Register to study through Unisa
The various African languages offered by the University have been classified as isiNdebele, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda, isiXhosa, Xitsonga, and isiZulu.
Students who did not take an African language as a FIRST language at the matriculation level should register and pass the module AFL1503 and AFL1504.
Each major combination consists of the following:
- Two modules on the NQF Level 5
- Three modules on the NQF Level 6,
- Five modules on the NQF Level 7.
Tuition will be offered in English as well as African languages. Reading and writing knowledge of an African language is a strong recommendation for all the modules of the major in African Languages, except for AFL1501.
Note:
- AFL3703, AFL3704, AFL3705 - modules have already been unbundled and phased out as far back as 2021.
- From 2024, AFL3702 is being unbundled into various African Languages.
- Students who have not passed AFL3702 in 2023 can still repeat the module until them end of 2024.
- Students who have never registered for the module before must register for NDE3702, NSO3702, SSO3702, SWA3702, TSO3702, TSW3702, VEN3702, XHO3702, ZUL3702.
| Literature and Society: a Perspective on African Languages - AFL2603 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 6 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English,Northern sotho,Zulu,Xhosa |
|
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL1501 and AFL1502 before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the way in which African languages literature depicts various aspects of society. This module will be useful to students who want to develop competence, skill and knowledge in understanding the various literary genres found in African languages, critiquing literary works in African languages, explaining the role of the author in addressing societal issues and discovering the application of various literary theories to African languages literature. |
| African Languages: The Science of Language in Context - AFL3701 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 7 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in Zulu,Xhosa,English,Northern sotho |
|
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL2601, AFL2602 and AFL2603 before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: This module will be useful for students engaged in language teaching and language practice (including remedial teaching), editing, language consultancy (translating and interpretation, language services), lexicography and glossary development in different professions (medicine, health, business, law, entertainment, sport, politics and religion). The module aims to empower students to apply language in a purposeful and focused way to the benefit of the community. |
| Indigenous Knowledge Systems and African Languages - AFL3702 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 7 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English,Northern sotho,Zulu,Xhosa |
|
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL2601, AFL2602 and AFL2603 before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: This module will empower students with an understanding of African conduct and perspectives, making them part of a developing community intellectually and enabling them to identify with people's values. Students will be afforded access to terminology and activities of indigenous knowledge systems in the development of African languages. |
| Sound Systems - AFL4801 |
| Honours |
Year module |
NQF level: 8 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in Northern sotho,Zulu,Xhosa,English |
Module presented online |
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL3701, AFL3702, (NDE3702 or NSO3702 or SSO3702, SWA3702 or TSW3702 or TSO3702 or VEN3702 or XHO3702 or ZUL3702), (NDE3703 or NSO3703 or SSO3703, SWA3703 or TSW3703 or TSO3703 or VEN3703 or XHO3703 or ZUL3703), (NDE3704 or NSO3704 or SSO3704 or SWA3704 or TSW3704 or TSO3704 or VEN3704 or XHO3704 or ZUL3704) and (NDE3705 or NSO3705 or SSO3705 or SWA3705 or TSW3705 or TSO3705 or VEN3705 or XHO3705 or ZUL3705) before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: To introduce students to articulatory phonetics so that they can apply these principles to their main languages. It also provides students with an overview of the basic principles of phonology, phoneme analysis in terms of distinctive features as well as the utilisation of these features to account for phonological processes and phonological rules. |
| From Form to Meaning - AFL4802 |
| Honours |
|
NQF level: 8 |
Credits: 24 |
| Module presented in Zulu,Xhosa,English,Northern sotho |
Module presented online |
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL3701, [AFL3702 or NDE3702 or NSO3702 or SSO3702, SWA3702 or TSW3702 or TSO3702 or VEN3702 or XHO3702 or ZUL3702), (NDE3703 or NSO3703 or SSO3703, SWA3703 or TSW3703 or TSO3703 or VEN3703 or XHO3703 or ZUL3703), (NDE3704 or NSO3704 or SSO3704 or SWA3704 or TSW3704 or TSO3704 or VEN3704 or XHO3704 or ZUL3704) and (NDE3705 or NSO3705 or SSO3705 or SWA3705 or TSW3705 or TSO3705 or VEN3705 or XHO3705 or ZUL3705) before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: To equip speakers of the target African languages with knowledge of the structure of the word, the nature of the morph and morpheme and selected morphological processes. It also helps the student identify and investigate specific syntactic problems. Different issues pertaining to the study of semantics are also dealt with.
|
| Orature in African Languages - AFL4803 |
| Honours |
|
NQF level: 8 |
Credits: 24 |
| Module presented in English,Northern sotho,Zulu,Xhosa |
Module presented online |
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL3701, [AFL3702 or NDE3702 or NSO3702 or SSO3702, SWA3702 or TSW3702 or TSO3702 or VEN3702 or XHO3702 or ZUL3702), (NDE3703 or NSO3703 or SSO3703, SWA3703 or TSW3703 or TSO3703 or VEN3703 or XHO3703 or ZUL3703), (NDE3704 or NSO3704 or SSO3704 or SWA3704 or TSW3704 or TSO3704 or VEN3704 or XHO3704 or ZUL3704) and (NDE3705 or NSO3705 or SSO3705 or SWA3705 or TSW3705 or TSO3705 or VEN3705 or XHO3705 or ZUL3705) before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: To give students an overview of the subject Traditional Literature, focusing on its nature and its genres. The secondary objective is to tackle the subject from a global point of view in order to enable the student to see the subject in its proper perspective. |
| Literary Studies in African Languages - AFL4804 |
| Honours |
|
NQF level: 8 |
Credits: 24 |
| Module presented in Northern sotho,Zulu,Xhosa,English |
Module presented online |
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL3701, [AFL3702 or NDE3702 or NSO3702 or SSO3702, SWA3702 or TSW3702 or TSO3702 or VEN3702 or XHO3702 or ZUL3702), (NDE3703 or NSO3703 or SSO3703, SWA3703 or TSW3703 or TSO3703 or VEN3703 or XHO3703 or ZUL3703), (NDE3704 or NSO3704 or SSO3704 or SWA3704 or TSW3704 or TSO3704 or VEN3704 or XHO3704 or ZUL3704) and (NDE3705 or NSO3705 or SSO3705 or SWA3705 or TSW3705 or TSO3705 or VEN3705 or XHO3705 or ZUL3705) before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: This paper focuses on taking modern literature in African languages to new heights and into a new direction. The approach is essentially practical with the tacit aim and objective of empowering students to become artists and creative critics.
|
| Research Report - HRAFL81 |
| Honours |
|
NQF level: 8 |
Credits: 36 |
| Module presented in Northern sotho,Zulu,Xhosa,English |
Module presented online |
| Purpose: To equip students with research skills to produce a research report based on their independent critical exploration of linguistic, sociolinguistic and literary phenomena in the African Languages. This module will be useful for language practitioners in linguistics and literature and serves to sensitise students to sociolinguistic variables in a multilingual society. |
| Language Through an African Lens - AFL1501 |
| Under Graduate Degree,Diploma,Higher Certificate |
Semester module |
NQF level: 5 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in |
Module presented online |
| Purpose: This module will be able to demonstrate linguistic and cultural diversity awareness and sensitivity in order to enhance their interpersonal relationships in day-to-day situations. In addition, this module will equip students with appropriate skills, competencies, attitudes and values to interact across cultures in a respectful way while appreciating their own linguistic and cultural background in relation to the languages and cultures of others. |
| African Language and Culture in Practice - AFL1502 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 5 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Purpose: This module will be useful to students who want to develop competencies in interacting successfully in a multicultural society. These competencies include the ability to understand the significance of language and culture so that they can play a role in nurturing and safeguarding their own language and culture. |
| Language and Communication Skills Acquisition in an African Language I - AFL1503 |
| Baccalareus Technologiae Degree,Under Graduate Degree,Certificate,Diploma |
Semester module |
NQF level: 5 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to learn the basic language structure and vocabulary of an African language. Students who achieve the outcomes of this course will be able to communicate on an elementary level with speakers of the target language and be equipped with basic reading, listening and comprehension skills. They will also be culturally sensitive to language nuances on an elementary level. |
| Language and Communication Skills Acquisition in an African Language II - AFL1504 |
| Baccalareus Technologiae Degree,Under Graduate Degree,Diploma |
Semester module |
NQF level: 5 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: AFL1503 |
|
| Recommendation: Students should demonstrate competence in at least one indigenous African language of South Africa. |
| Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to grasp written content of African language literary texts at an elementary level. Students who achieve the outcomes of this course will be able to use vocabulary, figurative language and idiomatic expressions in an original text, and be equipped with basic reading, listening and comprehension skills. |
| Communication Dynamics in African Languages - AFL2601 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 6 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in Xhosa,English,Northern sotho,Zulu |
|
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL1501 and AFL1502 before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: This module will be useful to students, who want to develop their communicative competence, skills and knowledge in African languages, especially as language practitioners in the field of communication sciences. It provides a broad background of the origins of African languages and equips students with insights into the nature of African languages, which will be of practical value to them in the fields of language development, lexicography, human language technologies, effective communication, verbal and nonverbal interaction as well as multilingualism and language contact. |
| Understanding African Management Practices as Reflected in African Languages Literature and Texts - AFL2602 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 6 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English,Northern sotho,Zulu,Xhosa |
|
| Recommendation: Students to complete AFL1501 and AFL1502 before they enrol for this module. |
| Purpose: This module will be useful to people who need to communicate with people of different cultures. African languages literature and texts are used to illustrate African management practices and to inculcate an appreciation of how societal values are expressed. |