Code-borrowing and its effects on the development of Sepedi: the case of soccer commentaries on Thobela FM

Abstract

This article investigates code-borrowing which happens during soccer commentaries in Sepedi on Thobela FM, a radio station which broadcasts in Sepedi. Qualitative in approach, the study collected data from purposively selected Thobela FM listeners to determine whether code-borrowing is beneficial or detrimental to the development of Sepedi soccer terminology. The participants were selected from Mamelodi, Soshanguve and Atteridgeville in Pretoria, where Sepedi is a dominant language. Four different recorded soccer commentaries of five minutes each were played to the participants prior to interviewing them for approximately 30 minutes. The study’s findings showed that listeners believe that code-borrowing contributes positively towards the development of soccer terminology in Sepedi, further suggesting the coinage of Sepedi soccer terminology from English equivalents.