Browsing by Author "Muzale, Henry R. T."

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    Changamoto za Mawasiliano kwa Viziwi katika Tanzania
    (2009) Muzale, Henry R. T.
    Viziwi ni moja kati ya makundi ya watu wenye ulemavu wanaohitaji huduma maalumu, hasa shuleni. Ingawa matatizo ya kiziwi yako kwenye maumbile ya mwili wake, athari za ulemavu huo haziko katika mwili kwa maana ya kumsababishia maumivu, kama walivyo watu wenye aina nyingine za ulemavu. Matatizo aliyo nayo kiziwi humkwaza katika mawasiliano katika mazingira anamoishi na hivyo kumwathiri kwa njia nyingine mbalimbali katika nyanja za elimu, mahusiano na maendeleo ya kijamii. Aidha, kwa kuwa matatizo ya viziwi ni ya kimawasiliano, na kwa hiyo hayaonekani kwa macho, viziwi wamekuwa wakikabiliwa na tatizo la kusahaulika katika utoaji wa huduma, kama mojawapo ya makundi ya wanafunzi wanaohitaji msaada maalumu wa kielimu. Athari za mwenendo huu zinaweza kuonekana bayana kutokana na hali za viziwi kuanzia elimu ya awali hadi elimu ya juu, na hata katika maisha kwa jumla. Makala haya yanalimulika suala hili kwa undani, ikiwa ni matokeo ya utafiti alioufanya mwandishi pamoja na kujihusisha kwake na jamiii ya viziwi kwa muda mrefu. Kwa hiyo, lengo kuu la makala haya ni kubainisha hali halisi ya maisha ya jamii ya viziwi uhusiana na vikwazo vya mawasiliano vinayowakabili, hasa shuleni. Ili kutimiza lengo hilo, makala yanabainisha msingi mkuu na chimbuko la vikwazo hivyo. Msingi huo mkuu, ambao ni chimbuko la vikwazo ni mfumo wa elimu uliopo ambao unakazia matumizi ya lugha ya Kiswahili na Kiingereza kama lugha za kufundishia bila kuzingatia mahitaji muhimu ya wanafunzi viziwi. Makala yanachambua pia kasoro za mfumo wa mawasiliano darasani pamoja na matumizi ya ubao, ambavyo hukumbatia lugha za mazungumzo (Kiswahili na Kiingereza) na kuitelekeza lugha ya alama ambayo ndilo tegemeo kuu la wanafunzi wa aina hii. Kwa njia hiyo, makala haya yanachambua asili, aina na athari za vikwazo hivyo vya mawasiliano vinavyoikabili jamii ya viziwi kuanzia kwenye familia hadi shuleni. Ili kutoa mwanga wa kutosha wa masuala hayo, makala yanavinjari pia aina za uziwi, mahitaji ya kila kundi la viziwi, na athari za changamoto zilizopo kwa maisha ya kiziwi. Hayo yanabainishwa kwa kuchambua hali halisi ya madarasa wanakosoma wanafunzi viziwi na mbinu za ufundishaji zilizopo. Kwanza tunaangalia hali halisi ya darasa lenye watoto viziwi pekee katika shule za msingi, ambako Kiswahili hutumika, na kisha darasa la elimu-mjumuiko katika ngazi ya sekondari ambako Kiingereza hutumika. Kwa hiyo, pamoja na kukomaa kwa matumizi ya Kiswahili kama lugha ya kufundishia katika elimu ya msingi, makala yanabainisha ni kwa kiwango gani wanafunzi viziwi wanafaidika au wanaathirika na mifumo ya elimu na mawasiliano iliyopo nchini Tanzania.
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    Chronogenetic Staging of Tense in Ruhaya
    (2000) Hewson, John; Nurse, Derek; Muzale, Henry R. T.
    The paradigm of tense and aspect contrasts in Ruhaya, an eastern Bantu language, shows considerable regularity, indication of an ordered system of contrasts. The examination of what appear to be anomalies in the system of contrasts leads to a refinement in the analysis: to the recognition of a tense system that is organised in two stages, based on a model proposed by Gustave Guillaume. Aspectual contrasts are prioritized at the first stage, tense contrasts at the second. Compound forms, which are typically combinations of Stage 2 + Stage 1 (in that order), are complex representations that are marked for both tense and aspect.
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    A dictionary of Plant Names and Functions in Haya
    (University of Dar Es Salaam, 2011) Muzale, Henry R. T.
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    Linguistic and Socio-Cultural Aspects in Interlacustrine Bantu Names
    (1998) Muzale, Henry R. T.
    Although naming is a natural phenomenon in all human societies, there are differences not only in the process(es) used by different societies to assign names to people, things, animals, places, or natural and supernatural phenomena, but also in what these names tend to stand for. Whereas in some societies names are either arbitrarily picked up or inherited and bear very little, if any, semantic and sociocultural significance, in many Bantu societies and Interlacustrine groups in particular, names have synchronic meanings and are intended to play a certain role in social life. This paper analyses personal names from Interlacustrine languages spoken in East Africa between Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Albert. Since the linguistic area referred to is extensive, the paper draws specific examples from Ruhaya and Runyambo (Rutara languages) and Kinyarwanda and Kirundi (Western Highlands languages). The basic method applied is morphological analysis, whereby names are broken into functionally meaningful morphemes (attached to roots/stems) which help to decipher the meaning of the entire name. Then, by grouping names with related forms and/or meanings, the collective sense underlying the group is determined. As a result, the paper suggests a morphological model of classifying names.
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    Nafasi ya Kiswahili katika Lugha ya Alama ya Tanzania
    (2001) Mreta, Abel Y.; Muzale, Henry R. T.
    Sign language in I anzania is a relatively new field of linguistics that is yet to atttact many researchers and linguists in particulru I anzanian Sign Language (TSL) functions as a unifYing tool for the deaf in the countiy and, probably, beyond. This language, which is still at its early stage of development, is used in the same linguistic environment with Kiswahili, the national language, which is more established The situation leaves TSL disadvantaged and is thus likely to cause a one-way linguistic influence, from Kiswahili to TSL This paper, therefore, examines the nature and impact of the situation Firstly, it focuses on the question ofwhether or not TSL is an independent language that has developed as a sepruate language, quite distinct fiom the spoken languages of the communities that swround it, especially Kiswahili. Secondly, it examines the extent to which Kiswahili has influenced TSl and thus the role that the former plays in leruning and developing the latter The results of the study show that Kiswahili has had some influence on TSL but the influence is mruginal at lexical level Of all the signs studied, only 13% were directly related to Kiswahili The majmity of the signs studied were found to be iconic in nature, but only 12% of all signs were semantically tianspru·ent Even in these cases where the signs rue tiansparent, the tiansparency of the signs is not based on one's knowledge of Kiswahili Most of the tianspru·ent signs are common gestures that any person of any ethnic migin can interpret The study has thus established that TSl is more of a sign language than signed language It is an indigenous African sign language, uruelated to the Western Sign Languages, except for the IIWflUal alphabet. Finally, the study predicts that much of the tianspru·ency and iconicity in TSL will gradually fade away as the language develops across time, space, and generations
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    The Psychosemantic Theory and Its Application to Bantu Languages: A Case Study from Ruhaya
    (2008) Muzale, Henry R. T.
    The article attempts to apply a cognitive approach in analysing tense and aspect systems in Bantu languages, with specific focus on Ruhaya (J22). The cognitive approach applied takes a psychosemantic perspective by analysing tense and aspect (T/A) as semantic domains that are cognitively contrasted in the speaker’s mind and morphologically marked in the verbal unit. The paper analyses the functions of the various T/A formatives in Ruhaya by providing morphosemantic reasons that attribute each formative to one of the three levels of the T/A staging. It analyses the basic T/A markers for each level in order to provide their morphosemantic interpretations. Then it identifies the extended functions of the versatile markers which are used beyond their basic aspectual functions, not only in other simple constructions but also in compound forms. Ruhaya is used as the springboard from which other Bantu languages can be analysed using the same principles.
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    Researching and Documenting the Languages of Tanzania
    (University of Hawaii Press, 2008) Muzale, Henry R. T.; Rugemalira, Josephat M.
    This paper describes the challenges that researchers have encountered during six years of implementing a research and documentation project for the languages of Tanzania. It discusses the methods evolved by the project researchers for the production of a language atlas for Tanzania and presents preliminary results from the research. The results show that the language with the most native speakers, Sukuma, has twice as many as its closest rival, Kiswahili. The paper also presents an account of the research for documenting the grammasr and vocabularies of the languages of Tanzania. The expected impact of this particular form of documentation, as well as the limits, are discussed. It is argued that a language needs to be unchained from politically imposed shackles in order for a society to reap the full benefits of its cultural resources.