Dr. Benard O . Okal | Maseno University (original) (raw)
Papers by Dr. Benard O . Okal
Advances in educational technologies and instructional design book series, Jun 24, 2022
Cornell University - arXiv, Oct 29, 2022
Building automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems is a challenging task, especially for underre... more Building automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems is a challenging task, especially for underresourced languages that need to construct corpora nearly from scratch and lack sufficient training data. It has emerged that several African indigenous languages, including Kiswahili, are technologically under-resourced. ASR systems are crucial, particularly for the hearing-impaired persons who can benefit from having transcripts in their native languages. However, the absence of transcribed speech datasets has complicated efforts to develop ASR models for these indigenous languages. This paper explores the transcription process and the development of a Kiswahili speech corpus, which includes both read-out texts and spontaneous speech data from native Kiswahili speakers. The study also discusses the vowels and consonants in Kiswahili and provides an updated Kiswahili phoneme dictionary for the ASR model that was created using the CMU Sphinx speech recognition toolbox, an open-source speech recognition toolkit. The ASR model was trained using an extended phonetic set that yielded a WER and SER of 18.87% and 49.5%, respectively, an improved performance than previous similar research for under-resourced languages.
Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama... more Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama irabu au konsonanti. Kama ilivyo katika lugha nyinginezo ulimwenguni, Kiswahili vilevile kina fonimu za kategoria mbili yaani irabu na konsonanti. Hata hivyo, idadi ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili inaelekea kuainishwa tofautitofauti kwa mujibu wa wanaisimu mbalimbali wa Kiswahili. Mathalani, wanaisimu wengine wanadokeza idadi ya fonimu konsonanti kuwa 24, 25, 26, 29, 32 au 33. Kwa upande mwingine, miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili pia hudokezwa kuwa tofauti kama vile 4, 5, 6, 7 na 8. Idadi tofauti ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili pamoja na idadi tofauti ya miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili huelekea kuwakanganya wasomaji wa lugha ya Kiswahili. Hivyo basi, makala hii inalenga kuhakiki fonimu na miundo mbalimbali ya silabi za Kiswahili. Ili kufanikisha uhakiki huu, makala hii imehusisha katika upeo wake vijimada kama vile: dhana ya fonimu, uhakiki wa idadi ya fonimu za Kiswahili pamoja na mifan...
One of the methods employed in teaching a foreign language is the grammar translation method (Cha... more One of the methods employed in teaching a foreign language is the grammar translation method (Chang, 2011). In teaching Kiswahili to foreigners, teachers use translations from Kiswahili into English and vice versa. However, the common trend in the application of this approach is that teachers usually translate vocabulary and phrases from Kiswahili into English. Since Kiswahili and English vary grammatically, culturally and in terms of terminological developments (Malangwa, 2010), translating Kiswahili cultural expressions into English reveals a serious challenge. There is always a problem of obtaining equivalents for the cultural expressions in the target language. To make the learning process successful, teachers employ descriptive, literal and communicative techniques to translate certain expressions in their Kiswahili classes and in the teaching materials. However, certain concepts are hardly captured in these translations and, consequently, they have multiple or varied equivalen...
Kioo cha Lugha, Sep 26, 2017
Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama... more Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama irabu au konsonanti. Kama ilivyo katika lugha nyinginezo ulimwenguni, Kiswahili vilevile kina fonimu za kategoria mbili yaani irabu na konsonanti. Hata hivyo, idadi ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili inaelekea kuainishwa tofautitofauti kwa mujibu wa wanaisimu mbalimbali wa Kiswahili. Mathalani, wanaisimu wengine wanadokeza idadi ya fonimu konsonanti kuwa 24, 25, 26, 29, 32 au 33. Kwa upande mwingine, miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili pia hudokezwa kuwa tofauti kama vile 4, 5, 6, 7 na 8. Idadi tofauti ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili pamoja na idadi tofauti ya miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili huelekea kuwakanganya wasomaji wa lugha ya Kiswahili. Hivyo basi, makala hii inalenga kuhakiki fonimu na miundo mbalimbali ya silabi za Kiswahili. Ili kufanikisha uhakiki huu, makala hii imehusisha katika upeo wake vijimada kama vile: dhana ya fonimu, uhakiki wa idadi ya fonimu za Kiswahili pamoja na mifano ya fonimu zenyewe. Makala imeshughulikia pia dhana ya silabi na uhakiki wa miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili. Uhakiki wa miundo ya silabi umeshughulikiwa ili kuangazia tofauti zinazodhihirika baina ya wanaisimu wa Kiswahili kuhusu idadi kamili ya miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili pamoja na mifano inayotolewa. Katika kujaribu kutanzua mgogoro uliopo, makala imerejelea kanuni zifaazo zinazoweza kutumiwa na mwanaisimu katika utambuzi wa fonimu na zinazotumiwa pia katika uundaji wa silabi.
Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
The practice of instilling morals to individuals has existed in both familial and societal upbrin... more The practice of instilling morals to individuals has existed in both familial and societal upbringing. These morals are always transmitted from the older people to the younger generation with an intention of initiating both boys and girls to proper manhood and womanhood based on the familial and societal dictates. Transmission of these morals is normally through religious and literary texts, and also continuous conversations amongst the members of the family and the society. These conversations generally tend to exhibit an aspect of speech act theory called illocutionary speech act that signals acts such as directing, advising, requesting and persuading the recipient to embrace the teachings. Though there are many genres of literature, poems have proved to be more effective in passing these morals in both the ancient and modern societies. Therefore, this article analyzed the themes and illocutionary speech act in some selected advisory Biblical and literary texts with poetic style. ...
Research Journal in Modern Languages and Literatures, Apr 15, 2021
Graphology has today dominated children’s literature making it look like an amorphous and an ambi... more Graphology has today dominated children’s literature making it look like an amorphous and an ambiguous creature with its relationship to its audience. Children lack the required knowledge and skills to associate meaning to the stylistic devices in use. This, however, means that children’s literature has undergone a series of transformations and it appears that in the process of its transformations, it has been affected and it has equally affected its representation as well as the socialization of children as manifested in five (5) purposively selected Kiswahili children’s novels of Nyumba ya Sungura (2012), Hadithi ya Mamba (2009), Harusi ya Mwanasungura (2006), Usicheze na Moto (2003) and Dani na Wezi wa Toyota (2015).This is so because a keen look at the five (5) literary texts confirms a lot of graphological dominance which has presented an avenue for debates and radical shifts in the scholarship in the discipline of children’s literature. With Leech & Short’s (1981) Stylistics and Rosenblatt’s (1939) Readers Response theories Rosenblatt (1939), this paper attempted to highlight and re-examine some of the graphological aspects used in the construction of children’s literature with a focus on selected novels and how those graphological features impact on the readers. It established that graphological aspects enhance thematic foregrounding in children’s literature besides giving those texts some aesthetic appeal resulting into ideal comprehension
Leksikografia ya Kiswahili sanifu imewahi kuimarishwa na lugha nyinginezo za kigeni: Kiajemi, Kia... more Leksikografia ya Kiswahili sanifu imewahi kuimarishwa na lugha nyinginezo za kigeni: Kiajemi, Kiarabu, Kiibrania, Kichina, Kifaransa, Kigiriki, Kihispania, Kijerumani, Kijapani, Kilatini, Kiingereza, Kituruki, Kireno na Kihindi. Lugha hizi zimechangia kiasi kikubwa uundaji wa vidahizo katika kamusi mbalimbali za lugha ya Kiswahili ikiwemo Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu. Tafiti kuhusu michango ya baadhi ya lugha hizi zimefanywa na wataalamu kuhusu Kiingereza na Kiarabu; hata hivyo lugha ya Kihindi haijashughulikiwa licha ya kwamba imechangia leksimu anuwai katika kamusi za Kiswahili sanifu. Hivyo basi, makala haya yanaangazia mchango wa lugha ya Kihindi katika leksikografia ya Kiswahili ili kubaini leksimu zilizokopwa moja kwa moja au kukopwa kwa kutoholewa na hatimaye kuingizwa katika Kiswahili sanifu. Ili kufanikisha dhamira hii, makala yamehusisha historia ya Wahindi katika Afrika Mashariki, yameangazia baadhi ya misamiati iliyokopwa moja kwa moja na kwa kutoholewa kwa kurejelea Kamus...
NAFASI YA TAFSIRI KATIKA TAALUMA ZA ONOMASTIKI: UHAKIKI WA MBINU ZAKE KATIKA TAFSIRI YA TOPONOMAS... more NAFASI YA TAFSIRI KATIKA TAALUMA ZA ONOMASTIKI: UHAKIKI WA MBINU ZAKE KATIKA TAFSIRI YA TOPONOMASTIKI.
Information is a very important concept during an interaction between interlocutors within a part... more Information is a very important concept during an interaction between interlocutors within a particular health communicative context. In matters concerning individuals' health and other emotive issues, subjective information of any kind would provide sustaining knowledge to the seeker of knowledge. It is, therefore, of immense significance for people to have access to credible information that would satisfy their questions, curiosity and emerging problems of wellness. In Kenyan towns and villages, certain strategic street pathways are replete with Traditional Medicine advertisements by herbalists and witchdoctors. As a vehicle for promoting social modernization, the impact of utilizing advertising to promote trade in developing society remains a key subject. Although audiences are exposed to a number of advertisements, advertising may deceive either by increasing a consumer's false belief or by exploiting true beliefs in the ways designed to sell the product or offer service...
National symbols are very instrumental items for a country’s peace, unity and prosperity. The nat... more National symbols are very instrumental items for a country’s peace, unity and prosperity. The national symbol for instance the national anthem is always sung at the learning institutions and or during the country’s special occasions. Though national anthems just like any other national symbols have a noble role in the country, some countries tend to disregard its letter and spirit. One such country is the Republic of South Sudan (RoSS). Being the newest country in Africa and probably the state that experienced a longer period of civil wars and with the bigger number of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), it has been the wishes of the citizens and the people the world over to have a lasting peace and unity. However, since independence in 2011, there have been intermittent ethnic clashes resulting into deaths of many South Sudanese civilians and also loss of property. This is happening despite the fact that its national anthem possesses elements of peace and harmony. In this rega...
Most family systems world over are basically patriarchal in that children are given names bearing... more Most family systems world over are basically patriarchal in that children are given names bearing those of their fathers. The tendency cuts across almost all cultures in the world. This trend has continued to exist from the ancient epoch to date with varied procedures exhibited amongst various communities in the world. An analysis of these personal names shows applications of some aspects of morphology especially the use of free morphs and affixes with various denotations. For instance, a free morph may be used to refer to ‘a son of’ or ‘daughter of’, and or an affix used to indicate someone’s name by adding it on the father’s name in the case of patronymic studies. There are also some affixes that are used to denote the common gender of either masculinity or femininity of community members. Thus, the article intends to provide a linguistic overview of the patronymic and gender names amongst the selected African communities in an attempt to examine how these aforementioned aspects o...
Kamusi kadhaa wahidiya (za lugha moja) za Kiswahili kama vile Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu toleo la... more Kamusi kadhaa wahidiya (za lugha moja) za Kiswahili kama vile Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu toleo la kwanza, pili na tatu, zimewahi kutungwa kutokana na juhudi za Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili (TUKI) inayojulikana sasa kama Taasisi ya Taaluma za Kiswahili (TATAKI) ili kusaidia mafunzo ya Kiswahili na taaluma ya leksikografia katika taasisi kadhaa za elimu. Kamusi nyingi wahidiya za Kiswahili zimetungwa kwa kutumia mitindo anuwai ya utoaji maelezo ya taarifa muhimu za vidahizo husika licha ya kwamba kuna lugha kienzo maalum ya kuzingatiwa katika kuwasilisha taarifa hizo za vidahizo. Hivyo basi, makala haya yanahakiki kiulinganifu wa taarifa muhimu kuhusu vidahizo katika Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu toleo la tatu (TUKI, 2013) na Kamusi ya Karne ya 21 (Mdee, Njogu na Shafi, 2011). Uhakikiki linganishi katika makala haya umehusisha masuala anuwai hasa maelezo ya idadi ya vidahizo, mpangilio wa vidahizo, taarifa za kisarufi (tahajia na matamshi, kategoria ya kidahizo, ngeli, uelekezi wa v...
Linguistics and Literature Studies, 2013
The paper gives an exposition of some adapted English lexemes into Dholuo. The work relied on a d... more The paper gives an exposition of some adapted English lexemes into Dholuo. The work relied on a descriptive design. Total purposive sampling technique was incorporated in collecting secondary data to saturation level. All the adapted nominal lexemes from the English Dholuo Dictionary (EDD) were collected, qualitatively analyzed, edited and presented thematically by showing the adapted lexemes in various areas. The results indicate that adapted lexemes in this lexicographical work are manifested in the following areas: religion, people, subjects, places, measurements, clothing, vegetables, foodstuff, equipment, vehicles and months. We have gathered that as we adapt some lexemes from English into Dholuo, then phonemes such as /ʃ (sh), z/ automatically change to /s/, /v/ changes to /f/ and /q/ changes to /k/. We have concluded that English consonant phonemes such as /ʃ(sh), z, v, q/ are not manifested in Dholuo. Therefore, translators have to adapt them by using both the transference a...
Kiswahili, Oct 3, 2017
Ikisiri Hiponimia ni mojawapo ya mahusiano ya kifahiwa inayoashiria uhusiano ambapo leksimu ya ju... more Ikisiri Hiponimia ni mojawapo ya mahusiano ya kifahiwa inayoashiria uhusiano ambapo leksimu ya jumla inajumuisha kimaana leksimu mahususi. Uhusiano wa leksimu kihiponimia ulidhukuriwa kuwa unafanana katika lugha anuwai ulimwenguni na aghalabu unahusisha leksimu nomino pekee. Hata hivyo, tafiti za hivi punde zinadhihirisha kuwa hiponimia huonekana pia miongoni mwa vivumishi, vielezi na vitenzi na huweza kutofautiana kimuundo na kimtindo kutoka lugha moja hadi nyingine kwa sababu ya tofauti za kitamaduni. Wataalamu anuwai wamekuwa na mapendekezo kadha kuhusu nadharia ifaayo ya kuainisha leksimu za lugha kihiponimia. Wengine wanaelekea kupendelea matumizi ya nadharia ya Kiini Maana (Core Meanings Theory) na Nadharia ya Sampuli Kifani (Prototype Theory). Hata hivyo inadhihirika kuwa nadharia ya Uchanganuzi Vijenzi (Componential Analysis) inafaa zaidi katika uchanganuzi wa hiponimia ya leksimu nomino, vitenzi, vivumishi na vielezi. Makala haya yanaangazia kufaa kwa nadharia hii katika uhakiki wa hiponimia ikilinganishwa na nadharia Kiini Maana na Sampuli Kifani.
Ikisiri Sanaa ya uandishi imeendelea kutokea katika mfumo wa kikabari, kihiroglifu, kilogografu, ... more Ikisiri Sanaa ya uandishi imeendelea kutokea katika mfumo wa kikabari, kihiroglifu, kilogografu, kisilabi, na kialfabeti. Imebainika kuwa tunapoendelea kimaandishi kutoka mfumo mmoja tunaelekea kuhama pia na vipashio vingine vya mifumo ya awali. Hivyo basi, chembechembe za mifumo ya awali zingali zinadhihirika katika mitindo mingine ya kisasa ya matumizi ya lugha kama tunavyoona katika rebasi, seti, na emoji. Kwa hiyo, makala haya yanalenga kufafanua mitindo ya rebasi, seti na emoji, pamoja na anagramu na akronimi kama sanaa ya uandishi ili kutambua ishara zinazotumiwa na zilizokubaliwa katika lugha. Makala yanahusisha dhana, dhima, historia, na maendeleo ya sanaa ya uandishi. Yanaonyesha pia jinsi mitindo ya anagramu, rebasi, seti, emoji, na akronimi inavyodhihirika kama sanaa ya uandishi. Data zilikusanywa maktabani kwa kutumia upekuzi, kuteuliwa kidhamirifu na kuchanganuliwa kimaudhui. Dhana za msingi: uandishi, anagramu, rebasi, seti, emoji na akronimi
Democracy can be defined as a government in which sovereignty lies with the people either directl... more Democracy can be defined as a government in which sovereignty lies with the people either directly or via representatives. The transition from monarchy to representative democracy was long, gradual process. Nevertheless, democracies seem to change with the changing times and cultures. There are many who believe that democracy is a construct of the West, molded in response to the peculiar historical circumstances that shaped it, others argue that freedom and democracy, while suitable in some parts of the world are by no means universal goods. The global spread of democracy has been accompanied by the global spread of criticisms of democracy. For many of us, the debate about democratization is anything but theoretical. Basing its arguments on the normative utilitarian perspective, this paper intends to discuss the possibilities of democracy even in dissenting antidemocratic thoughts especially in party politics. This is because democracy is the one form of government which evolves con...
Illegal logging of rosewood has become an environmental concern in the Northern Region of Ghana. ... more Illegal logging of rosewood has become an environmental concern in the Northern Region of Ghana. Some affected districts in the region include; West Gonja, Central Gonja, East Gonja and Kpandai Districts. This study was conducted on illegal logging of Rosewood in Northern Ghana using Kabonwule in the Kpandai district as a case study because of the varied domestic uses of rosewood and the implications of its depletion. The study design adopted was a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches while the research methodology was case study and descriptive survey. The sample frame was 350 with a sample size of 70. Data was collected using interview guides, analyzed and presented in tables using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 16. Results of the study indicated that illegal logging of Rosewood was a major environmental problem in the study area. Estimates by affected farmers indicated large scale destruction of farm lands by illegal logging of rosewood. High demand for Rosewood and corruption were concluded as the main causes of the illegal logging activity. Government should review existing laws to ensure that punishments for illegal logging activities are severe enough to discourage perpetrators.
Advances in educational technologies and instructional design book series, Jun 24, 2022
Cornell University - arXiv, Oct 29, 2022
Building automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems is a challenging task, especially for underre... more Building automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems is a challenging task, especially for underresourced languages that need to construct corpora nearly from scratch and lack sufficient training data. It has emerged that several African indigenous languages, including Kiswahili, are technologically under-resourced. ASR systems are crucial, particularly for the hearing-impaired persons who can benefit from having transcripts in their native languages. However, the absence of transcribed speech datasets has complicated efforts to develop ASR models for these indigenous languages. This paper explores the transcription process and the development of a Kiswahili speech corpus, which includes both read-out texts and spontaneous speech data from native Kiswahili speakers. The study also discusses the vowels and consonants in Kiswahili and provides an updated Kiswahili phoneme dictionary for the ASR model that was created using the CMU Sphinx speech recognition toolbox, an open-source speech recognition toolkit. The ASR model was trained using an extended phonetic set that yielded a WER and SER of 18.87% and 49.5%, respectively, an improved performance than previous similar research for under-resourced languages.
Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama... more Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama irabu au konsonanti. Kama ilivyo katika lugha nyinginezo ulimwenguni, Kiswahili vilevile kina fonimu za kategoria mbili yaani irabu na konsonanti. Hata hivyo, idadi ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili inaelekea kuainishwa tofautitofauti kwa mujibu wa wanaisimu mbalimbali wa Kiswahili. Mathalani, wanaisimu wengine wanadokeza idadi ya fonimu konsonanti kuwa 24, 25, 26, 29, 32 au 33. Kwa upande mwingine, miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili pia hudokezwa kuwa tofauti kama vile 4, 5, 6, 7 na 8. Idadi tofauti ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili pamoja na idadi tofauti ya miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili huelekea kuwakanganya wasomaji wa lugha ya Kiswahili. Hivyo basi, makala hii inalenga kuhakiki fonimu na miundo mbalimbali ya silabi za Kiswahili. Ili kufanikisha uhakiki huu, makala hii imehusisha katika upeo wake vijimada kama vile: dhana ya fonimu, uhakiki wa idadi ya fonimu za Kiswahili pamoja na mifan...
One of the methods employed in teaching a foreign language is the grammar translation method (Cha... more One of the methods employed in teaching a foreign language is the grammar translation method (Chang, 2011). In teaching Kiswahili to foreigners, teachers use translations from Kiswahili into English and vice versa. However, the common trend in the application of this approach is that teachers usually translate vocabulary and phrases from Kiswahili into English. Since Kiswahili and English vary grammatically, culturally and in terms of terminological developments (Malangwa, 2010), translating Kiswahili cultural expressions into English reveals a serious challenge. There is always a problem of obtaining equivalents for the cultural expressions in the target language. To make the learning process successful, teachers employ descriptive, literal and communicative techniques to translate certain expressions in their Kiswahili classes and in the teaching materials. However, certain concepts are hardly captured in these translations and, consequently, they have multiple or varied equivalen...
Kioo cha Lugha, Sep 26, 2017
Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama... more Fonimu ni kipashio kidogo cha sauti ya lugha chenye uwezo wa kubainisha maana na hudhihirika kama irabu au konsonanti. Kama ilivyo katika lugha nyinginezo ulimwenguni, Kiswahili vilevile kina fonimu za kategoria mbili yaani irabu na konsonanti. Hata hivyo, idadi ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili inaelekea kuainishwa tofautitofauti kwa mujibu wa wanaisimu mbalimbali wa Kiswahili. Mathalani, wanaisimu wengine wanadokeza idadi ya fonimu konsonanti kuwa 24, 25, 26, 29, 32 au 33. Kwa upande mwingine, miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili pia hudokezwa kuwa tofauti kama vile 4, 5, 6, 7 na 8. Idadi tofauti ya fonimu konsonanti za Kiswahili pamoja na idadi tofauti ya miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili huelekea kuwakanganya wasomaji wa lugha ya Kiswahili. Hivyo basi, makala hii inalenga kuhakiki fonimu na miundo mbalimbali ya silabi za Kiswahili. Ili kufanikisha uhakiki huu, makala hii imehusisha katika upeo wake vijimada kama vile: dhana ya fonimu, uhakiki wa idadi ya fonimu za Kiswahili pamoja na mifano ya fonimu zenyewe. Makala imeshughulikia pia dhana ya silabi na uhakiki wa miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili. Uhakiki wa miundo ya silabi umeshughulikiwa ili kuangazia tofauti zinazodhihirika baina ya wanaisimu wa Kiswahili kuhusu idadi kamili ya miundo ya silabi za Kiswahili pamoja na mifano inayotolewa. Katika kujaribu kutanzua mgogoro uliopo, makala imerejelea kanuni zifaazo zinazoweza kutumiwa na mwanaisimu katika utambuzi wa fonimu na zinazotumiwa pia katika uundaji wa silabi.
Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
The practice of instilling morals to individuals has existed in both familial and societal upbrin... more The practice of instilling morals to individuals has existed in both familial and societal upbringing. These morals are always transmitted from the older people to the younger generation with an intention of initiating both boys and girls to proper manhood and womanhood based on the familial and societal dictates. Transmission of these morals is normally through religious and literary texts, and also continuous conversations amongst the members of the family and the society. These conversations generally tend to exhibit an aspect of speech act theory called illocutionary speech act that signals acts such as directing, advising, requesting and persuading the recipient to embrace the teachings. Though there are many genres of literature, poems have proved to be more effective in passing these morals in both the ancient and modern societies. Therefore, this article analyzed the themes and illocutionary speech act in some selected advisory Biblical and literary texts with poetic style. ...
Research Journal in Modern Languages and Literatures, Apr 15, 2021
Graphology has today dominated children’s literature making it look like an amorphous and an ambi... more Graphology has today dominated children’s literature making it look like an amorphous and an ambiguous creature with its relationship to its audience. Children lack the required knowledge and skills to associate meaning to the stylistic devices in use. This, however, means that children’s literature has undergone a series of transformations and it appears that in the process of its transformations, it has been affected and it has equally affected its representation as well as the socialization of children as manifested in five (5) purposively selected Kiswahili children’s novels of Nyumba ya Sungura (2012), Hadithi ya Mamba (2009), Harusi ya Mwanasungura (2006), Usicheze na Moto (2003) and Dani na Wezi wa Toyota (2015).This is so because a keen look at the five (5) literary texts confirms a lot of graphological dominance which has presented an avenue for debates and radical shifts in the scholarship in the discipline of children’s literature. With Leech & Short’s (1981) Stylistics and Rosenblatt’s (1939) Readers Response theories Rosenblatt (1939), this paper attempted to highlight and re-examine some of the graphological aspects used in the construction of children’s literature with a focus on selected novels and how those graphological features impact on the readers. It established that graphological aspects enhance thematic foregrounding in children’s literature besides giving those texts some aesthetic appeal resulting into ideal comprehension
Leksikografia ya Kiswahili sanifu imewahi kuimarishwa na lugha nyinginezo za kigeni: Kiajemi, Kia... more Leksikografia ya Kiswahili sanifu imewahi kuimarishwa na lugha nyinginezo za kigeni: Kiajemi, Kiarabu, Kiibrania, Kichina, Kifaransa, Kigiriki, Kihispania, Kijerumani, Kijapani, Kilatini, Kiingereza, Kituruki, Kireno na Kihindi. Lugha hizi zimechangia kiasi kikubwa uundaji wa vidahizo katika kamusi mbalimbali za lugha ya Kiswahili ikiwemo Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu. Tafiti kuhusu michango ya baadhi ya lugha hizi zimefanywa na wataalamu kuhusu Kiingereza na Kiarabu; hata hivyo lugha ya Kihindi haijashughulikiwa licha ya kwamba imechangia leksimu anuwai katika kamusi za Kiswahili sanifu. Hivyo basi, makala haya yanaangazia mchango wa lugha ya Kihindi katika leksikografia ya Kiswahili ili kubaini leksimu zilizokopwa moja kwa moja au kukopwa kwa kutoholewa na hatimaye kuingizwa katika Kiswahili sanifu. Ili kufanikisha dhamira hii, makala yamehusisha historia ya Wahindi katika Afrika Mashariki, yameangazia baadhi ya misamiati iliyokopwa moja kwa moja na kwa kutoholewa kwa kurejelea Kamus...
NAFASI YA TAFSIRI KATIKA TAALUMA ZA ONOMASTIKI: UHAKIKI WA MBINU ZAKE KATIKA TAFSIRI YA TOPONOMAS... more NAFASI YA TAFSIRI KATIKA TAALUMA ZA ONOMASTIKI: UHAKIKI WA MBINU ZAKE KATIKA TAFSIRI YA TOPONOMASTIKI.
Information is a very important concept during an interaction between interlocutors within a part... more Information is a very important concept during an interaction between interlocutors within a particular health communicative context. In matters concerning individuals' health and other emotive issues, subjective information of any kind would provide sustaining knowledge to the seeker of knowledge. It is, therefore, of immense significance for people to have access to credible information that would satisfy their questions, curiosity and emerging problems of wellness. In Kenyan towns and villages, certain strategic street pathways are replete with Traditional Medicine advertisements by herbalists and witchdoctors. As a vehicle for promoting social modernization, the impact of utilizing advertising to promote trade in developing society remains a key subject. Although audiences are exposed to a number of advertisements, advertising may deceive either by increasing a consumer's false belief or by exploiting true beliefs in the ways designed to sell the product or offer service...
National symbols are very instrumental items for a country’s peace, unity and prosperity. The nat... more National symbols are very instrumental items for a country’s peace, unity and prosperity. The national symbol for instance the national anthem is always sung at the learning institutions and or during the country’s special occasions. Though national anthems just like any other national symbols have a noble role in the country, some countries tend to disregard its letter and spirit. One such country is the Republic of South Sudan (RoSS). Being the newest country in Africa and probably the state that experienced a longer period of civil wars and with the bigger number of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), it has been the wishes of the citizens and the people the world over to have a lasting peace and unity. However, since independence in 2011, there have been intermittent ethnic clashes resulting into deaths of many South Sudanese civilians and also loss of property. This is happening despite the fact that its national anthem possesses elements of peace and harmony. In this rega...
Most family systems world over are basically patriarchal in that children are given names bearing... more Most family systems world over are basically patriarchal in that children are given names bearing those of their fathers. The tendency cuts across almost all cultures in the world. This trend has continued to exist from the ancient epoch to date with varied procedures exhibited amongst various communities in the world. An analysis of these personal names shows applications of some aspects of morphology especially the use of free morphs and affixes with various denotations. For instance, a free morph may be used to refer to ‘a son of’ or ‘daughter of’, and or an affix used to indicate someone’s name by adding it on the father’s name in the case of patronymic studies. There are also some affixes that are used to denote the common gender of either masculinity or femininity of community members. Thus, the article intends to provide a linguistic overview of the patronymic and gender names amongst the selected African communities in an attempt to examine how these aforementioned aspects o...
Kamusi kadhaa wahidiya (za lugha moja) za Kiswahili kama vile Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu toleo la... more Kamusi kadhaa wahidiya (za lugha moja) za Kiswahili kama vile Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu toleo la kwanza, pili na tatu, zimewahi kutungwa kutokana na juhudi za Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili (TUKI) inayojulikana sasa kama Taasisi ya Taaluma za Kiswahili (TATAKI) ili kusaidia mafunzo ya Kiswahili na taaluma ya leksikografia katika taasisi kadhaa za elimu. Kamusi nyingi wahidiya za Kiswahili zimetungwa kwa kutumia mitindo anuwai ya utoaji maelezo ya taarifa muhimu za vidahizo husika licha ya kwamba kuna lugha kienzo maalum ya kuzingatiwa katika kuwasilisha taarifa hizo za vidahizo. Hivyo basi, makala haya yanahakiki kiulinganifu wa taarifa muhimu kuhusu vidahizo katika Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu toleo la tatu (TUKI, 2013) na Kamusi ya Karne ya 21 (Mdee, Njogu na Shafi, 2011). Uhakikiki linganishi katika makala haya umehusisha masuala anuwai hasa maelezo ya idadi ya vidahizo, mpangilio wa vidahizo, taarifa za kisarufi (tahajia na matamshi, kategoria ya kidahizo, ngeli, uelekezi wa v...
Linguistics and Literature Studies, 2013
The paper gives an exposition of some adapted English lexemes into Dholuo. The work relied on a d... more The paper gives an exposition of some adapted English lexemes into Dholuo. The work relied on a descriptive design. Total purposive sampling technique was incorporated in collecting secondary data to saturation level. All the adapted nominal lexemes from the English Dholuo Dictionary (EDD) were collected, qualitatively analyzed, edited and presented thematically by showing the adapted lexemes in various areas. The results indicate that adapted lexemes in this lexicographical work are manifested in the following areas: religion, people, subjects, places, measurements, clothing, vegetables, foodstuff, equipment, vehicles and months. We have gathered that as we adapt some lexemes from English into Dholuo, then phonemes such as /ʃ (sh), z/ automatically change to /s/, /v/ changes to /f/ and /q/ changes to /k/. We have concluded that English consonant phonemes such as /ʃ(sh), z, v, q/ are not manifested in Dholuo. Therefore, translators have to adapt them by using both the transference a...
Kiswahili, Oct 3, 2017
Ikisiri Hiponimia ni mojawapo ya mahusiano ya kifahiwa inayoashiria uhusiano ambapo leksimu ya ju... more Ikisiri Hiponimia ni mojawapo ya mahusiano ya kifahiwa inayoashiria uhusiano ambapo leksimu ya jumla inajumuisha kimaana leksimu mahususi. Uhusiano wa leksimu kihiponimia ulidhukuriwa kuwa unafanana katika lugha anuwai ulimwenguni na aghalabu unahusisha leksimu nomino pekee. Hata hivyo, tafiti za hivi punde zinadhihirisha kuwa hiponimia huonekana pia miongoni mwa vivumishi, vielezi na vitenzi na huweza kutofautiana kimuundo na kimtindo kutoka lugha moja hadi nyingine kwa sababu ya tofauti za kitamaduni. Wataalamu anuwai wamekuwa na mapendekezo kadha kuhusu nadharia ifaayo ya kuainisha leksimu za lugha kihiponimia. Wengine wanaelekea kupendelea matumizi ya nadharia ya Kiini Maana (Core Meanings Theory) na Nadharia ya Sampuli Kifani (Prototype Theory). Hata hivyo inadhihirika kuwa nadharia ya Uchanganuzi Vijenzi (Componential Analysis) inafaa zaidi katika uchanganuzi wa hiponimia ya leksimu nomino, vitenzi, vivumishi na vielezi. Makala haya yanaangazia kufaa kwa nadharia hii katika uhakiki wa hiponimia ikilinganishwa na nadharia Kiini Maana na Sampuli Kifani.
Ikisiri Sanaa ya uandishi imeendelea kutokea katika mfumo wa kikabari, kihiroglifu, kilogografu, ... more Ikisiri Sanaa ya uandishi imeendelea kutokea katika mfumo wa kikabari, kihiroglifu, kilogografu, kisilabi, na kialfabeti. Imebainika kuwa tunapoendelea kimaandishi kutoka mfumo mmoja tunaelekea kuhama pia na vipashio vingine vya mifumo ya awali. Hivyo basi, chembechembe za mifumo ya awali zingali zinadhihirika katika mitindo mingine ya kisasa ya matumizi ya lugha kama tunavyoona katika rebasi, seti, na emoji. Kwa hiyo, makala haya yanalenga kufafanua mitindo ya rebasi, seti na emoji, pamoja na anagramu na akronimi kama sanaa ya uandishi ili kutambua ishara zinazotumiwa na zilizokubaliwa katika lugha. Makala yanahusisha dhana, dhima, historia, na maendeleo ya sanaa ya uandishi. Yanaonyesha pia jinsi mitindo ya anagramu, rebasi, seti, emoji, na akronimi inavyodhihirika kama sanaa ya uandishi. Data zilikusanywa maktabani kwa kutumia upekuzi, kuteuliwa kidhamirifu na kuchanganuliwa kimaudhui. Dhana za msingi: uandishi, anagramu, rebasi, seti, emoji na akronimi
Democracy can be defined as a government in which sovereignty lies with the people either directl... more Democracy can be defined as a government in which sovereignty lies with the people either directly or via representatives. The transition from monarchy to representative democracy was long, gradual process. Nevertheless, democracies seem to change with the changing times and cultures. There are many who believe that democracy is a construct of the West, molded in response to the peculiar historical circumstances that shaped it, others argue that freedom and democracy, while suitable in some parts of the world are by no means universal goods. The global spread of democracy has been accompanied by the global spread of criticisms of democracy. For many of us, the debate about democratization is anything but theoretical. Basing its arguments on the normative utilitarian perspective, this paper intends to discuss the possibilities of democracy even in dissenting antidemocratic thoughts especially in party politics. This is because democracy is the one form of government which evolves con...
Illegal logging of rosewood has become an environmental concern in the Northern Region of Ghana. ... more Illegal logging of rosewood has become an environmental concern in the Northern Region of Ghana. Some affected districts in the region include; West Gonja, Central Gonja, East Gonja and Kpandai Districts. This study was conducted on illegal logging of Rosewood in Northern Ghana using Kabonwule in the Kpandai district as a case study because of the varied domestic uses of rosewood and the implications of its depletion. The study design adopted was a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches while the research methodology was case study and descriptive survey. The sample frame was 350 with a sample size of 70. Data was collected using interview guides, analyzed and presented in tables using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 16. Results of the study indicated that illegal logging of Rosewood was a major environmental problem in the study area. Estimates by affected farmers indicated large scale destruction of farm lands by illegal logging of rosewood. High demand for Rosewood and corruption were concluded as the main causes of the illegal logging activity. Government should review existing laws to ensure that punishments for illegal logging activities are severe enough to discourage perpetrators.