Sepedi or Sesotho sa Leboa: A sociolinguistic perspective of first language speakers from selected South African Universities.
The primary aim of the study was to investigate the use of two different names for the same language, Northern Sotho viz.: Sepedi and Sesotho sa Leboa, from a sociolinguistic perspective of first language speakers from two selected South African universities, a university of technology in Pretoria (A) and a full-time university in Limpopo (B) ). The researcher endevoured to explore the Northern Sotho language name discrepancies in informative and descriptive documents such as study guides, prospectuses, academic transcripts and language policies. Secondly, the aim was to establish why a particular language name was preferred, focusing on investigating the sociolinguistic context, including some historic facts, as well as speech varieties and dialectal classification. Thirdly, the idea was to determine which name students and lecturers at the selected universities identified with or preferred namely Sepedi or Sesotho sa Leboa. Lastly, the study was aimed at determining whether Sepedi is considered a standard language or a dialect? Reasons for support for each name was investigated by means of survey questionnaires and interview questions based on the mixed-methods research approach including qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The sample population consisted of a hundred participants who were mother tongue speakers of the Northern Sotho language from two selected South African universities, their age groups varying from seventeen to seventy-five. Ninety students participated in survey questionnaires while ten lecturers participated in survey questionnaires and interview questions. The lens incorporated was a sociolinguistic perspective; (what did the speakers of the language say and which language (name) did they prefer between the two and what reasons did they give for their choice). The two different language names (Sepedi and Sesotho sa Leboa) are currently used for one official standard language. It was found in this study that Sesotho sa Leboa was the name opted for by most of the research participants who considered Sepedi as a dialect, not as a standard language.
Onomastics, Language Identity, Sociolinguistics, Language Policy, First Language Speakers
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