Masters Degrees (General Linguistics)

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An analysis of the linguistic realisation of agency in the narratives of students on an extended degree programme
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Martin, Melissa; Bernard, Taryn; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the last decade there has been a proliferation of literature detailing the difficulties faced by first-year students as they navigate the transition to university. The increased diversity of the student population has led to a growing need to develop ways to meet the educational needs of the larger number of students entering higher education (HE) contexts. A consistent theme that weaves through the literature is that of deficit in dealing with diversity and difference. The research often documents the experiences of the students and their routes to access and participation in HE. Research conducted on foundation programmes, defined as the provisioning of modules, courses or other curricular elements to equip students with academic potential to successfully complete an HE qualification, has found that the students who do the programmes are conceptualised and constructed in deficit terms. The problem with the constructions are that they suggest the following issues: a difficulty on the students’ part to actively participate in university culture, that they are lacking in relevant skills and that they are unable to succeed in HEIs. It is thus due to these implied issues that the HE sector has a major issue to address: there is only one mainstream language (Lawrence 2000:1), meaning that language, literacies, and cultures that are different to that of the mainstream (more often than not, English) represent a deficiency on the part of the students who are unfamiliar with the mainstream. Within this deficit discourse, the students who are unable to master the mainstream discourses are labelled as “underprepared” and are often held accountable for not adopting the norms of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, with the number of first-generation students’ arrival to university increasing, this mindset will pose new challenges for students and the institutions. A similar attitude is aimed at students who come from low socio-economic backgrounds as they pose a problem in HE, often referred to as being “not traditional”, and adding to the notion that anything other than the mainstream will cause problems. In the interim, the most devastating effect of this deficit discourse is that difference is replaced with deficit. There is another aspect of the problem that remains absent from the literature: the students themselves. Adjacent to the issue of deficiency that surrounds the students is the lack of focus on their agency. Therefore, there is a call to research issues of agency amongst students. One method through which this can be done is narrative analysis. One definition of narrative analysis is that it is a form of linguistic analysis that takes an individual’s personal experiences as the object of investigation. By drawing on narrative theory, using William Labov’s method of structural narrative analysis, as well as thematic analysis, the study attempts to bring forth the views of students on an extended degree programme (EDP). This analysis thus attempts to find out how students construct themselves, based on their lived experiences and reasoning for attending university. It also attempts to assess if their narratives align with dominant deficit discourses about foundation programmes and the students who are on the programmes. By detailing the students’ experiences prior to attending university and giving credence to those experiences, the analysis reveals that students’ narratives can offer insight into the way they view and construct themselves and the university. This then links to the concept of agency, a concept that is almost absent within the discourses that surround foundation programmes. Their voices, which can be viewed as their agency, has no foothold within literature. The research, through the analysis of students’ narratives in terms of structure, themes and linguistic devices, reveals the students as active agents, who actively make their own choices and decisions.
Code-switching as a persuasive device in South African advertising
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Cowley, Jennali; Bernard, Taryn; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Advertising is characterised by a particular type of language and language use which is structured to fulfil a particular purpose. The primary function of advertising language is to persuade consumers to purchase the advertised products or services (Morris 2005; Piller 2003; Fuertes-Olivera,Velasco-Sacristán, Arribas-Bano & Samaniego-Fernández 2001). In South Africa, a multilingual context, there are many instances where advertisers employ two or more languages in one advertisement. Prior research on code-switching in text advertisements has revealed that the context and the direction of the code-switched elements influence the way in which participants interpret the advertisement, and whether they have a positive or negative association with the brand (Bishop & Petersen 2010; Luna & Peracchio 2005). However, in these studies, the advertising text was isolated from the visual elements of the advertisement and analysed as an independent variable. Further, the researchers only investigated the perceptions participants had of the advertisements where they speak the languages featured in the text, but not those of other audiences with different language repertoires who might encounter the advertisement in real-world, multilingual contexts. This thesis presents the results of a study that was designed to investigate perceptions an actual audience has of Afrikaans-English code-switched advertisements amongst a group of diverse students at Stellenbosch University. Subsequent to a viewing of five print advertisements, an in-depth questionnaire was distributed to 99 participants in order to determine (1) the persuasive nature of Afrikaans-English code-switching, and (2) whether or not, in research which ultimately aims to uncover the persuasive features of advertisements, the advertising text can be studied in isolation from the visual elements. The findings reveal that while the two different groups of participants had similar perceptions of the advertisements and products, they all had fairly neutral and also negative perceptions of code-switching. This has implications for understandings and uses of code-switching in advertising, and the effects that it may have on consumers in multilingual contexts.
Conceptual metaphors in media discourses on AIDS denialism in South Africa
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009-03) Nothnagel, Ignatius; Anthonissen, Christine; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
According to Nattrass (2007:138), the denial and questioning of the science of HIV/AIDS at government level by, amongst others, Thabo Mbeki (former State President) and Manto Tshabalala-Msimang (former Minister of Health) resulted in an estimated 343 000 preventable AIDS deaths in South Africa by 2007. Such governmental discourse of AIDS denialism has been the target of criticism in the media and by activist groups such as the Treatment Action Campaign. This study investigates the nature of this criticism, specifically considering the critical use of metaphor in visual texts such as the political cartoons of Jonathan Shapiro, who works under the pen name of “Zapiro”. The purpose is to determine whether the nature of the criticism in visual newspaper texts differs from that of corresponding verbal newspaper texts, possibly providing means of criticism not available to the verbal mode alone. A corpus of texts published between August 1999 and December 2007 that topicalise HIV/AIDS was investigated. This includes 119 cartoons by Zapiro, and 91 verbal articles in the weekly newspaper Mail & Guardian. The main theoretical approach used in the analyses is Conceptual Metaphor Theory, developed by Lakoff and Johnson (1981), and its extension to poetic metaphor, developed by Lakoff and Turner (1989). Because of the socio-political nature of the problem of HIV/AIDS, the study also draws on Critical Discourse Analysis, including complementary concepts from Systemic Functional Linguistics. The study reveals that visual and verbal texts make use of similar sets of conventional conceptual metaphors at similar frequencies, which confirms the predictions of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The study further reveals that the cartoons enrich these metaphors through four specific mechanisms of poetic metaphor, which the verbal articles do not. This indicates a significant difference between the two types of texts. Furthermore, it is found that the use of such poetic metaphors directly contributes to the critical power of the political cartoons. The study indicates that multi-modality in cartoons, which triggers single metaphoric mappings, adds a dimension to the critical function of the text that is absent in the verbal equivalent. The finding that the visual texts enable a form of cognition that is not available to verbal texts, poses one of the most significant avenues for future research. Thus, cartoons apparently achieve a type of criticism that is not found, and may not be possible, in the verbal texts alone. This makes the political cartoon a text type with an important and unique ability to articulate political criticism.
Cultural differences in using a telephone answering machine : views on conveying information or maintaining relationships
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009-03) Mathoho, Evelinah; Anthonissen, Christine; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
English as a Lingua Franca and English in South Africa : distinctions and overlap
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-03) Onraet, Lauren Alexandra; Anthonissen, Christine; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the prevalent, typical linguistic and discursive features of English as it is used as a shared medium of communication by speakers who do not share a first language in the Western Cape (i.e. as a lingua franca). These features were compared to those found in certain second-language varieties in South Africa, namely Black South African English, Cape Flats English and Afrikaans English. Fourteen female students from the University of Stellenbosch between the ages of 18 and 27 from various first language backgrounds were recruited for the data collection. A closed corpus was created in which recordings were made of semi-structured conversations between the participants, paired in seven groups of two speakers each. These recordings were then transcribed. In order to identify and analyse the English as a lingua franca (ELF) phenomena that arose, reference was made to the various linguistic features and methods of analysis of ELF suggested in House (2002), Seidlhofer (2004) and Meierkord (2000), amongst others. These features were then analysed and compared with the features reported in the literature on second-language varieties of English in South Africa. The study reveals that the South African ELF spoken by the participants displays similar features to the ELF(s) spoken in Europe, although certain European ELF features that occur in South African ELF are used to fulfil different functions. The study disclosed three ELF phenomena which have not been reported as such in the European ELF literature and therefore seem to be unique to the South African ELF context. Specifically, these are auxiliary dropping (AUX-drop), explicit self-doubt of a speaker‟s own ELF proficiency, and thinking aloud. Finally, certain South African ELF features are also reported to be features of South African second-language varieties (e.g. AUX-drop).
Gay intolerance in the language of Stellenbosch students : a critical discourse analysis of Campus News Media
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008-03) Mongie, Lauren; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
This thesis has been written in partial fulfillment of the requirements of a masters programme in intercultural communication. The study focuses on aspects of linguistic communication, specifically in media discourse, where “cultural boundaries” are determined by sexual difference and where much misunderstanding appears to be founded in different conceptions of homosexuality. I have investigated the theoretical frameworks within which discursive reflection on homosexuality can be studied from an interdisciplinary perspective. The research examines reports in a student newspaper that topicalise homosexuality; it also considers reports that are part of a discourse in which communication takes place between a heterosexual majority and a homosexual minority. Reports that were published across a period of five years were examined, in order to determine whether there has been any development in the discourse. This investigation of a particular kind of intercultural media discourse has been augmented by investigating attitudes towards the minority group by means of a questionnaire, designed by Kite and Deaux (1986: 137). This questionnaire was distributed among 240 students in an attempt to determine whether their reported attitudes coincide with those reported in the media. Despite the fact that homosexuality was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) more than 30 years ago, reports of homophobic violence and attitudes in news media reveal that a significant percentage of the population still views homosexuality as an illness, a psychological disorder or as sin. The aim of this thesis was to examine the possible (re)enforcement of such homophobic ideologies in news media, as well as the possible (re)enforcement of increasingly tolerant ideologies, by making use of frameworks developed within Critical Discourse Analysis, by van Dijk (1998) and Gelber (2002). While the results of the media analysis indicate a growing acceptance of homosexuality, the survey results reveal that the majority of the heterosexual students surveyed still maintain homophobic attitudes. Furthermore, discrepancies in the survey results reveal the complex nature of such attitudes.
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.
Investigating the impact of facebook-speak on the written academic work of learners in a Western Cape high school
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12) Roelofse, Louis; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examined the effect of language typically used on social network sites such as Facebook (referred to here as “Facebook-speak”) on the written academic work of a selected group of high school learners. The general aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of access to Facebook and thus of exposure to Facebook-speak amongst high school learners, and to establish whether any evidence of Facebook-speak features are identified in the written academic work of these learners. Eighty-eight learners from an English-Afrikaans dual medium school in a middle class region in the Western Cape participated in the study. The participants included 44 Afrikaans medium learners and 44 English medium learners of which 51 were in grade 8 and 37 were in grade 9. Questionnaires were completed by the learner participants to determine frequency and volume of Facebook use and self-reported recognition of features of Facebook-speak. Learners also completed a written exercise attached to the questionnaires for the purposes of discovering what counts as Facebook-speak features. The specific features the study anticipated were (deliberate) spelling errors, unconventional punctuation features, over-punctuation, the exclusion of functional words, the excessive use of abbreviations and acronyms and the incorporation of emoticons in written academic work. Additional features identified were the nonconventional use of tenses and sentence structure. The study hypothesised that high exposure to Facebook-speak and limited exposure to formal academic writing have an effect on the academic work of the learners. I considered a claim that the effects of Facebook-speak would be traceable in the schoolwork of the learners. The study therefore compared the actual academic marks the learner participants achieved in one semester for two of their subjects, namely their First Additional Language and History, and related these marks to questionnaire data. I assumed that in the language subject there would be more attention to aspects of grammar and writing, so that the effects of Facebook-speak were more likely to be seen in their History – and also reflected in their marks, i.e. I assumed weak writing skills would be more evident in History than in a language subject, and that weaker writing correlates with poorer marks. Five teacher participants from the same school also completed questionnaires regarding the visible features of Facebook-speak in the learners written work. They commented on new digital literacies and their impact on learners written academic work in an open-ended question put to them in the questionnaire. The results of the study indicate that learner-participants are ardent users of the social utility Facebook and that socio- economic and racial variables do not factor significantly into Facebook accessibility. The learners believe that Facebook does not have any negative impact on their History work. The data I worked with pointed to the contrary. The History marks were in fact lower than the First Additional marks across both grades and all the classes. This could be attributed (at least in part) to a lack of dedicated attention to grammaticality and writing style in the History classroom and an emphasis on factual correctness instead. Although they did not believe Facebook-interaction translated into weaker marks, almost half of the learners stated that Facebook does indeed have an impact on their written work. In considering the possible relation between Facebook-speak and academic performance, the study found that the Afrikaans L1 learners achieved lower marks in both their First Additional language (their L2) and History in comparison to the English L1 learners using the same measures. This possibly indicates not only high exposure to Facebook-speak, but also limited exposure to standardised forms of Afrikaans as it is used in other genres. The written exercise completed by the learners accounted for the majority of data that substantiated the hypothesis that Facebook-speak impacts the written academic work of learners at school. The Afrikaans medium learners scored weaker marks than the English medium participants. The overall non-formal language features were significantly more in the exercises written by Afrikaans medium learners. The abundance of non-formal language features represented in the learner participants’ written work can be related to any of a number of variables. Negative perceptions among teachers and learners regarding multimodalities and digital literacies do not allow the development of curricula or learning materials which integrate such new literacies in the learning process. The reality that learners’ world is one where digital communication and short messaging is likely to increase rather than disappear, obliges a search for effective ways of incorporating such real world uses of language into educational structures in a thorough and integrative way. Until tried and tested methods have been achieved, traditional literacies appear not to be developing, while the notion of new literacies is still on the backburner in South African schools.
An investigation of discriminatory language used in communicating with South Africans born in Tanzania and Zambia
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Mtonjeni, Thembinkosi; Anthonissen, Christine; Deumert, A.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper was to investigate the language used in communicating with South Africans born in Zambia and Tanzania during the years of "the struggle" and now repatriated – the returnees. From 1991 the children of the freedom fighters that migrated into exile in the 1960s to avoid the apartheid rule, returned. Some settled with their children in Khayelitsha near Cape Town, but they have found it difficult to fit in. The surge of foreign nationals from Africa who subsequently encountered xenophobic attitudes and allegations of corruption, drug smuggling, contributing to unemployment of South African born citizens and being carriers of HIV/AIDS has contributed to the returnees "new struggle" for integration and adaption as they often share common ancestry, linguistic and physical attributes with foreign nationals. They are denigrated as "amakwerekwere", "my friendoh" or "amagweja". This has happened despite them learning the local indigenous language, isiXhosa. Since the study is phenomenological, a qualitative research was appropriate. In data-collection, interviews were arranged with the returnees in their homes. Critical Discourse Analysis, sociological and historical accounts and sociolinguistic research revealed complex socio-cultural issues of the Xhosa world, which may have complicated the returnees‘ integration experience. The returnees seem to be leading a secluded solitary life as if exiled at home. The study found that in exile the returnees were at times tagged as outsiders, as "wakimbizi", "the Mandelas", "amagorila". On arriving home in the country of their exiled parents, they were again, painfully and unjustifiably, subjected to discrimination and marginalisation. The Xhosa speakers who form the majority of those formerly disenfranchised and marginalised in the Western Cape, and who were expected to be the hosts if not guardians of the returnees, seem not to understand and appreciate the role of the newcomers. That they were instrumental in the mobilisation of objections worldwide against apartheid, racism and human injustice seems to be forgotten. Rather than using their power and heritage to end xenophobia and ensure returnees are part of the future South African social fabric, they are found to be hostile and discriminatory.
An investigation of linguistic and cultural variation in the understanding and execution of academic writing tasks
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-03) Zybrands, Helena; Anthonissen, Christine; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
This study investigates the conceptualisation and execution of macro-textual features of academic writing of students in an EAP course. An assumption is that students have difficulties in producing academic writing. The study investigates participant’s conceptualisation of academic writing and compares it to what they do in constructing their own academic texts. It finds that there is a difference between what they say and what they do. Their focus is generally on micro-textual level, i.e. on the level of words, phrases and sentences, which masks difficulties on macro-textual level, i.e. on the discursive level of linguistic units larger than the sentence. Furthermore, the hypothesis that differences between English L2 students and English academic norms are culturally determined, is found to be much less valid than is mostly suggested in the literature that deals with rhetorical structure of English L2 writing.
Justificatory discourse of the perpetrator in TRC testimonies : a discourse-historical analysis
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009-03) Bernard, Taryn; Anthonissen, Christine; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
This study investigates the ways in which former South African Police (SAP) perpetrators of human rights violations justify their criminal actions in testifying before the Amnesty Committee (AC) of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In particular, attention goes to the testimonies of former Commissioner of Police Johan van der Merwe, and former member of the Security Branch section of the SAP, Jeffrey Benzien. A key assumption in the study is that the justification of human rights violations is a discursive practice that is largely language dependent (Reisigl & Wodak 200: xi). The research draws on the theoretical aims and methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). It refers largely to Benke and Wodak’s (2003) discourse–historical study on the justificatory discourse of ex-Wehrmacht officers of the Austrian army. This study therefore takes a discourse-historical approach to discourse and the data, an approach which takes into consideration the surrounding political and historical context of the selected texts, which are, in this case, the testimonies of perpetrators at the AC hearings. Besides an analysis of the justificatory discourses produced by two former police officers, the study reflects on how the discursive strategies of the apartheid perpetrators compare with one another and with the ex- Wehrmacht officers. CDA and the discourse-historical approach provide interdisciplinary angles on linguistic analysis of a text. For this reason, a review is given of literature which relates the study to political, historical and philosophical insights. The analysis particularly makes use of Foster et al.’s (2005) socio-political study of apartheid perpetrator narratives. The study reveals that perpetrators used a fixed set of justificatory discursive strategies to talk about human rights violations, and their role in such violations. These linguistic strategies are used for a number of different reasons, including reducing personal responsibility, avoiding talking about past atrocities, saving face where personal malicious and degenerate behaviour is made public and diverting feelings of personal guilt. On a discourse theoretical level the study eventually convinces that there are generic strategies typically used in justificatory discourse, whether it be in response to Wehrmacht atrocities of the Second World War or to security force excesses in repressing aspirations of disenfranchised citizens during the last thirty years of the Nationalist government in South Africa. Some stories don’t want to be told. They walk away, carrying their suitcases held together with grey string. Look at their disappearing curved spines. Hunch-backs. Harmed ones. Hold alls. Some stories refuse to be danced or mimed, drop their scuffed canes and clattering tap-shoes, erase their traces in nursery rhymes or ancient games like blind man’s bluff. Excerpt from “Parts of Speech” by Ingrid de Kok
Language biographies and language repertoires : changes in language identity of indigenous African language speakers in a town in the Northern Cape
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Daubney, Anna-Marie; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the language shift from isiXhosa to Afrikaans in a group of indigenous African language speakers in a rural Northern Cape community. It plots the process that took place over three generations and focuses on the language identity of some members of this community as portrayed by their language biographies and linguistic repertoires. This phenomenon was researched after preliminary enquiries into linguistic identities and bilingualism in the Hopetown area revealed that although most inhabitants use Afrikaans as L1 at home, at school and in public, a considerable number did not present the anticipated monolingual Afrikaans with minimal L2-English repertoires. People from indigenous ethnic groups like the Xhosa were also found to be speaking Afrikaans as home language rather than isiXhosa. The thesis gives a description and explanation of how a process of language shift from isiXhosa to Afrikaans took place. The findings suggest that a number of Xhosas started to migrate from the Eastern Cape to the Hopetown area in the Northern Cape during the 1960s when employment opportunities in the State‟s water and irrigation development scheme became available. The Afrikaans-speaking employers expected their workforce to speak Afrikaans and in the interest of economic survival, the disenfranchised workers learned to speak Afrikaans. In addition to the employment situation, the accommodation situation was unusual in that Hopetown‟s township was seen as a Coloured area. In the time when the Group Areas Act dictated that ethnic segregation had to be enforced, the influx of Xhosa and other ethnic groups was not expected. When it happened, it was either overlooked or remained unnoticed. The Xhosa workers, with their families, had to blend in with the Coloured population in order not to attract attention. The research follows the language shift based on information gained from questionnaires and by means of narrative analysis. Case studies of selected respondents reveal how the individuals gradually settled into a new language identity without complete loss of their traditional ties to language and cultural practices. A small story analysis sheds light on how selected members of the community experienced the shift and how they perceive their roles in the process. This thesis ultimately shows the contribution that language biographies can make to sociolinguistic research.
Language choices of English L1 learners in a Western Cape high school
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009-03) Farmer, Jean L.; Anthonissen, Christine; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
This research focuses on the language repertoire, patterns of language use and language preferences of learners from Afrikaans homes, who are registered in the English first language classes in a particular Western Cape High School. Out interest is in how a profile of the linguistic resources of such learners and the context in which their linguistic identity develops may contribute to a perceived process of language shift in the bilingual/multilingual community where they learn and live. SCHOOL A is multi-racial and multi-lingual, with a large component of "coloured" learners living in a nearby predominantly-Afrikaans community. The thesis investigates the linguistic preferences and patterns of language choice and language use of the selected group of learners across various domains, notably at home, with relatives, at school, with peers and in their religious communities. Data from various sources is presented and discussed in detail to illustrate the variety of language skills of English L1 learners between the ages of 15 and 17 in Grades 10 and 11. This will give an impression of how multilingual a given section of the local high school population is. The profile tests whether home language or academic language has a greater influence on the later language choice of learners whose parents use Afrikaans as home language and who have English as LOLT, meaning that these learners possibly possess considerable skills in at least two languages. The data was collected by means of limited access to school records, questionnaires filled out by learners, interviews with a number of learners and a couple of parents of such learners. This gives a very good impression of which languages learners know, which they used most, which they prefer where the choice is between English/Afrikaans bilingualism, English only, Afrikaans only, or codemixed Afrikaans/English). The thesis reports on the linguistic repertoire and preferences, and also on reasons given by learners and parents for their selection of one or more of the various community languages in the different domains. Consideration is given to the possible accommodation of these learners as first language users of English which is largely a second language in the community, by other community members and institutions such as school and church. The critical interest of this thesis is to determine the nature and extent of perceived language shift in this selected community of learners at a particular Western Cape high school, and to consider whether such a shift is indicative of a more extensive process of marginalization of Afrikaans in a community that historically had a strong Afrikaans identity.
Language policy and practice in a multilingual classroom : managing linguistic diversity in a Namibian high school
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Mensah, Henry Amo; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the language policy and implementation outside and inside the classroom in a multilingual and multicultural international school. Specifically, it aims at giving an insight into how linguistic and cultural diversity is managed at Windhoek International School (WIS). It takes a specific interest in the kinds of language policy that determine which languages are used in education in a context where both teachers and learners are L1 speakers of a considerable number of different languages. The participants in this study are multilingual learners and teachers of WIS. The study uses data from the school records, a questionnaire, interviews and observation. The analysis of the data is descriptive, interpretive and explanatory. The findings of the study are that the language policy at WIS is articulated in such a manner that it encourages monolingual norms although the school’s community is multilingual. English is the MoI, used in official communication across the school and also as a language of communication with the school’s stakeholders. Other European languages, namely- French, German and Portuguese are officially taught as modern foreign languages. Significantly, none of the local Namibian languages are taught in the school. However, the school does not bar its learners and teachers from using their LotE especially outside of the classroom. The study also shows that the language ecology at WIS demonstrates a situation of polyglossia where English is on top of the language hierarchy. From the findings, it is suggested that since WIS recognises the multilingual and multicultural composition of its learners and teachers, its whole school policy should be looked at again to reflect current thinking in language-in-education policy. The policy should place emphasis on dynamic bilingualism by supporting and encouraging the teaching and learning of LotE, including local indigenous languages, as a means of scaffolding and as a means of bridging knowledge development in the school. However, for purposes of examination, the school should place emphasis on the extensive use of English to enable its learners to meet the requirements of external examiners.
The linguistic identities of multilingual adolescents involved in educational enrichment programmes in Johannesburg
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12) Bristowe, Anthea J.; Oostendorp, Marcelyn; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis focuses on a community of multilingual adolescents who are high performers in mathematics and science, and whose primary language of teaching and learning is English. The participants who form part of the study all attend selected educational enrichment programmes in the greater Johannesburg area. The thesis is particularly interested in how students' language repertoires feature in their learning and in how their language repertoires contribute to their identity construction. This research is informed by literature which views identity not only as complex, contradictory, multivoiced and multifaceted, but also as dynamic and subject to constant renegotiation across space and time. In seeking answers to specific questions about the linguistic identities of the teenage participants in this study, this study will establish what the full linguistic repertoire of each participant is, and whether or not participants identify themselves by means of language. While there have been a number of very authoritative studies of language repertoires, many of these have focused on indigenous minorities, migrants or refugees who need to improve their life chances in a context where their L1 is not dominant. Although this study does include a number of participants originally from outside of South Africa, the majority of the participants are South Africans whose first languages are official languages. This study uses a multimodal approach in data collection and analysis in an attempt to investigate the multi-semiotic nature of the linguistic identities of the participants. Following the work of Busch (2010), I argue, that multilingualism can no longer be seen as an abstract competency, and that "language crossing", the appropriation of elements across boundaries, becomes a competency in its own right. These competencies can thus be used as a way of constructing a speaker's linguistic identity. Finally, the thesis makes a recommendation that more multimodal studies should be conducted in order to investigate the 'performativity' of 'identity construction'.
Linguistic variation in Afrikaans in the Southern Cape: grammatical form and function in the spoken language of young adults
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Meyer, Grazelde; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study involves an examination of possibly distinctive features of different variants of Afrikaans. This was done in a town in the southern Cape, in which Afrikaans is the predominant home language and lingua franca. Different varieties of Afrikaans among current residents are widely observed, but have not yet been described in detail. Besides giving a snapshot of current varieties that are in use among speakers between the ages of 18 and 25 years, this study considers a sample of language use in three groups of users in order to assess how recent changing patterns of contact in educational settings may have affected the varieties they speak. The working hypothesis is that the "dialect differences" between formerly socially isolated groups could be in the process of decreasing, as a result of fading social boundaries. This is a small-scale pilot study that tests the hypothesis. The study collected recordings of spoken Afrikaans of young people who fall into three categories, namely (i) those who completed their primary and secondary schooling in the schools within a "coloured residential area" (e.g. Pacaltsdorp primary and high school), (ii) those who completed their primary and secondary schooling in the schools within the "white town areas" (e.g. Outeniqua primary and high school), and (iii) those who started their primary schooling in a school within a coloured residential area, but moved to a historically “white” school (a so-called Model C school) for their high school education. Data was elicited by using pictures of persons that participants were likely to know. The pictures were shown to pairs of speakers as prompts to a discussion that would require comparable words and expressions, thus delivering comparable sets of relatively naturally occurring speech. The recorded data was transcribed in a corpus program (ExMaralda) so that salient forms could be isolated, and the regularity as well as distribution of each form could be easily traced. The data was used to determine if and how the varieties of Afrikaans spoken by members of the three groups differ, and also to check whether there is evidence that the recent language contact between some of the coloured and white participants in their high school years had a noticeable effect on the language forms they are currently using. So the aim was to check whether there is evidence of speech accommodation, dialect levelling and dialect shift, as the different communities gradually integrate more than before. Specific attention went to vocabulary as well as to grammatical features that stood out as markers of one rather than the other community-associated version of Afrikaans.
Mediated identity construction across cultures : an analysis of reports on the Guguletu Seven
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2008-03) Du Plooy, Daniel Rupert; Anthonissen, Christine; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
This thesis has been written as a research project within a programme that topicalises intercultural communication in fairly broad terms. It provides an analysis of the different constructions in the media of events and people by journalists from different linguistic communities who have regular intercultural contact in the course of reporting on local newsworthy events. The communities here are different media producers, different news publishing institutions who print and circulate current news to audiences in different language communities. Illustratively, attention will go to the particular role players in the media, i.e. news producers (journalists, newspapers, publishing groups), newsmakers (people whose actions are observed and topicalised in the media) and news consumers (the audience, readership) engaged in reporting on a particular, prominently mediated event in 1986, and again in 1996. The event that is now recorded as the Guguletu Seven incident is investigated for the way in which it can highlight cultural linguistic differences in mediating the same event.
Multilingual communication in a higher education classroom in Namibia where the dominant community language is Oshiwambo
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12) Shiweda, Meameno Aileen; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study refers to the use of two languages in education at a satellite campus of the University of Namibia situated in the far north of the country in the town of Ongwediva. The dominant community language in this region is Oshiwambo. The official language of the country, and of the particular university campus, is English. As the majority of students come from this region, the dominant first language on this campus among staff and students is Oshiwambo. This research gives a description of multilingualism prevalent among individuals and in the community on this particular campus; it also explains some of the characterising features of a plurilingual community of practice in this higher education (HE) institution. This thesis gives a description of communicative practices in a multilingual classroom at the particular HE institution in this rural town. It aims to document how practices of code-switching between Oshiwambo and English are used in facilitating (or hindering) learning as this becomes manifest in classroom discourse. Also, it aims to explain the kind of mobility that is enabled and sometimes also enforced by linguistic diversity within a community such as the one investigated here on the Hifikepunye Pohamba campus in Ongwediva. Findings of this study provide evidence that most lecturers and students, even many of foreign origin, alternate between two languages, namely between Oshiwambo and English. Although the practice of code switching is neither unusual nor discouraged, the data indicates that is occurs much less in formal classroom discourse than in informal discourse and in smaller group discussions. Observed and recorded presentations by the lecturer are done in English and responses by students in the lecture are given largely in English. Code switching from English to Oshiwambo happens when students need to articulate themselves more precisely than their English proficiency allows. Such code switching also serves other purposes such as including and excluding other conversants, mediating new knowledge, changing tone, etc. L1 speakers of languages other than Oshiwambo do at times experience social isolation, and exclusion in collaborative learning. Nevertheless, many informally acquire proficiency in Oshiwambo and so are accommodated into the educational discourse. The mobility of the local Namibian population as well as that of people from neighbouring countries, enhances the multilingualism which has to be accommodated in lectures and in out-of-classroom interaction. In spite of multilingual repertoires, the participants in the study all ascribe to a model of “double monolingualism” in that they regard their linguistic repertoires not as intersecting language systems, but as separate systems with distinct functions in different contexts. Their linguistic practices, however, display much more unconscious integration of the variety of languages they know. The study finds that it is vital for educators to take cognisance of these findings in order to make better use of the linguistic resources of the communities represented among lecturers and students.
Multilingualism in Health Care: Communicative experiences of expatriate healthcare providers with varying linguistic repertoires in Windhoek, Namibia
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Mlambo, Nelson; Anthonissen, Christine; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study reports on the investigation of communicative practices among multilingual participants in healthcare in Windhoek, Namibia, from the perspective of expatriate healthcare practitioners working in the private sector. The multilingual environment of healthcare has remained largely uninvestigated in Namibia, which is a matter of concern considering how heavily Namibia relies on healthcare providers of foreign origin whose linguistic repertoires are diverse. The general objective of this research was to gain insight into multilingual communicative resources and needs, and how from the perspective of healthcare providers (HCPs), communication is managed. The study has a qualitative research design, using a questionnaire to collect data from 19 HCPs. The 19 HCPs who participated in this study selfreported a wide range of linguistic biographies; in addition to their mother tongue/home language the HCPs indicated that they had acquired various other languages. English was acquired by all participants at an early age, most between the ages three and nine years old. The context of English language acquisition was reported as the school environment, starting as early as in pre-primary school. Expatriate HCPs with many languages in their repertoire working in a multilingual context found the linguistic diversity among colleagues and patients to be challenging to a lesser extent, and enriching to a greater extent. The study further found that the expatriate HCP respondents experience the use of many languages to be an engagement that broadens their professional, social and cultural views and this ultimately results in improved work relations and improved HCP-patient relationships. The use of English as well as indigenous Namibian and foreign languages was found rather to improve than prohibit efficient interactions with the patients, and multilingualism was found to be a resource, especially within a context like Windhoek, Namibia.
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.

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Browsing Masters Degrees (General Linguistics) by browse.metadata.advisor "Anthonissen, Christine"

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