isiZulu: Question Words, Time Expressions & Poetry Terminology

Section 1: Imibuzo – Zulu Question-Words

• General idea: Zulu attaches the question morpheme to a noun class prefix; the same stem therefore changes its surface form depending on the noun class or grammatical function involved.

1. –bani "who?"

• Used for people only.
• Common surface forms (prefix + –bani):

• u-bani / ngu-bani – ‘who?’ (subject); e.g. U-bani ofikile?

• o-bani – ‘who are they?’ (plural subject); e.g. O-bani bahamba lapha?

• no-bani – ‘with whom?’; e.g. Uhambe no-bani?

• lo-bani – demonstrative + ‘who’; emphasises a nearby person; e.g. Lo-bani uyahlanya!
  • Example sentences (from transcript):

• Ngu-mama (It is mother).

• Eg: nomama (with mother).

2. –phi "where / which?"

• Two major uses:

1. Locative (where?)

   • Pattern: Verb + –phi.

   • E.g. U-hlala ku-phi? – ‘Where do you live?’

2. *Specifier (which?) for nouns*

   • Pattern: –phi + noun OR noun + –phi.

   • E.g. Yi-phi imoto? or (in transcript spelling) Vi-phi imoto? – ‘Which car?’

   • Mu-phi umu-ntu? – ‘Which person?’

3. –njani "how / what kind?"

• Describes manner, quality, feelings, adjectives.
• E.g. Uzizwa ka-njani namhlanje? – ‘How do you feel today?’

4. Kungani? "why?"

• Full answer normally introduced by ngoba ‘because’.
• Q: Kungani u-hleli?
A: Ngoba ngikhathele.

5. –ngani "with what? / by means of what?" (instrumental)

• Pattern: Verb + –ngani.
• Example (transcript): U-bhala nga-ni? → U-bhala nge-peni.
(‘What are you writing with?’ – ‘I’m writing with a pen.’)

6. –ngaki "how many / how much?"

• Demands a number, quantity, price or size.
• Example: Ba-ngaki aba-fana e-motweni? – ‘How many boys are in the car?’
• Can also cover ‘how much’ (price): U-biza i-zinga le-ngaki?

7. –ni, ini, yini

• Multiple overlapping forms meaning “what?”.

• –ni often attaches to verb in series questions: Ba-ge-za-ni? – ‘What are they washing?’

• ini standalone ‘what?’

• yini + object: Yini a-ba-yi-geza-yo? – ‘What is it that they’re washing?’ → A-ba-yi-geza-yo yi-$$.

8. Nini? "when?" (time)

• Works alone or followed by clock-time.
• Lexical time words:

• manje – now

• namhlanje – today

• kusasa – tomorrow

• izolo – yesterday

Izikhathi zo-suku – Times of day

• e-kuseni – morning
• ntambama – afternoon
• e-busuku – night
• e-mini – midday

Izinsuku zeviki – Days of the week (prefix ngo- when used with dates)

• u-Msombuluko (Monday)
• u-Lwesibili (Tuesday)
• u-Lwesithathu (Wednesday)
• u-Lwesine (Thursday)
• u-Lwesihlanu (Friday)
• u-Mgqibelo (Saturday)
• i-Sonto (Sunday)

Izinkathi zo-nyaka – Seasons of the year

• e-hlobo – summer
• e-ntwasahlobo – spring
• e-kwindla – autumn
• e-busika – winter

9. Key Instruction Verbs Found in Questions

• Chaza – explain
• Thola – find
• Bhala – write
• Tomula – extract
• Sekela – support (give evidence)
• Elimqondofana – synonym
• Elimqondophika – antonym
• Khipha – take out
• Humusha – translate
• Phawula – comment
• Yebo/Cha – yes / no

Section 2: Izinkondlo (Poetry)

External Structure (isakhiwo sangaphandle)

• Isihloko – title / heading of the poem.
• Umugqa (pl. imigqa) – line.

• Imigqa evalekile (closed lines): end with punctuation; no run-on.

• Imigqa evulekile (open lines): no punctuation; enable enjambment.
  • I-tan(e)za / i-stanza – stanza (group of lines).
  • Isizura: a pause created by a comma in the middle of a line.

Imvumelwano – Rhyme

• General: repetition of the same syllable sound in corresponding positions of two (or more) lines.

1. Imvumelwano siqalo (beginning rhyme)

   • Repeated syllable at the first word of successive lines.

   • Eg. (transcript)

     • Ngili-konile iphutha

     • Ngili-wenzile oko-ngalingile

2. Imvumelwano maphakathi (middle rhyme)

   • Repetition in the middle word:

     • Se-lause-duze ba-bone wu-khanya

     • Ku-sondele ba-fike em-pineleni

3. Imvumelwano sigcino (end rhyme)

   • Final word / syllable repeated:

     • Ngiyohlala njalo e-mthembeni

     • … amandla awa-petheli e-n-dodeni

Ukuxhumana – Linking (Lexical Repetition)

• Provides cohesion by echoing exact words.

1. Ukuxhumana siqalo – first-word link:

   • Kusasa ngi-zofinyelela

   • Kusasa ba-kutapuna

2. Ukuxhumana maphakathi – middle-word link:

   • Umoya wami u-funa wena

   • Umphefumulo wami u-kalangazelela

3. Ukuxhumana sigcino – end-word link:

   • … nqaba yami

   • … inhliziyo yami

Ifanamsindo – Sound Devices

• Ifanamsindo / Alliteration – same consonant cluster across words.

• Bonke ba-buka i-bukula li-bu-bulela – /b/ consonant.
  • Uphimbo  Ifanampimbo (Assonance) – repetition of vowel sounds (nkamisa).

• Ngi-ya-pha-thi-sa ngi-li-ngi-sa i-ngi-nga – /i-a/ vowel pattern.

Impindwa – Refrain

• Full line (or more) repeated verbatim at intervals for emphasis or rhythm.

Additional Literary Terms

• Enjambment – line runs into next without punctuation.
• Isizura – internal pause for contrast or emphasis.
• Ifanagongo (not in transcript but often paired) – onomatopoeia.

These notes cover every concept explicitly mentioned in the transcript—from the detailed morphology of Zulu question words to the technical jargon used in poetry analysis—supplemented with clean examples and linked terminology so they can serve as a stand-alone study guide for the upcoming examination.