UMBHALI: GQR NOXOLO GROOTBOOM
Esi sibhalo sesokunkcenkceshela iinkumbulo nokubhiyozela iminyaka engamakhulu amabini yokubhalwa kolwimi lwesiXhosa. Xa kuthethwa ngembali yokubhalwa kwesiXhosa. Kuthethwa ngamaqhawe angqondo ububanzi neliso ukubona kude. Amaqhawe antloko zinechibi elombelwe amava, angqondo nengqiqo egqibeleleyo.
Amaqhawe awabanomonde wokuncekelela ulwimi lwesiXhosa. Amathanda-nkcubeko, umthombho novimba wolwimi lwesiXhosa. Amathanda-nkcubeko ayengalithandabuzi elokuba umsebenzi ngumbethe wobutsha. Inkosi yamaxa obom, umxozi nomchweli wokuzinikela. Azijul’ ijacu kumsebenzi wokuthi wambu ulwimi lwesiXhosa ngesidima olusifaneleyo.
Amaqhawe aaqinisekisa ukuba iintsiba zawo zitsheka ingqaka esisayinambitha kunanamhl’ oku. Esi sibhalo bendingasishwankathela nje ndihlale phantsi ngamazwi ombhali waseMelika, uKhaled Hosseini athi: “Xa inkcubeko ibiyindlu, ngoko ke ulwimi ibisisitshixo socango lokungena, ukuya kuwo onke amagumbi angaphakathi.”
Kum la mazwi aphuhlisa ukubaluleka kolwimi kwinkcubeko. Ngaphandle kwesi sitshixo, silulwimi beziya kuhlala zivalwe mbhaa iingcango zendlu yenkcubeko kwakhele nezigcawu nakuloo magumbi ayo. Ngoko ke ndiqinisekile ukuba niza kuvumelana nam xa ndisithi: “Ulwimi nenkcubeko ngamawele.” Ulwimi yinkcubeko, inkcubeko lulwimi.
Kukho ukubhijelana okungeqhawulwa phakathi kolwimi nenkcubeko. Zikhula, ziphuhle kunye, ngaxeshanye zinikana ifuthe de ekugqibeleni zibumbe intsingiselo yokuba kuyintoni na ukuba ngumntu. Ngoko ndisengatsho ndithi ukutyetyiswa kwenye yazo kuthetha uphuhliso nangakumbi lwenye. Ukutyeba kolwimi kukuphuhliswa kwenkcubeko. Ukutyeba kwenkcubeko kukuphuhliswa kolwimi. Ukuthetha kukuzoyamanisa nenkcubeko, yaye ukwazi inkcubeko kukwazi ulwimi. Inkcubeko ke inefuthe elimandla ekubeni uzazi ukuba ungubani na. Inkcubeko ibethelela ukuxabiseka kokukhusela isidima somntu.
Umntu ululwimi aluthethayo. Xa ufuna ukuphatha umntu emanyeni umbone into abhinqe ngayo, xabhela ulwimi lwakhe kuza kuqhum’ uthuli kube mdak’ iisali. Ukuxabhela inxalenye ebalulekileyo yenkcubeko yomntu, ulwimi lwakhe, sisithuko esishiya inxeba elinobunzulu.
Xa ungaqali ngokuzingca ngolwimi lwakho, awunakuzingca ngawe, yaye awunakuzingca ngenkcubeko yakho. Ibali loluntu libhalwe kwizitho zethu zomzimba eziqulethe iinkcukacha zemvelo nentsusa yethu, ezisinxulumanisa nembali yethu nomnombo wethu. Ukuba ngumXhosa kusinxulumanisa nenkcubeko, imbali yethu, amasiko izithethe nomnombo wethu.
Ibala, lona linabisa inkangeleko yethu kodwa alisinabiseli ngemvelaphi nomnombo wethu. Ulwimi lona lusinxulumanisa nomhlaba, umhlaba usisa kwindawo, indawo ivumbulule iingcambu zethu. Ukuzazi ulwimi osabela ngalo kukunxulumanisa nalapho yombelwe khona inkaba yakho.
Kuthi kusakonakala ukuhlala ekuhambahambeni nasekuzulazuleni kwakho. Ulwimi lukufunqule lukunxumanise nembali yakho, izithethe namasiko kulungiswe ukuhlala. Ukuphulukana kwakho nolwimi lwakho ufana nomntu ofathula emnyameni. Emini ilanga lihlabe umkhosi kuwe kuyafana nasebusuku, kumnyama tshuu.
Kungoko kubalulekile ukuba ungazithandabuzi ukuba isiXhosa lulwimi lwakho lwenkobe. Ungabi neentloni ngobuXhosa bakho, ungabuthandabuzi ubuXhosa bakho. Khumbula ukuba ngumXhosa yinxalenye yebali lakho elibhalwe kwizitho zomzimba eliya kuhlala lihleli. Usakuduka nezwe utyede ingubo yobuXhosa. Uhlwayela indida nobuphukuphuku kubantwana bakho ukuya kuqhina kwisizukulwana sakho.
Xa siphulukana neengcambu zeelwimi zethu oko kukutshabalala komntu nokuphulukana komntu nengqiqo egqibeleleyo. Xa uzelwe ungumXhosa, ubuXhosa buzelwe kuwe yaye nolwimi lwesiXhosa luzelwe kuwe nenkcubeko izelwe kuwe. Andiphazamanga ke ukusebenzisa eli gama lokuzala kuba ukuzala kukhatshwa yinimba.
Ngoko ke xa ulwimi lwakho lugutyungelwe lutshaba lokubhanga lusingise kwantshabalalo iza kusika inimba kuwe. Uxhobe ufohlele, ukhusele ulwimi lwakho. Kubalulekile ukuba nenimba ngeelwimi zethu. Kuba ukutshabalala kwazo kukuqhuzuka kwewele lazo inkcubeko. Ukuba nenimba ngolwimi lwakho. Kukuba noqhagamshelwano oluluqilima nabantu abathetha ulwimi lwakho.
Ukuba nenimba ngolwimi lwakho kukuhlonipha inkcubeko yakho amasiko nezithethe. Ukuba nenimba ngolwimi lwakho. Kukuvukwa likhwele xa ubona imithombo yoluncwadi lolwimi lwakho ilambatha. Ukuba nenimba ngolwimi lwakho kukuzijula ijacu ekuqinisekiseni ukuba.
Ulwimi lwakho luba lithafa lokudloba kumlisela nomthinjana, nakwisizukulwana esizayo. Ubunganga ke nokuxabiseka kweelwimi nenkcubeko kwilizwe elichume ziilwimi nenkcubeko. Akunyanzelekanga ukuba kudale ubutshaba nongquzulwano eluntwini. Ulwimi lungasetyenziswa njengesixhobo sokwakha ubudlelwane phakathi kwenkcubeko ezahlukeneyo. Xa abantu bezinika ixesha lokufunda ngeelwimi zabanye abantu nenkcubeko yabo.
Oko kungakhokhelela kwimvisiswano nentlonipho. Kungadiliza nemiqobo exabe endleleni yokwakha ubudlelwane obuluqilima kuluntu ngokubanzi kwenze khaphu-khaphu nenkqubo yokuzizingela nokuzibhaqa ukuba ungubani na kwilizwe elichume yinkcubeko neelwimi.
Ngoko ke kubalulekile ukuba singazibhaqi singamawexu-wexu sizibone sintywila kwisiziba seenkcubeko neelwimi ngeelwimi de umntu afikelele kwinqanaba lokucinga ukuba ezinye iilwimi zinobunganga kunolwimi lwakhe lwenkobe. Kaloku ukuphulukana kwakho nolwimi lwakho lwenkobe kuthetha ukutshabalala kolwazi olulodwa lokuziqhelanisa nenkcubeko yakho. Naluphi na ulwimi lwenkobe nguvimba nomthombo wembali, inkcubeko nokuxabiseka kwazo.
Xa ulwimi lusifa, oko kukufa kwembali, inkcubeko. Nokufa kokuzazi komntu, apho aphuma khona nalapho aya khona. Kunamhlanje nje, sonke siyazi, siyabona ukuba iilwimi zethu zijonge kwantshabalala. Ukutshabalala kwazo kukutshabalala kwesitshixo sokuvula iingcango zendlu yenkcubeko.
Kodwa lisekho ixesha lokuhlangula iilwimi kuthintelwe inyambalala yentshabalalo yenkcubeko yindibaniselwano yekhwele nokuzingca kwethu eya kuba ngumgquba wokuchumisa iilwimi zethu. Sivuselele intshisekelo yokuqinisekisa ukuba alicimi ilitha leelwimi zethu inkqubela phambili nophuhliso lwazo. Masisonte ngokutsha intsontelo eza kusiqamangela kwiilwimi zethu kuvuseleleke uthando, ukuhlonipha nokuxabisa iilwimi zethu. Iilwimi zethu yintsimi yethu.
Masibe ngabasebenzi abangamathandazwe noxa kugquba imbalela, kodwa masiyibambe idyhokhwe ngezandla ezingenamakhinkqi. Umsebenzi ngumbethe wobutsha, inkosi yamaxa obom umxozi nomchweli wosulungeko. Uthi uXhosa inyanda ayophuki njengenyanda masimanyane sihlangule iilwimi zethu.
Sisebenze ngamandla, sizame ngenyameko. Sifane nengcongolo phezu komlambo uThukela, kuba yona yoyisa imisinga emikhulu. Masibe yimbumbha. Sakhe siphuhlise, sibuyekeze isidima seelwimi zethu – isitshixo socango lwendlu yenkcubeko namagumbi ayo.
Ndiyabulela!
Wanga enimnqulayo anganikhusela kwizirhuntyelo zotshaba nifike emakhaya nikhuselekile.
Ndinithanda nonke emakhaya (mawethu).
*Esi sibhalo ibikwayiyo nentetho kaGqr Noxolo Grootboom awayothula eNelson Mandela University (NMU) kule nyanga siphuma kuyo kumcimbi ogama lingu-200 Years of isiXhosa as a Written Language.
Ixhegwazana ligqumze uSASSA