Entanglements of semiotic resources and space in the language portraits of Stellenbosch University staff and students
Date
2020-03
Authors
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis explores the lived experiences of minority language speakers at Stellenbosch University. The concept of linguistic repertoires is a central part of this study as it investigates the diverse linguistic repertoires participants bring with them to Stellenbosch University and how they use them to position themselves in the campus environment. This thesis included 15 participants who are either staff or students at Stellenbosch University. The study provides an in-depth discussion of language portraits, a methodological tool that is increasingly used in applied linguistics research (Busch 2012; Bristowe 2013; Prasad 2016; Singer 2018). Language portraits are art-based multimodal research instruments that produce data in the form of biographical narratives. Such data foregrounds the voice and perspective of the subject making it possible to trace the development of the linguistic repertoire across a life time. It also provides a clearer picture of the entanglements of language and other social issues such as gender, class, identity, etc. This study is narrative driven as it aims to foreground the voices of the participants by allowing them to tell their own stories and be part of interpreting the meaning as well. Chapters two and three are centered on the stories of two participants, respectively and from their narratives connections are drawn to the theory. This thesis also investigates how the participants experience spaces on and around campus. It provides insight into how people read and interpret semiotic resources in the spaces they inhabit. Data was collected by using the participatory photo interview method (Kolb 2008) that invites participants to be part of collecting data about their surroundings, by taking photos of it. Participants were instructed to take pictures of anything in the spaces they move through in their daily lives that make them feel welcome and unwelcome and to provide brief explanations of their choice of pictures. The conclusions drawn from how participants experience spaces on campus and what they can accomplish with their linguistic repertoires paints a grim picture. The environment is portrayed as a place where rich linguistic repertoires are silenced, diversity is denied and people struggle to find spaces that truly feel welcome. This in turn affects where people choose to move and how much freedom they have to express themselves.
Theoretically, this study contributes to the movement in sociolinguistics which argues for language to be ‘disinvented’ and ‘reconstituted’ (Makoni and Pennycook 2005) and for a linguistic landscape to be viewed as multisensorial and multimodal (Jaworski and Thurlow 2010; Pennycook and Otsuji 2014). The study also attempts to show that in order for students to feel welcome at SU, more than just language needs to be attended to.
ISIZULU ABSTRACT: Lo mbiko wocwaningo ubheka lokho abakhuluma izilimi ezikhulunywa ngabambalwa ababhekana nakho eNyuvesi YaseStellenbosch. Umqondongqangi wezindaba zolimi yiwona mnyombo walolu cwaningo njengoba luphenya ngezindaba ezahlukahlukene zolimi ababambiqhaza abeza nazo eNyuvesi YaseStellenbosch kanye nendlela abazisebenzisa ngayo ukuzibeka ezindaweni abazibeka kuzo esikhungweni salenyuvesi. Lo mbiko wocwaningo ubandakanya ababambiqhaza abangu-15 abangabasebenzi noma abangabafundi eNyuvesi yaseStellenbosch. Umphumela walolucwaningo ukuba kube nengxoxo ejulile mayelana nemifanekiso eqondene nolimi, eyithuluzi elihlelwe ngendlela neselisetshenziswa kakhulu emkhakheni wocwaningo lokuphathelene nokubhekwa nokusombululwa emikhakheni wezilimi (Busch 2012; Bristowe 2013; Prasad 2016; Singer 2018). Imifanekiso emaqondana nolimi ingamathuluzi ocwaningo ayizimo ezahlukahlukene akhiqiza imininingwane esazingxoxo ngemlando yabantu. Lemininingwane igqamisa izwi nemibono yababambiqhaza mayelana nalesi sihloko okwenza kube lula ukulandelela ukuthuthukiswa kwezindaba zolimi ezimpilweni zabo. Iphinde inikeze nesithombe esicacile sokuthandelana kolimi kanye nezinye izindaba eziphathelene nenhlalo ezifana nezobulili, ezezinga, ezokuhlonzwa komuntu ngokobuyena, njll. Lolucwaningo ludle ngokulandisa njengoba luhlosa ukuthi ababambiqhaza bakwazi ukudlulisa imilando nemibono yabo baphinde babe yingxenye yokuhumusha incazelo. Isahluko sesibili nesesithathu zigxile ezindabeni zababambiqhaza ababili, ngokulandelana kwabo, bese kubhekwa ukuxhumana kwemibono abayivezile kanye nemibono evezwa yilolucwaningo. Lolu cwaningo luphinde luphenye ngokuthi ababambiqhaza bayithola injani indawo esikhungweni salenyuvesi kanye nezindawo eziseduzane naso. Ucwaningo luphinde lusivezele nokuthi abantu bayibheka futhi bayihumusha kanjani imithombo eyizimpawu ezindaweni abahlala kuzo. Imininingwane iqoqwe kusetshenziswa indlela yokubamba iqhaza ehambisana nokuthi ababambiqhaza baphendule imibuzo esuselwa ezithombeni abazithathile (Kolb 2008). Ababambiqhaza bacelwe ukuba babe yingxenye yokuqoqa imininingwane ngezindawo abahlala kuzo nabazijwayele ngokuthi bathathe izithombe zendawo. Ababambiqhaza bayalelwa ukuba bathathe izithombe zanoma iziphi izindawo abahamba kuzo nsuku zonke ezenza bazizwe bemukelekile noma bengemukelekile bese benikeza nezincazelo ezimfushane maqondana nokukhetha kwabo lezo zithombe . Imiphumela evezwa wucwaningo ngokuthi ababambe iqhaza bazithola zinjani izindawo abakuzo esikhungweni senyuvesi nabangakufeza ngezilimi zabo ezinothile kuveza isithombe esingesihle. Isimo sendawo sivela njengendawo lapho umcebo wezilimi ezifika nabalabafundi nabasebenzi unganakwa, ukwahluka kwabantu kuyinto engavumelekile futhi kunzima ebantwini ukuthola izindawo lapho bezizwa bemukeleke khona okwangempela. Lokhu kujika kube nomthelela maqondana nezindawo abantu abakhetha ukuhamba kuzona kanye nenani lenkululeko abanayo ekuvezeni imibono yabo. Ngokwemibono yezinzululwazi, lolu cwaningo ludlala indima emzabalazweni wokusetshenziswa kolimi emphakathini okulwela ukuba ulimi ‘lushabalaliswa’ futhi ‘lwakhiwe kabusha’ (Makoni and Pennycook 2005) nokuba ukwakheka kolimi kubonakale njengento ezinzwaningi noma ezimoningi (Jaworski and Thurlow 2010; Pennycook and Otsuji 2014). Ucwaningo luphinde luzame ukuveza ukuthi ukuze abafundi bazizwe bemukelekile eSU, kungaphezu kolimi okumele kubhekwe.
ISIZULU ABSTRACT: Lo mbiko wocwaningo ubheka lokho abakhuluma izilimi ezikhulunywa ngabambalwa ababhekana nakho eNyuvesi YaseStellenbosch. Umqondongqangi wezindaba zolimi yiwona mnyombo walolu cwaningo njengoba luphenya ngezindaba ezahlukahlukene zolimi ababambiqhaza abeza nazo eNyuvesi YaseStellenbosch kanye nendlela abazisebenzisa ngayo ukuzibeka ezindaweni abazibeka kuzo esikhungweni salenyuvesi. Lo mbiko wocwaningo ubandakanya ababambiqhaza abangu-15 abangabasebenzi noma abangabafundi eNyuvesi yaseStellenbosch. Umphumela walolucwaningo ukuba kube nengxoxo ejulile mayelana nemifanekiso eqondene nolimi, eyithuluzi elihlelwe ngendlela neselisetshenziswa kakhulu emkhakheni wocwaningo lokuphathelene nokubhekwa nokusombululwa emikhakheni wezilimi (Busch 2012; Bristowe 2013; Prasad 2016; Singer 2018). Imifanekiso emaqondana nolimi ingamathuluzi ocwaningo ayizimo ezahlukahlukene akhiqiza imininingwane esazingxoxo ngemlando yabantu. Lemininingwane igqamisa izwi nemibono yababambiqhaza mayelana nalesi sihloko okwenza kube lula ukulandelela ukuthuthukiswa kwezindaba zolimi ezimpilweni zabo. Iphinde inikeze nesithombe esicacile sokuthandelana kolimi kanye nezinye izindaba eziphathelene nenhlalo ezifana nezobulili, ezezinga, ezokuhlonzwa komuntu ngokobuyena, njll. Lolucwaningo ludle ngokulandisa njengoba luhlosa ukuthi ababambiqhaza bakwazi ukudlulisa imilando nemibono yabo baphinde babe yingxenye yokuhumusha incazelo. Isahluko sesibili nesesithathu zigxile ezindabeni zababambiqhaza ababili, ngokulandelana kwabo, bese kubhekwa ukuxhumana kwemibono abayivezile kanye nemibono evezwa yilolucwaningo. Lolu cwaningo luphinde luphenye ngokuthi ababambiqhaza bayithola injani indawo esikhungweni salenyuvesi kanye nezindawo eziseduzane naso. Ucwaningo luphinde lusivezele nokuthi abantu bayibheka futhi bayihumusha kanjani imithombo eyizimpawu ezindaweni abahlala kuzo. Imininingwane iqoqwe kusetshenziswa indlela yokubamba iqhaza ehambisana nokuthi ababambiqhaza baphendule imibuzo esuselwa ezithombeni abazithathile (Kolb 2008). Ababambiqhaza bacelwe ukuba babe yingxenye yokuqoqa imininingwane ngezindawo abahlala kuzo nabazijwayele ngokuthi bathathe izithombe zendawo. Ababambiqhaza bayalelwa ukuba bathathe izithombe zanoma iziphi izindawo abahamba kuzo nsuku zonke ezenza bazizwe bemukelekile noma bengemukelekile bese benikeza nezincazelo ezimfushane maqondana nokukhetha kwabo lezo zithombe . Imiphumela evezwa wucwaningo ngokuthi ababambe iqhaza bazithola zinjani izindawo abakuzo esikhungweni senyuvesi nabangakufeza ngezilimi zabo ezinothile kuveza isithombe esingesihle. Isimo sendawo sivela njengendawo lapho umcebo wezilimi ezifika nabalabafundi nabasebenzi unganakwa, ukwahluka kwabantu kuyinto engavumelekile futhi kunzima ebantwini ukuthola izindawo lapho bezizwa bemukeleke khona okwangempela. Lokhu kujika kube nomthelela maqondana nezindawo abantu abakhetha ukuhamba kuzona kanye nenani lenkululeko abanayo ekuvezeni imibono yabo. Ngokwemibono yezinzululwazi, lolu cwaningo ludlala indima emzabalazweni wokusetshenziswa kolimi emphakathini okulwela ukuba ulimi ‘lushabalaliswa’ futhi ‘lwakhiwe kabusha’ (Makoni and Pennycook 2005) nokuba ukwakheka kolimi kubonakale njengento ezinzwaningi noma ezimoningi (Jaworski and Thurlow 2010; Pennycook and Otsuji 2014). Ucwaningo luphinde luzame ukuveza ukuthi ukuze abafundi bazizwe bemukelekile eSU, kungaphezu kolimi okumele kubhekwe.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Linguistic minorities -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch University, Linguistic repertoires, Language portraits, Storytelling -- Psychological aspects, Semiotics, Language and culture, UCTD, Marginality, Social -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch University