The discursive construction of South African-based communication practitioners’ linguistic repertoires and their perceptions of culture

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dc.contributor.advisorMongie, Laurenen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorSouthwood, Frenette, 1971-en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorViljoen, Zaniaen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2023-03-07T14:09:13Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-18T07:09:08Z
dc.date.available2023-03-07T14:09:13Z
dc.date.available2023-05-18T07:09:08Z
dc.date.issued2023-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH SUMMARY : In South African companies, communication practitioners are typically assumed to have high levels of intercultural communicative competence as they are responsible for communicating with a range of multilingual and multicultural stakeholders such as employees, funders, and government departments. Given that one foundational aspect of such competence is cultural awareness of self and others (Deardorff, 2015: 141) this study investigated the linguistic and cultural self-awareness of a multilingual team of communication practitioners in a South African public works company by analysing the way in which they discursively construct their linguistic and cultural repertoires. Eight communication practitioners from what was deemed a typical marketing and communication team participated in this study. The study followed a qualitative, multimodal approach, in which data was collected using (i) an electronic background questionnaire that focussed on the participants’ linguistic repertoires and levels of proficiency; and (ii) an in-person Language and Culture workshop that included two art-based research activities, namely language portraits and culture sketches. These activities were followed by (iii) semi-structured group discussions and (iv) individual follow-up interviews, both of which were audio-recorded and transcribed. These transcriptions, along with the completed language portraits and culture sketches, were analysed making use of Braun and Clarke’s (2012) Thematic Analysis and Gee’s (2011) Discourse Analysis. Nine main themes were identified. In terms of the discursive construction of linguistic repertoires, these themes were (i) “Language serves as a marker of group identity”; (ii) “Languages are tools that unlock connections”; (iii) “Languages are associated with geographically located communities”; and (iv) “English serves as a bridge, a business basic, and a badge”. Themes relating to the discursive construction of culture were, (v) “Participants’ understanding of the concept ‘culture’”; (vi) “Participants recognise the dynamic nature of culture”; and (vii) “Mixing cultures could lead to a sense of culture-loss”. Themes relating to the perceived link between language and culture were: (viii) “Language is an essential component of culture”; and (ix) “Languages unlock cultural knowledge and enable connection”. The findings of this study are that communication practitioners regard their linguistic resources as both markers of their cultural identities and as communication and relational tools that enable them to connect with people from other cultural groups and gain insight into other cultures. Further, the study found that communication practitioners described culture as a dynamic set of elements and characteristics that are rooted in shared norms regarding behaviour and worldviews, and that they linked both language and culture to geographically bound communities. These findings have various implications for our understanding of how communication practitioners prepare communication products for their culturally diverse target audiences. One practical recommendation that stemmed from the findings of this study is that communication practitioners can benefit from training that is focussed on intercultural awareness as they largely seem to work under the assumption that their communication strategies are appropriate for multicultural audiences if they abide by the Company’s selected lingua franca, English, and translate pertinent technical communication for those with limited English proficiency.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : In Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye word ‘n tipiese aanname gemaak dat kommunikasie-praktisyns oor hoër vlakke van interkulturele kommunikasie bevoegdheid beskik omdat hulle verantwoordelik is vir kommunikasie met ‘n breë spektrum multitalige en multikulturele rolspelers soos werknemers, befondsers en regeringsdepartemente. Gegewe dat een fundamentele aspek van hierdie bevoegdheid kulturele bewustheid van self en ander is (Deardorff, 2016: 141), ondersoek hierdie studie die taalkundige en kulturele self-bevoegdheid van ‘n multitalige span van kommunikasie praktisyns in ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse openbare werke maatskappy deur die wyse waarop hulle hul taalkundige en kulturele repertoires diskoers konstrueer, te analiseer. Agt kommunikasie praktisyns van wat beskou word as ‘n tipiese bemarkings- en kommunikasiespan, het aan hierdie studie deel geneem. Hierdie studie het ‘n kwalitatiewe, multimodale benadering gevolg, waar data versamel deur (i) ‘n elektroniese agtergrond vraelys wat gefokus het op die deelnemers se taal repertoires en vlakke van vaardigheid; en (ii) ‘n in-persoon Taal- en Kultuur-werkswinkel bestaande uit twee kuns-gebaseerde navorsingsaktiwiteite naamlik, taalportrette en kultuursketse. Hierdie aktiwiteite is gevolg deur (iii) semi-gestruktureerde groepbesprekings en (iv) individuele opvolg onderhoude, waarvan beide ouditief opgeneem en getranskribeer is. Hierdie transkripsies, tesame met die voltooide taalportrette en kultuursketse is geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van Braun en Clarke (2012) se tematiese analise en Gee (2011) se diskoersanalise data insameling. Nege hooftemas is geïdentifiseer. In terme van diskursiewe konstruksie van taal repertoires, was hierdie temas as volg (i) “Taal dien as ‘n merker vir groepidentiteit”; (ii) “Taal is gereedskap om konneksies te ontsluit”; “Taal word verbind met geografies geleë gemeenskappe”; en (iv) “Engels dien as ‘n brug, ‘n besigheidsbasis en ‘n kenteken.” Temas relatief tot die diskursiewe konstruksie van kultuur was, (v) “Deelnemers se begrip van die konsep ‘kultuur’”; (vi) “Deelnemers erken die dinamiese aard van kultuur”; en (vii) “Vermenging van kulture kan lei tot ‘n gevoel van kultuur-verlies”. Temas relatief tot die perseptuele skakel tussen taal en kultuur was: (viii) “Taal is ‘n essensiële komponent van kultuur”; en (ix) “Tale ontsluit kulturele kennis en bewerkstellig verbinding”. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie is dat kommunikasie praktisyns hulle taal hulpbronne as beide merkers van hulle kulturele identiteite en as kommunikasie- en verhoudingsgereedskap beskou, wat hulle in staat stel om bande te bou met mense van ander kultuurgroepe en om insig te kry in ander kulture. Die studie het voorts bevind dat kommunikasie praktisyns kultuur beskryf as ‘n dinamiese stel elemente en karaktereienskappe wat gevestig is in gedeelde norme met betrekking tot gedrag en wêreldbeskouings, en dat hulle beide taal en kultuur verbind het met geografies gevestigde gemeenskappe. Hierdie bevindinge het verskeie implikasies vir ons verstandhouding oor hoe kommunikasie-praktisyns te werk gaan met die voorbereiding van kommunikasie-produkte vir hulle kulturele diverse teikenmark. Een praktiese aanbeveling wat voortspruit uit die bevindinge van hierdie studie is dat kommunikasie-praktisyns voordeel kan trek uit opleiding wat gefokus is op interkulturele bewustheid omdat dit blyk dat hulle grootliks werk met die aanname dat hulle kommunikasie-strategieë toepaslik is vir multikulturele gehore, solank dit voldoen aan die Maatskappy se gekose lingua franca, naamlik Engels, en pertinente tegniese kommunikasie vertaal vir dié met beperkte Engelse vaardighede.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.format.extentxiii, 217 pages : illustrationsen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127194
dc.language.isoen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshIntercultural communicationen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshCommunication in organizationsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshBusiness communication -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshLanguage and cultureen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshDiscourse analysisen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshCommunication specialists -- Training ofen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshLanguage awarenessen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshGroup identityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshCultural intelligenceen_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTD
dc.titleThe discursive construction of South African-based communication practitioners’ linguistic repertoires and their perceptions of cultureen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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