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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Shumo, Tsumo and Socialization
Author:Chimhundu, Herbert
Year:1980
Periodical:Zambezia
Volume:8
Issue:1
Pages:37-51
Language:English
Geographic term:Zimbabwe
Subjects:proverbs
Shona language
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External link:https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/AJA03790622_776
Abstract:The words shumo and tsumo are commonly regarded as dialectical variants of the same lexical item for 'proverb', shumo being Karanga and tsumo being Zezuru, etc. The latter has been promoted as the 'standard' form. In the writer's view, shumo is a special case which must be treated differently. As long as reference is limited to 'proverbs' as particular-type statements or axioms, with specified structural patterns, the practical thing to do is to discard shuno and to use tsumo in the interest of unification of the Shona language. The problem, however, is that shumo has wider meaning than tsumo. What is being suggested here is that while the use of tsumo to refer to proverbs as a genre is perfectly acceptable, shumo should be allowed to retain the 'other meaning' where reference is to relative importance or praiseworthiness of an idea, object or act. Of crucial importance for the development of General Spoken Shona is the fact that this 'other' meaning of shumo implies approval by 'the generalized other' or the community at large. If the distinction between shumo as sense or wisdom and tsumo as particular-type statements is accepted, one could say, Tshumo dzine shumo (proverbs have sense/wisdom). Notes.
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