Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613886196219904 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Nethathe, Atshilaho Viola |
| author2 | Brookes, Heather |
| author_browse | Brookes, Heather Nethathe, Atshilaho Viola |
| author_facet | Brookes, Heather Nethathe, Atshilaho Viola |
| author_sort | Nethathe, Atshilaho Viola |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134737 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:15.981Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134737 Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years Nethathe, Atshilaho Viola Brookes, Heather Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics. Venda language -- Acquisition Children -- Language Language acquisition Venda language -- Morphosyntax Bantu languages -- Study and teaching Toddlers -- Vocabulary -- Development UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Nethathe, A. V. 2025. Early Acquisition of Grammatical Morphology in Tshivenda: A Study of Toddlers Aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/567bb1c7-7fd2-49c4-be1d-2f16d8ab7590 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the acquisition of morphosyntactic features in Tshivenda-speaking children aged 2;4 to 2;6 years. It examines the use of noun class prefixes, subject and object markers, nominal agreement (including possessives, demonstratives and adjectives), verbal morphology (extensions, passives, tense, negation) and complex constructions (relative clauses, clefts, locatives and prepositions). Data consists of one-hour recordings of the spontaneous speech of 15 monolingual Tshivenda-speaking children in family interactions collected during the validation of the Tshivenda adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI), a parent report tool on children’s early language abilities from 8 to 30 months (Fenson et al. 1994). The analysis focuses on the production of morphosyntactic features to determine developmental patterns. Findings show that by 2;6 years, Tshivenda-speaking children have largely mastered the major morphosyntactic features of their language. They produced noun class prefixes accurately and they consistently used subject and object markers correctly. Verbal morphology was productively and correctly employed, including verbal extensions, tense and negation. Passive constructions were produced in the short form using verbal extensions but with no instances of the long passive. Locatives and prepositions were also used accurately. No relative clauses or cleft constructions were produced. This absence may be because of their lack of exposure to these constructions in spoken input, their difficulty, or because the data were limited to one-hour recordings per child. Overall, this study finds that by 2;6 years, Tshivenda-speaking children can successfully produce core morphosyntactic features, a pattern consistent with findings from other Bantu languages. Importantly, this is the first study to document the acquisition of Tshivenda, providing novel empirical evidence on its developmental patterns and contributing to the broader understanding of morphosyntactic acquisition in Bantu languages. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. THALUTSHEDZO: Ngudo heyi i ṱoḓisisa nga ha mawanwa a zwiṱalusizwiṱuku zwa zwipiḓa zwi vhumbaho fhungo kha vhanavha ambaho Tshivenḓa kha vhana vha mirole yamiṅwaha 2 na miṅwedzi miṋa u ya kha miṅwaha 2 namiṅwedzi ya 6. I linga kushumisele kwa kiḽasi dza thangidza madzina, ts umbedzi ya ṋefhungo na tshiitwa, mapfanisi (hu tshi katelwa masumbavhuṋe, masumbina maṱaluli), zwipiḓa zwa nyito ( maṱumetshedzi,maambaitwa, makhathi, khanedza) na mbumb anotserekano. (vhushaka ha maipfi, khethekanyo dzavhukati ha maipfi, mabulafhethu na ma rangeli)u nyanyuwa nga iwe muṋe kha u amba. Mafhungokhuvhanywa a bvaho kha u rekho dwa ha vhana ndi a awara nthihi fhedzi u bva kha vhana vha 15 vha ambahoTshivenḓazwo fhedzi u bva kha nyambedzano ya muṱawo kuvhanganyiwaho musi hu tshi khou khwaṱhisedzwau ḓiḓowedza Tshivenḓa nga MacArthur-Bates (khaMveledziso ya Mbetshelo ya Vhudavhidzani) (Communicative Development Inventories) (CDI) khathulusi ya muvhigo wa mubebi kha vhukoni ha vhana ha u amba (nga Fenson na vhaṅwe,1994). Ṱhaṱhuvho yosedzesa kha mveledziso ya ngudo ya zwiṱalusi zwivhumbaho fhungo zwi sumbedzaho dziphatheni dzanyaluwo. Mawanwa a sumbedza uri vhana vha miṅwaha 2 namiṅwezi ya 6, vha ambaho luambo lwa Tshivenda vhana vhukoni nga huhulu ha zwiṱalusi zwiṱuku zwivhumbaho fhungo zwa luambo lwa havho. Dzi bveledzakiḽasi dza thangi dza madzina lwo teaho na u omelelakha u shumisa ṋefhungo na tshiitwa nga nḓila yone.Ngudo ya u amba ya zwipiḓa zwo vhumbaho ipfi zwobveledzwa na u shumiswa nga nḓila yone hu tshikatelwa na nyito nyengedzedzwa, makhathi n akhanedza. Phaṱho ya maambaitwa yo khwaṱhisedzwanga nḓila u pfufhifhadza hu tshi shu miswa nyitonyengedzedzwa, hu si na zwikala zwa maambaitwamalapfu. Mabulafhethu na th angeladzina zwo dovhahafhu zwa shumiswa na u bveledzwa nga nḓila yone.Usa vha honeha izwi zwi nga itwa nga ṱhahelelo ya u savha hone tsini na ha u fhaṱiwa ha u amba uho, vhukonḓi, kana ngauri mafhungo o kuvhanganywaho o fhungedzelwa kha u rek hodwa ha awara nthihi ngaṅwana. Nga u angaredza, ngudo iyi i wanuluswa ngavha miṅwaha 2 na miṅwedzi ya 6, vhana vhane vhaamba Tshivenḓa vha nga bveledza ngudo ya zwiṱalusi zwiṱuku zwa zwipiḓa zwa ipfi kha u vhumba fhungo, phatheni dzi tshimbilelanaho na mawanw a a bvaho khaNyambo dza Vharema. Tsha ndeme, ndi tsha uri iyi ndingudo ya u thoma u ṅw ala mawanwa a Tshivenḓa, huṋetshedzwa nganea ya vhuṱanzi vhu no farea nga ha mveledzi so ya dziphatheni na u ṋea ṱhanḓavhudzo ya u pfesesa zwipiḓa zwiṱuku zwi vhumbaho ipfi zwamawanwa kha Nyambo dza Vharema. Masters 2026-01-06T07:26:39Z 2026-01-06T07:26:39Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134737 en Stellenbosch University v, 193 pages : illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Venda language -- Acquisition Children -- Language Language acquisition Venda language -- Morphosyntax Bantu languages -- Study and teaching Toddlers -- Vocabulary -- Development UCTD Nethathe, Atshilaho Viola Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years |
| title | Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years |
| title_full | Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years |
| title_fullStr | Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years |
| title_full_unstemmed | Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years |
| title_short | Early acquisition of grammatical morphology in Tshivenda : a study of toddlers aged 2;4 years to 2;6 years |
| title_sort | early acquisition of grammatical morphology in tshivenda a study of toddlers aged 2 4 years to 2 6 years |
| topic | Venda language -- Acquisition Children -- Language Language acquisition Venda language -- Morphosyntax Bantu languages -- Study and teaching Toddlers -- Vocabulary -- Development UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134737 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nethatheatshilahoviola earlyacquisitionofgrammaticalmorphologyintshivendaastudyoftoddlersaged24yearsto26years |