Die ortografie en klankstelsel van Kwanyama en Ndonga

Abstract

Abstract taken from Abstracts of theses and dissertations accepted for higher degrees in the Potchefstrrom University for Christian Higher Education, 1956-1975, Faculty of Arts and philosophy, 1976, pp. 69-71:

Thanks to the activities of various missionary societies (to which reference is made in this work) the languages of these tribes have been written down. Various mission orthographies, each with its own shortcomings and inconsistencies, have already been published. These are tabulated in this thesis

The purpose of this study, which is in many respects reconnaissance work, was to inveltigate the sound system of Kwanyama and Ndonga. Proposals are then also made for the formulation of a generally acceptable orthography, based on sound linguistic and educational principles

The following matters are discussed: Sound system: (A) vowels: Kwanyama and Ndonga have a five vowel system which belongs to separate phonemes. They are: (a), (e), (i), (o), (u). The vowels can be short or long, and form phonological oppositions. The short vowels are much shorter than those of the Bantu languages of the Republic of South Africa. The following vowel-phoneme combinatiuns occur: (a), (ai), (au), (ei), (eu), (oi), (aa), (ee), (ii), (oo), (uu)

(B) Consonants: Kwanyama has seventeen and Ndonga twenty consonant phones combinations of which form 35 and 45 phone combinations respectively

Diacritical signs: These signs are numerous in the existing and previous orthographies of Ndonga and Kwanyama. The inconsistent use of these signs, as well as the confusion it causes, has necessitated a revision of their use. To illustrate a practical application of the proposed orthography, excerpts from the Bible are written in both the old and the new orthography

Morphonology: (i) The structure of morphemes and syllables in Kwanyama and Ndonga. (ii) Morphonological processes: The following occur: Palatalisation, Nasalisation, Assimilation, Labialisation, Coalescence and Contraction, Elision, Devocalisation, Dissimilation (The Kwanyama Law of Dissimilation)