Analysis of the language techniques and thematic - University of the ...

happen, the researcher grouped the songs into two main divisions namely; themes and
language. With regard to interviews, the researcher divided them into two groups, that of
the artists and the general public in order to get their views on their status and the role of
accordion music.
The type of probability sampling engaged was a stratified random sampling; this is where
the songs were divided into yet another grouping. These groups were based on the
commonality the songs share taking into consideration the language and themes. That is,
there was a further breakdown of the two main aspects into smaller units that were more
specific, for instance, under themes, those songs that dealt with a similar topic were
grouped together and analysed accordingly. An example is that of songs that deal with
the Lesotho General Elections of 1998. Songs that addressed such a topic were grouped
together to check on how different artists address it in their songs and its significance to
the audience. This was also the case with language; for instance, grouping was made on
the use of metaphor in different songs by different artists to check on how it is used and
its significance in the songs. Concerning the interviews, a sample of artists totalling 30
was selected in such a manner that there were some artists picked from the four periods
namely; the beginning, 1980-1985, the Military era, 1986-1993, the Mokhehle era, 1994-
1998 and the Mosisili era, 1999-2005. Coming to the general public, interviews were held
with members from the three groups namely: radio-presenters, shop-owners inclusive
coordinators, street vendors and audience. Six radio-presenters from six different radiostations,
fifteen shop-owners inclusive coordinators and street vendors and thirty
members of the audience from different occasions, for instance, concerts, festivals or
funerals were interviewed.
One can say this technique was easier and applicable in the study as it enabled the
researcher to formulate topics and sub-topics under which he categorized different songs.
It helped to avoid unnecessary repetition and lengthy discussion of one song and it also
helped to accommodate different songs in each group as it focused specifically on the
relevant lines in each and every song. Another advantage was that, this technique
categorized different members of the public into manageable units, thus allowing those
who are termed stakeholders to air their opinions with regard to accordion music. In-puts
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