| Summary: | The object of this research is to study the Northern Sotho folktale as a literary communication system. In Chapter 1 the problems, aim and method are established. In Chapter 2 a review is given of folktale studies that have already been undertaken in South Africa. Folktales were mainly, approached in a structural and an oral-formalistic way. The ideal of this treatise is to study the Northern Sotho folktale on all its communication levels as it is realized in the communication situation, in other words the sender, the message and the receiver of the folktale. In Chapter 3 the sender, in other words the performer of the Northern Sotho folktale, is studied. It is found that it is possible to determine certain guidelines in connection with the performer of the folktale, depending on the personality of the performer, the circumstances and the situations surrounding the folktale. The performer occupies a cardinal position during the presentation of the folktale. He/she composes the folktale, performs it orally and assures that the folktale is transmitted from individual to individual; from generation to generation; and from community to community. In Chapter 4 the receiver, that is the audience of the Northern Sotho folktale, is studied. The audience and the performer of the folktale are directly in contact with each other during the preforming stage. This direct involvement implies mutual influence on both the performer and the audience. A communicative relationship also exists between the receiver and the text of the folktale. The audience imparts meaning to the text while listening, experiencing, understanding and appreciating it. In Chapter 5 the message, that is the text of the folktale, is discussed . It is found that language elements as well as conceptual elements can be distinguished in the text of the folktale. If these language elements and conceptual elements occur in a meaningful way in the folktale, they contribute to the success of the communication between the performer and the audience. In Chapter 6 a summary of the most important results of each chapter is given. The conclusion is reached that the Northern Sotho folktale can be seen as a literary communication process which is realized on three communication levels, namely the sender (performer), the message (text) and the receiver (audience) in a complex and unique way. The whole process should also be seen as a process which always takes place in a specific context. === Thesis (MA)--PU vir CHO, 1988
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