The linguistic repertoires and lived experience of language of African foreign students at Stellenbosch University
Date
2022-12
Authors
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Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigated the linguistic repertoires and the lived experience of language of African foreign students at Stellenbosch University. The study also explored how globalization had affected concepts such as language, migration, and identity as the increase in the number of people moving across the world has had a huge impact on our understanding of how linguistic resources are spread and how identity is constructed. Concepts that view language as bound and static can no longer be used in this age of increased migration and increased interaction between people from all backgrounds and walks of life. This increased migration and increased mobility has meant the spread of linguistic resources that can be deployed in various communicative interactions. The aim of this study was to find the link between the linguistic repertoires of the students and how their linguistic resources contributed to their identity construction and sense of belonging in their new environment.
This study was conducted at Stellenbosch University and a total of 8 participants were recruited for this study. A qualitative research approach that comprised of a language portrait, background questionnaire and semi-structured interviews was used. The language portraits were used to obtain information on the linguistic repertoires of the participants, and the background questionnaire were also used to ascertain what the linguistic repertoires of the participants were as well as to provide biographical information about where the participants originated and their level of proficiency in the languages listed. The interviews were used to gain a deeper reflection on the language portraits given by the participants and to allow the participants to narrate their own experiences in their own words and give an account of their own linguistic trajectory.
It was found that migration and mobility had indeed affected the linguistic repertoires of the participants. The multilingual environments that the participants had grown up in had given them an appreciation of engaging with other multilingual speakers and so when the participants moved to new spaces, they welcomed the opportunity to add new linguistic resources to their repertoires and blend them together. The study also found that because the participants grew up in multilingual societies, this cemented a strong sense of cultural identity early on and this caused the participants to not be easily deterred when faced with linguistic challenges in Stellenbosch, but instead take them in their stride and focus on rather keeping up with the communicative interactions they were able to engage in.
SESOTHO: Thesis ena e ile ea fuputsa lenane la lipuo tse buuoang le boiphihlelo bo tsamaisanang le tsebo ea lipuo ea baithuti ba Maafrika ba tsoang kantle ho naha Univesithing ea Stellenbosch. Boithuto bo boetse bo hlahlobile hore na mohopolo oa 'puo', 'bofalli' le 'boitsebahatso' o fetohile joang ka lebaka la ho eketseha ha lichaba tsa lefatše ‘me e amme mokhoa oo re utloisisang tsela eo mekhoa ea ho buisana le tsela eo re ahang boitsebahatso ba rona ka teng. Mehopolo e nkang puo e le e tlamahaneng le e sa fetoheng e ke ke ea hlola e sebelisoa mehleng ena ea ho falla ho eketsehileng le tšebelisano e ntseng e eketseha pakeng tsa batho ba limelo tsohle le maemo a bophelo. Ho eketseha hona hoa ho falla le ho eketseha ha motsamao ho bakile hore mehloli ea lipuo e ka sebelisoang litšebelisanong tse fapa-fapaneng tsa puisano e ate. Khahlanong le maemo ana, sepheo sa phuputso ena e ne e le ho batlisisa ka lenane la lipuo tse buuoang ke baithuti le hore na mehloli ea bona ea lipuo e tlatselitse joang kahong ea boitsebahatso ba bona le boikutlo ba ho ameha le ho amoheloa tikolohong ea bona e ncha. Phuputso ena e entsoe Univesithing ea Stellenbosch 'me kakaretso ea bankakarolo ba robeli ba thaothoa bakeng sa phuputso ena. Ho ile ha sebelisoa mokhoa oa ho etsa lipatlisiso tsa boleng bo nang le setšoantšo sa puo, lipotso tsa maemo a bophelo le lipuisano tse hlophisitsoeng hantle. Lits'oants'o tsa puo li ile tsa sebelisoa ho fumana leseli mabapi le pokello ea lipuo tsa barupeluoa, 'me lipotso tsa maemo a bophelo li ile tsa sebelisoa hape ho netefatsa hore na pokello ea lipuo tsa barupeluoa e ne e le eng hammoho le ho fana ka tlhahisoleseling mabapi le bankakarolo le bokhoni ba bona lipuong tse fanoeng. Lipuisano tse hlophisitsoeng li ile tsa sebelisoa ho fumana kutloisiso e tebileng ea litšoantšo tsa lipuo tse fanoeng ke bankakarolo le ho fa bankakarolo ho pheta liphihlelo tsa bona ka mantsoe a bona le ho fana ka tlaleho ea lenane la bona la lipuo. Ho fumanehile hore ho falla le ho tsamaea li ne li hlile li amme lipuo tsa bankakarolo. Boemo ba ho holela libakeng tseo ho buuoang lipuo tse ngata ho tsona e ba file kananelo ea ho sebelisana le batho ba buang lipuo tse ngata, kahoo ha bankakarolo ba fallela libakeng tse ncha, ba ile ba amohela monyetla oa ho eketsa lisebelisoa tse ncha tsa lipuo pokellong ea bona le ho li kopanya hammoho. Ho boetse hoa fumaneha hape hore baithuti ba kentse lisebelisoa tsena tsa lipuo ntle le ho ikutloa eka ba lahlehetsoe ke lefa la bona la lipuo le setso ‘me ha ba ka ba lumella mathata ao ba kopanang le ona ho ba sitisa likamanong tseo ba li ahileng.
SESOTHO: Thesis ena e ile ea fuputsa lenane la lipuo tse buuoang le boiphihlelo bo tsamaisanang le tsebo ea lipuo ea baithuti ba Maafrika ba tsoang kantle ho naha Univesithing ea Stellenbosch. Boithuto bo boetse bo hlahlobile hore na mohopolo oa 'puo', 'bofalli' le 'boitsebahatso' o fetohile joang ka lebaka la ho eketseha ha lichaba tsa lefatše ‘me e amme mokhoa oo re utloisisang tsela eo mekhoa ea ho buisana le tsela eo re ahang boitsebahatso ba rona ka teng. Mehopolo e nkang puo e le e tlamahaneng le e sa fetoheng e ke ke ea hlola e sebelisoa mehleng ena ea ho falla ho eketsehileng le tšebelisano e ntseng e eketseha pakeng tsa batho ba limelo tsohle le maemo a bophelo. Ho eketseha hona hoa ho falla le ho eketseha ha motsamao ho bakile hore mehloli ea lipuo e ka sebelisoang litšebelisanong tse fapa-fapaneng tsa puisano e ate. Khahlanong le maemo ana, sepheo sa phuputso ena e ne e le ho batlisisa ka lenane la lipuo tse buuoang ke baithuti le hore na mehloli ea bona ea lipuo e tlatselitse joang kahong ea boitsebahatso ba bona le boikutlo ba ho ameha le ho amoheloa tikolohong ea bona e ncha. Phuputso ena e entsoe Univesithing ea Stellenbosch 'me kakaretso ea bankakarolo ba robeli ba thaothoa bakeng sa phuputso ena. Ho ile ha sebelisoa mokhoa oa ho etsa lipatlisiso tsa boleng bo nang le setšoantšo sa puo, lipotso tsa maemo a bophelo le lipuisano tse hlophisitsoeng hantle. Lits'oants'o tsa puo li ile tsa sebelisoa ho fumana leseli mabapi le pokello ea lipuo tsa barupeluoa, 'me lipotso tsa maemo a bophelo li ile tsa sebelisoa hape ho netefatsa hore na pokello ea lipuo tsa barupeluoa e ne e le eng hammoho le ho fana ka tlhahisoleseling mabapi le bankakarolo le bokhoni ba bona lipuong tse fanoeng. Lipuisano tse hlophisitsoeng li ile tsa sebelisoa ho fumana kutloisiso e tebileng ea litšoantšo tsa lipuo tse fanoeng ke bankakarolo le ho fa bankakarolo ho pheta liphihlelo tsa bona ka mantsoe a bona le ho fana ka tlaleho ea lenane la bona la lipuo. Ho fumanehile hore ho falla le ho tsamaea li ne li hlile li amme lipuo tsa bankakarolo. Boemo ba ho holela libakeng tseo ho buuoang lipuo tse ngata ho tsona e ba file kananelo ea ho sebelisana le batho ba buang lipuo tse ngata, kahoo ha bankakarolo ba fallela libakeng tse ncha, ba ile ba amohela monyetla oa ho eketsa lisebelisoa tse ncha tsa lipuo pokellong ea bona le ho li kopanya hammoho. Ho boetse hoa fumaneha hape hore baithuti ba kentse lisebelisoa tsena tsa lipuo ntle le ho ikutloa eka ba lahlehetsoe ke lefa la bona la lipuo le setso ‘me ha ba ka ba lumella mathata ao ba kopanang le ona ho ba sitisa likamanong tseo ba li ahileng.
Description
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Linguistic identity, Language awareness, Lived language experience, Sociolinguistics, Student language use, UCTD