Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
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The Highland East Cushitic language Dhaashatee (often referred to as “Burji”) has two ways of marking the nominative on common nouns: (1) the “long nominative”, marked by the suffixes -ku (m) and ...Show moreThe Highland East Cushitic language Dhaashatee (often referred to as “Burji”) has two ways of marking the nominative on common nouns: (1) the “long nominative”, marked by the suffixes -ku (m) and -shi (f), and (2) the “short nominative”, marked by the suffix -i (m) or vowel shortening (f). In past publications, the usage of the two forms has been linked to definiteness. However, different authors do not agree as to which nominative is definite and which one is indefinite. The goal of the present study was to shed more light on the conditions that determine the choice of one or the other nominative in stories. For the bulk of the data, previous hypotheses have been confirmed according to which modified subjects are marked by the short nominative, while unmodified ones are marked by the long one. Yet, the choice of the nominative is not only based on syntactic principles, but also on discourse-related ones – i.e. whether a participant is newly introduced or re-appears. Thus, an unmodified subject may be marked by the short nominative if the referent has appeared in the story before, while a modified subject may be marked by the long nominative if it appears for the first time. What requires further research is the question under which conditions the discourse-related principle may override the syntactic one.Show less
Vowel length in Iraqw has a high functional load in verbs. Quantity is used to distinguish third person singular masculine and third person singular feminine agreement on verbs, for example (Mous...Show moreVowel length in Iraqw has a high functional load in verbs. Quantity is used to distinguish third person singular masculine and third person singular feminine agreement on verbs, for example (Mous 1993:156). Nominal (near-)minimal pairs have illustrated that vowel length is a distinctive feature in nouns as well. However, vowel length seems to have less of a grammatical function in the nominal domain of the language. This thesis aims to give an overview of the use of vowel length in the nominal domain of Iraqw, in order to find out whether vowel length is a relevant contrastive feature in noun roots, and if so, what the scope is of vowel length as a distinctive feature. I will examine several aspects which are intertwined with the use of vowel length in the Iraqw language, such as the syllable structure, tone, vowel height, and morphophonological processes.Show less
The Confucius Institute (CI) is a public education organization that aims to facilitate the development of Chinese language and culture, support international Chinese language teaching, and promote...Show moreThe Confucius Institute (CI) is a public education organization that aims to facilitate the development of Chinese language and culture, support international Chinese language teaching, and promote cultural exchange. Its main functions include: Providing Chinese education and training to people from all walks of life, especially students in universities and colleges; carrying out Chinese examinations and Chinese teacher qualification services; providing information consultation on Chinese education, culture, economy and society, etc. Although the number of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms in Africa is not the largest, CIs in Africa cover more countries and regions than in other continents. In 2013, CIs aroused concerns and heated discussions about their hiring policy and ideology controversy. While some scholars have argued that CIs are tools to ""assimilate"" and to ""brainwash"" African students, criticisms are mainly related to funding sources, revenue distribution, faculty hiring requirements, academic viability, and ideology concerns. Since the CIs have attracted worldwide attention and have become an issue of intensive debate, they are frequently covered in both domestic and foreign mainstream media. As news report provided by news media is not unbiased and impartial but a kind of social practice, different news media, greatly affected by their political, ideological and social-cultural factors, may adopt various linguistic features to report the image of CIs and to influence the perception of the target audience. Thus, it is necessarily essential to explore the similarities and differences of news reports on CIs.Show less
There are a number of Cushitic languages that have a gender system that includes a gender known as ‘plural gender’. The existence of ‘plural’ gender is a peculiar feature in these languages and for...Show moreThere are a number of Cushitic languages that have a gender system that includes a gender known as ‘plural gender’. The existence of ‘plural’ gender is a peculiar feature in these languages and for that reason this thesis aims to find out how this gender developed. This thesis analyzes three languages in each of two branches of East-Cushitic languages. For each of the two branches this thesis examines at least one language with plural gender and one without.Show less
The Yaaku people from Kenya have nowadays mostly adapted to the more dominant Maasai language and culture. Part of the community are making an effort to revive the Yaaku language, of which only few...Show moreThe Yaaku people from Kenya have nowadays mostly adapted to the more dominant Maasai language and culture. Part of the community are making an effort to revive the Yaaku language, of which only few semi-speakers are left. Study material was needed in order for them to learn their language again. This thesis provides a pedagogic grammar of Yaaku, based on Heine's (1975) "Notes on the Yaaku language". Several linguistic as well as practical issues are discussed with regard to the possibility of revitalizing the language.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
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The research bases on the discussion from ordinary Ugandans about the government education system of the thematic curriculum. The thematic curriculum is being applied in the lower primary schools...Show moreThe research bases on the discussion from ordinary Ugandans about the government education system of the thematic curriculum. The thematic curriculum is being applied in the lower primary schools of Uganda, and the research intends to determine the extent to which the ordinary Ugandans understand the entire policy atlarge.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
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De laatste jaren is er door westerse media veel gepubliceerd over het toenemende, homofobe klimaat in het Oost-Afrikaanse land Oeganda. In Oeganda heerst het idee dat homoseksualiteit een westerse,...Show moreDe laatste jaren is er door westerse media veel gepubliceerd over het toenemende, homofobe klimaat in het Oost-Afrikaanse land Oeganda. In Oeganda heerst het idee dat homoseksualiteit een westerse, neokoloniale uitvinding is, die vervolgens op het Afrikaanse continent geïntroduceerd is; onder veel Oegandezen heerst zelfs de notie dat homoseksualiteit een tool is om geboortebeperking op het continent te bewerkstelligen, en homoseksuelen zouden tot alles in staat zijn om de homosexual agenda verder te verspreiden. Religie speelt een zeer centrale rol in het leven van een meerderheid van de Oegandezen, en maakt een intrinsiek deel van het dagelijks leven uit. Met mijn onderzoek heb ik geprobeerd te bepalen welke invloed de Amerikaanse, christelijk-rechtse lobby lobby op het homofobe klimaat in Oeganda heeft. Daarbij heb ik ook gekeken naar de inmenging van westerse media in het anti- homodebat, en door welke combinatie van factoren het homofobe klimaat in Oeganda in eerste instantie ontstaan is. Dit heb ik gedaan door middel van literatuuronderzoek, in combinatie met een eigen, kleinschalig onderzoek in Kampala. Uit mijn onderzoek bleek dat seksuele minderheden voorafgaand en gedurende de kolonisatieperiode niet geheel geaccepteerd werden, maar wel in relatieve vrijheid konden leven en doorgaans niet vervolgd werden. Dit veranderde in 1997, toen de Anglicaanse kerk – zo ook in Oeganda – zich actief uit begon te spreken tegen homoseksualiteit. In de daaropvolgende jaren vonden steeds meer Amerikaanse, christelijk-rechtse zendelingen hun weg naar het Oost-Afrikaanse land. Oeganda bleek vruchtbare grond te zijn voor homofobe sentimenten, en dus begon ook een groeiend aantal Oegandese politici zich in het debat te mengen. In 2009 werd de eerste versie van de Anti-Homosexuality Bill ingediend bij het parlement. De veelal negatieve reacties van westerse media, die de Oegandese overheid niet zelden als incompetent neerzetten, en het Oegandese volk als intolerant, zorgden ervoor dat Oeganda gesterkt werd in haar geloof dat het Westen bepaalde normen en waarden aan Oeganda – en in een bredere context Afrika – op probeerden te dringen. Verschillende factoren hebben een aandeel gespeeld in het creëren van het huidige homofobe klimaat in het Oost-Afrikaanse land; de komst van de eerste, Britse zendelingen die het christendom kwamen verspreiden, de daaropvolgende stigmatisering rondom homoseksualiteit, de in 1950 ingevoerde Penal Code, de inmenging van de Anglicaanse kerk in het debat en de daaruit voortvloeiende nieuwe golf van homofobie, de komst van een groeiend aantal Amerikaanse, conservatieve zendelingen in Oeganda, de Anti-Homosexuality Bill uit 2009 en de daaropvolgende berichtgeving in de westerse media, die Oeganda lijnrecht tegenover het Westen wist te zetten. Daar moet ook bij vermeld worden dat, ondanks het feit dat er zonder twijfel uitzonderingen zijn, de meeste westerse mediaberichten over de Oegandese Anti- Homosexuality Bill en het bredere, homofoboe klimaat in het land tekortgeschoten zijn, door de nieuwsfeiten niet in een culturele, sociale, politieke en/of religieuze context te plaatsen. Oorzaken en accelerators van de ontstane homofobie in het land werden vrijwel niet aan de kaak gesteld. Verschillende lhbtqi-activisten in Oeganda beamen dat de situatie omtrent lhbtqi’ers in het Oost-Afrikaanse land vaak wordt gedramatiseerd door westerse media, wat geen realistische representatie van de daadwerkelijke situatie geeft. Uit mijn onderzoek bleek dus dat er, voor de komst van de grote aantallen Amerikaanse missionarissen, al vruchtbare grond was voor een homofoob klimaat in Oeganda, waar de Amerikaanse, christelijk-rechtse lobby verder op heeft ingehaakt door homofobe sentimenten actief aan te wakkeren. Er zijn door hen allianties gevormd met Oegandese wetmakers en politici, die politiek gewin haalden uit het aanhangen van een homofoob, politiek gemotiveerd narratief. Alhoewel veel Amerikaanse, conservatieve missionarissen in Oeganda zich niet bewust lijken te zijn van de uitwerkingen die hun uitspraken in de Oegandese samenleving kunnen hebben, is gebleken dat het Oegandese volk – bij gebrek aan een alom aanwezige politiemacht – er in veel gevallen niet over twijfelt het heft in eigen handen te nemen, en homoseksualiteit binnen hun gemeenschap te ‘bestrijden’ door middel van mob justice. Tot het jaar 1997, toen de Anglicaanse kerk zich actief in het anti- homoseksualiteitdebat begon te mengen, was er van mob justice richting seksuele minderheden vrijwel geen sprake. Ook de theorie achter de gay agenda is een vrij recent opgekomen fenomeen, dat in korte tijd veel aanhangers heeft weten te vergaren. De invloed van Amerikaanse, christelijke conservatievelingen heeft zelfs een impact gehad op de Oegandese wetgeving, zo blijkt wel uit de totstandkoming van de Bahati Bill, waaraan achter de schermen verschillende Amerikaanse conservatieve organisaties en individuen hebben meegewerkt. De verschillende homofobe frames die in het anti-homodebat gevormd zijn hebben zo’n hevige impact gehad op de gemiddelde Oegandees, dat seksuele minderheden ten alle tijden op hun hoede moeten zijn en moeten vrezen voor hun veiligheid. Want alhoewel het aantal gewelddadige incidenten richting lhbtiq’ers in Oeganda nog altijd relatief laag is, is het wel een in omvang toenemend probleem.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
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The present study seeks to investigate the body part nomenclature and partonomy of the Bantu language Xhosa and to explore its semantics by looking at the conventionalised ways these body part...Show moreThe present study seeks to investigate the body part nomenclature and partonomy of the Bantu language Xhosa and to explore its semantics by looking at the conventionalised ways these body part terms are used figuratively, in metaphorical and metonymical expressions. This is done in order to discover and document the richness of the way this language uses its body part nomenclature while simultaneously analysing to what extent the patterns that are found in the partonomy and the metaphorical use of body parts agrees with universal patterns found in previous research and to what extent it is culturally specific. First, the literature on the topic of body part nomenclature, partonomy and on metaphorical uses of body parts in African languages will be reviewed. Then, the methodology employed and data collected on Xhosa body nomenclature and partonomy and the metaphorical expressions will be presented. Thirdly, the body parts and their metaphorical uses that were collected will be described and analysed. Fourthly, the data collected will be compared to cross-linguistic data and data from similar studies performed on African languages. These components will finally accumulate to a concluding discussion on Xhosa body part nomenclature, partonomy and its metaphorical uses by exploring the ways in which Xhosa speakers conceive of body parts semantically and conceptualise them linguistically, with a special case study of the terms iminwe (fingers) and iinzwane (toes).Show less
This thesis is about the possessive constructions in Kiroba, which is a Bantu language spoken in the Mara region in Tanzania. The attributive possessive constructions consists of the associative...Show moreThis thesis is about the possessive constructions in Kiroba, which is a Bantu language spoken in the Mara region in Tanzania. The attributive possessive constructions consists of the associative and/or the possessive pronouns. The associative forms are made by the associative stem -a and the pronominal prefixes. Possessive pronouns consists of a prefix which agrees with the possessed noun and a stem which refers to the possessor. I divided the possessive pronouns into two groups: the personal possessive pronouns and the nonpersonal possessive pronouns. I made this division because in many Bantu languages the paradigms of possessive pronouns is reduced to only the personal possessive pronouns. The predicative possessive construction consist of the possessor noun, the copula verb, the word na ‘with’, and the possessed noun. The most remarkable and uncommon feature of the possessive constructions in Kiroba is that Kiroba has the whole paradigm of possessive pronouns: the personal and nonpersonal possessive pronouns.Show less
Tingatinga has been categorized as ‘tourist art’ for decades, however so far there has been little attention on the actual influence of the tourist group on Tingatinga. By using the theory of...Show moreTingatinga has been categorized as ‘tourist art’ for decades, however so far there has been little attention on the actual influence of the tourist group on Tingatinga. By using the theory of dialogism, this research looks into the interactions between the producers and clients of Tingatinga, and summarizes its development as tourist art as a cycle of souvenirization, mass-production and customization.Show less
An analysis of the potential of Solar energy to realise sustainable energy supply for Ghana's inhabitants, the capacity of the Ghanaian government to reach the ambitious universal access to...Show moreAn analysis of the potential of Solar energy to realise sustainable energy supply for Ghana's inhabitants, the capacity of the Ghanaian government to reach the ambitious universal access to electricity goals for 2020; and the feasibility of the 10% renewable electricity market penetration aim. The thesis will focus on Ghana's critical energy infrastructure, its energy policy framework and its rural electrification challenges. After analysing the projections for the solar-energy technology, the potential of solar energy to solve Ghana's energy crisis and contribute to the climate change challenge is formulated.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
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In Afrika bestaat geschreven literatuur nog niet heel lang1. De meeste verhalen werden oraal overgedragen. Je kan je voorstellen hoe ouders hun kinderen verhalen voor het slapengaan vertelden...Show moreIn Afrika bestaat geschreven literatuur nog niet heel lang1. De meeste verhalen werden oraal overgedragen. Je kan je voorstellen hoe ouders hun kinderen verhalen voor het slapengaan vertelden waarin allerlei normen en waarden zijn verwerkt. Ikzelf kreeg onder andere de verhalen van Vrouw Holle en De Mooiste Vis Van De Zee te horen. Hierdoor werd me verteld dat goedheid een waardevolle eigenschap is, en dat vrienden belangrijker zijn dan schoonheid. Deze sprookjes zijn natuurlijk bedoeld om normen en waarden bij te brengen, maar dit soort verhalen reflecteren natuurlijk ook de maatschappij waarin ze worden verteld. Het is niet alleen maar vermaak. Volgens Finnegan zijn ze ook wetenschappelijke aandacht waardig en helpen ze bij het begrijpen van culturen (1970: 25-47).Show less
Dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a BA degree in Taalwetenschap (Linguistics) This thesis investigates how West-African tone languages assign tones to loanwords from...Show moreDissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a BA degree in Taalwetenschap (Linguistics) This thesis investigates how West-African tone languages assign tones to loanwords from intonational languages. The languages discussed in this thesis are Yoruba and Hausa. For Yoruba the assignment of tone on English borrowings is discussed and for Hausa on English and French borrowings. The assignment of tones is based primarily on the stress patterns of the source languages.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
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This thesis focuses on the description of the ablative case clitic of Iraqw, a Cushitic language of Tanzania. The ablative case clitic of Iraqw is reported to have multiple functions and is...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the description of the ablative case clitic of Iraqw, a Cushitic language of Tanzania. The ablative case clitic of Iraqw is reported to have multiple functions and is attested to be used for expressing source, location, time, reason, and (simile) adverbial constructions. Especially the apparent extension of source to location marker is remarkable, as Iraqw has a separate goal marker and this particular Source=Location≠Goal syncretism is extremely rare in languages of the world. The ablative case clitic is part of the adverbial case clitics of Iraqw, which consist of the ablative, directional, instrumental, and reason case clitics. These clitics introduce an extra oblique argument to a clause and are closely tied to the verb. The source semantics of the ablative clitic inherently express Place and Path. In locational clauses the notion of Path is expressed in a durative aspect and the clitic therefore does not function as a primary locative marker. The ablative is also used in other contexts. It can be extended into the temporal domain to describe a temporal source and into the causal domain to denote the cause of an event. The ablative clitic is used in adverbial constructions that describe similarity and is grammaticalized in certain intensifying verbal adverbs. In conclusion the ablative case clitic is a source marker, and not a locative marker. Therefore I propose the pattern Source≠Location≠Goal for Iraqw.Show less
Despite many attempts to curb corruption throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, corruption remains to be one of the main reasons for NGOs to fail. This thesis analyses the motivations for actors to...Show moreDespite many attempts to curb corruption throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, corruption remains to be one of the main reasons for NGOs to fail. This thesis analyses the motivations for actors to participate in the NGO sector. Additionally, the thesis uses literature to illustrate how corruption functions in highly corrupt countries. Finally, three case studies demonstrate how these factors contribute to the failure or success of an NGO.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
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This bachelor’s dissertation deals with a new language spoken in Malawi. It is mainly used by teenagers and twenty-somethings in the urban areas of Malawi. This urban language is based on the...Show moreThis bachelor’s dissertation deals with a new language spoken in Malawi. It is mainly used by teenagers and twenty-somethings in the urban areas of Malawi. This urban language is based on the national language which is Chichewa. The youths manipulate the language and extensively borrow from other language which results in what is now commonly known as Chibrazi. This bachelor’s dissertation focuses on a particular variety of Chibrazi which is used at one of the campuses of the University of Malawi, Chancellor College in Zomba.Show less
The thesis examines the relationship between cultural performance and society in the context of breakdance in Uganda. It reflects on the particular appeal of breakdance as a tool for social change...Show moreThe thesis examines the relationship between cultural performance and society in the context of breakdance in Uganda. It reflects on the particular appeal of breakdance as a tool for social change and analyses the challenging agendas that shape and influence the country’s breakdance communities. The central research question is: does breakdance succeed to facilitate individual and social transformation? And if yes, how is this change experienced by the youth in Uganda, and which consequences do these actions have for the social fabric of the country? This actor-centred approach, on the one hand, requires a comprehension of the meaning and nature of social change as understood and experienced by various performers; and on the other hand calls for a contextualisation of its socio-cultural environment and interacting agendas. It thereby offers a detailed description of the self-organising practises and social experiences of youth in Uganda – as well as the structures they are set in.Show less
This thesis will discuss how the final vowel of the subject concord has merged with the TAM paradigm in shiYeyi (R.40). In addition, shiYeyi expresses merely aspect and modality on the verb phrase,...Show moreThis thesis will discuss how the final vowel of the subject concord has merged with the TAM paradigm in shiYeyi (R.40). In addition, shiYeyi expresses merely aspect and modality on the verb phrase, where absolute tense is expressed lexically. In contrast to previous research, the final vowel of the subject concord is not determined by prefix-to-stem vowel harmony, nor does it express the notion of past versus non-past. The subject concord’s final vowel shows a discrete aspectual or modal function and occurs in discrete environments. At the same time, the final vowel of the verb phrase expresses modality, rather than a reduplication of the stem vowel to express absolute tense. For this analysis a previously published data set was used (Sommer, 1995).Show less
