Onomastic Controversy on Sepedi and Northern Sotho/Sesotho sa Leboa Language Names: A Forensic Linguistic Perspective
Issue: Vol.5 No.11 Issue Article 29 pp. 2001-2013
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451129 | Published online 20th September, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This article interrogated the existence of Sepedi, Northern Sotho and Sesotho sa Leboa as different language names that are used to designate one and the same language. The researcher’s main intention was to determine if the socio-onomastic dissension that is caused by the aforementioned language names qualifies to be resolved from a legal point of view. Content analysis as a qualitative research approach was used, where the researcher mainly focused on constitutional imperatives, relevant legislations and minutes of the Joint Parliamentary Constitutional Review Committee. The article established that the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court as well as the Department of Justice and Correctional Services have failed in their responsibilities, specifically in resolving the matter under discussion. The article further pronounced that the current defiance and disregard of Section 6(1) of the Constitution of South Africa, Act No. 108 of 1996 was exacerbated by poor monitoring and evaluation, lack of public accountability, poor oversight and confusion of roles and responsibilities between the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the Commission for the Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities. The intervention by a competent court of law is recommended since the matter has been dragging since the finalisation of the Constitution in 1996. The article contributes to scientific knowledge by presenting the perspective that, from a legal point of view, Sepedi is the official language, not Northern Sotho or Sesotho sa Leboa.
Keywords: Sepedi, Northern Sotho, Sesotho sa Leboa, Constitutional Assembly, Interim Constitution, Final Constitution, Constitutional Court, Language and Law, Linguistic Rights, Constitutional Democracy.
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Dr. Tebogo J. Rakgogo is a NRF Y2-Rated Researcher, Senior Lecturer, and Head of the Department of Applied Languages at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). He possesses a Diploma, B-Tech, and a Master’s Degree in Language Practice from Tshwane University of Technology. Additionally, he holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), an Honours Bachelor of Education in Educational Management, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Translation Studies from Unisa. He completed his PhD in Onomastics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. His research interests span onomastics, sociolinguistics, dialectology, historiography, language and law as well as language policy and planning. He has published over 10 articles in DHET-accredited journals and delivered more than 25 presentations at local and international conferences. He serves as an external examiner for Wits University, the University of Johannesburg, the University of Pretoria, the University of Limpopo, the Central University of Technology, the University of the Western Cape and the National University of Lesotho. He contributed to language authorities as a member of the Sesotho sa Leboa National Language Body (PanSALB sub-structure) and served on the Board of Directors for the Sesotho sa Leboa National Lexicography Unit (PanSALB sub-structure). He is an active participant in TUT’s governance structures, being a member of Campus Management Committee (CMC), Senate, and Institutional Forum, where he has served as the Chairperson. He further represented the Institutional Forum on TUT Council. He previously served as the President of the Humanities and Social Sciences Alumni Association within the framework of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS). He has been appointed to serve on the DHET Review Panel on the implementation of the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions. He is the Deputy Chairperson of the African Languages Association of Southern Africa (ALASA) Board. Lastly, he chairs the National Terminology Policy Steering Committee instituted by the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture.
Rakgogo, Tebogo Jacob. “Onomastic Controversy on Sepedi and Northern Sotho/Sesotho sa Leboa Language Names: A Forensic Linguistic Perspective,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.11 (2024): 2001-2013. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451129
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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