The Use of Signs and Symbols in Communication Amongst the Vhavenda

Signs and symbols are also known to be an integral part of secret language that is expected only to be understood by the speakers of that language. Signs and symbols have been used by different African communities to transfer meaning since time immemorial, and Vhavenda communities are not immune to such phenomena. This means that the meaning of a sign and/or symbol is not necessarily readily or easily apparent to a non-speaker of the language. Non-speakers may struggle to understand what is conveyed by the speaker. This chapter seeks to explore the characteristics, types of signs and symbols used by the Vhavenda communities to communicate meaning. Data will be collected from elderly members of the Vhavenda communities within Thulamela local municipality. Fifteen elders will be engaged through face-to-face interviews as well as focus group discussions for data collection purposes. Data for this book chapter will then be analysed thematically.