Department of General Linguistics

Permanent URI for this community

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/47

Browse

Browsing Department of General Linguistics by browse.metadata.advisor "Conradie, Simone"

Now showing 1 - 15 of 15
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The acquisition of (in)definiteness in English as a foreign language by Tanzanian L1 Swahili secondary school learners
    (2016-12) Kimambo, Gerald Eliniongoze; Conradie, Simone; Oosthuizen, Johan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Die studie waaroor in hierdie proefskrif gerapporteer word, het ondersoek ingestel na die verwerwing van (on)bepaaldheid in Engels as Vreemde Taal (EVT) deur hoërskoolleerders met Swahili as eerstetaal (T1) in Tanzanië. Dit het gefokus op (i) die anaforiese, assosiatiewe en ensiklopediese kontekste (vir bepaaldheid), (ii) die eerste-verwysing, ondeursigtige en deursigtige kontekste (vir onbepaaldheid), en (iii) die gebruik van lidwoorde in spesifieke en nie-spesifieke kontekste, in geskrewe sowel as gesproke taal. Alhoewel Engels in Tanzanië die onderrigmedium is vanaf hoërskoolvlak, is dit steeds ‘n vreemde taal. Gevolglik ontvang meeste leerders slegs blootstelling aan Engels in die EVTklaskamer, en sukkel meeste EVT-onderwysers self met Engels (Qorro, 2006). Dit is dus nie verbasend dat hierdie leerders (onder andere) Engelse lidwoorde op nie-teikenagtige wyses gebruik nie. Die studie het ten doel gehad om vas te stel watter kontekste van die Engelse lidwoordstelsel op nie-teikenagtige wyses gebruik word deur Swahili-sprekende EVTleerders en om, gebasseer op die bevindings, voorstelle te maak aan EVT-onderwysers in Tanzanië aangaande watter kontekste spesiale pedagogiese aandag benodig. Terwyl Engels grammatikale bepaaldheid aandui deur sy lidwoordstelsel, dui Swahili semanties-pragmatiese bepaaldheid aan deur die konteks van interaksie. Om hierdie rede kon data van Swahili-sprekende EVT-leerders gebruik word om in die huidige studie die Lidwoordkeuse Parameter (Ionin, Ko & Wexler, 2004), die Fluktuasie Hipotese (ibid.), die Sintaktiese Misanalise Verklaring (Trenkic, 2007) en die Ontbrekende Oppervlaksinfleksie Hipotese (Prévost & White, 2000) aan te spreek. Gebaseer op ‘n kruislinguistiese analise van Engels en Swahili, was die spesifieke voorspellings dat Swahili-sprekende EVT-leerders lidwoorde sou weglaat op die elementêre vaardigheidsvlak, en dat hulle sou fluktueer tussen bepaaldheid en spesifiekheid op die intermediêre vaardigheidsvlak. Die gemengde-metodes studie waaroor gerapporteer word in hierdie proefskrif het die insameling behels van (i) kwantitatiewe data van 163 Swahilisprekende EVT-leerders deur middel van ‘n aanvaarbaarheidsoordeletaak, ‘n geforseerdekeuse-ontlokkingstaak en ‘n prentjie-beskrywingstaak, en (ii) kwalitatiewe data van 10 EVTonderwysers deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude. ‘n Analise van die kwantitatiewe data het aangedui dat die leerders die blotenaamwoordfrase-struktuur van hul T1 Swahili oorgedra het en ‘naamwoord+voornaamwoord’-afparings gebruik het om bepaaldheid aan te dui in Engels, Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za v meestal op die elementêre vaardigheidsvlak. Hulle het ook gefluktueer tussen bepaaldheid en spesifiekheid. Wat die bogenoemde kontekste betref, het nie-teikenagtige taalgebruik meer voorgekom by die gebruik van die onbepaalde lidwoord, die anaforiese gebruik van die bepaalde lidwoord en die nie-deursigtige gebruik van die onbepaalde lidwoord, as by ander kontekste. Die onderhoud-data het gewys dat meeste van die onderwysers nie ‘n voldoende vlak van vaardigheid gehad het in Engels nie, en ook nie voldoende opleiding in die implementering van die huidige kurrikulum of kundigheid in die onderrig van die lidwoordstelsel op ‘n kommunikatiewe wyse nie. Die bevindings van die huidige studie dui op die noodsaaklikheid daarvan om die taal-in-onderrig beleid te hersien en om te verseker dat onderwysers opleiding ontvang in die implementering van die kurrikulum en in die gebruik van die Fokusop-Vorm benadering. Die studie sluit af met ‘n paar spesifieke voorstelle vir EVT-onderwysers in Tanzanië aangaande die onderrig van die Engelse lidwoordstelsel aan hulle Swahili-sprekende leerders.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Aviation English in South African airspace
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Coertze, Salome; Conradie, Simone; Huddlestone, Kate; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A lack of English proficiency and failure to use standard phraseology played a role in two of the world’s largest aviation disasters in South Germany and Tenerife, respectively. As a result, the crucial role of effective pilot-ATC (air traffic controller) communication came under scrutiny and measures were put in place to ensure that aviation safety is not jeopardised by language-related problems. For example, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) implemented English language proficiency standards and testing. The study reported in this thesis investigated the use of Aviation English and standard phraseology, which is used in radiotelephony communication by the operational aviation community. Aviation English consists of a range of operationally-relevant language functions and dialogue management, e.g. orders, requests, and offers to act; a blend of formulaic standard phraseology and plain or everyday speech if and when a non-routine situation occurs. Data on pilots’ and ATCs’ perceptions of the role of language in air traffic communication, their perspectives on English as lingua franca in aviation, and English language proficiency standards and testing were collected by means of a questionnaire. The respondents included full-time professional pilots (domestic and international flights), part-time professional pilots and pilots who fly for leisure, and ATCs in Air Traffic Navigation Service units that handle domestic and/or international flights. Recordings of on-site air traffic communication from two airport towers were obtained and were used to study the use of Aviation English and standard phraseology in pilot-ATC communication in South Africa. The results indicated that the majority of pilots and ATCs believe that language-related problems can cause fatal accidents and serious incidents. Pilots and ATCs in South Africa do experience threatening and potentially hazardous situations as a result of communication problems, however, they are confident that communication problems are resolved quickly and successfully in order to avoid accidents. The analysis of the voice recordings correlated with the pilots’ and ATCs’ perceptions that in spite of communication problems (languagerelated and non-language-related) occurring in South African airspace, pilots and ATCs have strategies in place to resolve them effectively and they are also able to use plain English to negotiate understanding and meaning. The majority of the respondents indicated that they agree that English should be used as the lingua franca in aviation around the world and they regard the English language proficiency of South African pilots and ATCs as satisfactory. The majority support ICAO’s English language proficiency standards and testing. The recordings presented a small percentage of transmissions with read-back/hear-back errors, but a substantial number of instances of radio distortions and background noise which interfered with the intelligibility of the transmissions, correlated with the results of the questionnaire. A small percentage of transmissions contained deviations from Aviation English and standard phraseology and/or the use of plain English. The researcher is of the opinion that this initial investigation into Aviation English serves to indicate some avenues for fruitful linguistic investigations into Aviation English and pilot-ATC communication in South Africa.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The comprehension and production of later developing language constructions by Afrikaans-, English- and isiXhosa-speaking Grade 1 learners
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04) Nel, Joanine Hester; Southwood, Frenette; Conradie, Simone; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigated the comprehension and production of articles, quantifiers, binding relations and passive constructions as later developing constructions (LDCs) by 27 Grade (Gr) 1 monolingual Afrikaans-speaking learners with Afrikaans as language of learning and teaching (LOLT), 31 bilingual isiXhosa-speaking learners with English as LOLT and 31 monolingual isiXhosa-speaking learners with isiXhosa as LOLT in three non-fee-paying schools, each in a different low socio-economic status area, in the Stellenbosch area of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. The overarching aim of this study was to determine which LDCs these learners are capable of comprehending and producing at the start of Gr 1 and what progress they make in terms of these LDCs during their Gr 1 year. The English and isiXhosa LOLT groups were then compared on how they fared on the LDCs in their respective LOLTs in order to ascertain whether the English language proficiency of the English group is at such a level at the start of Gr 1 that they can, without disadvantage, undergo schooling successfully in English. Data were collected on articles, binding relations, quantifiers and passive constructions by using the informal language assessment instrument, the Receptive and Expressive Activities for Language Therapy (Southwood & Van Dulm 2012a), which makes use of picture selection- and pointing tasks for assessment of comprehension and sentence completion, picture description- and question answering tasks for assessment of production. The results showed that for the Afrikaans and English groups all four LDCs are indeed later developing and are only mastered after the end of Gr 1. For the isiXhosa group, quantifiers and passive production are mastered by the end of Gr 1. In terms of the language-in-education and teaching policy, the results show that the time allocated to listening to and producing language in Gr 1 is sufficient for children whose first language is also their LOLT, whereas it is not sufficient in the case of English additional language learners. The latter group made significant progress in all LDCs assessed, but still performed worse than their isiXhosa-speaking peers, for whom there was a match between first language and LOLT. The implication of the results are that (i) the Foundation Phase school curriculum should be refined so as to consider the needs of all Gr 1 learners, as learners enter Gr 1 with different language skills and different levels of preparation for the tasks which lie before them, (ii) teachers should be assisted to foster the development of language skills in additional language learners, and (iii) the institution of a universal Gr R year, which is free to those who cannot afford school fees, should be considered a necessity. Without ensuring that all children enter Gr 1 with an adequate language foundation on which literacy development can build, historical inequalities still present in South Africa will likely be perpetuated rather than systematically removed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Constructing victims and perpetrators of sexual violence in Drum magazine between 1984 and 2004 : a discourse analytical study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12) Krige, Jana; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Conradie, Simone; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis reports on the ways in which rape perpetrated by males on females is constructed in news stories and the advice column, Dear Dolly, published in the South African publication, Drum magazine. The data collected for the study spans from 1984 to 2004, encompassing both 10 years before and 10 years after a democracy. The paper uses critical discourse analysis (Fairclough 2003) as main analytical tool and but also draws on critical feminist theory (Bourke 2007) and other strands of discourse analysis such as Van Dijk‟s (1998) socio-cognitive approach. The findings suggest that there is on the one hand a decrease in explicit victim blaming after 1994, but that subtle and opaque victim blaming is still evident in the news stories, letters to the advice column, and the responses from the columnist. These rape discourses presented in Drum magazine after 1994 are as Bakhtin (1981) suggests made up of multiple voices articulating different gendered discourses. Discourses that make women responsible for their safety and protection against rape are prevalent while at the same time rape is constructed as a “horror story” and the perpetrator as the “monster”. In this thesis, I argue that even though the use of less explicit victim blaming might seem like a positive move in the representation of rape and gender, this is not always the case. The more subtle forms of victim blaming avoid contestation and consequently often go unchecked (Fairclough 2003: 58). This makes the manufacturing of consent easier and makes it more difficult to counteract dominant discourses. I subsequently call for more studies on this underrepresented topic in discourse analysis in South Africa.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Educational interpreting in undergraduate courses at a tertiary institution : perceptions of students, lecturers and interpreters
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04) Booysen, Lene; Conradie, Simone; Oosthuizen, Johan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of educational interpreting at tertiary institutions in South Africa. Various pilot studies, as well as long-running interpreting projects at North West University, University of the Free State, and the University of Johannesburg have shown that educational interpreting is a viable way of implementing a multilingual language policy and accommodating various languages in the classroom. Educational interpreting has also been researched at Stellenbosch University (SU) in recent years and following the success of a 2011 pilot project at the Faculty of Engineering, the university plans to implement the service in other faculties as well (see Stellenbosch University Language Policy 2014). The study reported in this thesis was conducted at SU and was interested in the perceptions of interpreting held by the three main role players in the interpreting service. The main focus of the study was on examining perceptions of interpreting held by second year Engineering students who attended lectures in which educational interpreting was used as mode of delivery. The data collected on these perceptions was also contextualised by findings from data collected on students’ language backgrounds (including language use, language attitude and actual and perceived language proficiency). As a secondary aim, the study was interested in the perceptions held by lecturers and interpreters working in the Faculty of Engineering. Findings indicated that students generally had positive perceptions of interpreting and felt that interpreting was a good way to accommodate various languages at SU. It also proved useful to collect data on students’ language backgrounds in order to contextualise the results of the interpreting questionnaire, as important nuances emerged which were not apparent when these results were considered on their own. This lead to the insight that feedback from students regarding their experience of the interpreting service should be contextualised in terms of their language backgrounds, as this would lead to more valuable and useful feedback. Finally, lecturers and interpreters both showed positive perceptions of interpreting, with a marked progression in perception of the role of the interpreter in the classroom becoming apparent as experience of educational interpreting increased. The most important suggestion to follow from this finding was that students and lecturers should be made (more) aware of what interpreting entails, how interpreters are trained and how they prepare for lectures, as this should lead to more positive perceptions and increased use of this service.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effective language use in academic study material for L2 speakers of English at a distance learning institution
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010-03) Vergie, Malvin Patrick; Conradie, Simone; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The gap which exists between the academic culture represented by lecturers and the nonacademic- culture represented by students at a residential university is even greater at a distance learning institution (DLI). At a DLI, lecturers and students are faced with a number of challenges. Firstly, the majority of distance learning students are older than the average residential student and have added responsibilities related to their families and jobs. Secondly, they come from a wider variety of cultural, educational and socio-economic backgrounds than residential first-years. Finally, the majority of these students have a relatively low proficiency in their second language (L2) English, which is usually their third or fourth language rather than their second language, and which is the language of instruction at South African DLIs. At a DLI, there is little or no face-to-face contact between lecturers and students, and teaching takes place primarily by means of printed study material, specifically study guides. Study guides substitute for the lectures and other contact periods that residential students receive. In addition, study guides have to facilitate the student in the world of a new and sometimes intimidating culture, namely the (tertiary) academic culture. However, many students may have trouble understanding the type of language used in study material (essentially, academic language), sometimes because lecturers do not understand the challenges faced by DLI students and/or because they write in a formal, academic style, which is often not easily accessible to first-year students. This could pose a barrier for learning, as well as for the transition of the student from the non-academic culture to the academic culture. The aim of the study reported in this thesis was to identify the linguistic criteria which a successful study guide for L2 speakers of English should adhere to. These criteria were extracted from literature on effective writing/teaching in general, then discussed in terms of their relevance for the specific purpose of writing effective study guides, and finally applied to critically evaluate the language used in three DLI study guides. The thesis ends with some concluding remarks, a discussion of the implications of the findings of the research, and some recommendations for further research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Identifying potential grammatical features for explicit instruction to isiXhosa-speaking learners of English
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Perold, Anneke; Conradie, Simone; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Given the promise of upward socio-economic mobility that English is currently deemed to hold in South Africa, it is a matter of egalitarian principle that the schooling system provides all learners in this country with a fair chance at acquiring English to a high level of proficiency. There exists a common misconception, however, that such a chance is necessarily provided in the form of English medium education for all learners, regardless of what their mother tongue may be. As a result, the majority of learners are caught in a system that cites English as medium of instruction, despite their and often also their teachers’ low overall proficiency in this language; the little opportunity many have for the naturalistic acquisition of English; and the national Language-in-Education Policy of 1997’s advice to the contrary, in promoting additive bilingualism with the home language serving as foundation through the use thereof as medium of instruction. As an interim solution, it is suggested that English-as-an-additional-language be developed to serve as a strong support subject in explicitly teaching learners the grammar of English. In order to identify grammatical features for explicit instruction, an initial step was taken in analysing the free speech of eight first language speakers of isiXhosa, the African language most commonly spoken in the Western Cape. The grammatical intuitions of these speakers, who had all reached a near-native level of proficiency in English, were tested in an English grammaticality judgement task. Collectively, results revealed syntactic, semantic and morphological features of English, in that order, to prove most problematic to these speakers. More specifically, in terms of syntax, the omission of especially prepositions and articles was identified as a candidate topic for explicit instruction, along with the syntactic positioning of adverbs and particles. In terms of semantics, incorrect lexical selection, especially of prepositions / prepositional phrases and pronouns, proved the most common non-native feature to be suggested for explicit teaching. Lastly, in terms of morphology, inflection proved most problematic, with the accurate formulation (especially in terms of tense and / or aspect forms) of past tense, progressive and irrealis structures being the features suggested for explicit instruction, along with the third person singular feature.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The influence of gratitude journalling on the motivation and English language proficiency of young adult isiXhosa speakers
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-03) Aspeling, Lara Lee; Conradie, Simone; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The scientific study of gratitude is one of the topics currently researched by the emergent positive psychology movement, which seeks to understand more about the very best in human beings. Studies in psychology have found that gratitude and other positive emotions in the workplace seem to be linked to motivation, which in turn results in increased productivity. Much research in second language (L2) acquisition has shown a link between increased motivation and improved levels of L2 proficiency. My thesis aims to link these two types of research, by investigating the effect of gratitude journalling on isiXhosa-speaking students at a South African university of technology, in respect of their motivation to improve their English, their attitude towards English, and their English language proficiency. I also attempt to determine whether the language in which the journalling is done has any impact. I developed several tasks for my participants, in order to ascertain their attitudes towards English, their motivation to improve their English, and their English proficiency. These tasks took the form of surveys and questionnaires, which were completed before and after a journalling intervention. The intervention was in the form of journalling online, using the university's e-Learning Centre's WebCT application. The participants were divided into four groups: factual journalling in English; factual journalling in isiXhosa; gratitude journalling in English; gratitude journalling in isiXhosa. They were asked to write two to three sentences in their online journals on five out of every seven days for the period of one month. In line with the findings of previous research conducted with isiXhosa learners, the results of my investigations showed that these isiXhosa students had a fairly positive attitude towards English to begin with. No significant changes in attitudes towards English, motivation to improve English, or English proficiency, were noted among any of the four groups of journallers pre- versus post-intervention. It makes sense intuitively that gratitude journalling should increase the motivation and thus the proficiency of isiXhosa learners in English. However, in retrospect, I realise that it was somewhat ambitious to expect to see a change in English language proficiency over the period of just one month. If my participants had experienced enhanced levels of motivation as a result of the gratitude journalling (in English and/or in isiXhosa), their proficiency in English might have increased over time. However, the gratitude journalling seems not to have had an impact on the attitude towards English/motivation to improve English of these third-year isiXhosa university students. Whatever the effect might have been of the gratitude journalling in these young adults' lives, it is not reflected directly in the results of my study. Perhaps future research on the impact of gratitude journalling in the lives of university students could be conducted, using larger samples of participants, and extending the intervention over a longer period of time.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Investigating the effect of enhanced input on the use of English passive in Afrikaans-speaking adolescent learners of English as L2
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Nell, Karin; Southwood, Frenette; Conradie, Simone; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When English as a second language (L2) is learnt via classroom instruction, the extent to which learners become proficient depends, in part, on the education system in place and, more specifically, on the methods of instruction. This study set out to compare the efficacy of two focus-on-form methods of L2 instruction, namely enhanced input and traditional teacher-centred instruction, in teaching one typically problematic aspect of English grammar for L2 learners, namely the use of the passive form. The participants comprised two groups of grade 11 Afrikaans-speaking learners in a secondary, Afrikaans-English parallel medium school in the southern region of Gauteng, South Africa. One day before the onset of instruction on the English passive, all potential participants completed a pre-test to assess their existing knowledge of the English passive, in order to allow the members of one group to be paired with the members of the other group. Eight pairs could be found; a total of 16 learners thus participated in the study. Both groups then received 14 lessons (7 hours in total) on the English passive: The Enhanced group received (written) input enhancement in groups, whereas the Traditional group as a whole did copying exercises and received explanations on the formation of the passive structure. Participants wrote a post-test immediately after the end of the instruction period and a delayed post-test nine weeks later. The results of the immediate and delayed post-tests did not indicate a significant difference between the two groups; neither did the learners’ scores improve significantly from the pre-test to the post-tests. Reasons for this lack of improvement are suggested. Classroom observation indicated that learners in the Enhanced group enthusiastically participated in the activities, whereas the Traditional group appeared to be bored after a few lessons. The study also set out to ascertain whether different methods of assessment on the English passive lead to different test marks. It seemed that assessment tasks requiring little writing (such as multiple choice questions) result in higher marks than tasks requiring learners to formulate answers on their own. Although this was a small-scale study, the results suggest that under better circumstances (e.g., more time for instruction and a larger group of participants) it might be useful to conduct similar types of studies to test the effects of enhanced input and/or assessment methods when South African schools change from Outcomes Based Education to the new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement system in 2012.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An investigation into the ability of South African students at Stellenbosch University to interpret implicatures in their second language English
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-12) Bester, Zaan; Conradie, Simone; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Due to increasing concern about the low levels of throughput at university level, and with an ever-growing awareness of the important role that students’ academic literacy plays in academic success, Stellenbosch University implemented language support courses in various faculties across the campus. In addition, the massification of higher education means that the demographic profile of the student population in university classrooms has changed, and lecturers are increasingly faced with students from a variety of multicultural contexts. It is within this context that a study was done to determine to what extent linguistic and cultural background affects a speaker’s ability to derive meaning from conversational and, by extension, academic implicatures in English. Previous studies have found that native speakers (NSs) and nonnative speakers (NNSs) of English infer different meanings when confronted with particular types of implicature and that NNSs tend to interpret certain types of implicature correctly more often than others. First-year students at Stellenbosch University with a variety of mother tongues were asked to complete a questionnaire containing various types of implicatures. Their responses indicated significant differences in the accuracy with which NSs and NNSs interpreted certain types of implicatures, and in the meanings they arrived at. The thesis considers possible reasons for these differences, and discusses the implications of the study’s results for academic literacy/language support courses offered at South African universities.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An investigation into the effect of mobile-assisted language learning on Rwandan university students' proficiency in English as a foreign language
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-12) Uwizeyimana, Valentin; Conradie, Simone; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is almost common knowledge that English is the most spoken language in the world, which is considered a global lingua franca, and which often offers a means of socio-economic mobility for its speakers (Crystal 2003; Samuelson and Freedman 2010). Because of this status, English has been adopted by many countries as their national and/or official language, and to serve as a medium of instruction at different levels of education, even though it is a foreign language in some of those countries, i.e. not spoken or even understood by a large part of the population (Nyika 2015). This implies that attaining a high level of proficiency in English remains an advantage, whereas not knowing the language at all or attaining a low level of proficiency in it, constitutes a disadvantage. However, in many countries such as Rwanda, attaining a high level of English proficiency is problematic, precisely because it is a foreign language despite being an official language (Kagwesage 2013). This means that learners are not exposed to a sufficient amount of English input, and there are very few to no opportunities for English output (i.e. actually using the language). The limited input which learners receive, comes from the formal language classroom, where learners are, in by far the majority of cases, taught by non-native speakers of English (Abbott, Sapsford and Rwirahira 2015). Furthermore, learners have access to limited conventional teaching-and-learning materials (such as printed books, journals and computers), and they do not get enough opportunities to practise English outside the classroom setting (Andersson and Rusanganwa 2011). In order to address this problem, and in conformity with the constructivist approach to language teaching and learning, this study investigated the contribution that mobile input can make to the attainment of a higher level of English proficiency, given the growing amount of research showing the value of mobile technologies in language learning (MTLL). 60 Kinyarwanda-speaking students studying at the University of Rwanda participated in the study, and were divided into four groups. Group 1 received training in the use of MTLL and then continued using these MTLL; Group 2 used MTLL without having received any training; Group 3 did not use MTLL but were provided with additional conventional material; and Group 4 neither used MTLL nor received any additional material. Data were collected by means of observation, a survey, an English language proficiency test, a discussion group with the participants and a semi-structured interview with a lecturer at the University of Rwanda. A careful analysis of the data showed that MTLL have a significant effect on the learners’ proficiency in English as a foreign language (EFL), and that the learners have positive attitudes towards MTLL and their integration into the language pedagogy. Finally, this study offers some practical suggestions regarding the incorporation of MTLL in formal language classrooms generally, but also more specifically in the case of EFL classrooms in African countries, where English is a foreign language as well as the country’s official language and the language of instruction.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Linguistic strategies used in the construction of performance assessment discourse in the South African workplace
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Jones, Tamiryn; Conradie, Simone; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the construction of Performance Assessment Discourses in three companies in the Western Cape, South Africa. The specific interest of is in how Performance Assessment Interviews (PAIs) are performed in terms of content, form, structure and social practice, and how managers and employees experience and make sense of this organizational practice. The study further investigates how individuals express their membership to communities of practice (CofPs) within the workplace, and seeks to identify obstacles (boundaries) in terms of acquiring and maintaining membership. This study is conducted within the broader framework of discourse analysis (DA) and employs genre theory and small story analysis as analytical tools. The 31 participants in this study are managers and employees of three participating companies in the Western Cape. They are L1 speakers of Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa and isiZulu, and are representative of a wide range of employment levels (lower-level employees to top management). Each individual participated in either a one-on-one interview or in a focus group discussion, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. During these interviews and discussion groups, individuals frequently resorted telling small stories in order to explicate their feelings, perceptions and positions on certain matters. The data confirms that several generic features of PAIs are identifiable and across all three companies, but that some unique features are also reported. Furthermore, the analysis shows that Performance Assessments are sites of struggles as dominant and competing discourses emerge from the data. Additionally, the study reveals that acquiring membership to CofPs in a diverse workplace is a complex endeavour and that language plays a determining role in acquiring membership, as well as in the construction of workplace identities. In conclusion, this study argues for further linguistic research within professional setting in South Africa, and suggests that CofP theory be revised and further developed to be more descriptive of diverse communities.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Organisational discourses : electronic windows on the work of HIV/AIDS-care organisations
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-03) Solomons, Cecily; Anthonissen, Christine; Conradie, Simone; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is interested in textual features of websites which cover the same kind of content, but represent different organisations and address different kinds of audiences. Specifically, it investigates how information on HIV/AIDS is multimodally represented on the webpages of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and two governmental organisations. First, the websites of the national Department of Health and of a provincial Department of Health (Western Province) are scrutinised. Second, the websites of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and Avert, NGOs with a special interest in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in southern Africa, are investigated. The aim of the research is to consider aspects of layout, the use of multimodality, and the introduction of selected themes and concerns foregrounded in the selected websites. The focus of the thesis is on the transmission of information, particularly through the electronic media, by investigating multimodal elements (language, images, sound, colours) and the layouts of websites, in order to identify possible interpretations which the intended audiences may afford the various texts. The analysis of the sites relies theoretically on the metafunctions developed by Halliday (1985) in his systemic functional linguistic framework. It also refers to an extension of Halliday’s work developed to allow multimodal discourse analysis that considers aspects of visual design and placement, developed by Kress and van Leeuwen (1996, 1998) and Kress (2003, 2005). These approaches focus on text, multimodal elements, the placements thereof on a page as well as the coherence between design of layouts and communicative modes that intend to send a convincing and meaningful message. The thesis also refers to Critical Discourse Analysis in that it considers matters of language and power in internet based communication. It seems that the governmental sites are set up with an audience in mind who needs to be informed on policy matters, while the NGO sites are set up with a more vulnerable audience in mind. One kind of web-communication is likely to alienate the exact people who should be receiving state support and treatment in the face of HIV/AIDS. Another is aimed more at supporting activism against the perceived lethargy of the state. A third supports various charities that reach out to communities where HIV-infection rates are particularly high. The interpretation of multimodal pages requires knowledge of website design for educational purposes as well as information on usage of the internet to get sufficient information. Further, access of the intended audience to electronic communication needs to be considered as this will determine whether the seriousness of the illness and possible prevention or treatment, is well communicated, especially to those who have been identified as most vulnerable to new infection. The thesis finds that electronic communication cannot be the first step to circulating information related to HIV/AIDS. Non-governmental and governmental institutions are still dependent on other forms of media than websites, thus on the printed media, radio and television, and on campaigns or community based projects to communicate with particular audiences. Electronic communication is complex in that it works with various modes (visual, verbal, audial) and requires some technical sophistication from producers and receivers of texts. Theories of communication and discourse analytic methodologies can assist in our understanding of how the internet succeeds or fails in circulating critical health care information. However, to gain a reliable understanding of how the internet functions in transmitting HIV-information to all interest groups, received knowledge of other areas of scholarly interest in health care communication, such as multilingualism, sociology, anthropology, behavioural sciences, cognitive psychology or brain research elaborations, would eventually have to be considered as well.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The relationship between the language learning strategy use and language proficiency of Vietnamese-speaking learners of English as a foreign language
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-12) Kotze, Henno; Conradie, Simone; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research into the variables which affect second language (L2) learning has shown varying results. The relationship between one of these factors, language learning strategies (LLSs), and language proficiency has been studied extensively in the English as a second language (ESL) setting, often with inconclusive results. Other variables which have been shown to influence the type and frequency of LLS use include gender and length of exposure to the L2. There has however been a dearth of studies focusing on the relationship between LLSs and these variables, including language proficiency, in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context, and especially in East-Asian and South-East Asian tertiary settings. Against this backdrop, this study sets out to investigate the relationship between the LLSs and language proficiency of Vietnamese-speaking EFL learners in Vietnam in an attempt to add to the body of literature in this field. This study begins by discussing various prominent classification systems of LLSs and provides a definition which will be used in this investigation. This is followed by a discussion of the existing LLS literature, focusing on the variables to be tested, and LLS research in the Asian setting. To test whether there is a significant relationship between the participants’ LLS use and their language proficiency, and also whether gender and length and type of exposure to the L2 influenced their LLS use, data was collected quantitatively. Firstly, data was gathered on the students’ type and frequency of LLS use by means of a commonly implemented self-report questionnaire, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and on their language proficiency by means of their course assessment results. A background questionnaire was used to collect information on the other variables to be tested. The participants were found to be medium to high frequency LLS users overall, with their reported use of certain LLS categories contradicting the general stereotype that Asian students are passive and rote learners. No significant correlations were found between frequency of LLS use and language proficiency. Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the reported frequency and type of LLS use of female and male participants, nor any correlation between additional exposure to English outside of high school and LLS use. These results are then discussed in the socio-cultural context of Vietnamese-speaking learners in a tertiary EFL setting, followed by conclusions drawn from these results, and suggestions for future research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The role of input in the early trilingual acquisition of English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12) Potgieter, Anneke Perold; Conradie, Simone; Gruter, T.; Oosthuizen, Johan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study investigates the acquisition of vocabulary and passive constructions by 11 four-year-old children simultaneously acquiring South African English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa in low socio-economic status areas in South Africa, with specific focus on the role that input plays in this process. Input is measured in terms of quantity of exposure (at the time of testing and cumulatively over time) and in terms of quality (as determined by the proficiency levels of the speaker(s) providing the input). Results revealed a significant positive correlation between input and proficiency levels in the case of all three the trilinguals’ languages. The interaction between these variables seems to be narrower at lower levels of input, and the effect of reduced quantity of exposure stronger in the case of lexical development than in grammatical development. The proficiency levels of the early developing trilinguals are furthermore compared to those of 10 age-matched monolingual controls for each language. Trilinguals are found to be monolingual-like in their lexical development in the language to which, on average, they have been exposed most over time, i.e. isiXhosa. Thus, as previously found for bilingual development, necessarily reduced quantity of exposure does not hinder lexical development in the input dominant language. Whilst the trilinguals lag behind monolinguals significantly in terms of lexical development in their languages of less exposure, no developmental delay is found in their acquisition of the passive, regardless of the language of testing. This is despite their lower lexical proficiency in English and Afrikaans and their lesser amount of exposure to all three their languages. Although the passive is considered a typically later-developing construction type across languages, research has shown it to be acquired earlier in Bantu languages (of which isiXhosa is an example) than in Germanic languages such as English and Dutch (from which Afrikaans stems). Consequently, the fact that the trilinguals do not exhibit delay in their acquisition of the passive, despite sometimes drastically reduced levels of input, is interpreted as evidence of cross-linguistic bootstrapping: trilinguals seem to be transferring their knowledge of the passive in isiXhosa to English and Afrikaans, enabling the earlier acquisition of this construction in the latter two languages. The study is the first on the trilingual acquisition of English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa by young children, and will hopefully encourage additional research on multilingual language acquisition within the African context.