BGCSE Setswana 1235 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Setswana vowel ê

The open-mid front vowel written ê, distinct from close e. It creates minimal pairs and must be pronounced with a lower tongue position than e.

Aspirated digraphs in Setswana

Consonant clusters written with h, such as ph, th, kh, tlh, and tsh, are pronounced with a puff of air that distinguishes them from unaspirated counterparts.

Tone in Setswana

Setswana is a tone language in which high and low pitch distinguish word meaning, though tone is generally not marked in standard written orthography.

Polite plural -ng

Adding -ng to greetings and imperatives addresses more than one person or shows respect to an elder, as in Dumelang versus Dumela.

Subject concord class 1

The subject concord o- agrees with class 1 singular nouns denoting people, as in motho o a bona, meaning the person sees.

Subject concord class 2

The subject concord ba- agrees with class 2 plural nouns denoting people, as in batho ba a bona, meaning the people see.

Discourse connector gonne

Gonne or ka gonne means because and introduces a reason clause, signalling a cause-and-effect relationship between two ideas in a passage.

Fact versus opinion marker

Ke nnete signals a factual claim, while ke akanya signals personal opinion. Recognising these markers helps classify statements in comprehension passages.

Noun class pair 1/2

Class 1 singular nouns take the prefix mo- and class 2 plurals take ba-, as in motho and batho, meaning person and people.

Noun class pair 7/8

Class 7 singular nouns take se- and class 8 plurals take di-, as in sekolo and dikolo, meaning school and schools.

Object concord placement

The object concord sits between the subject concord and the verb stem, as in ke a mo bona, meaning I see him.

Negative verb ending -e

Negation uses ga or ga se with the verb ending in -e, as in ga ke bone, meaning I do not see.

Future tense marker -tla-

The infix -tla- placed before the verb stem marks future tense, as in ke tla bona, meaning I will see.

Infinitive class 15

The infinitive is formed with the class 15 prefix go- plus the verb stem, as in go bona meaning to see and go ithuta meaning to learn.

Associative -na le

The construction -na le expresses possession or association, as in ke na le koloi, meaning I have a car.

Kinship term malome

Malome refers to the maternal uncle, the mother's brother. Setswana distinguishes maternal and paternal relatives with separate terms.

Kinship term rakgo

Rakgo refers to the paternal aunt, the father's sister, a distinct term from the maternal aunt in Setswana kinship vocabulary.

Proverb Motho ke motho ka batho

This proverb means a person is a person through other people, expressing interdependence and community obligation central to Setswana values.

Idiom go tshwara tau ka matsogo

Literally to grab a lion with bare hands, this idiom describes facing great danger boldly or acting with reckless courage.

Register pair bua and bolela

Go bua means to speak generally, while go bolela means to tell or narrate. Choosing between them depends on context and register.

Mass noun metsi

Metsi means water and belongs to noun class 6, taking the a- concord, as in metsi a molemo, meaning good water.

Formal letter salutation

A formal Setswana letter opens with Dumela rra or Dumela mma and closes with Wa gago or Ka boikokobetso followed by the signature.

Direct speech marker -re

Direct speech is introduced by the verb -re followed by a colon and the quoted words, as in A re: Ke tla tla.

Paragraph topic sentence

The topic sentence states the paragraph's main idea, followed by supporting sentences and a concluding sentence that reinforces the point.

Cohesion through concord

Repeating a noun-class concord instead of the full noun creates cohesion, as when ba- refers back to batho in subsequent sentences.

Essay type narrative

A narrative essay recounts a sequence of events with setting, characters, conflict, and resolution, organised chronologically in linked paragraphs.

Poetry term pokô

Pokô is the Setswana term for poetry, a literary genre analysed for line structure, rhythm, imagery, and figurative language.

Simile tshwantshanyo

Tshwantshanyo is a simile, an explicit comparison using words such as jaaka, meaning like, to link two unlike things.

Metaphor tshwantshisô

Tshwantshisô is a metaphor, an implied comparison that states one thing is another without using a word meaning like.

Drama term tiragatso

Tiragatso is the Setswana term for drama, a genre performed through dialogue, stage directions, conflict, and character interaction.

Theme versus plot

Theme is the central message or insight of a literary work, while plot is the sequence of events; theme must be supported by textual evidence.

Narrative point of view

First-person narration uses ke and gives access to the narrator's thoughts, while third-person narration uses o or ba and observes characters from outside.