Department of African Languages

Prof ML Mojapelo (Sesotho sa Leboa) Language Head

College of Human Sciences
School of Arts
Department: African Languages
Associate Professor
Tel: 012 429 8038
Fax: 012 429 3221
E-mail: mojapml@unisa.ac.za

Qualifications

  • JSTC Setotolwane College of Education
  • BA University of South Africa
  • BA Honours (African Languages) University of South Africa
  • MA (African Languages) Stellenbosch University
  • DLitt (African Languages) Stellenbosch University

Currently teaching

  • Undergrad: Sesotho sa Leboa
  • BA Hons (African languages): Linguistics
  • Masters and Doctoral supervision (African Languages)

Fields of academic interests

  • Theoretical linguistics
  • Applied linguistics
  • Translation studies
  • Language in Literature & IKS

Field of Specialisation

  • Sesotho sa Leboa (Northern Sotho) Linguistics

Books

Books / Book chapters published:

  • Mojapelo, Mampaka. 2021. Pragmatic analysis of Ikhomolele monagethu, the lullaby. In Mapaya, M.G. (Ed.) African Epistemology in the 21st century: The human and social sciences perspectives. Thohoyandou: University of Venda. ISBN: 978-0-620-95338-2.
  • Mojapelo, Mampaka Lydia & Masubelele, Rose. 2017. Towards a multilingual linguistics terminology database: African languages at the University of South Africa. In Ralarala, M.; Barris, K.; Ivala, E. and Siyepu, S. (Eds.) African Language and Language Practice Research in the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Themes and Perspectives. Cape Town: Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS).
  • Mojapelo, Mampaka Lydia. 2016. Mandela: Leadership and character (p.49-80). In Mafela, MJ (Ed.) Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela: Reflections through the eyes of poets. Pretoria: Unisa Press. ISBN 978-1-86888-796-5.
  • Matseleng Mokhwesana & Mampaka Mojapelo.2005. Matubule, ngwana’ mma. In Van Schalkwyk, A, (Ed.) 11 South African Folk Tales, 11 Official Languages: A Celebration of Democracy and Cultural Diversity. Gardenview:  Zytek Publishing. ISBN 0-620-34546-2.

Journal articles

Journal articles published:

(In accredited journals)

  • Mojapelo, Mampaka Lydia. 2019. The associative copulative and expression of bodily discomfort in Northern Sotho. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus, Vol. 58, 2019, 89-106 doi: 10.5842/58-0-838.
  • Mojapelo M.L. 2014. Storytelling and meaning reconstruction: a metaphorical perspective. Journal of Southern African Folklore Studies Vol. 24(2): 159- 169. ISSN: 1016-8427.
  • Mojapelo, M.L., 2013, ‘Re-examining the relationship between the subject agreement morpheme and (in)definiteness in Northern Sotho’, Literator 34(1), Art. #377, 8 pages. http://dx.doi. org/10.4102/lit.v34i1.377.
  • Mojapelo, Mampaka L. 2011. Ngwana’ ditlhaka: early affirmation of motherhood. Journal of Southern African Folklore Studies Vol. 21(1): 77- 87. ISSN: 1016-8427Mojapelo, Mampaka L. 2009. Morphology and semantics of proper names in Northern Sotho. South African Journal of African Languages Vol. 29(2): 179 -191. ISSN: 0257-2117 (Print) 2305-1159 (Online).
  • Mojapelo, Mampaka L. 2003. The external arguments of weather verbs in Northern Sotho. South African Journal of African Languages Vol. 23(3): 154 -162. ISSN: 0257-2117 (Print) 2305-1159 (Online).

 

Paper presentations

Conference proceedings published:

(Peer reviewed proceedings)

  • Griesel, Marissa, Mojapelo, Mampaka Lydia and Bosch, Sonja. 2019. Thinking globally, acting locally – Progress in the African Wordnet Project. In: Fellbaum, Christiane; Vossen, Piek; Rudnicka, Ewa; Marek Maziarz, Maciej Piasecki. Proceedings of the Tenth Global Wordnet Conference 2019 (GWC2019), pp. 191-196. Wrocław, Poland. ISBN 978-83-7493-108-3. http://hdl.handle.net/11321/718.
  •  Mojapelo, Mampaka Lydia. 2016. Semantics of body parts in African WordNet: a case of Northern Sotho. In Verginica Barbu Mititelu, Corina Forǎscu, Christiane Fellbaum & Piek Vossen (Eds.) Proceedings of the Eigth Global WordNet Conference 2016 (GWC2016), p. 233-241. Bucharest, Romania. ISBN 978-606-714-239-6 (Print); ISBN 978-973-0-20728-6 (Online).
  •  Madonsela, Stanley; Mojapelo, Mampaka Lydia; Mafela, Munzhedzi James & Masubelele, Rose. 2016. African WordNet: a viable tool for sense discrimination in the indigenous African languages of South Africa. In Verginica Barbu Mititelu, Corina Forǎscu, Christiane Fellbaum & Piek Vossen (Eds.) Proceedings of the Eigth Global WordNet Conference 2016 (GWC2016), p. 192-198. Bucharest, Romania. ISBN 978-606-714-239-6 (Print); ISBN ISBN 978-973-0-20728-6 (Online).
  •  Mojapelo, Mampaka Lydia. 2014. Morphosyntactic discrepencies in representing the adjective equivalent in African WordNet with reference to Northern Sotho. In Heili Orav, Christiane Fellbaum & Piek Vossen (Eds.). Proceedings of the Seventh Global WordNet Conference 2014 (GWC2014), p. 148-153. Tartu, Estonia. ISBN 978-9949-32-492-7.
  •  Mojapelo, Mampaka L. 2013. The semantics of Northern Sotho verbs as translated from English: comments on the African languages Wordnet Project. In Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B. and M. Thelen (eds.), Translation and Meaning Part 10. Proceedings of the Lodz Session of the 5th International Maastricht-Lodz Duo Colloquium on “Translation and Meaning”, Held in Lodz (Poland), 16-19 September 2010. P.143-156. Maastricht, Poland: Maastricht School of Translation and Interpreting, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. ISBN 978-90-801039-9-3.

 Conference papers:

Paper presentations at local and international conferences.

 Paper presentations / Workshops / Seminars:

(Selected)

  • Northern Sotho basic kinship terms and cultural roles Presentation to German Students of Northern Sotho from Humboldt University, Berlin: September 2007; Dept. of African Languages, Unisa.
  • Is Khelovedu a dialect or a language? Report on a research project: PanSALB Research Projects Reports Meeting: September 2002; CSIR, Pretoria. 
  • Phonetics and Phonological Processes: Presentation to Northern Sotho Secondary Teachers Diploma (STD) Lecturers; Northern Province Colleges of Education. (1) 1994: Sekgosese College of Education. (2)1995: Sekhukhune College of Education.

Professional positions, fellowships & awards

  • Executive Board Member & Treasurer:  African Language Association of Southern Africa (ALASA), 2009-2022
  • Member of the Human Language Technology Expert Panel (HLTEP), Department of Arts and Culture, 2009 - 2020

 

Projects

  • Multilingual Linguistics and Literary Terminology
  • African Wordnet (Under The South African Centre for Digital Language Resources - SADiLaR – https://www.sadilar.org)

Other

Others departmental roles

  • Coordinator: Higher Degrees Committee
  • Member: Research and Innovation Committee
  • Programme Coordinator: BA Hons (African Languages