Demystifying A-Level grammar

Reviewed: Dr. Shumirai Nyota
Yet another masterpiece to come from renowned writer, researcher and educationist Professor Wise Magwa, Dudziramutaro Bhuku romudzidzi: Danho reA-Level is a welcome addition to complement ongoing efforts towards the development of the ChiShona language in the country.
This development has among other things resulted in a shift from teaching and learning ChiShona Grammar in English to the Shona medium. The book is therefore a necessary publication.
The publication is handy in more ways than one: uniformity in terminology to be used to explain the various grammatical concepts, clarifying of gray areas that have been giving both teachers and students a headache, providing practice questions and model answers to name but a few.
Not only has the book been edited by a passionate ChiShona language practitioner, but a team of experts in the area with varied experience drawn from among teachers, lecturers, examiners and item writers. The team was tasked by the Shona Language and Culture Association (SLCA) to research and write this book and did not disappoint expertly handling the phonological, morphological, syntactical and semantic aspects of Shona grammar.
The product is a well-researched four-chapter book that will ease the challenges faced by both teachers and students in the teaching and learning of ChiShona grammar owing to a lack of appropriate ChiShona terminology for the grammatical concepts.
The use of the English media disadvantaged the students greatly come examination time as questions were set in ChiShona and responses are required likewise. Candidates then ended up mixing the two languages resulting in loss of valuable marks and low grades.
This anomaly, the text addresses well and goes on to enhance mastery of concepts by giving reminders continuously to reinforce what is important for the student to note after explanations on various key concepts.
The first chapter opens with a discussion of the morpheme (chivakanzwi), the subject matter of morphology, which is the preoccupation of the better part of this chapter. Here authors clearly show the agglutinative nature of Shona word construction where parts (zvivakanzwi) used to construct words are glued together.
Thereafter, the writers handle definitions and the morphology of all the Shona substantives (zvizita) which include noun (zita), absolute pronoun (chisazitasingwi), adjective (chipauro), enumerative chizitaverengo), possessive (chirevamwene), demonstrative (chiratidzi), quantitative (chirevauwandu), selector (chinan’anuri) and relative (chiitopauro). For example the morphology of absolute pronouns, from first person to third person class one is clearly given as follows:
Chitsigisi + Chiratidzamunhu/mupanda
i-    +-ni
Then for the rest of the pronouns from third person class two to class 21:
Chitsigisi+Chiratidzamupanda+Nzvovera /o/
i-    +    -v-    +-o
Chitsigisi is the agreed term for stabiliser which has been referred to through various unharmonised terms such as ‘chiiswa’, ‘nzvoverayokutanga’ and many others depending on how each teacher translated it for the students.
Chiratidzamunhu is the term for affix of person, while Chiratidzamupanda is the term for class affix.
Building on from that level, the authors went on to give an in depth discussion and demonstration of the syntax and semantics of the higher levels in the NhurikidzwaYezvizita (The Substantive Hierarchy), namely, the substantive phrases (Ndevodzezvizita), the inflected substantive phrases (ndevodzezvizita dzinezviwedzerwa), the substantive clauses (ndevobongadzezvizita) and the substantive sentences (zvirevozvezvizita) are thoroughly explained and exemplified.
In Chapter 2, beginning with the root morpheme (mudziwechiito) the basis for all verbal constructions, the writers went on to discussing the syntax and semantics of the higher level verbal constructions in the NhurikidzwaYezviito (The Verbal Hierarchy) showing for example at the verb phrases (ndevodzezviito), verbal clauses (ndevobongadzezviito), main clause (ndevobongasimboti) and subordinate clause (ndevobongatsigiri) how the other verbal morphemes are glued around the root.
The handling of previously left out extensions like the extensive extension /-ik, -ek-/ (yetambanuko), which is different from the potential/neuter /-ik-,-ek-/ (yekwaniso) is commendable.
The extensive extension as in sendeka implies that the action of the extended radical is projected in space while the neuter extension as in dyika implies that the action is possible. Thus leaving any of them out would cause confusion. The contactive extension /-at-/ (yebatano) as in pfumbata has also been captured well this time around.
A clear distinction is made between the reciprocal extension/-an-/(yokuitirana) as in tukana and the associative extension/-an- (yokuitapamwe) as in rangana and ungana.
However, the authors could have dealt with moods of the verb first as a separate sub-section instead of introducing the concept of mood through verbal clauses (ndevobongadzezviito) where the various moods are used to classify the verbal clauses yet they have not been explained earlier as in Infinitive clauses (ndevobongadzokuita), subjunctive clauses (ndevobongadzechishuvo) e.t.c.
Attending to the moods separately first could enhance the students’ mastery of the various verbal clauses since they would have been earlier equipped with knowledge of the different moods or intentions that verbs can take.
The section on auxiliary verbs (zviitogama) is another one that is quite comprehensive and leaves no stone unturned for the student .In addition to clarifying the auxiliary verbs,–va,-ri,-na,-nge,-ti and –nzi that are generally dealt with in the teaching of grammar the writers also give a whole list of the not so common auxiliary verbs which is quite commendable.
The ideophonic hierarchy (Nhurikidzwaye Nyaudzosingwi) is discussed in depth in Chapter 3.
The ideophone is defined in a manner that illuminates them as words, which give mental pictures to the hearer enabling them to use all the five senses in comprehending meaning.
The authors are also commended for the manner in which they deal with the various types of ideophones slotted under two main categories: nyaudzosingwisiri (true ideophones) and nyaudzosingwi dzinoumbwa kubva mune mamwe mapazi ematauro weChiShona (derived ideophones).
For the true ideophones the writers demonstrate how their morphology departs from the agglutinating nature of Shona morphology as they show an isolating morphology. After this level the authors treat the syntax of the ideophonic phrase, ideophonic clause and ideophonic sentence.
Exclusively with relevant and appropriate examples to enhance understanding. An important departure in this hierarchy whereby there is no inflected ideophonic phrase as is the case with the other two hierarchies is explicitly noted.
Apart from the typographic error on page 116 where ‘Asi pane . . . ’ is used instead of ‘Apa pane . . . ’ nothing can be taken away from this comprehensive chapter.
Chapter 4 provides the much needed practice examination questions and model answers which is quite valuable for the student. The questions and answers touch on aspects that are crucial to mastery of important concepts in the three hierarchies, namely, morphological, syntactical and semantic. Thus once students practise through these questions they are set to be on the right track for their examinations.
Finally, the glossary of terms ‘Jekeso’ is another plus for the book as it is a quick point of reference for the correct terms to use when need be. This is only fair for the students since the terms used are uniform. This book is a must read for the learners.