XHO1507 Study Guide PDF - University of South Africa

FONTS USED Arial Family + tracking 18 Garamond Family © 2018 University of South Africa All rights reserved Printed and published by the University of South Africa Muckleneuk, Pretoria XHO1507/1/2019–2025 70679274 InDesign Shutterstock.com images used HS...

FONTS USED Arial Family + tracking 18 Garamond Family © 2018 University of South Africa All rights reserved Printed and published by the University of South Africa Muckleneuk, Pretoria XHO1507/1/2019–2025 70679274 InDesign Shutterstock.com images used HSY_Style  CONTENTS Page FOREWORD v INTSHAYELELO “Introduction” vii LEARNING UNIT 1: UKUBULISA (TO GREET) 1 LEARNING UNIT 2: USAPHO LWAM (MY FAMILY) 10 LEARNING UNIT 3: WENZANI AND NENZANI? (WHAT ARE YOU DOING?) 15 LEARNING UNIT 4: BENZANI NGEENTSUKU ZEVEKI? (WHAT ARE THEY DOING/WHAT DO THEY DO ON THE DAYS OF THE WEEK?) 20 LEARNING UNIT 5: UMNTWANA WAM AKAPHILANGA (MY CHILD IS NOT WELL) 26 LEARNING UNIT 6: ERESTYURENTI (IN THE RESTAURANT) 34 LEARNING UNIT 7: EBHANKINI (AT THE BANK) 41 LEARNING UNIT 8: IZOLO (YESTERDAY) 50 LEARNING UNIT 9: E-OFISINI (IN THE OFFICE) 60 LEARNING UNIT 10: NGEXESHA LEEHOLIDE (DURING THE HOLIDAYS) 68 XHO1507/1 (iii)  1 FOREWORD Dear Student Welcome to the isiXhosa section of the module! The purpose of this module is to provide you with the opportunity to learn the basic structure and vocabulary of the Xhosa language and through learning it, you are about to enrich yourself. The ultimate aim of this module is to teach second, third or foreign language students how to communicate in isiXhosa with relative ease about everyday topics. It also teaches you listening, read- ing and writing skills. Furthermore, it explains and clarifies the grammatical structure of the language. IsiXhosa speech sounds and the sound combina- tions in which they occur are also included. This course is designed to afford you an opportunity to greet people and hold a basic conversation. In order to derive maximum benefit from this course, it is of utmost importance that you revise the work regularly and that you use every possible opportunity to practise your knowledge with isiXhosa speakers. You will find that most isiXhosa speakers are pleasantly surprised with the idea of non-Xhosa-speaking people trying to speak their language and as a result they are extremely helpful and supportive in this regard. This module will also provide you with the tools to be able to start learning the language. If you persevere and practise speaking, you will find the learning of isiXhosa a most rewarding experience. In our country, to be able to communicate in an African language is of tre- mendous value as it allows one to become part of a multilingual South Africa. We wish you success in this endeavour, and hope that you will find this an enriching experience. Nelson Mandela once said: “Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (First published in 1994) XHO1507/1 (v)  2 INTSHAYELELO “INTRODUCTION” OUTCOMES At the end of this INTRODUCTION you should be able to: distinguish between the African language families; identify the languages belonging to the Nguni group; explain the basics of the system of noun classes in isiXhosa; pronounce the various isiXhosa speech sounds. THE OFFICIAL AFRICAN LANGUAGES OF SOUTH AFRICA The South African constitution recognises eleven official languages. Nine of these languages are African languages, namely, isiZulu, isiXhosa, SiSwati, isiNdebele, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Sesotho sa Leboa (or Sepedi), Sesotho and Setswana. These languages belong to a large family of languages called the “Bantu languages” spoken in the south of the Sahara region. The African languages of South Africa are divided into four main groups, viz.: (a) NGUNI, which includes isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele and SiSwati; (b) SOTHO, which includes Sesotho sa Leboa (Sepedi), Sesotho and Setswana; (c) XITSONGA and (d) TSHIVENDA What is interesting about the Nguni language group is that each language is mutually intelligible to the native speakers of the other languages. This means that their differences are mainly phonological in nature. However, please note that there are instances where the Nguni languages can use the same term to mean different things. For instance, in isiXhosa the word “amadlozi” means sperms whereas in isiZulu the same word means ancestors. Another example of the same word being used in different languages to mean different things is the word “ukuqumba” meaning to be angry/cross in isiXhosa, whereas in Zulu it means to be constipated as in when the stomach is bloated or when something is swollen. There are also instances where different terminology/ words are used to refer to the same thing. An example of this will be the word “step” (lifting one’s foot from one point to another). In IsiXhosa the equivalent would be “inyathelo”, Siswati (sinyatselo), isiZulu (isinyathelo), but in isiNdebele, the equivalent word is “igadango”. IsiXhosa is spoken predominantly in the Eastern Cape, but also in the Western Cape, Free State, Gauteng and parts of KwaZulu-Natal. The wealth of Khoisan words and sounds in isiXhosa bears XHO1507/1 (vii)  witness to the early contact including intermarriage and a sharing of cultures between the amaXhosa and Khoisan people. This sharing became evident in the isiXhosa click sounds. THE NOUN CLASS SYSTEM OF ISIXHOSA Nouns in isiXhosa are grouped together into various classes according to their prefixes. A prefix is the part that is added to the beginning of a word, e.g. um- in umfana (young man) and in- in indoda (man). Nouns that have the same prefix belong to the same class. Most of the classes occur in pairs of which one is the singular and the other the plural. Nouns mentioned in the text belong to different noun classes as recognised by their prefixes. Umntu (human) for instance, belongs to the um(u)- class; abantu (people) its plural, belongs to the aba- class; uBongi belongs to the u- class and its plural oo- Bongi to the oo- class; and isikolo (school) belongs to the isi- class and its plural izi- class. It is thus easy to predict the plural form of the noun once you know the singular and vice versa. The subject noun in isiXhosa sentence agrees with the verb by means of a concord called the subject concord. Nouns in the um(u)- class for instance, are linked to the verb by means of the subject concord u-, e.g. um(u)- class Umfana uyasebenza. (The young man works/is working). In the same manner, nouns in the in- class for instance, are linked to the verb by means of the subject concord i-, e.g. in- class Inkwenkwe ikhaba ibhola. (The boy kicks the ball/is kicking the ball). For the plural, noun classes aba- and oo-, the subject noun is also linked to the verb by means of an agreeing subject concord, ba-, e.g. aba- class Abafana bayasebenza. (The young men work/are working). oo- class OoBongi bayasebenza. (Bongi and others are working). Now you can ask more questions using -enza such as: Wenzani? (What does s/he do/is s/he doing?) Uyapheka. (S/he cooks/is cooking). Please also note that most of the nouns/pronouns in IsiXhosa are gender neutral, i.e. there is no distinction between he and she. Benzani? (What do they do/what are they doing?) Bathenga ukutya. (They buy food/they are buying food). (viii)  INTSHAYELELO “Introduction” Yenzani inja? (What does it [the dog], do/ what is it [the dog] doing?) Iyaluma. (It bites.) Zenzani iintombi? (What do the girls do/what are the girls doing?) Zisebenza kakuhle. (They [girls] work well/they are working well.) Please make sure that you use the correct subject concords as indicated in the ones underlined above. Below follows a table which will assist you in getting used to the concordial system of isiXhosa, i.e. to recognise the noun class prefix and then to bring the noun into agreement with the relevant subject concord. Try to put all the nouns you come across into their specific noun classes. ISISHWANKATHELO (SUMMARY) What follows is a summary of all the noun class prefixes and their subject concords in the positive. This list also includes the subject concords for the persons. The noun classes are numbered from 1 to 15. Our list includes only the noun classes that are still productive in isiXhosa. Class 12 and 13 do not exist in isiXhosa anymore. Only remnants of classes (16) pha-, (17) ku-, and (18) khona- remain. Number Class Prefix S/C Positive Example (nouns) 1 um- u- umntu (person) 2 aba-/ab- ba- abantu (people) 1a u- u- uBongi 2a oo- ba- ooBongi/ ootata/oomama (fathers/mothers) 3 um- u- umthi (tree) 4 imi- i- imithi (trees) 5 ili-/i- li- ilitye (stone) 6 ama- a- amatye (stones) 7 isi-/is- si- isikolo/isono (school/sin) 8 izi-/iz- zi- izikolo/izono (schools/sins) 9 in-/im- i- intombi/imvu (girl/sheep) 10 iin-/izim- zi- iintombi/izimvu (girls/sheep) 11 ulu- lu- u(lu)thando (love) 14 ubu- bu- ubuso (face) 15 uku- ku- ukutya (food) Persons mna (I) ndi- wena (you) u- yena (he/she: yena is gender neutral, it refers to both he and she) u- thina (we) si- nina (you plural) ni- bona (they) ba- XHO1507/1 (ix)  ACTIVITY 1 Fill in the missing noun class prefi xes in the following singular nouns and give the plural form: Example (Umzekelo): umfana > abafana (boy/boys) (i) -ntu (ii) -fundi (iii) -mama (iv) -doda (v) -ti (vi) -Tom (vii) -ntombi (viii) -buso (ix) -dlalo (x) -tye Please note that there are exceptions with some nouns having only a singular or plural form, for example, amanzi (water), air (umoya). ACTIVITY 2 Try the following exercises in order to recognise what specific noun classes certain isiXhosa nouns belong to. See whether you can fill in the correct subject concords according to noun classes. Do not repeat the subject noun, as per the example below. Your answer does not need to start by saying uThandi ubiza umfana. The answer is just Ubiza umfana. Example (Umzekelo): Question: Wenzani uThandi? (What is Thandi doing?) (-biza umfana) Answer: Ubiza umfana. (s/he calls the boy/she is calling the boy) (i) Wenzani ugqirha?/ what is the doctor doing (-gqiba uxilongo/completes examination) (ii) Benzani abafana?/ what are the boys doing (-dlala ibhola yombhoxo/ playing rugby) (iii) Yenzani intombi?/what is the girl/daughter doing (-funda isiXhosa/ learning isiXhosa) (iv) Benzani abantwana?/what are the children doing (-bukela i-TV/watch- ing TV) (v) Wenzani wena?/ what are you doing (-thenga ikofu/buying coffee) THE SPEECH SOUNDS OF ISIXHOSA In order to acquire a proper isiXhosa pronunciation, you should make use of the help of an isiXhosa mother-tongue speaker. Repeat the sounds you hear until you get them right. Pay attention to length, vowel elision and types of speech sounds. We suggest that you repeat this exercise until you get all the sounds correct. (x)  INTSHAYELELO “Introduction” Vowels Phonetic transcription Examples: a [a] -thanda (love) e [e] umsengi (a milker) e [ε] -senga (milk) i [i] -yima (stop) o [o] intsomi (a folktale) o [O] -bola (to rot) u [u] -vula (open) Please note that there are two phonetic representations of the o and e re- spectively. These are clear from the phonetic transcriptions and are manifest in the pronunciation of these variations which are influenced by the context within which they occur. Semivowels (glides) y [J] ukuya (to go) w [w] ukuwa (to fall) Clicks These three basic click sounds are adopted from the Khoi, San and Nama languages. c [/] icici (earring) This sound resembles the sound used in English to show annoyance or aggravation. ch – as in chitha (to dispose something) gc – as in gcina (to keep) Gc -gcina (keep) q [!] -qumba (be cross) This sound resembles the sound made when removing a cork from a bottle qh – as in -qhuba (drive) gq – as in -gquma (cover)/-gqitha (pass) Gq -gqitha (pass) x [//] -xoxa (discuss) This sound resembles the sound used when encouraging a horse to gallop. xh – as in -xhuma (jump) gx – as in -gxotha (chase away/dismiss/fire) Gx -gxotha (chase away/dismiss/fire) Consonants which may pose difficulty in correct pronunciation are: #f as opposed to v *-funda (learn/read) vala (close) XHO1507/1 (xi)  f as opposed to v funda (learn/read) vala (close) th as opposed to t Thata (take) iti (tea) th as opposed to t thatha (take) iti (tea) ph as opposed to p pheka (cook) ipolisa (policeman) tsh as opposed to ty tshisa (burn) tyixa (lock) b (soft b or implosive sound) bi -biza call ba -baleka run away be -beka put down bo -bona see bh (hard b or explosive sound) bhe -bhengeza advertise bhu -bhuda be confused bho -ibhola ball da -idada duck de -deka lay a table do -udonga wall dla -dla graze dlu -dlula pass dle -idlelo pasture fa -faka put in fi -fika arrive fu -funda learn ge -geca make a clearance (tree/bush) gi -ginya swallow go -goba bend gu -guga age gwa -gwala coward gwi -igwijo song with a beat and rhythm gwe -ingwenya crocodile ha -hamba walk ho -hongohongo very hungry he -uhela hawk hi -uhili devil ha -ihashe horse ho -ihotele hotel he -ihempe shirt hlo -hlola check hla -hlala sit down hle -hleka laugh hlu -hlupha bother ja -ijavujavu anything that lacks taste jo -iJozi Johannesburg va -vala close vi -vimba stingy we -wena you wa -phiwa be given ka -ikati cat ko -isikolo school ka -kakuhle good ki -nikina (intloko) (shake head/disagree) ka -nika give kha -khala cry khe -khetha choose la -landa fetch lu -lula easy (xii)  INTSHAYELELO “Introduction” ma -umama my mother mo -mona greed mba -imamba mamba mbi -intombi girl mpi -impilo life mpe -impepho air mfa -umfana young man mfi -imfitshimfitshi difficult to understand fe -imfene baboon mfi -mfimfa drip mvu -imvula rain mva -imvana sacrifice ndla -indlala hunger ndlo -indlovu elephant nga -kungani why ngi -ingidi lock nge -ngena enter ji -jika turn ve -vela appear vu -vula open wo -wona it/them/they ki -ikilasi class ku -kuphela only ku -ukuhamba to walk khu -khula grow kho -khona be there le -leqa chase mi -imithi trees mbe -imbewu seed mbo -umbona mielies mpo -impompo tap mfu -umfundisi preacher fa -imfama a blind person mve -imveliso product ndle -indlela path ndlu -indlu house nge -ngentla upper side ngo -ingozi danger ngu -ingubo blanket ntla -intlalo life ntle -intle is beautiful ntlo -intloko head nka -inkabi ox nko -inkosi chief nku -inkunzi bull mnya -omnyama which is black mn -mninzi it is much ntsi -intsimi field ntsu -iintsuku days ntse -intsente dirt on the body nta -intaba mountain nte -intente tent nto -into thing ntsha -intsha it is new ntsh -iintshiya eyebrows ntsho -intshontsho chick nya -inyama meat nye -ezinye some nyo -inyoka snake nza -inzala offspring nzi -amanzi water nzu -inzuzo profit pa -ipaki park pe -ipeni penny pi -isipili mirror pha -phantsi below phe -phela finish phu -phukile broken sa -sala remain behind si -sika cut su -susa take away XHO1507/1 (xiii)  shu -shushu warm ta -isitalato street ti -iti tea to -isitovu stove tha -thatha take the -thetha speak thi -thiya to name tsha -tshaya smoke tshi -tshisa put on fire tshu -tshutshisa prosecute tsho -yitsho say ya -yakhe his/hers ye -yena he/she yo -yona it za -zama try ze -izembe axe zi -izinja dogs zwa -uzwane toe zwi -ilizwi voice zwe -ilizwe country ce -cela request ci -icici earing cu -cula sing gci -gcina save/keep gca -gcagca to elope ngcwe -ngcwele holy cha -chacha recover chi -chitha throw out chu -chuma prosper nca -ncama give up nce -nceda help nci -ncipha shrink ngco -ngcono better qa -qala begin qe -iqela group qi -iqili cunning person qa -igqabi leaf gqi -gqiba finish gqo -gqogqa search qha -qhatha cheat qhe -qhela get used to qhu -qhubeka proceed nqa -nqaba be scarce nqe -isinqe waist nqu -nqumla cut across xo -xoxa chat xu -xuba mix xwe -uxwebhu document xho -isiXhosa Xhosa language xhu -xhuma jump xha -unoxhaka mousetrap xhi -isixhiba a grudge nxa -nxanwa get thirsty nxi -nxiba to dress gxo -gxoba make dirty gxe -gxeka criticize gxa -igxalaba shoulder * The hyphen (-) on the words/nouns/verbs above indicate that the stem word of the noun does not go alone, they need to be accompanied by prefixes. (xiv)  INTSHAYELELO “Introduction” For the fun of it try the following tongue twisters and find their meanings from first language speakers: Ayaxokozela amaxoxo xa exhumaxhuma emanzini Iqaqa liziqikaqika phezu koqaqaqa laza laqhawuka uqhoqhoqho How to use an isiXhosa Dictionary As you will realise by now, isiXhosa is a language that consists of different morphemes/formatives that are strung together to form words, e.g. aba- + -ntu > abantu ba- + -ya- + -sebenza > bayasebenza In order to be able to look up the meaning of the morpheme, it is thus extremely important that you recognise the different morphemes, i.e. know where the one ends and where the next one begins. In the case of nouns, it is important that you know the class prefix of each noun class so that you know where to separate the prefix and the noun stem. In the case of our first example above, you should know that aba- is the class prefix and that -ntu is the stem, the meanings of which you will find under the entries of A and N respectively. Remember that the stem, in this case the noun stem -ntu, contains the basic meaning of the word, in this case “human”. In the case of bayasebenza, for instance, you should know that the word is divided into ba-, -ya- and -sebenza, the meanings of which you will find under B, Y and S respectively. Remember that the stem, in this case the verbal stem -sebenza, contains the basic meaning of the word, in this case “to work”. You have to note that in the dictionary that you use, the nasal is regarded as part of the stem with nouns from classes 9 and 10. The stem of the word inja (dog) is found under the entry -nja and not under -ja. The same applies to imbali (history) of which the stem is found under the entry mbali. Ideally, you are advised to revisit this section on consonants and their pronun- ciation after you have obtained a better understanding of the noun classes and subject concords in isiXhosa. How to master vocabulary We suggest that you keep your own vocabulary list or vocabulary cards, which you update as you progress with this module. Cut out a number of cardboard cards of a manageable size, say 10 cm x 6.5 cm. Keep the cards together in a systematic way in manageable packets by means of elastic bands. For nouns, write the isiXhosa word in singular with its appropriate plural prefix on the face side. Write the English equivalent on the reverse side of the same card: igama ama (name/names) For verbs and other stems, write the isiXhosa stem on the face side and on the reverse side the English translation: XHO1507/1 (xv)  -sika (cut) -bomvu (red) As you progress with the module, you can update the cards. When you want to test your isiXhosa vocabulary, look at the English side. You may not turn the cards around at this stage. Keep the cards for which you did not know the isiXhosa word separately. Now you can revise only those words, which you did not know by looking at the isiXhosa side. After each “vocabulary test”, you can put the cards back into their original packets. You can arrange the cards either alphabetically or according to les- sons (izifundo). ACTIVITY 3 (1) Why did you decide to learn isiXhosa? (2) What main family language group does isiXhosa belong to? (3) Mention the other languages belonging to this same family group. (4) What are the small parts that an isiXhosa word can be divided into called? (5) Mention three different words in which different clicks appear. Look in the mirror as you pronounce these clicks. Well done! We will now start with our unit 1 and learn how to greet in isiXhosa, ask people about their well-being, introduce ourselves and learn a lot of new vocabulary. (xvi)  1 LEARNING UNIT 1 (ISIXHOSA) 1 UKUBULISA (TO GREET) LESSON OUTCOMES At the end of this lesson you should be able to do the following: use the vocabulary provided in this lesson; greet any person in isiXhosa (singular/plural/form of respect); ask about the well-being of any person; ask the name of a person; introduce yourself; say goodbye in isiXhosa. New words and expressions A variety of words and expressions (with their English translations) that you will come across in this learning unit are listed below: ewe (yes) Mholo (Hello/Good day) (sg.) hayi (no) Mholweni (Hello/Good day) (pl.) utata (father) Unjani? (How are you?) (sg.) umama (mother) Ninjani? (How are you? (pl.) udade/usisi (sister) Usaphila? (Are you well) (sg) ubhuti/umnakwethu (brother) Nisaphila? (Are you well) (pl.) uZuko (Zuko) Ndikhona (I am well) uLulu (Lulu) Sikhona (We are well) utitshala (teacher) Ndiyaphila (I am well) umfundi (student) Siyaphila (We are well) abafundi (students) Ndivukile (I am well/I got up) umfundisi-ntsapho (teacher) Sivukile (We are well/We got up) ootitshala (teachers) Sala kakuhle (Goodbye/stay well) abafundisi-ntsapho (teachers) (sg.) isiXhosa (Xhosa language) Salani kakuhle (Goodbye/stay well) umXhosa (a Xhosa speaking- (pl.) person) Hamba kakuhle (Goodbye/go well) amaXhosa (Xhosa-speaking (sg.) people) Hambani kakuhle (Goodbye/stay umhlekazi (sir) well) (pl.) abahlekazi (sirs) Uxolo (Excuse me) inkosikazi (married woman) Uyandiqonda? (Do you understand amakhosikazi (married women) me?) inkosazana (lady/miss) Ndiyavuya ukukwazi. (I am pleased amakhosazana (ladies) to know you) XHO1507/1 1  umhlobo (friend) intombazana (young girl) Uxolo, singathetha? (Excuse me, intombi (a grown-up girl/daughter) may we talk?) umfana (young man/boy) abafana (young men/boys) mna (I) wena (you) (sg.) thina (we) nina (you) (pl.) ACTIVITY 1 Please add any new words and expressions that you come across in this learning unit in the space provided in the table above. INGXOXO (DIALOGUE/DISCUSSION) When people meet, the very first thing they do, is to greet one another. Greeting one person A B Mholo Zuko! (Hello Zuko!) Ewe, mholo Lulu! (Yes, hello Unjani? (How are you?) Lulu!) Nam ndiyaphila. (I am also well) Ndiphilile, wena unjani? (I am well, and how are you?)................................................................................................ Sala kakuhle! (Stay well!) Hamba kakuhle. (Go well/ Goodbye.) Greeting more than one person A B Mholweni bafundi! (Good morn- Ewe, mholo titshala! (Yes, good ing/Good day, students!) day, teacher!) Ninjani? (How are you all?) Sikhona, wena unjani? (We are Nam ndikhona. (I am also well) well, and how are you?).............................................................................................. Salani kakuhle! (Stay well, all of Hamba kakuhle! (Go well/ you!) Goodbye) 2  LEARNING UNIT 1 (ISIXHOSA): Ukubulisa (to greet) Greeting politely A B Mholo Mhlekazi! (Good day, sir!) Ewe, mholo Lulu! (Yes, hello Ninjani, Mhlekazi? (How are you, Lulu!) sir?) Ndikhona, wena unjani? (I am Nam ndikhona. (I am also well) well, and how are you?)................................................................................................ Salani kakuhle! (Stay well!) Hamba kakuhle, Lulu. (Go well/ Goodbye, Lulu) ACTIVITY 2 Complete the isiXhosa forms of greeting in the following table: Good day, Peter Greeting one person Goodbye, Peter Good day, students Greeting more than one person Goodbye, students Good day, Mrs Potelwa Greeting politely Goodbye, Mrs Potelwa ULWAZI (KNOWLEDGE/EXPLANATION) (a) UKUBULISA NGESIXHOSA (TO GREET IN XHOSA) In true Xhosa tradition, greeting is a very important procedure. It is a struc- tured encounter and it is considered ill-mannered not to greet either a friend or a stranger in passing. Initial greetings are made by the person who arrives first. Bidding goodbye is made by the person who leaves and you will notice that when a person is asked about his/her well-being they often answer hayi, “no”, before saying they are well. hayi, ndisaphila noko or “No, I am fine”. The phrase ending with noko could mean “I am perfectly well/fine” in English. Within the following text you will come across a number of different forms of address which are used for various persons. When greeting a person older than yourself (parent’s age) Tata “father” would be used for a man and Mama, “mother” for a woman. For greetings of people of grandparents’ age Tat’omkhulu, “Grandfather” and Mhakhulu “Grandmother” are used. Greeting a female person of your own age or older, you would address her as Sisi “sister”, and a male person as Bhuti/Mfowethu, “brother” for the male counterpart. You may have noticed that the initial vowels of these nouns have fallen away in the direct address form: XHO1507/1 3  umama -> mama utata -> tata usisi -> sisi uThemba -> Themba utitshala -> titshala When greeting one person one would say mholo and more than one person mholweni. Mholo/mholweni can be used at any time of the day or night to greet, e.g. “good day”, “good morning”, “good night”, etc. The reply after the greeting is simply Ewe, mholo. When saying goodbye to one person you would say hamba kakuhle or uhambe kakuhle which when translated, liter- ally means “go well”. This form of goodbye would normally be reciprocated by nawe which means “and you”. When saying goodbye to more than one person hambani kakuhle or nihambe kakuhle is used. When saying “stay well” to one person you would say sala kakuhle or usale kakuhle. However, “stay well” to more than one person would be salani kakuhle or nisale kakuhle. Yet another form of goodbye may be used which is siya kubonana/sobonana which means “we will see one another again”. It should also be noted that often when greeting, the plural form is used which implies that all family members not present are included in the concern for their well-being. Having greeted, one then normally enquires about the person’s well-being by asking the question “how are you”? This is done by saying: Uphila njani? “How are you?” (singular) Unjani? “How are you?” (singular) Kunjani kuwe? “How is it with you?” (singular) Usaphila? “Are you still well?” (singular) Kunjani? “How is it”? Ninjani? “How are you?” (plural) Nisaphila? “Are you all still well?” (plural) Niphila kanjani? “How are you?” (plural) There are many expressions which may be used which are related to the procedure of an encounter and greeting. The more common of these will be listed below together with their translations. Akuncedi nto ukukhalaza. It does not help to complain. Ndiyavuya ukukubona. I am glad to see you. Ndiyavuya ukukwazi. I am pleased to know you. Uxolo. Excuse me. Uxolo, ndicela ukukubona. Excuse me, may I see you? Uxolo, ndicela ukuthetha nawe. Excuse me, may I talk with you? Uxolo, singathetha? Excuse me, may we talk? Uyandiqonda? Do you understand me? The sound recordings that form part of this course will be of great value in assisting you with the correct pronunciation. Please consult Tutorial Letter 101 for directions to the sound recordings. However, the secret to acquiring this or any other language is to practise a greeting or a simple phrase each day 4  LEARNING UNIT 1 (ISIXHOSA): Ukubulisa (to greet) with a mother tongue speaker. You will find that with practise (as with every- thing) comes greater confidence, and you will also find that your willingness to communicate is so appreciated that your efforts are rewarded with positive responses from the speakers. ACTIVITY 3 Approach 5 or more people you think may greet you in isiXhosa. Ask each person to react to your greeting: “Mholo” or “Mholweni”. Ask them to assist you to write the greeting down in a table as given above. You can also record the different forms of greeting you encounter on your mobile phone and use the recording to practise greeting people in isiXhosa. Answer the following questions: – Whom did you greet? – Did you encounter other forms of greeting than the ones given above? – How did the people react? (b) GREETINGS IN THE SINGULAR FORM Ubhuti: Mholo sisi! Usisi: Mholo bhuti. Ubhuti: Unjani? Usisi: Ndiyaphila bhuti, unjani wena? Ubhuti: Nam ndiyaphila. Sala kakuhle, sisi. Usisi Hamba kakuhle bhuti! UThembeka: Mholo Themba! UThemba: Ewe, mholo Thembeka! UThembeka: Kunjani? UThemba: Hayi, ndikhona, wena unjani? UThembeka: Nami ndikhona. Sala kakuhle, Themba. UThemba: Hamba kakuhle, Thembeka! Umfundi: Mholo titshala! UTitshala: Ewe, mholo Nkululeko. Usaphila kodwa mfana wam? Umfundi: Ndisaphila, enkosi titshala, wena ingaba usaphila? UTitshala: Hayi, ndisaphila, enkosi. Umfundi: Usale kakuhle, titshala! Umfundi: Uhambe kakuhle, Nkululeko. Ewe (yes) and hayi (no) could be used in an affirmative manner. When ad- dressing a person, we use the direct address form (vocative), e.g. nkosikazi XHO1507/1 5  (married woman), nkosazana (unmarried woman); mnumzana (adult male), ndoda (mature male of equal status); mfana (young man); nkwenkwe (boy); ntombi (teenage girl) ntombazana (very young girl), Thembeka (female name) Themba (male name); titshala (teacher). Unjani? kunjani? usaphila na? are different ways of saying “how are you?” Ndisaphila, ndisekhona and ndikhona mean “I’m well”, however, literally, they mean “I’m still living”, “I’m still here/present” and “I’m here/present”, respectively. Nam means “I’m also”. Na is included at times to make a statement, a question. Wena means “you” and its subject concord is u-. The subject concord of mna (I), is ndi-. Hamba kakuhle (go well) is used to address the person who departs/leav- ing. Sala kakuhle is used to address the person who stays behind. Uhambe and usale kakuhle are regarded as polite forms of saying goodbye. All these different ways of greeting are used and can be varied as one wishes. Let us also look at other ways of interesting traditional greetings: Ndisadla amazimba (I am still eating sorghum.) Ndisawunyathela umhlaba (I am still treading the earth.) (Both mean “I’m well” in a more concrete way.) (c) GREETINGS IN THE PLURAL AND POLITE FORM Amadoda: Mholweni makhosikazi! Amakhosikazi: Ewe/mholweni bootata! Amadoda: Ninjani? Amakhosikazi: Hayi, siyaphila, nina ninjani? Amadoda: Nathi siyaphila makhosikazi. Hambani/Nihambe kakuhle. Amakhosikazi: Salani kakuhle madoda!/Nisale kakuhle madoda! Abafundi: Mholweni/Bhotani bootitshala! Ootitshala: Molweni, bafundi! Abafundi: Ninjani? Ootitshala: Siyaphila bafundi, enkosi, nina ninjani? Abafundi: Nathi sikhona, enkosi. Nihambe kakuhle. Ootitshala: Salani kakuhle, bafundi. Abafana: Mholo, Mhlekazi! Inkosi: Ewe, mholweni bafana! Abafana Usaphila na tata? Inkosi: Sivukile bafana bam. Kunjani kuni? Abafana: Hayi, sisaphila, akukho zinto zimbi. Usale kakuhle tata! Inkosi: Nihambe kakuhle bafana! 6  LEARNING UNIT 1 (ISIXHOSA): Ukubulisa (to greet) Mholweni/Bhotani is used when more than one person is being greeted. In the first dialogue men are greeting women; in the second, learners are greet- ing their teacher; in the third, boys greet their chief whom they respect. When greeting a superior, one would use the plural form to address and greet such a person (even being singular) in order to show respect. Tata (father) or mama (mother) is not used for addressing parents only, but as a polite form for any man or woman older than you to show respect. For the plural form, we would use plural address forms such as madoda (men); makhosikazi (women); zin- tombi (teenage girls); bafundi (students), etc. Remember about the elision of the initial vowel! The ni-/-ni in hambani/nihambe; salani/nisale and mholweni denotes the plural or polite form (you). The so-called subject concord of nina (you pl.) is ni-, thus ninjani (how are you?) and nisaphila (are you still alive?). The subject concord of thina (we) is si-, thus siyaphila (we are alive), sisaphila (we are still alive), sikhona (we are here). Nathi means “we as well”. Sivukile literally means “we have gotten up/we woke up” (pl.). Other examples of polite greeting: Bhota Mhlekazi! (We greet you headman/chief/sir!) Mholweni mama! Ninjani? (Be greeted mother! How are you?) Salani kakuhle malume! (Stay well uncle!) Sivukile. Nivuke njani nina? (We have gotten up/we woke up. How was your getting up?) ACTIVITY 4 Now that you are acquainted with all the different ways of greeting in isiXhosa, greet the following people, enquire about their well-being and say goodbye to them: amadoda (men) amakhosikazi (women) umhlobo (friend) intombi (girl) umfana (young man) uMnzumzana (Mr Potelwa) uBongile (Bongile) utitshala (teacher) (d) UKUZAZISA (TO INTRODUCE ONESELF) When getting acquainted, you might be asked the following question: Ungubani? (Who are you?) XHO1507/1 7  You will need to introduce yourself and the response could be a name only, or a name and a surname: NdinguThoko (I am Thoko) NdinguThoko Vabaza (I am Thoko Vabaza) The following structure is useful in getting acquainted: Ndingu- = I am Ungu- = you are (sing.) Singo- = we are Ningo- = you are (plural) A B Ungubani? (Who are you (sing.)?) NdinguSipho. (I am Sipho.) Ningobani? (Who are you (pl.)?) SingoBrowns. (We are the Browns.) SELF-ASSESSMENT (a) In the following dialogue, you are the person arriving, and you are greet- ing John. Complete the missing words or phrases: You (insert your name) uJohn Mholo......................................... Ewe,............................................................................................... ? Hayi, ndisaphila, wena unjani? Nam............................................ Sala/Usale kakuhle................. kakuhle. (b) Now let’s practise greeting each other formally. Since we don’t know each other, we will use the plural form and titles to indicate respect. You (insert your name) uGqira Ndlovu (Dr Ndlovu) Mholweni.................................. Ewe,......................................... Ninjani? Hayi, sisaphila, nina ninjani? Nathi........................................................ kakuhle. Salani/Nisale kakuhle! (c) How would you introduce yourself to someone you do not know? (d) Give a short explanation in terms of people meeting each other and greeting each other in isiXhosa: – Who is supposed to greet first? – Does status or seniority play a role? 8  LEARNING UNIT 1 (ISIXHOSA): Ukubulisa (to greet) (e) Explain the difference between greeting one person and greeting more than one person. (f) What is the polite way of greeting a person in isiXhosa? (g) Which forms of address would you use when greeting a person older than yourself (more or less your parents’ age)? (h) For greeting people of your grandparents’ age which forms of address would be used? (i) Having greeted, one then normally enquires about the person’s well-being by asking the question “How are you”? Give the different forms of such enquiries. (j) Give an example of the use of cha, “no”, before saying you are well. (k) Explain what the use of the plural form implies when enquiring about another person’s well-being. (l) When is ewe “yes” used during the process of greeting? Give an example. (m) Give a discussion of when the plural form is used when greeting. Give examples to illustrate every statement you make in terms of its use. Now we have covered the greetings in isiXhosa and we know a bit of Xhosa culture as well. We can greet any person in isiXhosa, ask them about their well-being, introduce yourself and say goodbye. In the next learning unit, we will be focussing more on the noun classes and a lot of new vocabulary. XHO1507/1 9  2 LEARNING UNIT 2 (ISIXHOSA) 2 USAPHO LWAM (MY FAMILY) LESSON OUTCOMES At the end of this lesson you should be able to: use the vocabulary given in this lesson; answer to the questions ngubani Iona? and yintoni lena? identify the kinship terms (immediate family) explain how the noun class system functions (singular and plural forms of nouns); make polite requests by means of -cela. New words and expressions A variety of words and expressions (with their English translations) that you will come across in this learning unit are listed below: efowunini (on the phone) Ngubani lo/ (who is this?) nabani? (with whom?) Usapho lwam (my family) ngo-5 (at 5 o’clock) Inkosikazi yam (my wife) nini? (when?) Utata (father) yintoni? (what?) Abantakwethu (my/our brothers? ngoku (now) Oodadewethu (my/our sisters) kulungile (it is in order/it is fine) Umalume (uncle) ukuba (that/ if) Oomalume (uncles) othethayo (who talks/who Umakazi/u-anti (aunt) speaks) Oomakazi/ oo-anti (aunts) -cela (ask/request) Intombi yam (my daughter) -xolisa (be sorry/apologise) Iintombi zam (my daughters) -buya (return) Unyana wam (my son) -xelela (tell/inform) Oonyana bam (my sons) -fowunela/fowuna (make a Umzukulwana (grandchild) phone call) abazukulwana (grandchildren) -bulela (thank) usikwiza (sister-in-law) -sebenza (work) oosikwiza (sisters-in-law) akekho (he/she is not here) usibali (brother-in-law) oosibali (brothers-in-law) 10  LEARNING UNIT 2 (ISIXHOSA): Usapho lwam (my family) ACTIVITY 1 Please add any new words and expressions that you come across in this learning unit in the space provided in the table above. INGXOXO (DIALOGUE) Identifying family members Umzukulwana (grandchild) Umakhulu (grandmother) Mholweni makhulu! (Hello grand- Ewe, mholweni mzukulwana! (Yes, mother!) hello grandchild!) Ninjani? (How are you?) (also pl) Ndikhona, wena unjani? (I am well, and how are you?) Nam ndikhona. (I am also well) Ngubani lo? (Who is this?) Ngudadewethu (she/it is my sister) Ngubani igama lakhe? (What is her name?) NguBongi. (she/it is Bongi)..................................................................................................... Hamba kakuhle, mzukulwana! (Go Salani kakuhle, makhulu! (Stay well/Goodbye, grandchild.) well, grandmother!) In this dialogue the plural form is used by the grandchild to address the grand- mother, as a form of respect and submission. The terms makhulu/tatomkhulu (grandmother/grandfather), mzukulwana (grandchild) and mntwana wam (my child) do not necessarily indicate a biological relationship, but rather some kind of affection in the greeting situation. Above all, mutual respect and courtesy are expressed by means of these terms. ACTIVITY 2 Answer the following question Ngubani lo? (Who is this?) OR Ngobani aba? (Who are these (people)?) by using the correct form of the kinship term in the first column: Examples: usapho lwam (my family) Lusapho lwam (It is my family) nkosikazi yam (my wife) Yinkosikazi yam (It is my wife) umyeni wam (my husband) Ngodadewethu (They are my/our sisters) utata (father) umama (mother) umntakwethu/ubhuti (my brother) XHO1507/1 11  udadewethu/udade/usisi (my sister) abantakwethu (my/our brothers) ngumyeni wam (He/it is my husband) umalume (uncle) umakazi/u-anti (aunt) intombi yam (my daughter) oonyana bam (my sons) umzukulwana (grandchild) abazukulwana (grandchildren) usikwiza (sister-in-law) usibali (brother-in-law) umakhulu (grandmother) utatomkhulu (grandfather) umzala (cousin) umtshana (niece/nephew) Did you notice in the examples, that ng- (ngumtshana/ngumalume) is attached to nouns starting with u- (umalume/usisi), o- (ootata/oomalume) and a- (abazukul- wana) in order to express “it is” or “they are”? For nouns that start with i- (intombi), y- (yintombi) is attached to the noun to express “it is” or “they are”. ULWAZI (KNOWLEDGE/EXPLANATION) (a) WHO IS THIS? NGUBANI LO? In isiXhosa, we use Ngubani Io? “Who is this?” for persons, e.g. NguSipho. (It is Sipho.) Ngabantu. (It is the people.) Yintombi yam (It is my daughter) Note that we usually add y- in front of nouns which start with i-, and ng- in front of nouns which start with a-, o- and u- to express “it is...”. 12  LEARNING UNIT 2 (ISIXHOSA): Usapho lwam (my family) (b) WHAT IS THIS? YINTONI LE? Yintoni le? (What is this?) is used for objects; e.g. Yinja. (It is a dog.) Ngumthi (It is a tree.) Note that we usually add y- in front of nouns which start with i-, and ng- in front of nouns which start with a-, o- and u- to express “it is...”. (c) SINGULAR AND PLURAL NOUNS Nouns in isiXhosa can be divided into classes of singular and plural, accord- ing to the sounds they start with (class prefixes). The following noun classes are distinguished in isiXhosa: Class No. Class Prefix Example of a noun in each class 1 um- umntu (a person) 2 aba- abantu (people) 1a u- umama (mother) 2a oo- oomama (mother and others) 3 um- umthi (tree) 4 imi- imithi (trees) 5 ili- ilizwe (country) 6 ama- amazwe (countries) 7 Isi- isifo (disease) 8 izi- izifo (diseases) 9 in-/im- inja (dog); imvu (sheep sg.) 10 izin-/izim- izinja (dogs); izimvu (sheep pl.) 11 ulu- ufudo (tortoise) 14 ubu- ubuso (face) 15 uku- ukutya (food) ACTIVITY 3 Use the table above as guideline to find the plural forms of the following nouns: ihashe “horse” > utitshala “teacher” > umfundi “pupil/learner” > indlovu “elephant” > umama “mother” > isitya “dish” > XHO1507/1 13  SELF-ASSESSMENT Read the following questions and repeat the answer. Practise this until you can give the answers without looking in your manual. 11. Ngubani igama lakho? (What Igama lam nguSipho. (My name is your name?) is Sipho.) 12. Ungubani? (Who are you?) NdinguSindi, (I am Sindi.) 13. Sindi bani? (Sindi who?) NginguSindi Mavuso. (I am Sindi Mavuso.) 14. Ngubani ifani yakho? (What Ifani yam nguMavuso. (My sur- is your surname?) name is Mavuso.) 15. Uhlala phi? (Where do you Ndihlala eGoIi. (I live in live?) Johannesburg/eRhawutini.) 16. Ithini idilesi yakho? (What is Idilesi yam ithi, 512 South Road. your address?) (My address is 512 South Road.) 17. Wazalelwa phi? (Where were Ndazalelwa eRhini. (I was born you born?) in Grahamstown.) 18. Ukhulele phi? (Where did you Ndikhulele khona. (I grew up grow up?) there.) 19. Usifunda phi isiXhosa? Ndisifunda e-Unisa. (I learn it (Where do you learn Xhosa?) at Unisa.) 10. Uyasazi isiXhosa? (Do you Ewe, ndiyasazi kancinci. (Yes, know Xhosa? I know it a little bit.) 11. Ngubani ixesha? (What is the Ixesha ngu-9. (It is 9 o’clock.) time?) 12. Unjani umama wakho? (How Uphilile. (She is well.) is your mother?) 13. Unjani utata wakho? (How Akaphilanga, ugula kakhulu. is your father?) (He is not well, he is very sick indeed.) 14. Uyaphila umntwana wakho? Uyaphila. (He/she is well.) (How is your child/Is your child well?) 15. Banjani abantwana? (How are Bonwabile. (They are happy.) the children?) 16. Usebenza phi? (Where do you Ndisebenza eTelkom. (I work at work?) Telkom.) In this Learning Unit, we have learnt about “ngubani lona?” and “yintoni lena?”. We can also identify the immediate family terms that we use in our everyday lives and we know more about the noun class system. In the next Learning Unit, we will learn more about “Wenzani”? – What are you doing? 14  LEARNING UNIT 3 (ISIXHOSA): Wenzani and nenzani? (What are you doing?) 3 LEARNING UNIT 3 (ISIXHOSA) 3 WENZANI AND NENZANI? (WHAT ARE YOU DOING?) LESSON OUTCOMES At the end of this lesson you should be able to: respond to the question: What are you (singular) doing, wenzani? respond to the question: What are you (plural) doing, nenzani? use the question words yintoni? (what) and ngubani? (who) New words and expressions A variety of words and expressions (with their English translations) that you will come across in this learning unit are listed below: -vuka (wake up) Ekuseni/kusasa (in the morning) -yenza (do/make) isidudu (porridge) -sebenza (work) iti (tea) -pheka (cook) ikofu (coffee) -tya (eat) incwadi (book) -sela (drink) ubuso (face) -biza (call) iqanda (egg) -hlamba (wash) isidlo sakusasa (breakfast) -funa (want/look for) ngoku (now) -fundisa (teach) namhlanje/namhla (today) -bhala (write) edolophini (in town) -funda (learn) ubisi (milk) -ya (go to) -cula (sing) ACTIVITY 1 Please add any new words and expressions that you come across in this learning unit in the space provided in the table above. XHO1507/1 15  INGXOXO (DIALOGUE) Wenzani? UVusi : Wenzani wena ekuseni? UTom : Ekuseni ndiyavuka. Ndihlamba ubuso. Nditya isidlo sakusasa. Nditya isidudu. Ndisela ikofu. Wena wenzani ekuseni? UVusi: Nam ndiyavuka. Nditya iqanda. Ndisela iti okanye ubisi........................................................................................................... TRANSLATION: What are you (singular) doing? Vusi: What are you doing in the morning? Tom: In the morning I wake up. I wash my face. I eat breakfast. I eat porridge. I drink coffee. What are you doing in the morning? Vusi: I also wake up. I eat an egg. I drink tea or milk........................................................................................................... Nenzani? OoBetty: Nenzani zintombi? OoJane: Siyasebenza. Sifunda incwadi. Sifunda isiXhosa. USipho usifundisa kakuhle thina. Nenzani nina? OoBetty: Siya edolophini........................................................................................................... TRANSLATION: What are you (plural) doing? Betty and friends: What are you doing girls? Jane and friends: We are working. We read a book. We learn isiX- hosa. Sipho teaches us well. What are you doing? Betty and friends: We are on our way to town........................................................................................................... ACTIVITY 2 Complete the answers to the isiXhosa questions in the following table:.............................. I am leaving. yahamba Asking one person: Wenzani?............................... I am staying at home. hlala ekhaya 16  LEARNING UNIT 3 (ISIXHOSA): Wenzani and nenzani? (What are you doing?).............................. We eat meat Asking more than one tya inyama person: Nenzani?............................... We read/study at school funda esikolweni ULWAZI (KNOWLEDGE/EXPLANATION) (a) NOUNS AND PRONOUNS It is a fact that each Xhosa noun has a class prefix. The class prefixes in the following nouns are underlined, e.g. isiXhosa (Xhosa), iqanda (egg), incwadi (letter), ubisi (milk), izitya (dishes), etc. H0owever, the whole noun class system will be dealt with in detail in the learning units to follow. Besides nouns, we also have personal pronouns: wena (you sing.), mna (I), nina (you pl.) and thina (we), which we have to know in order to communicate effectively. Let us study the following structures so that we can ask our own questions in isiXhosa and also respond to isiXhosa questions: Wenzani wena, uyafunda na? (Mna) ndiyafunda. What are you doing, do you study? I study. Nenzani nina, nifunda ngoku? (Thina) sifunda ngoku. What are you doing, do you study now? We study now. ACTIVITY 3 Answer the following questions by using the given words in brackets: Umzekelo: Wenzani? (-tya iqanda) Example: Nditya iqanda. (i) Wenzani? (-sela ikofu) (ii) Wenzani? (-pheka isidudu) (iii) Nenzani? (-funda) (iv) Wenzani? (-hlamba ubuso) (v) Nenzani? (-ya edolophini) (b) THE PRESENT TENSE The sentences above are all in the present tense describing what is happen- ing now and can therefore be used with the time words ngoku (now), namhla (today) or namhlanje (today). We have to use the isiXhosa verb in order to make isiXhosa sentences. In our vocabulary list we usually give the basic part, the stem of such a verb, e.g. -funda (read/study). In order to make a proper isiXhosa sentence, the verb must be preceded by an agreeing concord, called the subject concord. The subject concord in the XHO1507/1 17  sentence Sifunda ngoku above precedes the verb stem -funda. The subject thina (we) agrees with the verb -funda (read/study) by means of its subject concord si-. In the same way the subject mna (I) agrees with the verb–sebenza (work) in ndiyasebenza by means of the subject concord ndi-. A sentence like Nditya ngoku (I eat now) on the other hand, is known as the short form of the present tense. The verb -tya also does not end off the sentence but is followed by ngoku. The short form is also used in sentences to form questions, e.g. Ufuna ntoni? (What do you want?/What are you looking for?) Have you noticed that some sentences like Ndiyasebenza (I work) contain -ya- and others not? A sentence like Ndiyasebenza, which contains the -ya- form, is called the long form of the present tense. In the long form the verb (-sebenza) usually ends off the sentence. ACTIVITY 4 -hamba -funda Wenzani? Ndiya- -cula Nenzani? Siya- -sebenza -pheka -vuka -thetha -ya edolophini -funda isiXhosa -fundisa abantwana Wenzani? Ndi- -sela iti Nenzani? Si- -vuka ekuseni -tya isidudu -hlamba ubuso -thetha efowunini (c) QUESTIONS In order to enhance your communication skills, see to it that you understand and know the following questions: yintoni?/ -ni (what) and ngubani? (who?). 18  LEARNING UNIT 3 (ISIXHOSA): Wenzani and nenzani? (What are you doing?) Questions with yintoni?/ -ni can only be used to refer to objects while ques- tions with ngubani? can only be used to ask about persons, e.g. Ufunani?/Ufuna ntoni (What do you want?) Ndifuna ikofu (I want coffee). Nifunani?/Nifuna ntoni? (What do you want?) Sifuna incwadi (We want the book). Ufuna ubani? (Whom do you want?) Ndifuna uBongi (I want Bongi). Have you noticed that -ni is written as part of the verb as in Ufunani? The question word -ni is also part of wenzani? ACTIVITY 5 A: Answer the following questions by making use of the given words. Umzekelo: Utya ntoni? (iqanda) > Nditya iqanda. What are you eating? (an egg) > I am eating an egg. (i) Ufundani? (isiXhosa) (ii) Ubiza ubani? (uZodwa) (iii) Nifuna ubani? (uMandla) (iv) Niselani? (iti) (v) Wena usela ntoni? (ubisi) B: Ask a question so that each of the following sentences is the answer. Umzekelo: Ndisela iti. > Uselani? I drink tea. > What are you drinking? (i) Nditya isidudu. (ii) Sifunda isiXhosa. (iii) Sibiza uThoko. (iv) Ndiyasebenza. (v) Ndifuna ubisi. SELF-ASSESSMENT 1. A friend asks you: Wenzani namhlanje? Answer orally in five short sentences. 2. Ask two questions each by means of the following words: -yintoni? ngubani? 3. Now ask your friend to answer these questions. XHO1507/1 19  4 LEARNING UNIT 4 (ISIXHOSA) 4 BENZANI NGEENTSUKU ZEVEKI? (WHAT ARE THEY DOING/WHAT DO THEY 5 DO ON THE DAYS OF THE WEEK?) LESSON OUTCOMES At the end of this lesson you should be able to: use the vocabulary given in this lesson; respond to the question: What is he/she/it doing wenzani/yenzani? respond to the question: What are they doing benzani? know the days of the week (iintsuku zeveki); explain the basics of the noun class system of isiXhosa; demonstrate the correct use of subject concords. New words and expressions A variety of words and expressions (with their English translations) that you will come across in this learning unit are listed below. -(i)va (know/hear/feel) indoda (man) -qonda (understand) iphephandaba (newspaper) -enza (do/make) kwibhanyabhanya (to the cinema) -qala (start) intombi (girl) bagqiba (they finish it–work) usapho (family) -jonga (watch/look) abanye abantu (some people/other -gula (be sick) people) -thenga (buy) ingca (grass) -phumla (rest) iintyatyambo (flowers) -cheba (mow) imidlalo (games) -nkcenkceshela (water for) kuba (because) -dlala (play) ibhola (ball) -ya (to go to) iti (tea) ilanga lishushu (the sun is hot/ ubisi (milk) warm) abantu abaninzi (many people) kushushu (it is hot) ukuze (and then) days of the week: iintsuku zeveki umsebenzi (work) ngoMvulo (on Monday) ngoLwesib- isikolo (school) ini (on Tuesday) ngoLwesithathu isiNgesi (English) (on Wednesday) 20  LEARNING UNIT 4 (ISIXHOSA): Benzani ngeentsuku zeveki? ngoLwesine (on Thursday) ngoL- ithelevishini/umabonakude wesihlanu (on Friday) (television) ngempelaveki (over the weekend) kugqirha (to the doctor) ngoMgqibelo (on Saturday) ngeCawe (on Sunday) elwandle (at/to the beach/sea) ibhola yombhoxo (rugby) intenetya (tennis) umdlalo wamanqindi (boxing) ecaweni (at the/to church) qho (always/regularly) xa (when) ACTIVITY 1 Please add any new words and expressions that you come across in this learning unit in the space provided in the table above. ISICATSHULWA SOKUFUNDA (Passage for reading) Benzani ngeentsuku zeveki? Sifuna ukuva ukuba abantu benzani ngeentsuku zeveki. Abantu abaninzi baqala umsebenzi ngoMvulo ukuze bawugqibe ngoLwesihlanu. Isikolo sivula ngoMvulo. NgoLwesibini abafundi bafunda isiNgesi. NgoLwesithathu uVuyiswa uya kugqirha kuba uyagula. NgoLwesine indoda ithenga iphephandaba. UTom nabahlobo baya kumboniso bhanyabhanya ngoLwesihlanu. Abantu abaninzi baphumla ngempelaveki. NgoMgqibelo usapho lusebenza esityiyeni kuba ilanga lishushu. Inkwenkwe icheba utyani. Umama unkcen- kceshela iintyatyambo. Abanye abantu badlala imidlalo. Badlala ibhola ekhaty- wayo okanye ibhola yombhoxo okanye intenetya. Utata ubukela umdlalo wamanqindi kumabonakude. Intombi iya elwandle xa kushushu. Usapho luya ecaweni qho ngeCawe. TRANSLATION What are they doing on the days of the week? We want to know what people are doing during the week. Many people start working on Monday and stop working on Friday. The school opens on Monday. On Tuesday the students learn English. On Wednesday Vuyiswa goes to the XHO1507/1 21  doctor because she is ill. On Thursday the man buys a newspaper. Tom and friends go to the cinema on Friday. Many people rest over the weekend. On Saturday the family works in the garden because the sun is shining/warm. The boy mows the lawn. Mother waters the flowers. Other people play games. They play soccer or rugby or tennis. Father watches boxing on television. The girl goes to the beach when it is sunny. The family regularly goes to church on Sunday. ULWAZI (KNOWLEDGE/EXPLANATION) (a) The noun class system/Amahlelo ezibizo In the introduction you have already been made aware that nouns in isiXhosa are grouped together into various classes according to their prefixes. A prefix is that part that is added to the beginning of a word, e.g. um- in umntu (a person) and in- in indoda (man). Nouns that have the same prefix belong to the same class. Most of the classes occur in pairs, of which one is the singular and the other the plural. Nouns mentioned in the text belong to different noun classes as recognised by their prefixes. Umntu (human) for instance, belongs to the um(u)- class; abantu (people) its plural, belongs to the aba- class; uVuyiswa belongs to the u- class and its plural ooVuyiswa to the oo- class and isitya (dish) belongs to the isi- class and its plural izitya to the izi-class. It is thus easy to predict the plural form of the noun once you know the singular and vice versa. (b) Subject concords The subject noun in a Xhosa sentence agrees with the verb by means of a concord called the subject concord. Nouns in the um(u)- class for instance, are linked to the verb by means of the subject concord u-, e.g. um(u)- class: Umfana uyasebenza (The young man is working) u- class: USipho uyasebenza (Sipho works/ is working). In the same manner nouns in the in- class for instance, are linked to the verb by means of the subject concord i-, e.g. in- class: Indoda ifuna ugqirha (The man wants a doctor). For the plural noun classes, aba- and oo-, the subject noun is also linked to the verb by means of an agreeing subject concord, ba-, e.g. aba- class: Abantwana bayasebenza (The children work/ are working), oo- class: OoThoko bagqibezela umsebenzi (Thoko and others finish the work). You can now also go on and answer more questions using -enza such as: Wenzani? (What does he/she do?) Uyadlala (He/she is playing) Benzani? (What do they do?) Bathenga ukutya (They buy food) 22  LEARNING UNIT 4 (ISIXHOSA): Benzani ngeentsuku zeveki? Yenzani inja? (What does the dog do?) lyaluma (It bites) Zenzani izilwanyana? (What do the animals do?) Zisela amanzi (They are drinking water/They drink water). However, see to it that you use the correct subject concords as indicated in the ones underlined above. Below, follows a table which will help you to get used to the concordial system of isiXhosa, i. e. to recognise the noun class prefix and then to bring the noun into agreement with the applicable subject concord. Try to put all the nouns you come across in the following lessons into their specific noun classes. (c) Summary of noun class prefixes and subject concords What follows is a summary of all the noun class prefixes and their subject concords in the positive. This list also includes the subject concords for the persons. The noun classes are numbered from 1 to 15. Our list includes only the noun classes that are still functional in isiXhosa. The classes 12 and 13 do not exist in isiXhosa any more. Only remnants of classes 16 pha-, 17 ku-, and 18 khona- remain. number class prefix s/c pos. example noun 1 um- u- umntu 2 aba-/ab- ba- abantu 1a u- u- uVuyiswa 2a oo- ba- ooVuyiswa 3 um- u- umthi 4 imi- i- imithi 5 ili-/i- li- ilitye 6 ama- a- amatye 7 isi-/is- si- Isikolo/isono 8 izi-/iz- zi- Izikolo,izono 9 in-/im-/i- li- intombi/imvu/ifama 10 iin-/izim-/ii- zi iintombi/izimvu/iifam 11 ulu- lu- u(lu)thando (love) 14 ubu- bu- ubuso 15 uku- ku- ukuhamba ukosa Persons mna (I) ndi- wena (you) u- yena (he/she) u- thina (we) si- nina (you plural) ni- bona (they) ba- ACTIVITY 2 (1) Revisit the vocabulary in this Learning Unit and then fill in the missing noun class prefi xes in the following singular nouns and also give the plural (if applicable). XHO1507/1 23  Umzekelo: -ntwana umntwana > abantwana (i) -ntu (ii) -fundi (iii) -mama (iv) -doda (v) -ti (vi) -Tom (vii) -phephandaba (viii) -ngca (ix) -bisi (x) -dlalo (2) Try the following exercises in order to identify the specific noun classes certain isiXhosa nouns belong to. See whether you can fill in the correct subject concords according to noun classes. Do not repeat the subject noun. Umzekelo: Wenzani uThandi? (-biza umntwana) Ubiza umntwana. (i) Wenzani utata? (-gqibezela umsebenzi) (ii) Benzani abafana? (-dlala ibhola yombhoxo) (iii) Yenzani intombi? (-funda isiXhosa) (iv) Benzani abantwana? (-babukela umabonakude) (v) Wenzani wena? (-thenga iphephandaba) (vi) Abafundi benzani? (-qala isikolo) (vii) Wenzani umntwana? (-lele) (viii) Linjani ilanga? (-shushu) Have you noticed that the table above is a useful guideline to determine the cor- rect subject concord? SELF-ASSESSMENT 1. Identify the noun classes to which each of the following words belong and then give the meaning of each of these words. Remember that for the noun isikolo (school), for instance, you should isolate the prefix isi- first and look under the stem -kolo. imoto, ufudo, imilambo, umlilo, amantombazana, ixhego, ixhegokazi, utitshala, amandla, iinyoka, umXhosa. 2. Complete the following sentences by providing the Xhosa equivalent words for the English words in brackets. Example: Umzekelo: UThandi uya esikolweni (on Monday). UThandi uya esikolweni ngoMvulo. (i) UVusi uya edolophini (on Tuesday). (ii) Abafana badlala ibhola (on Thursday). (iii) Umntwana wenza umsebenzi (on Wednesday). 24  LEARNING UNIT 4 (ISIXHOSA): Benzani ngeentsuku zeveki? (iv) Indoda ibukela ibhola yombhoxo (on Saturday). (v) Intombi itya isidlo sakusasa (on Friday morning). (vi) Usapho luya ecaweni (on Sunday). I am almost certain by now that we can identify some of the noun classes, the meaning of certain words and the correct subject concords according to noun classes. We also know all the days of the week in Xhosa. In the next unit, we will learn more about the negative of verbs in the present tense. XHO1507/1 25  5 LEARNING UNIT 5 (ISIXHOSA) 6 UMNTWANA WAM AKAPHILANGA (MY CHILD IS NOT WELL) USE OF NEGATIVE VERBS IN THE PRESENT TENSE LESSON OUTCOMES At the end of this lesson you should be able to: say what persons/things are NOT doing at the moment, i.e.- the negative use of the present tense; use the word hayi (no) effectively; respond to the question Linjani izulu? (How is the weather/What is the weather like?) New words and expressions A variety of words and expressions (with their English translations) that you will come across in this learning unit are listed below: -khohlela (cough) nina nonke (all of you–plural) -vuka (get up/wake up) futhi (also) -lele (to lie down) nje (just) -hlupha (bother/be problematic) ngenene (really) akutshisi (it is not hot) (nga)phandle (outside) -kuyana (it is raining) iyeza lakhe (his medicine) -phuma (go out) oku (this) -krakra (bad tasting/bitter) owu! (interjection of surprise) akukuhlanga (it is not good) ngantoni? (with what?) ndingakunceda (how can I help you?) ukuba (so that) ngantoni? (with what) kwiveki ezayo (next week) kulungile (it is in order) -ukuthemba (to hope) uza kuba ephilile (that s/he will be well) ndoda/bhuti/mfondini (man /brother- direct address form) 26  LEARNING UNIT 5 (ISIXHOSA): Umntwana wam akaphilanga(my child is not well) ACTIVITY 1 Please add any new words and expressions that you come across in this learning unit in the space provided in the table above. INGXOXO (DIALOGUE) Umntwana wam akaphilanga UThemba: Mholo/Molo mfondini! UMandla: Ewe, mntakwethu! UThemba: Unjani? UMandla: Ndiyaphila enkosi, ninjani nina? UThemba: Sisaphila sonke, kodwa umntwana wam uSipho uyagula. UMandla: Uphethwe yintoni? UThemba: Uyakhohlela futhi akafuni ukutya. UMandla: Usekhaya ngoku? UThemba: Ewe. Ulele ngoku. Izulu libi, kuyana kakhulu. Ngoku uSipho kunzima nokuba aphume phandle. UMandla: Uyawasela amayeza? UThemba: Hayi, akawaseli amayeza akhe kuba uthi ayakrakra. UMandla: Owu! akukuhlanga oku mfondini. Ndingakunceda ngantoni? UThemba: Hayi, enkosi uZodwa uyamnceda ekhaya. Sinethemba lokuba uya kuba ephilile kwiveki ezayo. TRANSLATION My child is not well Themba: Hello man! Mandla: Yes, hello my brother. Themba: How are you? Mandla: I am well, how are all of you? Themba: We are all still well but my child, Sipho is not well, he is ill. Mandla: What is wrong with him? Themba: He is coughing and does not want to eat. Mandla: Is he at home? Themba: He does not get up, and just lies there. The weather is problematic and it rains quite hard. Now Sipho does not go outside. Mandla: Does he drink his medicines? Themba: He does not drink his medicines because he says they are bitter. Mandla: Hey, this is not good man. How can I help you? Themba: No, it is all right, Zodwa helps him at home. We hope that he will be well by next week. ACTIVITY 2 Make a list of all the negative verbs that you can find in the isiXhosa dialogue above. Write the English translation next to each verb as shown in the first example: XHO1507/1 27  Negative verb English translation akaphilanga he is not well What do all the isiXhosa negative verbs have in common? Do you see that they all start with a-? ULWAZI (KNOWLEDGE/EXPLANATION) (a) The negative/Isilanduli In this lesson we will learn how to say what a person is NOT doing or what people are NOT doing. To confirm a sentence we use the word ewe (yes) and to negate it we use the word hayi (no). We are still dealing with the present tense but this time not with the positive but with the negative. Remember the following points when forming negative sentences: To form the negative, you simply add a- in front of the subject concord and change the verb ending -a to -i, in the present tense, e.g. Positive: Abantwana bayaphila/baphila kakuhle (The children are well) Negative: Abantwana abaphili (The children are not well) > a + ba > abaphili. Positive: llanga liyatshisa (The sun shines/is hot) Negative: Ilanga alitshisi (The sun does not shine/is not hot) > a + li > alitshisi. Positive: Indoda isela amanzi (The man drinks water) Negative: Indoda ayiseli manzi (The man does not drink water) > a + i > ayiseli Note that we use -y- to separate the vowels a- and -i- (subject concord). The negatives of the persons are formed in the same manner, e.g. mna (I): a- + ndi- > andiphili (I am not well) thina (we): a- + si- > asiphumi (we do not go out) 28  LEARNING UNIT 5 (ISIXHOSA): Umntwana wam akaphilanga(my child is not well) wena (you singular): a- + u- > awudlali (you do not play) nina (you plural): a- + ni- > anityi(you do not eat) bona (they): a- + ba- > abafundi (they do not learn) Note that we use -w- to separate the vowels a- and -u- (subject concord). For the um- and u- classes and yena, we must remember to use aka- as negative prefix, e.g. Positive: Umntwana uyatya (The child eats/The child is eating) Negative: Umntwana akatyi (The child does not eat/The child is not eating) > a + ka > akatyi. Positive: Yena ufuna iyeza (He/she wants the medicine) Negative: Yena akafuni iyeza (He/she does not want the medicine) > a + ka > akafuni. There is no long or short form in the negative as -ya- fails away, e.g. Uyagula? (Is s/he ill?) Hayi, akaguli. (No s/he is not ill.) Ugula kakhulu na? (Is s/he very ill?) Hayi, akaguli kakhulu. (No, s/he is not very ill.) If you now add the negative subject concords to your previous summary table of Learning Unit 4, you will have an even better understanding of concordial agreement in isiXhosa. SUMMARY number class prefix s/c pos. s/c neg. example noun 1 um- u- aka- umntu 2 aba-/ab- ba- aba- abantu 1a u- u- aka- uNomsa 2a oo- ba- aba- ooNomsa 3 Um- u- awu- umdlalo 4 imi- i- ayi- imidlalo 5 ili-/i- li- ali- iphephandaba 6 ama- a- awa-/aka- amaphephandaba 7 isi- si- asi- isikolo 8 izi- zi- azi- izikolo 9 in-/im- i- ayi- intombi/imvu 10 izin>/izim> zi- azi- iiintombi/izimvu 11 ulu- lu- alu- uthando 14 ubu- bu- abu- ubuso 15 uku- ku- aku- ukuhamba XHO1507/1 29  number class prefix s/c pos. s/c neg. example noun persons mna ndi- andi- wena u- awu- ACTIVITY 3 (1) Make the following sentences meaningful by making use of the CORRECT subject concord positive or negative. Umzekelo: Umntwana -dlala ibhola Umntwana udlala ibhola. (i) Wena -saphila na? (ii) Izikolo -vulwa namhlanje (iii) Hayi, abafana -fun- ibhola (negative) (iv) USipho -dlala kahle (v) Hayi, amadoda (men) -vuk- ngeCawa ukuya ecaweni (negative) (vi) UThemba -ncedis- tata (negative) (vii) Intombazana -sebenz- ngoMvulo (negative) (viii) -enzani umntwana? -funda incwadi (ix) Mna -phunga iti kodwa umntakwethu -phung- iti, -thanda ikofu (x) Izulu -bi kuba ilanga -shushu (2) See how many meaningful negative sentences you can form by adding verbs that you are already familiar with to the last column in this table, e.g. Intombazana ayi- -sebenzi -hambi -tyi Remember to change the verb ending -a to –i in the negative (as in the examples above). Thina asi- Abafana aba- Mna andi- USipho aka- Ilanga ali- Indoda ayi- Umdlalo awu- Wena awu- Umfana aka- 30  LEARNING UNIT 5 (ISIXHOSA): Umntwana wam akaphilanga(my child is not well) (a) THE WEATHER/IMOZULU llanga and izulu are important nouns when one wants to talk about the weather or when one has to answer questions about the weather, e.g. Izulu linjani namhla? (How is the weather today?) Lihle (It is fine weather). Note that it is not always necessary to use the nouns izulu and ilanga in a conversation, because they are implied by the use of the subject concord li-, e.g. Liyana (It is raining) Lishushu (It is hot) Liyabanda (It is cold) Lipholile (It is cool) Linelanga (It is sunny) Liyahloma/ Liyezisa (A storm is threatening) Lisibekele/Lizibekele (It is overcast) Liyaduma (It is thundering) XHO1507/1 31  Liyabaneka (It is lightening) Liyakhwitsha (It is drizzling) Lina ngamatye (It is hailing) Libi (The weather is bad) Lihle (The weather is fine) ACTIVITY 4 Find a friend, neighbour, colleague or acquaintance who speaks isiXhosa and then ask him/her about the weather on different days. You can use the expres- sion: Izulu linjani? Write down the answers that you get. (i)................................................................................................................ (ii)............................................................................................................... (iii)............................................................................................................... (iv)............................................................................................................... (v)............................................................................................................... (vi)............................................................................................................... (vii)............................................................................................................... SELF-ASSESSMENT 1. Answer the following questions by starting with Hayi.... and changing the verb to the negative. Umzekelo: Abantwana bayasebenza na? 32  LEARNING UNIT 5 (ISIXHOSA): Umntwana wam akaphilanga(my child is not well) Hayi, abasebenzi. (i) Bawugqibile umsebenzi na? (ii) Hayi,....................................................................... (iii) Ilanga liyakhanya na? (iv) Hayi,....................................................................... (v) USipho uyagula? (vi) Hayi........................................................................ (vii) Umfana uya ekhaya?