DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L318.06
Authors: Thato Mabolaeng Monyakane
Abstract: The present study seeks to show that the Roman alphabet used in Sesotho language is not competent enough to deal with the writing of Sesotho. The researcher once observed school children loudly reading a notice written in Sesotho in a public place, Hà hó kènòe môná (you can’t enter here) as Há hó kénóe mônà (you can enter here). They innocently giggled as they perceived the weirdness of the message without extra phonological aspects just written as Ha ho kenoe mona. The writing of Sesotho without an indication of how the words are pronounced has become the official way of presenting Sesotho words and sentences. This peculiarity reflects the regulation of the written word amongst the Sotho. The study will use a phonological point of view to show that there are minimal sounds that make up a word that the reader realises in pronouncing a Sesotho word. These sounds that are tone bearing are made up of more than standard Roman vowels of a e i o u. The research will use a phonemic theory where for the words to be the appropriate signifiers in a language, the phonetic system that is used to build up the word has to combine with the one that differentiates the words.
Keywords: Roman alphabet, definite meaning, phonemic system, extra linguistic factors, ambiguity in sentences and words.
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