Browsing by Author "Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)"

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    Assessment on the Standards and Uses of Tigriny a Dictionaries
    (Addis Ababa University, 2009-06) Muhur, Tsegay; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    Dictionaries are very essential in our everyday professional life. They provide us with valuable lexical information and are crucial reference/resource materials across all disciplines. Thus, upholding of their standard/quality and use appears to be paramount important in order to suit the needs of intended users. However, little or no empirical research has been done so far about the qualities and uses of Tigrinya dictionaries. The main purpose of this study is then to assess and describe the standard and uses of some selected Tigrinya dictionaries in the light of current theories and principles of lexicography. The total sample subjects are six Tigrinya dictionaries, three compilers, and hundred five Tigrinya-major students and ten Tigrinya teachers, from Addis Ababa and Mekelle Universities. Convenience sampling technique was used to select the dictionaries and the compilers, and systematic sampling technique to select the students, teachers, and the main entries from the dictionaries. For an overall look at some aspects of the dictionaries, purposive technique was also applied. Regarding data collection instrument, questionnaire (for the students and teachers), an interview (for the compilers), and a document/content analysis (for evaluation of the dictionaries) were used. The data obtained through these instruments were analyzed and interpreted in qualitative (in tables, graphs and descriptions) and quantitative (frequency distribution) methods as necessary. The overall result of the study shows the selected dictionaries lack principles and methods of lexicography. They are perceived nonstandard and are under utilized. The compilers of these dictionaries lack adequate experience and training on dictionary compilation. The study, therefore, implies Tigrinya dictionaries have to maintain the required properties/qualities of a standard dictionary. Compilers of such dictionaries need to attain necessary knowledge and skills of dictionary compilation, and training is required to users and the authors
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    Language Use in the African Union Iau): A Sociolinguistic Study
    (Addis Ababa University, 2007-03) Hailu, Eyasu; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    This research is a sociolingui stic study of language use in the African Union (A U). It is divided into four chapters. In the first chapter, an attempt i3 made to briefly discuss the profile of African and fore ign languages in the Union. Here, it is shown that African languages have been at a great disadvantage from becoming the media of continental affairs while fore ign languages are enj oying their linguistic expansion. In the past, slave trade, colonial occupation, neo-colonial int'"rference and now globalization have all played against the d eve lop~1ent of African languages an-d cultures . Furthermore, deci sion makers considered the issue of language use in the AU as a 'soft issue'. Due to this fact there could exist language attitudinal probl ems (';:1 the African languages by governmental bodies. In order to create awareness among pol icy makers and language planners, this study attempts to survey the opinions of AU worker s, personnel of Afri can Embassies and African intellectuals. In chapter two, an attempt is made to observe the language use situation of the AU hi storicall y. Though the question of language use has become ce ntral after the establishment of OAU, it was not of course satisfactorily recognized and answered . Current ly, AU seems to be in a position to upgrade the status of African languages. To perform these activities, an institution called ACALAN was established and has been given the responsibility for the activation oft]'e process. In chapter three, data anal ysis and discussion are presented. The data is interpreted based on the attitudes of three groups of people: African Uni!"l offic iHls and workers, Embassy personnel of African countries in Addis Ababa and African intell ectuals. The interpretation of the data is based on the current situation of language use and suggests the potential working languages in the Union in the future. Finall y, the conclusion, the summary of maj or findin~s and recommendations are represented in chapter four.
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    Language use in the criminal justice process: The Case of Raya Alamata Woreda in Tigray Region
    (Addis Ababa University, 2012-06) Nigusse, Gessesse; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    The main purpose of this study was to describe and analyze language use and to assess language related problems in the criminal justice process in Raya Alamata Woreda. To ensure this, qualitative and quantitative methods were used. All the legal officers were taken and one hundred clients were included through quota sampling. Questionnaire was distributed for legal officers and clients. Interview was made with legal officers and clients. Observation was made during courtroom interactions and police interrogations. An attempt was made to describe and analyze language use in the criminal justice. The study revealed that people use direct and indirect speech acts to convey intended messages in the criminal justice. The police use mainly eight WH questions as a tool for criminal investigation. Lawyers use the system of presupposition and entailment to draw question to examine witnesses with the intention of triangulating the linguistic evidences. Accused and complainants use language mainly to convince the judges in favor of their respected clients by destroying the arguments of their opponent parts. Lawyers use code mixing for technical use of terms, habitual use of language, and professional adaptation of terms. They also use code switching for better comprehension of language. Parties and witnesses use code mixing for elaboration of terms, as a matter of habit, and due to mother tongue interference. They also use code switching for better comprehension and secrete use of language. New words are introduced into the legal language mainly through borrowing, compounding, semantic extension, loan translation, derivation and abbreviations. The difficulty of legal jargons, the complexity of legal language, linguistic and non linguistic barriers, and the asymmetrical distribution of speech acts between lawyers and parties are found to be problems in language use. To alleviate the problems, lawyers should make their language as simple as possible to be understood easily by clients. Awareness should be created on meanings of legal terms for clients or else use common terms during interactions. Legal officers should accept clients’ language choice, provide legal awareness for the people and provide translation services.
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    Major Challenges of Learning English Among Wangi Native Speakers: The Case of Grade Eight Students of Four Selected Primary Schools in Awl Zone
    (Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Tarekegn, Senay; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    The aim of this study is to investigate the challenges of learning English as foreign language in selected primary schools of Awi Zone. To achieve the goal, primary and secondary data were collected using questionnaire, interviews, test, and reference materials. Based on the earlier works, the unseen part of other researchers of related topics were touched by this research. The research tried to assess the problems related to learning English in schools and classroom settings. The researcher aimed to solve the problems of students that become an obstruction to learn English as a foreign language and as a resull lead them to failure. Second language learning research focuses on developing knowledge and use of language by children and adulls who already know at least one other language. This field of research has both theoretical and practical importance. The theoretical importance is related to our understanding of how language is represented in the mind and whether there is a dijJerence belween languages are acquired and processed and the way other kinds of information are acquired and processed. The practical importance arises j-omthe assumption that an understanding of how languages are learned will lead to more effective teaching practices.
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    Medical Professional-Patient Communication in Outpatient Department of Kotebe Health Center: A Sociolinguistic and Pragmatic Study
    (Addis Ababa University, 2012-10) Yohannes, Abrham; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    Doctor and patient communication is one of the interpersonal communications and is centre for clinical function in building a therapeutic doctor and patient relationship, which is the heart and art of medicine. Therefore, it is important in the delivery of high-quality health care. But, patients complain that doctors are not willing to listen to them, do not answer their questions or inform them properly, they are authoritative and unhelpful. Doctors, on the other hand, criticize their patients for not following their advice. Abstract The study focused on Outpatient department of Kotebe Health center, which is under Yeka sub city that provides primary health care for the general population which holds two doctors, four health officers, twenty three nurses and their patients. That is the communication between medical professional and patient from sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects respectively. The first, contemplates the use of terminology, register, turn taking, solidarity and status, language and group membership, and code switching in language. The second, deals with the use of language in social context and emphasize the ‘functionality’ of utterances performed in medical contexts of interaction which attempts to address the speech act theory, the maxims and the paralinguistic feature of the language. The methodology used to collect the data is techniques such as interview; observations and questionnaires. The qualitative data which was found from the interactions and quantitative data found from questionnaires were analyzed and tried to inspect the two questions; those are mentioned above. Moreover, the study shows both interlocutors’ code switch from Amharic and to English and used terminologies during communication which has contribution for miscommunication and clarification. Variables such as age, gender, educational status etc. has big part in the interaction of the medical communication.
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    The Morphology of Goggot
    (Addis Ababa University, 2002-10) Tekle-Michael, Kebede; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    This thesis concerns the morphology of Goggot. The central theme of the study is to give a base-line description on both the inflectional and derivation properties of Goggot nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. The paper is organized in six chapters, including the introductory and concluding chapters. In chapter one, a brief introduction is given on the linguistic and Scio-linguistic situations of the language, on the significance and methods of the present study, and on the morphophonemic feature of the language. In the next four chapters (2-5), attempt is made to describe both the inflectional and derivational properties of Goggot nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. In the description, inflections for such grammatical categories as number and definiteness in nouns and adjectives; tense, aspect, mood, and AGRS in verbs have been treated. In the study, it has been identified that case marking is predominately prepositional in GoggOt. In addition, attempt has been made to analyze the internal structure of Goggot pronouns. Concerning their derivations, stems from which nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs can be derived, and the patterns and bound morphemes used to derive these word classes have been identified. In chapter six, major findings of the study have been summarized and conclusions are made on the basis of these findings.
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    The Morphology of Kemantney: A Step Toward the Documentation of the Language
    (Addis Ababa University, 2009-11) Yohannes, Tsige; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    This research is entitled 'The Morphology of Kemantney: A s tep toward the documentation of the language". The purpose of the research is to provide the basic descri ption of the morphology of the la ngu age. It is a descriptive account of both inOectional and derivational properties of nouns, pronouns, ve rbs, a dje ctives and adverbs.The first ch a pter deals with conceptual fram ework, background of the s tudy, the objecti:,e, significant of the research , delimitation of the research , and m ethod of the s tudy.The second chapter of the thes is deals with inOectional and derivational morphology of Kemantney nouns. It is observed that Kemantney nouns a re inOected for n u mber, gender aDd different cases. In the derivation of nouns, suffixes deriving nominals su ch as infinitival, agentive and abstract are identified . The oth er s ection shows the forms of pronouns and th eir inOections. The personal pronouns are divided into two, subjects and obj ect and are marked for the grammatical categories of number and case. Different kinds of pronouns such as possessive (dependent and independent), demonstrative, interrogative and reOexive pronouns are also presented in this chapter. In the third chapter, the inflectional and deriva tional morphology of Kemantney verbs arc described . The morpheme that mark person, gender, number, aspect (tense), and mood are shown in th c inOection part. In the derivati on part, the suffixes and stem patterns th at mark passive, causative, reciprocal and frequcntative are clearly identified. In the fourth chapter, the thesis deals with adjectives, postpositions, numerals and adverbs. Pure a djectives in Kemantney are rare and derived adjective are deri ved from verbal roots but it is sti ll rare. Pinally, the last chapter gives the sammary and conclusion of the thesis.
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    Word formation in diddessa mao
    (Addis Ababa University, 2007-07) Dumessa, Alemayehu; Leyew, Zelealem (PhD)
    This thesis has attempted to investigate and describe the word formation processes in Diddessa Mao, the variety of Northern Mao of Omotic family spoken around Diddessa River Valley. Derivation, compounding and reduplication have been dealt with as the major word formation processes. The derivational processes in this variety of Mao included nominalization, verbalization, and adjectivalization. Derived nominals such as: manner nominals suffix /-ä/ to action verbs. Abstract nominals suffix/-iyä/ to adjectival and nominal bases. Action nominals suffix /-i/ to verb roots, and result nominals suffix /-e/ to verb bases. In verb derivation causatives are derived from verb roots, adjectivals and nominal bases by suffixing /-sisa/. Passives suffix /-ek’-/ to transitive verb roots. Reflexives suffix /-inke/to simple verb roots, causative verbal stems and intensive verbal stems. Statives attach the morpheme /-inke/ to adjectives. The reflexive /-inke/ is homophones with the stative /-inke/. Adjectivals are derived from nominals by suffixing the morpheme /-itä/. Compounding in this variety of Mao is formed through the combination of two or more words from the same or different word-classes. Compound nominals are formed from verbals and nominals or from two nominals. Compound adjectives are formed from two adjectivals, or nominals and adjectivals, adjectives and nominals and number with nominals. Compound adpositions are formed from two adpositions. Intensive verbal stems are formed from verb roots through complete reduplication process. Adverbials are derived from nouns that refer to time with the suffix /-at/. Some phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic characters of the derivatives and compounds are considered in this study. For all kinds of word formation processes, word formation rules (WFRs) have been proposed and their positions are also described.