Department of African Languages

About Us

Department of African Languages
Faculty of Social Science and Education
About the Department
Welcome to the Department of African Languages at the University of Venda. The Department takes you through a journey of higher education through the landscape of indigenous African languages. The Department strives to expose you to South Africa’s multilingual and multicultural context while presenting you a bridge to a successful future. Five Indigenous African Languages such as Northern Sotho, isiNdebele, Siswati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga including Sign Language are offered in the Department. The Department comprises 8 sections that are as follows: Language Practice, Northern Sotho, isiNdebele, Siswati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Tshivenda National Lexicography unit and Xitsonga National Lexicography unit.
Vision

The Department of African Languages is committed to the development of African Languages of the region as well as to be responsive to the linguistic problems that affect the societies of the region with the purpose of promoting multilingualism.

Mission

The Department of African Languages has a pivotal role to document, develop and promote arts and culture of the region with the purpose of encouraging scholarship and academic network in developing and broadening the African perspective of the communities of the region that Univen serves.

Mandate

 The Department aims at empowering the communities that Univen serves by developing scholars, researchers, and language practitioners in African Languages of the region

Qualifications Offered
Professional Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in Language Practice BALP
Bachelor of Arts in Language Practice HSBALP

Postgraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Arts Honours in IsiNdebele
Bachelor of Arts Honours in Northern Sotho
Bachelor of Arts Honours in Siswati
Bachelor of Arts Honours in Tshivenḓa
Bachelor of Arts Honours in Xitsonga

Master of Arts

MA in Northern Sotho
MA in Tshivenḓa
MA in Tshivenḓa by Research
MA in Tshivenḓa Literature
MA in Xitsonga
MA in isiNdebele
MA in Siswati

Doctor of Philosophy

PhD in Xitsonga
PhD in Northern Sotho
PhD in isiNdebele
PhD in Siswati
PhD in Tshivenḓa

Admission requirements:
The minimum requirement for BA in Language Practice programme is National Senior Certificate endorsed for University admission with minimum of an African Language (Home Language Level) at Level 5 and a pass in English (Home Language/First Additional Language).

Postgraduate Students:
The minimum requirement for admission to Honours, Masters and PhD in African Languages (Northern Sotho, IsiNdebele, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga) is 65%
Career Opportunities
On completion of their degree students will be able to fit well in the following professions: teaching, journalism, interpreting, creative writing and book reviewing, broadcasting, translating, editing, proofreading, terminology development, indexing, etc.

Programmes by Qualification