Browsing by Author "Bekale Seyum"

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    The Case System in Wolayta (GB.-Approach)
    (Addis Ababa Universiy, 1989-06) Bekale Seyum ; Habte Mariam Marcos
    This study attempts to examine and eXplain t he properties of the ease system in 'Jolayta on the basis elf the t heoretical frameworJ~ of Government and Binding ( GB ) . This theoretical framework is brieJ'ly explained in the introductory Chapter . It is shovm that the la.'1.guage has only tV/o Cases – nominative and accusative , ~0d that Case is phonetically realized in the language . The Case suffixes designating nominative and accusative, and the syntactic relationship that the noun phrases form \'lith the Case assigners are described, The manner i n \vhich both Cases are assigned in the lanGuage is also explained . Fi nally , structures of infinitival clauses , passive and raising constructions are considered in relati.on to the assignment of Case to noun phrases .
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    Challenges in use and development of kambaatissata
    (Addis Ababa University, 2012-09) Temesgen Senbeto ; Bekale Seyum
    The study attempts to investigate the contribution of MT speakers to use and development of Kambaatissaata and then steadily progressed to assess the factors challenging the vitality and development of the language. Interviews, FGDs, and questionnaires supplemented with document analysis, observation and debates were the methods used for data gathering. In order to select the representative informants random sampling, based on proportional distributions of attributes like age, sex, social status, literacy, occupation in the varieties of domains of language use such as schools, government offices, religion, ritual ceremonies and different settings were applied. The result of the study shows that MT speakers of Kambaatissata are not fully committed to the use of the language in whole domains and to contribute for the development of Kambaatissata in the oral and in the written discourses. The community role model, the more educated section of the society is more reluctant to use the MT in the different domains of life, including the home. This is because of some humiliations associated to the language and the nation and less techcized/modernized nature of the language. The most influential social institutions in the society, the religious organizations and the mass media are not devoted for using the language and are not promoting it to be used by the people. Even in some angles the religious institutions reflect some negative influences to its vitality. The zonal administration manifested some efforts of developing it by way of preparing a dictionary and some textbooks for lower primary education. But there was no strong language planning program put in place in the zone to standardize it. III As a result of mainly these, the population has developed negative attitude towards its own language, has developed the tendency towards refraining from transmitting the MT to the next generation, and has become reluctant to use the MT in every day transactions, to listen to secular music or religious songs in the language, and has even revealed tendencies of abandoning their language in favor of Amharic and English. This has made the language not fully functional in all domains in the indigenous community and has inhibited its development despite the favorable policy environment at the present time. The study suggests certain measures to be taken by the religious institutions, intellectuals of the MT speakers, the zonal administration and the population as a whole to reform the current tendency and act in favor of using and developing the language.
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    The Impacts of Mother Tongue Interference and Some Affective Factors in Learning Amharic as a Second Language: Wukro Second Cycle Primary Schools in Focus.
    (Addis Ababa University, 2011-06) Teklay Kahsay ; Bekale Seyum
    The study attempted to investigate and examine the impacts of mother tongue interference and some affective factors in learning Amharic as a second language in six selected primary schools of Wukro Wereda in Tigray region. To achieve this objective, the method employed is both qualitative and quantitative using descriptive survey technique because descriptive survey technique helps to reveal the existing situation and allows gathering the necessary information with out conducting experiments. To investigate and examine th e problem, six second cycle grade eight primary schools were randomly chosen from the 38 primary schools of Wukro Wereda. Out of a total of 1020 grade eight students in the six schools, 138 (13.52%) students were selected in the study. Moreover, 12 (85.7%) teachers and 12 parents of students selected as subjects for this study using simple random sampling. To gather the data properly, five data collection instruments: questionnaire, interview, observation, essay writing and recording were used. The results of th e study show that students are hindered by their mother tongue not to speak and write correct Amharic at all levels: i. e. at phonological, morphological syntactic and lexical levels. In addition, students' proficiency was also affected by their attitude; their teacher's attitude and their parents ' attitudes towards the second language and by the lack of encouragement from their teachers and parents. Most of the responses from the sample students, teachers and parents indicate that they have unfavorable attitudes towards Amharic. Regarding the motivational orientation, students, teachers and parents in the sample area are both instrumentally and integra/ively motivated even though the instrumental motivation is higher than the integrative. Despite this fact, however, the students' proficiency is low and this indicates that these motivational orientations do not playa role in enhancing students' proficiency. The students' mother tongue interference, the attitudes and motivations from teachers and parents playa negative role in the students' proficiency of Amharic. In order to overcome the negative allitudes developed among the students, teachers and parents; the government, specially the Ministry of Education, the Regional Education Bureau, and the schools in collaboration with other non -governmental organizations should design work shops, packages of training and other related motivational schemes to develop awareness of the use of learning the second language for both the students, teachers and parents and change their allitude to enhance the motivations of the students and make the teaching-learning of Amharic as a second language effective. In light of the findings, it is also suggested that priority should be given to the understanding of the differences between the two languages and design language practices for the students by trying to foster the attitudes of the students and to • motivate and encourage them to learn the language. Towards this end, improving the curriculum, designing supportive materials, motivating and encouraging the students were worth the efforts by the curriculum developers, teachers and parents re;pectively
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    The Impacts of Mother Tongue Interference and Some Affective Factors in Learning Amharic as a Second Language: Wukro Second Cycle Primary Schools in Focus.
    (Addis Ababa University, 2011-06) Teklay Kahsay ; Bekale Seyum
    The study attempted to investigate and examine the impacts of mother tongue interference and some affective factors in learning Amharic as a second language in six selected primary schools of Wukro Wereda in Tigray region. To achieve this objective, the method employed is both qualitative and quantitative using descriptive survey technique because descriptive survey technique helps to reveal the existing situation and allows gathering the necessary information with out conducting experiments. To investigate and examine the problem, six second cycle grade eight primary schools were randomly chosen from the 38 primary schools of Wukro Wereda. Out of a total of 1020 grade eight students in the six schools, 138 (13.52%) students were selected in the study. Moreover, 12 (85.7%) teachers and 12 parents of students selected as subjects for this study using simple random sampling. To gather the data properly, five data collection instruments: questionnaire, interview, observation, essay writing and recording were used. The results of the study show that students are hindered by their mother tongue not to speak and write correct Amharic at all levels: i.e. at phonological, morphological syntactic and lexical levels. In addition, students’ proficiency was also affected by their attitude, their teacher’s attitude and their parents’ attitudes towards the second language and by the lack of encouragement from their teachers and parents. Most of the responses from the sample students, teachers and parents indicate that they have unfavorable attitudes towards Amharic. Regarding the motivational orientation, students, teachers and parents in the sample area are both instrumentally and integratively motivated even though the instrumental motivation is higher than the integrative. Despite this fact, however, the students’ proficiency is low and this indicates that these motivational orientations do not play a role in enhancing students’ proficiency. The students’ mother tongue interference, the attitudes and motivations from teachers and parents play a negative role in the students’ proficiency of Amharic. In order to overcome the negative attitudes developed among the students, teachers and parents; the government, specially the Ministry of Education, the Regional Education Bureau, and the schools in collaboration with other non-governmental organizations should design work shops, packages of training and other related motivational schemes to develop awareness of the use of learning the second language for both the students, teachers and parents and change their attitude to enhance the motivations of the students and make the teaching-learning of Amharic as a second language effective. In light of the findings, it is also suggested that priority should be given to the understanding of the differences between the two languages and design language practices for the students by trying to foster the attitudes of the students and to motivate and encourage them to learn the language. Towards this end, improving the curriculum, designing supportive materials, motivating and encouraging the students were worth the efforts by the curriculum developers, teachers and parents respectively.
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    Language Contact and Use in the Resettlement Sites of Gambella town
    (Addis Ababa University, 2010-09) Mulualem Bezabeh ; Bekale Seyum
    The purpose of this study is to describe the pattern of language use of the resettled ethnolinguistic groups in the two resettlement sites of Gambella town. In order to meet this purpose, 216 respondents were randomly selected from the resettlement sites. The required data were collected through questionnaire, interview and observation. The data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The result of the study reveals that the resettlement sites are multilingual with nine languages in use: Amharic, Tigrinya, Kambata, Hadiyya, Wolayta, Afan Oromo, Himtinya, Anyua and Nuer. Of these, the former seven have MT speakers who are first or second generation resettlers while the latter two are languages the indigenous population of the town. Amharic is the most learned 8L by MT speakers of different languages. Mothers are more bilingual than fathers since they have more contact with other ethnolinguistic group members than fathers. Respondents are more bilinguals than their parents as they have more exposure to the diverse linguistic groups than the parents. Most respondents use Amharic in all domains with all types of participants when talking about any issue. There is a greater tendency of shift in all ethnolinguistic groups towards Amharic. The role of the indigenous languages, Anyua and Nuer, is considerably significant. Amharic is the most preferred language as it deserved the strongest positive attitude. It is the language largely preferred to be learned as the first language of children. Finally, in the resettlement sites of Gambella town, Amharic to a larger degree and Anyua to a lesser extent are the most predominantly used languages in the two sites. Generally, Amharic has turned out to be the lingua franca in these linguistically diverse resettlement sites of Gambella town.
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    Non -VERBAL Communication Used in Iluu Abbaa Booraa Oromo Society
    (Addis Ababa University, 2012-06) Efa Terefe ; Bekale Seyum
    The aim of the study was to explore the Non-verbal communication used in Oromo. The study was conducted in Iluu Abbaa Booraa Zone of Oromia Regional State. Specifically the study was intended: to identify the object languages used during marriage, ajjeečaa ‘heroism’ and lightning ceremonies, to describe the semiotic representation of nonverbal communication (object languages) in the cultural practices; and to show the interaction between non-verbal communication and the society. In order to achieve the intended objectives, qualitative research was adopted.30 respondents were selected using purposive sampling method. However the woradas were selected using simple random sampling method. Two data gathering instruments namely: Interview and document analysis were used to collect the necessary information. It was found that the Iluu Abbaa Booraa Oromo society use different cultural objects during different occasions such as marriage, lightning and hunting ceremonies. The society mostly communicates through the non-verbal codes especially cultural objects since they believe that the non-verbal communication has more reliability and believability. In addition, the Iluu Abbaa Booraa Oromo society uses non-verbal communication (cultural objects) to show socio-economic status, personal status, norms, identity etc. The society also uses non-verbal communication as a medium of shared understanding in-day-to-day activities and on occasions of cultural practices. In the society, every thing is related to cultural objects and all cultural objects have their own implication or semiotic representations depending on their contexts. Thus, from the results found, in the society object languages (cultural objects) have multiple functions