ASSESMENT 03 (312554)

NAME&SURNAME:
NOSIPHO ZWANE
STUDENT NO:
24293199
GROUP NO:
AFL1501-24-S1-251T.
NAME OF DEPARTMENT&UNIVERSITY:
DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES,

UNISA
COURSE CODE& NAME: AFL1501:
LANGUAGES THROUGH AN AFRICAN
LENS
NAME OF INSTRUCTOR:
JACOBETH BOSHOMANE
NAME OF TA:
JACO VAN JAARVELD
DUE DATE: 04
MAY 2024
MYLIFE EMAL ADDRESS:
[email protected]
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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TASK 1
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TASK 2
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TASK 3
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REFERENCES
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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
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TASK 01: UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF FAMILY

FAMILY

To me, family is a group of people sharing a bond either by blood, by marriage or by adoption. It
consists of a father, a mother, their children and siblings. This people share the love, care, support
and protection amongst each other.

There are four different types of families namely, nuclear family, extended family, single-parent
family and blended family. A nuclear family consists of a father and a mother living together with
their children. Their children may be either biological or adopted. The family may be a basic
nuclear family or a compound family. A basic nuclear family with just a father, a mother and their
children whereas the compound nuclear family is a polygamous family. An extended family
consists of the whole generation from the grandparents to the grandchildren, uncles and aunts.
This people are all living together in the same house. A single-parent family consists of only one
parent living with his or her children alone due to the unavailability of the other parent. This can
be caused by divorce, death or separation. The blended family consists of one parent from a
previous marriage, who now has remarried and living with his or her children in his or her new
family. The members of the new family are said to be their stepfamily.

The term family can be explained with three different perspectives namely, sociological, legal and
psychological perspectives. Sociologically, a family consists of a group of people who are related
by blood, marriage or by adoption. According to sociologists, the explanation emphasizes the
structural and functional of the family within the society. Legally, a family is a group of people who
are related by blood, marriage or adoption and are recognized as one with the legal rights and
responsibilities. Psychologically, a family is a group of people who are connected emotionally.
They provide each other with support, love and care.

According to my understanding the terms explaining family are somehow like each other. The
sociological and the legal perspectives are both referring family as a blood, marriage or adoption
relation whereas the psychological perspective refers a family as an emotional connection where
support, love and care are provided amongst each other. What I mainly understand about family
is that it is important for everyone to have his or her family so that he or she can feel the love and
care from it.

According to (Studocu, 2024), the African community plays an important role in shaping the
family. In African cultures the family extends beyond the nuclear unit, and they provide a support
system for childcare, education and emotional well-being. The community often share a
collective responsibility for raising children. This can involve discipline, guidance and communal
decision making. The community reinforces cultural traditions that are integral to the family. The
community contributes to the sense of belonging and identity within family. It can also influence
gender roles within the family shaping expectations for men, women and children.

Families serve as the primary socialization agents transmitting cultural values, beliefs, and
traditions from generation to generation. This helps individuals develop a sense of belonging and
connection to their cultural heritage. The family serves as first language models for children
influencing their linguistic and communicative patterns. They socialize individuals into the
norms, customs and behaviours of their cultural group. Through interacting with family members
individuals develop their beliefs, attitudes and worldview. Even in chosen families individuals can
still experience the same cultural influence as these relationships also provide a sense of
belonging and cultural connection.
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TASK 2

1. Clans are very important in the African communities because they are the backbone of
our identity, traditions and cultural values. They connect us with our ancestors and give
us a sense of belonging. They make our traditions, customs, and norms to continue to live
from generation to generation. They keep a family solid and make the family members to
support each other in everything, while reminding them that they are one.
2. Isithakazelo or clan names are very important in the Zulu culture. The link the presence to
the past connecting people to the history of their lives and their ancestors. They bring
about pride in a person’s life, his or her identity and for him to be united to the other
members of the family. Clan names also hold traditions, norms, cultures and beliefs
within them. They define who we are and where we come from with our heritage.
3. According to (STUDOCU,2024) Direto or greeting/praise names are integral to Northern
Sotho clans, shaping personal identity and interpersonal connections. These names
reflect individual characteristics, achievements, and roles in the community affirming
one’s social standing and contributions. Direto also facilitate social interactions, respect,
and support strengthening relationships and promoting harmony within the Northern
Sotho clans.

Neighbours and communities play an important role in African societies by fostering communal
connections, fostering communal connections, providing mutual support and promoting social
unity. They create a network of solidarity, sharing resources, knowledge and labour to address
common challenges and celebrate collective achievements. Communities serve as platforms
for cultural exchange, education, and conflict resolution contributing to the preservation of
social cohesion and harmony within African societies ( Hunadi Mabanna, Studocu, 2024).
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TASK 3

In traditional African cultures marriage is very important as it is believed that it forms union
between two families. It takes a lot of processes for a marriage to become a success. In our
African culture it is considered as a disrespect for a man to approach the father of his soon to be
wife and ask for her hand in marriage. The tradition says that the young man must send his
family to the bride’s family and ask for her hand in marriage on his behalf. This process is called
the lobola negotiations. The bride’s family will demand a certain number of livestock from the
groom’s family. When there is no livestock money is used to represent the livestock. After the
delegations are completed, the bride must be moved from her family house to the groom’s
family house. Family members from the bride’s side will be needed to send her off and family
members from the groom’s side will be needed to welcome her and give her a new name that
will be proof of her maturity. Family plays a very important role in uniting a marriage in our
African culture.

2. In the previous days, community members used to play a very important role in making a
wedding a success. The women would go to collect water and wood so that they can cook and
prepare for the big day. The community will rejoice along with the family and entertain them with
singing and dancing and feasting on the food. In our modern days things have changed.
Invitation letters are sent to those specific people needed at the wedding. Now several guests
will be counted and anyone coming without an invitation will not have a reserved space. We
used to believe in ubuntu which allows us to invite as many people as we can in weddings. The
spirit of ubuntu is no longer with us. Only a few people are left with it.
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REFERENCES

1. www.britannica.com/topic/family-kinship
2. www.studocu.com
3. AFL1501 STUDY GUIDE

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Academic Honesty Declaration:

1. I know that plagiarism means taking and using the ideas, writings, works or
inventions of another as if they were one’s own. I know that plagiarism includes
verbatim copying and the extensive use of another person’s ideas without proper
acknowledgement (which consists of the appropriate use of quotation marks). I know
plagiarism covers using material from textual sources and the Internet.
2. I acknowledge and understand that plagiarism is wrong.
3. I understand that my research proposal must be accurately referenced.
4. This research proposal is my work. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s
research, or part of it, is wrong and that submitting identical work to others constitutes a
form of plagiarism.
5. I have not allowed, nor will I in the future, anyone to copy my work to pass it off as
their work.
6. I confirm that I have read and understood UNISA’s Policy for Copyright and Plagiarism
- https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Apply-for-admission/Master%27s-&-
doctoral-degrees/Policies,-procedures-&-forms

Full Name…NOSIPHO ZWANE……………………………………………