Author: Nomsa Skosana (isiNdebele Researcher)
The literary history of isiNdebele
(Skhosana, 2003)
The blog trace back to the history of the first few written work in isiNdebele, it also shows the years in which isiNdebele was firstly introduced in schools as the language of teaching and learning in the area that was formerly known as KwaNdebele. This history was written by the late Dr. P.B Skhosana in 2003 in the journal article titled “The literary history of isiNdebele.”
Ilimi lesiNdebele kungelinye lamalimi alitjhumi nanye asemthethweni weSewula Afrika, kulilimi elihlangana namane aziwa ngokobana malimi wesiNguni afaka hlangana isiZulu, isiSwati nesiXhosa. Isizathu salokhu kukobana amaNdebele adabuka kwaZulu-Natal esiqhemeni ebesaziwa ngokobana maHlubi. Ngomnyaka we-1557 amaNdebele ahlukana nesiqhemesi aya ngesifundeni ekhabe saziwa ngokobana yi-Transvaal EMhlangeni engeTjingalanga ye-Johannesburg eyaziwa nge-Randfontein namhlanje. Ngemva kwalokhu aya KwaMnyamana endawaneni eseduze nePitori ngaphasi kobukhosi bukaMusi, indawo le yaziwa njengendawo yendabuko yamaNdebele ngombana kula kutholakala khona inani elinengi labantu abakhuluma ilimeli. Okhunye godu kukobana kuyindawo la amaNdebele ekhabe ahlala khona woke ngaphambi kobana ahlukaniseke kabili: amaNdebele weSewula neweTlhagwini. AmaNdebele weSewula ahlukaniseka kabili nawo: Manala namaNzunza, kuthi weTlhagwini wona ahlanganiswe balandeli bakaMthombeni owagcina sele aziwa ngoGegana.
Ngomnyaka we-1985 isiNdebele sathonywa ukuqalwa njengelimi elisemthethweni lesigodi sendawo eyayaziwa ngokobana yiKwaNdebele. Ngomnyaka we-1994 saba ngelinye lamalimi asemthethweni wenarha le. Ngaphambi kweminyaka le, isiNdebele sasingakarhabi ukuba neencwadi ezifundwako ezitlolwe phasi begodu sasingatjhejwa njengamanye amalimi ekhabe akhulunywa ngenarheni le. Ngitjho nabakhambeli ababafundisi nabo akhenge basitjheje isiNdebele ngombana bebacabanga bona ilimeli kulilimi lesigodi sakwaZulu-Natal. Ilimeli latlolwa phasi kokuthoma ngu-Hermanus Cornelis eemfundweni zakhe zobuDorhedera: “AmaNdebele van Fene Mahlangu en hul religieus-sociaal leven” ngomnyaka we-1921. Ngaphambi komnyaka lo amaNdebele bekalikhuma kwaphela ilimeli ngokobana batjho iinanazelo zabo nezekorwabo, iimbongo zamaKhosi, iingoma, iinganekwana njalonjalo. Umtlolo wesibili owalandelako ngewaka-Nicolaas Jacobus Van Warmelo, okwakulirhubhululo ngepilo nendlela amaNdebele akhabe aphila ngayo linesihloko esithi, “Transvaal Ndebele Texts in 1930.” Umtlolo wesithathu waba ngemva kweminyaka elitjhumi nahlanu ngomnyaka we-1945, owatlolwa ngu-E. F Potgiter eemfundweni zakhe zeMastasi ngesihloko esithi, “Inleiding tot die klank-en vormleer van Ndebele, soos gepraat in die distrikte van IsiNdzundza: ‘n dialek van Suid Transvaalse Ngoenie Ndebele, soos gepraat in die distrikte van Rayton en Pretoria.”
Ngaphambi komnyaka we-1985, amaNdebele bekafunda begodu afundiswa ngelimi lesiZulu eenkolweni. Umbuso wangaleso sikhathi wamaNdebele wahlongoza umthetho wokobana isiNdebele kufuze sifundiswe sibe sifundwe eenkolweni zaKwaNdebele. Umbuso wezeFundo waKwaNdebele nawo wahlangana wenza iBhodi yesiNdebele seSewula, iBhodi le umsebenzawo kwakukuthuthukisa ilimi lesiNdebele babe balinzinzise. Kwathi ngomnyaka we-1982 i-Orthography and Spelling Rules yesiNdebele yaphuma kumagazini owabe waziwa nge-Educamus. Ngemva kweminyaka elitjhumi nantathu iBhodi le yakhupha godu enye i-Orthography ebuyekeziweko. Kwathi ngomnyaka we-1982 iBhodi le yakhupha umtlolo weTheminoloji wokuthoma owathatha iminyaka elitjhumi nobunane bona ufike ebantwini ngebanga leenzathu ezithileko. Nasibuyela emva emnyakeni we-1977, kwatjhugululwa iincwadi ezimbalwa zeBhayibheli uMatewu, uMarkosi kanye noLuka ekhabe zinobutjhapho. Ukulungisa ubutjhapho obunjengalobu bekungomunye womsebenzi weBhodi yesiNdebele le. Kwathi ngomnyaka we-1986 kwatjhatjhululwa iTestamende Elitjha namaRhalani Akhethiweko. Ngemva kweminyaka elitjhumi nambili kwaba kula kuthoma khona umsebenzi wokutjhugulula iTestamende elidala.
Bibliography
Skhosana, P.B. 2003. The literary history of isiNdebele. South African Journal of African Languages, 23(2):111-119.