Doctoral Degrees (General Linguistics)

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Construction of linguistic identities among cross-border communities: The case of Samia of Uganda and Samia of Kenya
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03) Nahayo, Sylvia; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Southwood, Frenette; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigated the discursive identity construction of a community who is separated by a national border. The town of Busia cuts across the Ugandan/Kenyan border and the community language is considered to be Lusamia. The study used ethnographic methods to investigate how speakers of Lusamia on both sides of the border construct their linguistic identities in relation to their own linguistic repertoires and the linguistic repertoires of others. My theoretical interest in this was sparked by a gap in the literature, namely, that most studies which investigate language and identity construction within multilinguals focus on urban communities. Although early sociolinguistic studies within the ethnographic tradition, focused on rural communities (Gumperz 1971, 1964; Hymes 1962, 1964), recently the city has become the most frequently studied setting for multilingualism. My study builds on a small (but growing) body of research on contemporary multilingualism in rural African communities (see for example Banda and Jimaima 2015); Deumert and Mabandla 2013). Against this backdrop, I examined how speakers of Lusamia that live in a rural community and are multilingual negotiate different linguistic identities just like their counterparts in the urban centers. My study will thus turn the attention (back) on the everyday linguistic practices of a rural, multilingual community within an African context. Data for this study were collected using various ethnographically informed methods. The data collection instruments included observations, interviews and a survey of the linguistic landscape. Linguistic landscapes are defined as ―the language of public road signs, advertising billboards, street names, place names, commercial shop signs, etc.‖ (Landry and Bourhis, 1997: 25). Data were collected over a period of 12 months and analysed through thematic analysis (Starks and Trinidad, 2007). Two major themes emerged, that is: multilingualism as linguistic repertoire and the interplay of language, spacialisation and identity. Findings from this study suggest that participants typically have a range of linguistic resources in their repertoire. These linguistic resources are used differently by the speakers depending on the situation they are in. Sometimes the lack of the required linguistic resources(s) in a particular situation may exclude the speaker or lead to failure in communication. Furthermore, as Busch (2012) observes, the linguistic repertoire does not only include actual linguistic varieties used, but also ideologies about language. In the two countries in which Lusamia is spoken (Kenya and Uganda), different linguistic resources may be used or understood. This interaction of the different linguistic resources with Lusamia explains the subtle differences in accent and word choice in the speech of participants on both sides of the border. These differences are constructed as the distinguishing features between the Ugandan and Kenyan varieties of Samia. Thus as Samia speakers engage in various activities that call for use of different linguistic resources, they constantly negotiate different linguistic identities. Furthermore, the identity of Samia speakers is very much a multilingual one. Even rituals evolving major milestones or major events (birth, marriage, death) are performed through the use of heteroglossic meaning-making resources. In view of the results, I suggest that more research into language and identity needs to take a multilingual, spatial perspective
The discursive construction of identity in young offenders' narratives in Swaziland
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12) Dlamini-Akintola, Virginia Thontea; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Costandius, Elmarie; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study of ‘identity’ straddles different fields such as psychology, sociology and linguistics. The particular approach taken to the study of identity is contingent upon the field, with some fields viewing identity as an essential, fixed phenomenon while others view identity as a discursive construction that occurs in discourse (Benwell and Stokoe 2006; Bamberg, De Fina and Schiffrin 2011). This study set out to investigate the discursive construction of young offenders’ identity in a youth correctional facility in Swaziland. This facility introduced formal schooling in 2008. This study thus investigated how the young offenders who are attending the school located at the correctional facility discursively construct their own identities. The study also investigated how the semiotic landscape (Jaworksi & Thurlow 2010) that is all meaning-making resources within the public landscape of the correctional facility and the school, contributes to constructing the young offenders’ identity. The study made use of arts-based methodological approaches. This included encouraging the participants to visually depict the course of their lives, their futures and the semiotic landscape which surrounds them. Since the study was situated in a ‘total institution’ (Goffman 1961), the nature of the place contributed to shaping the identities of the young offenders. This occurred through ‘mortification processes’ which enable the inmates to adapt to the life of ‘regimentation’ in the institution (Goffman 1961). This study shows that since identity is discursively constructed in discourse, the use of multimodal personal narratives combined with arts-based approaches to research are extremely useful methods with which to investigate identity construction from participants in a context that is traumatic. In addition, long-term-ethnographic studies provides rich insight into changes into a semiotic landscape and the reasons for such changes. Another major contribution of the study is the questions it raises about ethical engagement with vulnerable participants. It presents the challenges this study encountered. Ultimately, I argue that the key to moving towards an ethical engagement is to do research with, rather than on vulnerable participants.
Linguistic practices, language ideologies, and linguistic repertoires of isiXhosa-speaking families in Western Cape homes
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Nozewu, Asithandile Esona; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Southwood, Frenette, 1971-
ENGLISH SUMMARY : This dissertation investigated the linguistic repertoires, language ideologies and language practices of three isiXhosa-speaking families in the Western Cape. It investigated how the linguistic repertoires, language ideologies, and language practices shaped the family language policy (FLP) of each of the families. Cape Town, the capitol of the Western Cape Province, is regarded as South Africa’s most segregated city (Turok et al. 2021: 71). Since I was interested in how contextual factors shaped the families’ FLPs, I deliberately chose families living in different residential areas within the Cape Metropole. One family resides in the township Langa, where 92% of the inhabitants are isiXhosa mother tongue speakers (General Census 2011). The second family resides in Parklands, a predominantly English-speaking neighbourhood (General Census 2011). The third family resides in Belhar, which was previously classified as a coloured area and in which the language that is widely used is Afrikaans (see General Census 2011). Currently, sociolinguistic and applied linguistics studies on isiXhosa are mostly conducted in the school system, and a focus on home linguistic practices are almost entirely absent. Home linguistic practices and FLP are severely under-investigated in African contexts. I relate the data obtained from this study with Ricento and Hornberger’s (1996) notion of the multilayered onion: They argued that various components, including “agents, levels and processes”, form layers that together make up the whole of language planning and policy. The various components of this onion “permeate and interact with each other in a variety of ways and to varying degrees” (Ricento and Hornberger 1996: 401). This metaphor resonated with me as I saw in my data how both explicit and implicit decisions about language in the families I studied was shaped by a variety of factors: Their linguistic practices were shaped by the linguistic repertoires they had access to, the language ideologies they held, and their lived experience of language. In addition, factors such as time and space, and institutions and access to these institutions also shaped the decisions (or non-decisions) that parents made concerning their FLPs. Based on the data obtained, these factors are entangled with South Africa’s apartheid and colonial past and affect families in non-uniform manners.
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.
Literacy practices in and out of school in multilingual Kenya : an ethnographic study of Tana River County
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-03) Abiyo, Rehema Bona; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABTRACT: This dissertation investigated the literacy practices in the multilingual context of Tana River County, Kenya. It aimed to understand the types of literacy practices children are exposed to, and engaged in, both in and out of school. The study was guided by the theoretical framework of ‘Critical Literacy’ (Freire, 1996). Within this broader framework of critical literacy, two specific theoretical concepts were used to understand the specific context, namely ‘Multiliteracies’ (The New London Group, 1996) and ‘Linguistic Citizenship’ (Stroud, 2001). The research was conducted in the Tana River County of Kenya, specifically within the Tsana village of the Pokomo language speakers’ community. The research used a qualitative design and the methodology used was linguistic ethnography. The participants in the study included teachers, grade 3 students and their parents. Data collection instruments for this included in-depth interviews, observations, documents analysis, children’s written narratives, and collection of literacy artifacts and linguistic landscapes. Data were collected over six months and analysed through thematic analysis. Findings from this study revealed that in this community the children are exposed to different literacy practices within the school and the community. The literacy resources in school are available in English which is the language of school. Within the community, the literacy practices are mostly articulated in the local languages. The literacy practices in this community are complex and presented themselves in a way that local languages can be appreciated. While the Pokomo language was missing in the school, it was used extensively for local practices such as village public announcements. In addition, Pokomo was present in the linguistic landscape of the village such as on murals, and traditional artifacts. This shows that the members of the Tsana village still value their local language and showcase it in unique places. The study also revealed that on one hand, teachers were not giving access to all available literacy materials (such as the tablets and mother tongue storybooks) for the learners in the classroom despite their availability in the school. The homes of the children were mostly literacy poor, and there was minimal parental involvement in the learning of the children. Through the children’s narrative writing activity, the study also revealed that children are very resourceful. Their relationship in meaning-making has an emotional link to their homes, to their out-of-school literacy experiences, and their relationship to writing is intimately linked to their experiences of schooling. By acknowledging the value of what learners bring from their informal learning from their homes to school, teachers can tap into the strengths of the learners and build them in the classroom as a way of multimodal learning that utilizes local resources.
Time, space, and identity in Pope memes : a multimodal analysis
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Klingbeil, Chantal J.; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: nternet memes do not provoke a lot of debate or analysis, and serious scrutiny of them seems to be avoided. In this dissertation I want to argue that memes can be a useful area of study as they are a distinctive form of communication that makes it possible to analyze broader multimodal forms. This study makes use of a combination of multimodal discourse analysis (Kress and Van Leeuwen 1996; Iedema 2003a) and Bakhtin’s (1981, 1986) conceptualization of discourse to explore Pope Francis memes. The study probes the texts and discourses selected by meme creators and the way in which time and space is multimodally constructed in Pope Francis memes. The texts and discourses selected by meme creators to construct the identity of Pope Francis through these memes are also examined. This study seeks to provide a flexible theoretical framework, which could be used for the analysis of data that combines verbal and visual modes. It also wishes to demonstrate that internet memes, with their deceptive appearance of triviality, are a distinctive form of communication, the study of which can be useful in testing the theoretical underpinnings of communicative theory. The findings suggest that memes provide challenges to how discourse has generally been viewed in linguistic theory and argues for a chronotopic, multimodal, and dynamic view of communication.

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