Cohesion in Sesotho Personal Names

Abstract

This paper sought to describe cohesion in Sesotho personal names as social discourse and their description is directed mostly to their relevance based on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) theory. The study is qualitative and it drew data from national examinations pass lists, admissions, employment roll lists from public, private, tertiary and orphanage institutions, telephone directories, interviews with owners, parents, senior citizens to demonstrate the interface of systemic theory and naming in socio-cultural contexts. The study establishes Sesotho names as semantic units that function as semiotic choices in the exchange of information with features of various moods proposed by Halliday (2001, p.45). The names display the cohesive ties and the awarder’s evaluation a feature that Eggins (1996) refers as modality. This is appraisal of the context, a skill to be redirected to the development of various linguistic and social avenues and serve as the main framework for language and linguistic analyses syllabi. Reciprocation and the sub-modification features taken for granted by formalist analysts of the logical structures of the nominal and verbal groups reflect. The study has implications for studies in language and culture, linguistics, social and cultural studies, education and development generally.