative has been taken. As you rightly say that you are based in the Fisty, which is as sol to southern so to speaking province, and you took up this to say, as they say, as a baby dictionary, and maybe also to also get your opinion, how far are we in really developing our languages into language of trade and industry and uh and uh and commerce? And that will in a way also you know, make sure that they we actually develop our

languages in that day. Yeah, in that direction, because I'm of the view that if you can take the European languages, most of the things that are English, you find that there they are there in in German and Russian in all of this say you know of this, say yeah, okay, so those are the European based languages. Yes, if I can just get you you know on that doctor, don't you Okay.

the our own languages. What I can say is that yes, currently just make an example of the investor with the Free State here our language policy allows for language it is English, Afrikaans to end, and then I think they are considering Splosa and Crana. But what is important here is that we have what you call the multilineral academy. It is responsible for the development, especially in particulars because I think it is the universe of the Free State

mostly that is having that mandate. Otherwise the other languages are well catered for, so the margin. Normal Academy is responsible for term lists and so forth CEUT for an example, the Department of Others and Culture Pencil itself, they have a long list of terminoraries. I know that I was also involved in the development of scientific terms for great

for to grade seven. It is there. If you go to Pencil website and you go there to the publications and then with different languages, you will get those terms there.

So yes, it is important to health scize. But the other question that you also raised, it is about the different orthography orthography look, and this is the challenge that we're having where our languages were put or coded by people who are not the speakers of those languages, and that is why we have difficulty in if I'm Suto a country so Tuana because of the alphabet that are

given to so Tuana, which is different from us. For an example, if you say what you're doing in in Chicana, then it's C in other be tj W. So if we can you know, standardize and harmonize such type of

difficulties or differences, then it will be easy. But the history of listen to I think it has been identifying that there are sounds that are written differently between the South African orthography and the orthography and the one the other one that is that they mentioned is that of N and D the academics and the ste A grade of those differences. But because of the political reasons, they

need to have their own unique orthography. So yeah, now you would see also that most of our sin names that we have in South Africa, like Mokwain, most people are still using the orthography because of the ideas that they have taken a long time ago. And then if you have to have the offsprings with the same same name, I think the spelling will have to be the same

otherwise you'll be in trouble. So that is why in such say names you'll find that we still use the orthography, yes, which is the olde and then in South Africa the new orthography that stent in nineteen sixty one it is w Eka, so that orthography is. And then the naming of course that we say like in the hyds in the Bible, the Bible you know where they were initially translated into. So so too happy if you look at Howting for an example, how do we spell howting with

G that is also the old orthography. You know, if we can learn and study how the way Musu to us written fatal because of the influence of the French people, you would be so surprised it was Musu too, you know, with the m O double s O, you double t o. Then issually they with they glinted until we get ourselves

ready and clean. So the other thing that they talked about it is the the development of our languages so that they can be useful into our industry and otherwise our languages should also so you know, the other people would say, hey, I want our languages. Don't put bread on the table, and that is true. If your language can't you know, be used in politics and commerce, even in in certain social you know platforms. So but currently I will let me say it wouldn't it was we

would have the terminology, put them in the shelves. As long as we don't use those languages ourselves, and then as long as we don't even teache so with in soto in at university level, those languages would not develop, you know, the languages that we see them now being popular and also having books written in that lenge. Rightly, for an example, I'm told that one that professor just used tap mathematics in one of the Russian languages and

it it developed. So as long as we are afraid to use our languages in teaching, even so Souto as a subject, then we have a problem. But the regulations are there with the terminologists, that their funding is there provided by the Department of Asian Culture as well as Pencil for the Development of African Languages. At least the Constitution give us the support the development of such languages, and the universities have been given that mandate.

the continent that are similar. That shows that maybe there is there was an interaction all these people comes from that area. But there is a theory that the first people that came from Egypt were the Bafricane and the Bahurut and then they matched to as they come down. They went to Botswana and that is why we have buff Gang also in and in Botswana, and then we have Bafutkan in Wassotu and we Baffugay in the clost because of that migration. So it is because of the

archeology they believe that we come from that area. But the migration should not be described in a negative way to really do away with the inhabitants of the Africa, to say probably we have arrived in the southern part of the of the continent together other the white groups. Now that is not the explanation of that theory. But if you look at the name was the recurrent force where the Vasta Sayatuna, then you would understand that mayby there were people that Basuto, that or that also residing

in that area. If you study your history very well, they moved down to a certain part of Africa. But during the Diffaghani, we see that one of the Zulu group with the Mozilicas. Then they moved to what you call what we have today as Zimbabwe. And there was a move again which is called who is called Sebituan who also fled into Zimbabwe is Musoto. That is why we have the Basuto also there. But the language is a mix of Zulu and Sootu. And they also moved

to Zambia. So we have rose for an example in Zambia. Actually you see there is that interaction between the Cito group. Yeah, so we might say because you don't have any other history oral that can give a different explanation, would say, yes, we originate from that space, and it will look very carefully. The northern part of Africa was occupied by the Blacks, but the agents came afterwards when they invaded them. I think then they migrated towards across the desert and intro

into the Victorian Falls. Yeah, that's how I can explain that it is true. But only we can only depend on archology and the history written by other people.

doctor Elias Malide, we have run out of time. It went by so quick, and I really look forward having this conversation with you again in the future as we record the developments that are happening in the space of African languages.

We have heard the time away our things are being rejected for no reason.