Imibiko Nezingxoxo Zabezindaba: Ukuhlaziya Nokuphawula
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Interpret a short broadcast interview, identifying who is speaking, what position each speaker holds, and how the interview is organized.
- Report what a speaker said, using wathi and related quotative patterns, without shifting into your own opinion by accident.
- Summarize an interview accurately, in your own words, using no more than a few sentences for each speaker's main point.
- Distinguish reporting a speaker's words from commenting on them, so that a listener or reader always knows which is which.
- Produce a short spoken or written commentary that responds to an interview, agreeing, disagreeing, or partially agreeing with what was said.
- Maintain the argumentative discourse markers from Chapter 6, claim, evidence, counterpoint, and conclusion, while commenting on someone else's argument rather than only your own.
Communication Scenario
Word of the study room booking proposal has reached the campus radio station, and the student council chairperson has agreed to a short interview about it. Nomvula was not asked to appear on air, but her supervisor wants a written summary of the interview for the staff newsletter, along with a short commentary noting where the chairperson's position agrees with Nomvula's written argument and where it differs. Nomvula must listen carefully, report the chairperson's words accurately, and keep her own commentary clearly separate from what was actually said on air.
- This chapter activates reported speech markers and commentary discourse markers for full productive use inside connected prose.
- Learners then listen to or read a short interview, write an accurate summary of it, and add a short commentary responding to the speaker's position.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 6 taught learners to build their own argument from a claim, through evidence and a counterpoint, to a conclusion. Chapter 7 keeps every one of those discourse markers active, since a commentary on someone else's interview still needs a claim, some evidence, an acknowledged counterpoint, and a conclusion. What changes here is the source of the position being discussed. In Chapter 6, the claim belonged to the writer. In Chapter 7, the claim first belongs to someone else, a radio guest, and the learner must report it faithfully before responding to it. Reporting and commenting are treated as two separate, sequential tasks, not as one blended paragraph.
Coming From Chapter 6
Productive control of claim, evidence, counterpoint, and conclusion markers, built into the writer's own argument.
New in This Chapter
Productive reported speech markers such as wathi, together with commentary markers that respond to someone else's reported position.
Looking Forward
Chapter 8 moves from spoken media into professional correspondence, asking learners to write formal reports and messages summarizing exactly this kind of material.
Vocabulary: Media, Interview, and Commentary
This chapter introduces the discourse markers that let a learner move cleanly between three tasks, reporting what someone said, summarizing it briefly, and then commenting on it in the learner's own voice, since blurring these three tasks together is one of the most common sources of confusion in media-based writing.
| isiZulu | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| udaba | news item, matter, topic | class 11 noun, used for a single news story or topic under discussion |
| inhlolokhono | interview | class 9 noun, names the interview as a communicative event |
| ukhulumela izwi | to give voice to, to speak on behalf of | describes a spokesperson's role in an interview |
| wathi | he or she said that | reported speech marker, followed by a complement clause with ukuthi or a direct quotation |
| ngokusho kuka- | according to | introduces a reported position attributed to a named speaker |
| umbono | view, opinion, perspective | class 3 noun, used for a speaker's stated position |
| ngokubona kwami | in my view, from where I see it | introduces the commentator's own opinion, kept separate from the reported speech |
| ngiyavumelana no- | I agree with | signals agreement with a reported speaker, followed by a name or pronoun |
| angivumelani ncamashi no- | I do not entirely agree with | signals partial or full disagreement, softened rather than blunt |
wathi, ngokusho kuka-, umbono, ngokubona kwami, ngiyavumelana no-, and angivumelani ncamashi no- form the working markers for the reporting and commentary tasks in this chapter.
Pronunciation and Pacing in Reported Speech
No new sound appears in this chapter. Instead, learners practice a small shift in pace that signals the boundary between reported speech and commentary, since wathi and ngokusho kuka- should be spoken at a steady, neutral pace that sounds like relaying information, while ngokubona kwami and ngiyavumelana no- can carry a slightly warmer, more personal tone, since they mark the commentator's own voice entering the text.
A brief pause after the reported material, before ngokubona kwami or a similar marker, helps a listener hear that the speaker is stepping out of the role of reporter and into the role of commentator.
- wathi (he or she said that): worth rehearsing with a level, even pace, since a rising or falling pitch here can make it sound like the reporter's own opinion rather than a faithful report.
- ngokubona kwami (in my view): worth rehearsing with a clear pause before it, so the shift into personal commentary is unmistakable.
Grammar: Reporting and Commenting on What Others Say
Purpose: this section activates reported speech and commentary discourse markers for full productive use, and shows how these markers work together with the claim, evidence, counterpoint, and conclusion markers already active since Chapter 6, so that a learner can move cleanly from reporting a speaker's words, to summarizing them, to commenting on them.
7.1 Reporting a speaker's words with wathi
wathi introduces reported speech, followed either by a direct quotation or by a complement clause with ukuthi. The reporter's task here is accuracy, not evaluation, so the sentence should stay close to what the speaker actually said, without adding the reporter's own view.
- Umongameli wesigungu sabafundi wathi uhlelo lokubhukha luzokwenza izinto zibe lula kubafundi abaningi. The student council chairperson said that the booking system will make things easier for many students. wathi introduces the complement clause carrying the reported position, without any comment from the reporter
7.2 Attributing a position with ngokusho kuka-
ngokusho kuka- attributes a stated position directly to a named speaker, and is especially useful at the start of a summary, since it identifies the source of the view before the view itself is reported.
- Ngokusho kukamongameli wesigungu sabafundi, uhlelo lolu luzosiza kakhulu labo abahlela kusengaphambili. According to the student council chairperson, this system will help a great deal those who plan in advance. ngokusho kuka- attributes the claim to a named source before the claim is stated
7.3 Naming the speaker's view with umbono
umbono names the position itself as a noun, useful when a summary needs to refer back to what was said without repeating the full reported clause each time.
- Umbono kamongameli wesigungu sabafundi uyahambisana nombono kaNomvula ngokuningi. The student council chairperson's view largely agrees with Nomvula's view. umbono lets the summary compare two positions without restating either one in full
7.4 Stepping into commentary with ngokubona kwami
ngokubona kwami marks the clear boundary where reporting ends and the commentator's own view begins. Everything before this marker should be a faithful account of what was said, and everything after it belongs to the commentator.
- Ngokubona kwami, umbono kamongameli uyaqondakala, kodwa awuveli ukuthi kuzokwenzeka kanjani uma abafundi bengavumelani ngezikhathi zokubhukha. In my view, the chairperson's position is understandable, but it does not make clear what will happen if students disagree about booking times. ngokubona kwami opens the commentator's own evaluation, separate from the reported material above
7.5 Agreeing and disagreeing with ngiyavumelana no- and angivumelani ncamashi no-
A commentary rarely agrees or disagrees completely. ngiyavumelana no- signals agreement, while angivumelani ncamashi no- signals disagreement that stops short of outright rejection, both of which keep the commentary fair to the original speaker.
- Ngiyavumelana nomongameli ngokuthi uhlelo luzosiza abafundi abaningi, kodwa angivumelani ncamashi naye ngokuthi akudingeki ukuhlelwa kwezikhathi zokugcina. I agree with the chairperson that the system will help many students, but I do not entirely agree with him that closing times need no planning at all. agreement and partial disagreement appear in the same sentence, keeping the commentary balanced
7.6 The verb template inside a reporting-and-commentary sentence
Learners are asked to study the model text below, then produce their own summary and commentary in the writing workshop and performance sections.
Model Text: The Campus Radio Interview
Read the interview transcript below, followed by Nomvula's summary and commentary. Notice how the summary stays close to the chairperson's words, while the commentary, marked clearly with ngokubona kwami, adds Nomvula's own evaluation.
Inhlolokhono yomsakazo wekampasi (The campus radio interview)
Umsakazi: Sikhuluma namuhla nomongameli wesigungu sabafundi ngodaba lohlelo lokubhukha amakamelo okufunda. Ungasitshela yini ukuthi kungani sikhungo sabafundi sicabanga ukuthi lolu hlelo luyadingeka?
Umongameli: Ngiyabonga. Sikholwa ukuthi uhlelo lokubhukha luzokwenza izinto zibe lula kubafundi abaningi, ikakhulukazi ngesikhathi sokuhlolwa. Abafundi abaningi baye basichazele ukuthi kwakunzima ukuthola ikamelo elivulekile, futhi lokhu kwakubangela ukucindezeleka okungadingekile.
Umsakazi: Kodwa abanye bathi lolu hlelo lungenza izinto zibe nzima kwabafundi abangahleli kusengaphambili. Ningaphendula kanjani lokho?
Umongameli: Siyakuqonda lokho, futhi asicabangi ukuthi umuzwa lowo awunangqondo. Yingakho sicabanga ukuthi izindawo ezimbalwa kuphela okumele zibhukhwe, kuyilapho amanye amakamelo esala evulekile njengakuqala.
Isifinyezo nokuphawula kukaNomvula (Nomvula's summary and commentary)
Ngokusho komongameli wesigungu sabafundi, uhlelo lokubhukha luzosiza abafundi abaningi ngesikhathi sokuhlolwa, ngoba wathi ukungatholakali kwamakamelo bekubangela ucindezelo olungadingekile. Uphinde wathi umuzwa wabafundi abangahleli kusengaphambili unengqondo, futhi wathi izindawo ezimbalwa kuphela okufanele zibhukhwe, kuyilapho amanye amakamelo esala evulekile.
Ngokubona kwami, umbono kamongameli uyahambisana kakhulu nombono wami owaziswa esahlukweni 6, ikakhulukazi ekutheni izindawo ezimbalwa kuphela kufanele zibhukhwe. Ngiyavumelana naye ukuthi lokhu kungasiza ngaphandle kokulimaza abangahleli kusengaphambili. Nokho, angivumelani ncamashi naye ekutheni akakhulumanga ngokuthi ubani ozothatha isinqumo sokuthi yimaphi amakamelo azobhukhwa. Ngakho-ke, ngicabanga ukuthi lolu daba kufanele lucaciswe ngaphambi kokuthi uhlelo luqale.
The summary reports the chairperson's words faithfully using ngokusho kwakhe and wathi. The commentary begins clearly with ngokubona kwami, states agreement with ngiyavumelana naye, states a limited disagreement with angivumelani ncamashi naye, and closes with a conclusion using ngakho-ke, exactly as this chapter's grammar section requires.
Imibuzo yokuqonda — Comprehension questions:
- Yini umongameli wesigungu sabafundi ayisho ngesizathu sohlelo lokubhukha? (What does the student council chairperson say is the reason for the booking system?)
- Ingxenye ephi yombono kaNomvula evumelana nombono womongameli? (Which part of Nomvula's view agrees with the chairperson's view?)
- Ingxenye ephi uNomvula angavumelani ncamashi nayo? (Which part does Nomvula not entirely agree with?)
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a qualified isiZulu speaker to read the interview aloud twice, once at a natural conversational pace for an interview, and once pausing briefly before wathi each time it appears, so that each instance of reported speech can be clearly identified.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read the interview aloud yourself, taking both roles, then read Nomvula's summary and commentary separately. All audio models must be verified by a qualified isiZulu speaker before being treated as a pronunciation model.
Umsebenzi wokulalela — Listening task:
Listen to the interview, then write down each claim the chairperson makes, in the order he makes it, using your own brief notes rather than full sentences.
| Umbuzo womsakazi (Broadcaster's question) | Iphuzu eliyinhloko lomongameli (Chairperson's main point) |
|---|---|
| Kungani lolu hlelo luyadingeka? | ______ |
| Ningaphendula kanjani labo abangahleli kusengaphambili? | ______ |
Umbuzo olandelayo — Follow-up question: Ngabe umongameli uphendule kahle umbuzo wesibili womsakazi, noma kukhona ayekushiya ngaphandle? Bhala impendulo yakho ngemisho emibili.
Writing Workshop
Write your own summary and commentary responding to a short interview or media statement, either the one in this chapter or another one your instructor provides, following the same two-stage pattern Nomvula used, reporting first, then commenting.
Umsebenzi wokubhala — Writing task: Write a summary and commentary of eight to ten sentences in total. First, report the speaker's position accurately using wathi and ngokusho kuka-, without adding your own opinion. Then, marked clearly with ngokubona kwami, add your own commentary, stating at least one point of agreement with ngiyavumelana no- and one point of limited disagreement with angivumelani ncamashi no-, and close with a conclusion using ngakho-ke or sengiphetha ngokuthi. Then apply the Chapter 19 self editing routine from Volume III before sharing your final version.
- Report the position. Use wathi and ngokusho kuka- to state, faithfully, what the speaker said.
- Name the view as a whole. Use umbono if you need to refer back to the speaker's position without repeating it in full.
- Mark the shift to commentary. Use ngokubona kwami to signal that your own evaluation is beginning.
- State agreement and limited disagreement. Use ngiyavumelana no- for what you accept, and angivumelani ncamashi no- for what you do not fully accept.
- Reach your conclusion. Use ngakho-ke or sengiphetha ngokuthi to draw your commentary together into a final position.
- Audit your draft. Apply the Chapter 19 repair categories, then check that the reporting section and the commentary section remain clearly separated throughout.
Isikhungo sokuhlola — Editing checklist:
- The reported section stays close to what the speaker actually said, with no unmarked opinion mixed in.
- ngokubona kwami, or an equivalent marker, clearly signals where commentary begins.
- At least one point of agreement and one point of limited disagreement are stated using the markers from this chapter.
- The conclusion follows from the commentary given, rather than introducing a new, unsupported idea.
- Object concords, extensions, subordinate clauses, and the argument markers from Chapter 6 remain accurate throughout.
Speaking Practice
Ukuzilolonga — Controlled practice: reading the interview aloud in two roles
Read the interview aloud, taking both the broadcaster's and the chairperson's parts, then read Nomvula's summary and commentary aloud, pausing clearly at ngokubona kwami.
Umsebenzi wokuxhumana — Communicative task: reporting and commenting live
With a partner, one person plays a guest being interviewed about a real or invented topic, stating a short position in two or three sentences. The other listens, then reports the position aloud using wathi, and finally adds a short spoken commentary using ngokubona kwami.
Ukuzilolonga wedwa — Solo alternative
Listen to or read a short opinion from a real or invented source, then record yourself reporting it faithfully, followed by your own commentary. Listen back and check that a listener could tell exactly where your reporting ended and your own opinion began.
Culture and Communication
In many South African media and institutional contexts, a written summary of someone else's position is expected to be fair and accurate before any personal commentary is added, since a summary widely seen as one sided can damage the credibility of the person writing it, regardless of how reasonable their later commentary may be.
When Nomvula comments on the student council chairperson's interview, she engages directly with what he said rather than with assumptions about his character or motives, a distinction commonly expected in professional and institutional commentary.
Some writers prefer wathi for briefer, more direct reporting within a sentence, while reserving ngokusho kuka- for the opening of a longer summary that attributes an entire position to a named speaker. Others use the two more interchangeably. Both patterns are widely accepted in formal writing.
Common Mistakes
Error: Moving from a reported statement directly into personal opinion within the same sentence, with no marker such as ngokubona kwami to signal the shift, so a reader cannot tell where the speaker's words end and the writer's opinion begins.
Correction: Always mark the shift from reporting to commentary clearly, using ngokubona kwami or a similar phrase, even inside a single paragraph.
Error: Leaving out part of what a speaker said because it does not fit the commentary the writer wants to give, producing a summary that is technically accurate about what remains, but misleading about the speaker's overall position.
Correction: Report the speaker's position in full first, including the parts that will later be questioned in the commentary, then respond to all of it.
Error: Using angivumelani ncamashi no- to reject a speaker's entire position, when the commentator actually agrees with part of it.
Correction: Use ngiyavumelana no- for the parts genuinely accepted, and reserve angivumelani ncamashi no- only for the specific part being questioned.
Chapter Review
Ingxenye A — Ukuqonda (Comprehension)
1. Buyela enhlolokhonweni yomsakazo, uphendule le mibuzo emifushane: (Return to the radio interview, and answer these short questions.)
- Yiziphi izizathu ezimbili umongameli asho ngohlelo lokubhukha?
- Uphendula kanjani umongameli umuzwa wabafundi abangahleli kusengaphambili?
Ingxenye B — Isigabisigabi (Grammar)
1. Chaza ngokufushane umahluko phakathi kokubika inkulumo yomunye umuntu nokuphawula ngayo. (Briefly explain the difference between reporting someone else's speech and commenting on it.)
2. Bhala umusho owodwa osebenzisa wathi ukubika lokho umongameli akushilo. (Write one sentence using wathi to report something the chairperson said.)
3. Bhala umusho owodwa osebenzisa ngokubona kwami noma ngiyavumelana no- ukuphawula ngalokho okushiwo. (Write one sentence using ngokubona kwami or ngiyavumelana no- to comment on what was said.)
Ingxenye C — Ukufunda (Reading)
1. Buyela esifinyezweni nasekuphawuleni kukaNomvula, uphendule: (Return to Nomvula's summary and commentary, and answer.)
- Yiliphi iphuzu uNomvula avumelana ngalo nomongameli?
- Yiliphi iphuzu angavumelani ncamashi ngalo naye, futhi kungani?
Ingxenye D — Ukubhala (Writing)
1. Bhala isifinyezo nokuphawula kwakho, ulandele izinyathelo zomsebenzi wokubhala ngenhla, bese usebenzisa isikhungo sokuhlola sesahluko 19 kaMqulu III ukukuhlola. (Write your own summary and commentary, following the writing workshop steps above, then use the Volume III Chapter 19 editing checklist to audit it.)
Ingxenye E — Ukukhuluma (Speaking)
1. Vezela iqembu labangane bakho isifinyezo nokuphawula kwakho, usebenzisa okungenani ukubika okukodwa nokuphawula okukodwa. (Present your summary and commentary to a group of friends, using at least one reported statement and one piece of commentary.)
Ukubuyekezwa okuhlanganisiwe — Cumulative review from Chapters 1 through 6
Choose the correct word or form in brackets to complete this short connected passage, drawing on register control from Chapter 1, stacked concord agreement from Chapter 2, causative and passive extension accuracy from Chapter 3, reciprocal and neuter-stative accuracy from Chapter 4, subordination from Chapter 5, and argument markers from Chapter 6.
Umongameli [wathi / ngathi] uhlelo lolu [luzosiza / bazosiza] abafundi abaningi. Ngokusho [kwakhe / kwami], amakamelo [ayevame / abevame] ukugcwala ngesikhathi sokuhlolwa. Ngokubona kwami, umbono wakhe [uyahambisana / bahambisana] nowami, kodwa [angivumelani / asivumelani] ncamashi naye ngokuthi akudingeki ukucaciswa ukuthi ubani ozothatha isinqumo. Ngakho-ke, ngiyaphakamisa ukuthi lolu daba [lucaciswe / bacaciswe] ngaphambi kokuba uhlelo [luqale / baqale].
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 7 Checkpoint
Reporting and Commenting on Media, With Accuracy and Fairness
Complete the following three connected tasks, in order, as a single integrated performance sequence, reporting and commenting on an interview as Nomvula reports and comments on the campus radio interview.
- Report the speaker's position. Greet your audience formally, then report the speaker's main points accurately using wathi and ngokusho kuka-, without adding your own opinion.
- Mark and deliver your commentary. Signal the shift clearly using ngokubona kwami, then state at least one point of agreement using ngiyavumelana no- and one point of limited disagreement using angivumelani ncamashi no-.
- Reach your conclusion. Draw your commentary together using ngakho-ke or sengiphetha ngokuthi, then write and present a short final version, self edited using the Volume III Chapter 19 routine.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Formal register consistency | The report and commentary open, continue, and close in a consistently formal register, with no unmotivated shift to casual forms. |
| Reporting accuracy | The speaker's position is reported faithfully and completely using wathi and ngokusho kuka-, with no personal opinion mixed into the reported section. |
| Commentary boundary accuracy | The shift from reporting to commentary is clearly marked using ngokubona kwami or an equivalent phrase. |
| Agreement and disagreement accuracy | At least one point of agreement and one point of limited disagreement are stated accurately using ngiyavumelana no- and angivumelani ncamashi no-. |
| Self editing evidence | The final written summary and commentary shows evidence of the Chapter 19 self editing routine having been applied to each reported and commentary sentence. |
This checkpoint assesses reported speech and commentary marking now activated for production, together with the claim, evidence, counterpoint, and conclusion markers active since Chapter 6, the causal, temporal, conditional, and purpose subordination active since Chapter 5, and the reciprocal, neuter-stative, causative, and passive extensions active since Chapters 3 and 4. No item on this rubric requires grammar beyond what this chapter and the volumes before it have activated.
Answer Key
Model Text — Comprehension
- The chairperson says the booking system will help students during examination periods, since the shortage of open rooms was causing unnecessary stress, and he says the concerns of students who cannot plan in advance are understandable.
- Nomvula's summary agrees with much of the chairperson's position, especially the idea that only a small number of rooms should be booked, while others remain open as before.
- She does not fully agree that the question of who decides which rooms are booked can be left unaddressed, and she proposes that this point be clarified before the system begins.
Listening
Model answers: first question, the chairperson explains that a shortage of open rooms during examinations was causing unnecessary stress for students; second question, he acknowledges the concern as reasonable and proposes that only a few rooms be set aside for booking, while the rest remain open as before.
Chapter Review — Ingxenye B
- Reporting someone else's speech states, as faithfully as possible, what that person actually said, while commenting on it adds the writer's or speaker's own evaluation, response, agreement, or disagreement, clearly separated from the reported material.
- Model answer: Umongameli wathi uhlelo lolu luzosiza abafundi abaningi. (Any sentence using wathi to faithfully report a plausible statement is acceptable.)
- Model answer: Ngokubona kwami, ngiyavumelana nomongameli ukuthi lolu hlelo luyadingeka. (Any sentence using ngokubona kwami or ngiyavumelana no- to add a clearly marked personal comment is acceptable.)
Cumulative Review — Correct answers
wathi / luzosiza / kwakhe / ayevame / uyahambisana / angivumelani / lucaciswe / luqale
Looking Ahead
Okungakwenzeka manje — What you can do now
You can interpret a short interview, report a speaker's position accurately, mark a clear boundary between reporting and commentary, and respond to what was said with fair agreement and limited disagreement, all while keeping the subordination, extensions, and argument markers from earlier chapters accurate.