DAVIDSON DON TENGO JABAVU

The Study of Bantu Languages

by

D. D. T. Jabavu

The study of Zulu and other South African Bantu languages has as yet received scant attention in Native schools, beyond the rudiments of grammar and simple translation. The reason for this is not far to seek, for the grammar books are devoid of attraction and are used by pupils merely for the purpose of passing examinations, and are then to be relegated to oblivion. There is nothing lively in the subject, nothing to supply the inspiration to stir one to follow up these dreary books that are full of rules, examples and exceptions to be conned by rote. On the other hand, Europeans who write on the philology of these languages write for people of advanced education, and even at that their style is monotonous. There is a need for a small simple book to introduce people of the level of a Standard VI education to the beauties and possibilities of these tongues. The present writer is already at work to produce such a book, though it is not likely to see the light of day very soon, on account of pressure of other urgent duties. In this article, which is itself based upon the lectures given at the Amanzimtoti Winter School, 1920, the writer is aiming mainly at stirring up the interest of Native teachers in the study of their mother tongue.

In my exoerience with those who are called upon to study their vernacular language the feeling is usually this: “Why should I waste time in learning Xosa or Zulu? It is my own tongue, and I know all about it. I want to learn Latin, science and other things that I do not know.” Now, this is a mistake, for if it were true then Englishmen would not study English at school, much less take English as their special subject in graduation courses. The truth is that most people do naturally possess a working conversational knowledge of their language on account of the practice they get in it at home, but that is not what we mean by a complete study of a language. In the latter case one must, among other things get a fairly good knowledge of (a) Bantu comparative grammar and Bantu philology, a branch of work that has occupied some clever people all their life, people like Dr. Bleak [Bleek], Lichenstein, Müller, Needham, Westermann, Sir H. Johnston, Prof. Meinhof, and many others; (b) the elements of the phonetics of Bantu languages; (c) the history of the Bantu people with their ethnology and rudiments of anthropology and sociology; (d) Bantu literature and folklore. Each of these four general divisions of study involves extensive work, so that those who think---as I have often heard and seen it maintained even by people who claim to be well informed---that there is nothing to learn in connection with these languages, literally live in a fool’s paradise.

For beginners the chief is to have a live interest awakened in the subject. Hence it is good to begin with literature and folklore---the two things of which every Native who has been to school knows something. Let us take literature. If we examine Zulu we find that there is not, so far as I know, a single book that has ever been written by a Zulu man. There are some, however, written by white missionaries, such as school books, bible excerpts, elementary readers, grammars for Europeans learning the language, dictionaries, etc. The following can be listed:---1. Umpande; 2. Ukuhamba Kwesi Hambi; 3. Inhlanganisela; 4. Umzimba Ozwayo; 5. Grout’s History; 6. Bryant’s Amapulazi; 7. Inkambo Entle; 8. Ukupila Kwomzimba; 9. Izindaba Zabantu (volumes); 10. American-Zulu Mission publications; 11. Callaway’s Izinganekwane; 12. Religious System of the Amazulu; 13. Lange’s “Utando lonanqamlezo”; 14. Bridgman’s “Ukuhamba Kwomsebenzi eziqinjeni”; 15. “Izindaba ezikeleliwe ze Bible.” And those who were present at my lecture at Amanzimtoti will doubtless rejoice to know that Father Bernard Huss has since then not only discovered a spare copy of an 1883 edition of Ukuhamba Kwesi Hambi, but has presented me with five other books that did not figure in my list, namely: 16. Umzimba Ozwayo, 1881; 17. Exodus, 1882 (both by Colenso); 18. Umuntu wase Turkia, 1884, by Umfundisi wase Nkwenkwe; 19. Incwadi yezive Lencwadi, 1862 (American Mission); and 20. Igrama lesi Ngisi, 1890, by Father Bryant; so that Zuklu production is not so discreditable as I had made out, but now exceeds Secoana in printed output. But, of course, it does not yet possess half the number of Xosa books nor a third of Sesuto, the two leading tongues which boast of the largest number of Bantu authors. Among Xosa authors one may mention S. Mqayi, W. B. Rubusana, T. B. Soga, Tivo Soga, E. Guma, L. Kakaza, E. Makiwane, C. A. Sigila, J. Mazwi, I. B. Mbelle, H. M. Ndawo and others; and among the Basuto: A. Sekese, T. Mofolo, Z. Mangvaela, E. Segvete, E. Motsamai, B. Cekokotoana, C. Motebang, and others. Of Secoana writers I know of S. T. Plaatje and Dr. S. Molema, while Ronga and Zulu there are none.

Of the many ways of enlarging Zulu literature, the details of which were enumerated at the Amanzimtoti lectures, there are three which should be adopted at once by Zulu teachers in view of the fact that the old Zulu amakehle [men of wisdom] and izalukazi [women of wisdom] who klnow of them are fast disappearing by death. There are izibongo, izinganekwane and amabati  (poems, fables and historical accounts). This is where you can all contribute something and each may thus enjoy the satisfaction of having done his share to advance the cause of Zulu literature as well as incidentally, perhaps, attain to fame and immortality. At the Winter School it was reported that a European lady had asked her Native students to write out Zulu fairy tales, and was going  to have these bound into a book for sale. This is better than nothing; but it is not a laudable method. Stories of this sort need to be told in their congenial atmosphere, which is: an evening gathering of Native children around the fireside and an old granny repeating these tales in high glee. Narrate two or three good ones yourself as a start and get the others going. Take no notes until you have left the house, so that nobody will know nor suspect that you are collecting them for printing. This was the method used by J. H. Harris, the wonderful author of the classical American Negro tales by “Uncle Remus.” Use the same method for izibongo and historical events. Write these out carefully on paper and forward to Dr. Loram, who may some day as a further inducement arrange for the Education Department to grant small prizes for the best collections of stories by Zulu teachers. Once enthusiasm is thus created in a practical manner it will not be long before the Zulu stand first among the Bantu for literary output.

There is much room for individual choice of subjects. For example, in one of Sir Harry Johnstone’s book George Grenfell and the River Congo (2 vols., Hutchison) there are chapters on subjects like the following: Native diseases, artificial adornments, mutilations of the body, dress, bangles, girdles, food, agriculture, cooking, pipes, religion, burial, marriage, birth customs, initiation ceremonies, social laws, slavery, games, dances, music, musical instruments. Houses, hunting, warfare, fauna, flora, navigation, aquatic sports, arts, industries, trade and currency, tradition, stories, folklore, languages, natural history, social and political problems. You may therefore write down information on any of the above topics or specialize on Zulu beliefs and superstitions, or in fact anything that appeals to your individual taste. The possibilities of Zulu literature, nay, Bantu literature, are very great since we have the people, the stories, the pride of race, the models and teachers who can take the lead.

S. A. Native College,
Fort Hare.

Native Teachers’ Journal, October 1920