Linguistics and Language Practice

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Open Access
Die insigte van die pragmatiek vir die onderrig van Afrikaans as moedertaal in die sekondere skool
(University of the Free State, 1990-06) Klopper, Andries Hendrik; Van Jaarsveld, G. J.
Abstract not available
Open Access
Gebaretaaltolkopleiding in Suid-Afrika - 'n inleidende studie
(University of the Free State, 1997-12) Ceronio, Ronelle; Lotriet, A.; Erasmus, M.
Afrikaans: As gevolg van verskeie faktore, bestaan daar tans 'n dringende behoefte aan Gebaretaaltolke in Suid-Afrika. Indien sodanige tolkdienste wel bestaan, is die tolke grootliks onopgelei en word kwaliteittolkwerk nie gelewer nie. Die LANGTAG-verslag dui hierdie behoefte aan wydverspreide Gebaretaaldienste aan en in die 1996-Grondwet word bepaal dat daar, onder die vleuels van PANSAT, geleenthede geskep moet word vir die ontwikkeling van Gebaretaal. Gedurende die afgelope paar jaar, sedert die Suid-Afrikaanse Dowe gemeenskap hegter funksioneer, vind daar ook groter bedinging vir die regte en spesifiek taalregte van Dowes plaas. DEAFSA speel hierin 'n belangrike rol. Weens hierdie behoefte aan bevoegde Gebaretaaltolke, aanbevelings deur LANGTAG en die grondwetlike bepalings rakende Gebaretaal en taalregte oor die algemeen, bestaan daar 'n dringende behoefte aan opleidingsgeleenthede vir Gebaretaaltolke. Kennis rakende die tolkproses, tolkstrategieë, die betrokke tale, etiese kwessies en vele ander aspekte van die tolkproses is noodsaaklik ten einde kwaliteittolkwerk te verseker. In Julie en Oktober 1997 is 'n Gebaretaaltolkopleidingsoriënteringskursus, in samewerking met DEAFSA, deur die Universiteit van die Oranje-Vrystaat aangebied. Hierdie kursus was die eerste van sy soort in Suid-Afrika, het vier weke geduur en was gefokus op skakeltolkopleiding aan 'n twintigtal tolke van verskeie provinsies wat reeds ervaring van tolkwerk gehad het. Meer omvattende opleiding is egter noodsaaklik ten einde uiteindelik te verseker dat Gebaretaaltolkdienste meer geredelik beskikbaar word vir die Dowe gemeenskap. Hierdie studie verskaf, na die bestudering van verskeie ander Gebaretaaltolkopleidingsprogramme, 'n basiese model vir omvattende Gebaretaaltolkopleiding in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse konteks.
Open Access
Spoken/sign language as a criterion for school readiness among deaf pre-schoolers
(University of the Free State, 2003-11) De Klerk, Nicolene Lynette; Akach, P.
English: In this pilot study the plight of deaf education was highlighted. As the oral/manual controversy continues to play a pivotal role in deaf education, the medium of instruction for the deaf pre-school child was addressed as a possible criteria for determining school readiness skills and ultimately academic success translating into the acquisition of literacy skills. Presently the literacy level of the deaf school leaver is equivalent to a grade three or four level. Curriculum 2005 was discussed and the school readiness skills needed to ensure academic success with this curriculum were investigated The Group Test for School Readiness aimed at assisting the class teacher in differentiating between children with appropriate and inappropriate school readiness skills was deemed an appropriate test for assessing deaf preschoolers receiving their education in a spoken language and deaf preschoolers receiving their education in a signed language as the Group Test for School Readiness can be utilised to obtain a reliable profile of the childs cognitive, perceptual, language, numerical and motoric abilities. The Group Test was administered by the class teacher to eliminate possible discrepancies resulting from communication problems between the subjects and the researcher. With the exception of their performance on three subtests, the deaf preschoolers receiving their pre-school education in a spoken language faired consistently better than the Deaf pre-schoolers receiving their pre-school education in a signed language. Apart from the contrasting medium of education implemented, additional reasons for the difference in performance between the two groups was investigated. The average chronological age of the pre-schoolers receiving their preschool education in a spoken language appears to be 7 months older than the pre-schoolers receiving their pre-school education in a signed language. The majority of the subjects in the former group having already turned 7 years of age in 2003 would have received exemption from entering grade 1 in 2003 and are consequently repeating their pre-school year. In addittion the average age at which deafnes was diagnosed in the deaf pre-school subjects receiving their pre-school education in a spoken language was 9 months earlier than the deaf pre-school subjects receiving their pre-school education in a signed language. The quality of the language the subjects in group B were exposed to in both the home and school environment was identified as possibly contributing to this groups weaker performance.
Open Access
Language planning in South Africa: towards a language management approach
(University of the Free State, 2004-11) Mwaniki, Modest Munene; Du Plessis, L. T.
English: The study investigates the reasons for the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans with special reference to South Africa’s language policy and planning implementation scenario. The study identifies four categories of explanations for the non-implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa, namely political; economic; sociolinguistic; and theoretic explanations. Of particular interest is the adequacy of these explanations in explaining the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa. Chapter 1 introduces the study, discounts political, economic and sociolinguistic explanations as inadequate in explaining the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa and establishes the theoretic category as the core category to explain the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa. The chapter provides a preliminary review of language planning literature that explores the inadequacy of language planning theory in providing approaches that can be used to facilitate multilingual policy and planning implementation as well as statement of the research problem and questions, the aim and objectives of the study, overview of research methodology and outline of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides the background to the study. The chapter discusses the macro framework for language policy and language planning in South Africa as provided by the Constitution. The chapter elaborates on South Africa’s constitutional language developments as from the early 1990s and the socio-political and historical contexts that led to the evolution of the 1993 Interim Constitution and the 1996 Constitution. The chapter elaborates on the theoretical, ideological and discourse foundations of both the 1993 Interim Constitution and the 1996 Constitution and points out that the multilingual dispensation envisioned by the 1996 Constitution is in tandem with the project of transformative constitutionalism and advanced cultural politics espoused by the Constitution. The chapter concludes by pointing out that the obligations imposed by the Constitution with respect to language in South Africa must be fulfilled. Its attendant upon language planning actors in South Africa to formulate approaches that can be used to facilitate multilingual policy and planning implementation based on plausible theoretical premises. Chapter 3 discusses the research methodology. The research method used in the study is Grounded Theory Method. The chapter elaborates on the appropriateness of Grounded Theory Method as a method for the development of approaches from qualitative data and how the method was applied to the three elements of the study, namely, literature review; the development of an alternative approach to multilingual policy and planning implementation; and the case study. Chapter 4 reviews literature on language planning theory and models using Eastman (1983) framework. The review establishes the weaknesses of language planning theory and models. These weaknesses account for the inadequacy of language planning theory and models to provide approaches that can be used for multilingual policy and planning implementation. The chapter concludes by discussing how the inadequacies of language planning theory and models have contributed to the non- implementation of South Africa’s multilingual policy and plan. Chapter 5 develops an alternative approach to multilingual policy and planning implementation. The study names the approach “The Language Management Approach”. The approach specifies the theoretical basis for the new approach; the purpose; impediments; the variables; and the methodologies and strategies for multilingual policy and planning implementation. Chapter 6 presents a case study which was used to develop some aspects of the new approach as well as test the new approach. The case study demonstrates that the new approach facilitates multilingual policy and planning implementation. Chapter 7 outlines the conclusions and recommendations. The study contributes towards the resolution of the theoretic and practical dilemmas facing multilingual policy and planning implementation in South Africa and elsewhere.
Open Access
Language planning in South Africa : towards a language management approach
(University of the Free State, 2004-11) Mwaniki, Modest Munene; Du Plessis, L. T.
English: The study investigates the reasons for the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans with special reference to South Africa’s language policy and planning implementation scenario. The study identifies four categories of explanations for the non-implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa, namely political; economic; sociolinguistic; and theoretic explanations. Of particular interest is the adequacy of these explanations in explaining the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa. Chapter 1 introduces the study, discounts political, economic and sociolinguistic explanations as inadequate in explaining the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa and establishes the theoretic category as the core category to explain the non- implementation of multilingual policies and plans in South Africa. The chapter provides a preliminary review of language planning literature that explores the inadequacy of language planning theory in providing approaches that can be used to facilitate multilingual policy and planning implementation as well as statement of the research problem and questions, the aim and objectives of the study, overview of research methodology and outline of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides the background to the study. The chapter discusses the macro framework for language policy and language planning in South Africa as provided by the Constitution. The chapter elaborates on South Africa’s constitutional language developments as from the early 1990s and the socio-political and historical contexts that led to the evolution of the 1993 Interim Constitution and the 1996 Constitution. The chapter elaborates on the theoretical, ideological and discourse foundations of both the 1993 Interim Constitution and the 1996 Constitution and points out that the multilingual dispensation envisioned by the 1996 Constitution is in tandem with the project of transformative constitutionalism and advanced cultural politics espoused by the Constitution. The chapter concludes by pointing out that the obligations imposed by the Constitution with respect to language in South Africa must be fulfilled. Its attendant upon language planning actors in South Africa to formulate approaches that can be used to facilitate multilingual policy and planning implementation based on plausible theoretical premises. Chapter 3 discusses the research methodology. The research method used in the study is Grounded Theory Method. The chapter elaborates on the appropriateness of Grounded Theory Method as a method for the development of approaches from qualitative data and how the method was applied to the three elements of the study, namely, literature review; the development of an alternative approach to multilingual policy and planning implementation; and the case study. Chapter 4 reviews literature on language planning theory and models using Eastman (1983) framework. The review establishes the weaknesses of language planning theory and models. These weaknesses account for the inadequacy of language planning theory and models to provide approaches that can be used for multilingual policy and planning implementation. The chapter concludes by discussing how the inadequacies of language planning theory and models have contributed to the non- implementation of South Africa’s multilingual policy and plan. Chapter 5 develops an alternative approach to multilingual policy and planning implementation. The study names the approach “The Language Management Approach”. The approach specifies the theoretical basis for the new approach; the purpose; impediments; the variables; and the methodologies and strategies for multilingual policy and planning implementation. Chapter 6 presents a case study which was used to develop some aspects of the new approach as well as test the new approach. The case study demonstrates that the new approach facilitates multilingual policy and planning implementation. Chapter 7 outlines the conclusions and recommendations. The study contributes towards the resolution of the theoretic and practical dilemmas facing multilingual policy and planning implementation in South Africa and elsewhere.
Open Access
The accessibility of a written Bible versus a signed Bible for the deaf born person with sign language as first language
(University of the Free State, 2005-11) Lombaard, Susanna Catherina; Naudé, J. A.; Botha, S.
English: This research aimed to prove that Biblical texts in South African Sign Language are more accessible than written or printed Biblical texts for deaf born people in South Africa who use Sign Language as their first language. The study made use of the functionalist approach in translation to translate six Biblical parts into South African Sign Language (SASL). Mother tongue speakers were used as translators with the assistance of hearing specialists in the fields of religion and translation studies. Translation was done from the original Hebrew and Greek texts into South African Sign Language. After production of the video with the Biblical parts in South African Sign Language, the content of the video as well as the level of understanding of the texts, were evaluated in the Deaf community of South Africa by means of an empirical study done in the Western Cape, Kwazulu Natal, Gauteng, Northern Cape and the Free State. The results of the empirical study proved that the Signed Biblical parts were more accessible for mother tongue Deaf people than the written counterparts. Results from the study also indicated how a signed Bible should look. Conclusions can also been drawn from the study that a Bible in Sign Language is needed for use in the Deaf community in South Africa.
Open Access
The hermeneutics of suspicion and human empowerment: a textual and practical evaluation
(University of the Free State, 2008-11) Senekal-Van der Berg, Elrika; Nel, P. J.
English: Elizabeth SchUssler Fiorenza is the main and most prominent proponent of the Hermeneutics of Suspicion. This hermeneutics has as aim the liberation and empowerment of women and other subjugated groups, and starts from the base of the Biblical text. Texts must be interpreted in the same way as a murder scene in order to find traces of lost voices and clues which will enable the liberation of marginalized parties. Texts must also be read against their androcentric grain in order to glean new meanings that have not before been proclaimed to the religious community. The hermeneutics of suspicion consists of four main movements/steps: suspicion, remembrance, proclamation and creative imagination and actualization. Suspicion entails the reading of a text with lenses coloured by suspicion, and a critical close reading against the grain of the androcentric text. The step of Remembrance teaches women and other readers to remember their past and the work and struggles of parties that have gone before them. It furthermore encourages readerslwomen to remember the voices of the Biblical parties that have been silenced by the androcentric grain of the text. Proclamation involves the declaration that all texts that do not enable the liberation of women and other marginalized groups, are not the Word of God but the words of men. Creative imagination and actualization gives people the opportunity to bring the text to life by means of poems, plays, paintings, songs, etc. Despite the fact that Fiorenza's hermeneutics is well-known in academic circles overseas, it is limited to small academic communities locally. At the University of the Free State, for example, there is no chair for feminist theology - this despite the fact that it is one of the fastest-growing fields within theology today. The ordinary lay believer knows little to nothing about this theology, and is never given any exposure to its tenets. In this study I wanted to test whether Fiorenza's hermeneutics is teachable to a group of lay believers, whether such believers are interested in this hermeneutics and whether it can change the way they read the text. I furthermore wanted to test the principles of this hermeneutics on the text of Old Testament narratives, since Fiorenza herself works mainly with the New Testament. Fioreza is additionally Catholic, and it had to be tested whether her principles, especially with regards to her step of Proclamation, were acceptable to a Protestant audience. The result of this practical evaluation is listed in detail in the work, but in short amounts to the following: 1. The audience it was taught to was able to grasp the principles of the hermeneutics of suspicion, but it was found that it takes time to assimilate these principles into the reading strategy to such a degree that it becomes a natural way of reading the text and the world. 2. The audience was not willing to concede that texts that do not work liberation in hand are words of men and not the Word of God. 3. The hermeneutics of suspicion could successfully be used on the narratives of the Old Testament, and the questions stencil I developed to aid in this process was able to greatly simplify this process for the lay reader. The ordinary Afrikaans, middle class, female believer has little knowledge or awareness of her religious heritage and resultingly suffers unknowingly under the same inherited piety of her foremothers. She has progressed little towards liberation in the past 100 years. The hermeneutics of suspicion can aid to combat this situation, but time is needed to incorporate this into the religious every-day life of the lay believer.
Open Access
Language-in-education planning in Tanzania: a sociolinguistic analysis
(University of the Free State, 2009-11) Tibategeza, Eustard Rutalemwa; Du Plessis, L. T.
The study presents a sociolinguistic analysis of the current language-in-education policy implementation in Tanzania. The current sociolinguistic thinking on bilingual education and language-in-education planning informs this evaluation. The analysis is presented against the background of the sociolinguistic principles of bilingual education as developed by García (1997). The challenges regarding implementation of bilingual education policy have been identified. The study indicates that there is no link between the envisioned ideals of the state to promote bilingual education and what obtains in the Education and Training Policy (1995), the document currently relied upon as far as language policy in the Tanzanian educational set-up is concerned. Chapter 1 provides the background of language-in-education planning and policy in Africa, where the advocacy for the use of African languages is high on the agenda. The obstacles, regarding the use of African languages alongside “imported” languages, are pointed out. The common obstacles range from the perseverance of the elite to maintain the status quo, the problem of language attitudes people have towards foreign languages such as English, French and Portuguese and more importantly lack of understanding of the concept of bilingual education and how it operates. Chapter 2 discusses bilingual education programmes with the view of monolingual education, weak and strong bilingual education. Sociolinguistic principles of bilingual education and theoretical considerations related to bilingualism also form part of this chapter. The theories explain some myths which people have regarding how the brain works when it comes to having two languages in education. In addition, language planning and policy concepts have been described to avoid the misconception held in some sociolinguistic literature that they are synonyms and aspects of the same activity. Language planning is seen as the activity that leads to the promulgation of a language policy while language policy is the body of ideas, laws, regulations, rules, procedures and practices intended to achieve the objectives of the policy. Chapter 3 discusses research methodology. The study is evaluative in nature and uses four research instruments, namely documentary reviews, interviews, observations and focus group discussions. Documentary review was meant to analyse the corpus of language-in-education policy documents created by relevant Tanzanian authorities to provide information on overt language policy and its implementation. The interviews were aimed at capturing information on views and perceptions of the education stakeholders regarding the concept of bilingual education and their understanding of the current policy and implementation. Observational method was specifically for supplementing the information gathered from interviews and facilitated cross-checking information in the policy documents. Similarly, focus group discussions provide further cross-checking and informs the development of the model for strong bilingual education. Chapter 4 provides a critical overview of language-in-education policy development in Tanzania from pre-colonial times to the present day. Language issues are discussed according to three different eras, namely pre-colonialism, during colonialism and post-independence. In all these eras, different languages, German, English, Kiswahili and ethnic languages were assigned different functions according to the motives the government in power had towards the languages. During colonial regime, German and English were preferable and they were regarded as languages of high status unlike Kiswahili and other ethnic languages. However, immediately after independence in 1961, the independent state put more efforts to promote Kiswahili. Chapter 5 focuses on data presentation and discussion. Challenges regarding the implementation of strong bilingual education policy in Tanzania are identified. They evolve around inadequate language-in-education policy design, inadequate comprehension of the concept of bilingual education and poor implementation strategies of the policy. Chapter 6 outlines the overview, overall conclusions and recommendation, where a viable and relevant model for implementing strong bilingual education in the Tanzanian sociolinguistic environment is proposed to guide the policy-makers tasked with language-in-education planning.
Open Access
Metafoor in die vertaalde mediadiskoers oor aandele en markte in Finweek
(University of the Free State, 2009-11) Du Preez, Erica; Naudé, J. A.
English: Authors of financial media discourse use metaphors to communicate with readers. Finweek is a renowned South African financial magazine and its articles on stocks and markets are written by expert authors in the field of the South African stock market. Finweek is published in Afrikaans and English and contains the same articles, but the Afrikaans and English metaphors differ. The study of metaphor in translated financial discourse on stocks and markets is a fundamental characteristic of financial texts and in a multi-lingual country such as South Africa it may support the expansion of the lexicon in the financial domain. The hypotheses were put that the translated media discourse in Finweek on stocks and markets contains coherent metaphor clusters that centre around the metaphors WAR AND POWER, and SPORT AND GAMES; that metaphor has an ideational function in the South African discourse on stocks and markets, i.e. it extends the lexicon; that the choice of metaphor coheres with certain objectives of the translator/author in the financial text in a specific cultural background, and that metaphor has an ideological effect. The study built on the results of research by Bowker and Pearson (2002) on the use of language for special purposes in corpora; the research of McEnery, et al. (2006) on corpus based linguistics; the research of Lakoff and Johnson (1980), Lakoff and Turner (1989), Lakoff (1997), Lakoff and Johnson (1999) and Kövecses (2002) on the source and target domains of metaphors; and the research by Koller (2004) on metaphor and gender in business media discourse. The research was conducted within the framework of corpus based translation. An Afrikaans and an English electronic corpus were compiled from 1 000 articles on stocks and markets that appeared in 33 editions of Finweek from March 2006 to October 2006. The two corpora were compiled as parallel corpora and the programme ParaConc was used for the analyses. The focus was on metaphor in LSP (Language for Special Purposes). The study showed that financial discourse on stocks and markets in the Afrikaans and English versions of Finweek are characterised by coherent metaphor clusters of WAR AND POWER and SPORT AND GAMES. The use of these specific conceptual metaphors reflects the goal that the author/translator has in the cultural background of the readers, because the metaphors in the Afrikaans and English texts differ. Evidence was found that, to transfer a specific message, the authors used a specific choice of metaphor. In reports on the performance of companies and the stock market, Finweek uses conceptual metaphors to transfer their perceptions. Inherent in these metaphoric terms are conceptual, communicative and ideological principles. The discourse shows a basic reference and notion of an evolutionary struggle for survival. On the level of conceptual metaphor struggle is conceptualised in terms of physical conflict as it occurs in the domains of both WAR and SPORT. The analysis indicated that, from a quantitative viewpoint, the WAR AND POWER metaphor appeared most frequently in the Afrikaans text and that the SPORT AND GAMES metaphor appeared the second most frequently. In the English text the SPORT AND GAMES metaphor appeared most frequently and the WAR AND POWER metaphor the second most frequently. A possible explanation for this finding is that the modern society in South African is confronted with violence, power play, fear, vulnerability and struggle. When an author wants to convey the notion of a struggle for evolutionary survival in Afrikaans, metaphors from the WAR AND POWER domain are used abundantly. On the other hand, sport is an international common concept and by using metaphors from the SPORT AND GAMES domain in English, the author can transfer to international readers the notion of struggle for evolutionary survival.
Open Access
The linguistic landscape of rural South Africa after 1994: a case study of Philippolis
(University of the Free State, 2010-01) Kotze, Chrismi-Rinda; Du Plessis, L. T.
Open Access
Intercultural discourse between Igbo and South African Sesotho people residing in Bloemfontein
(University of the Free State, 2010-05) Ideh, Amaka Edith; Naudé, J. A.; Igboanusi, H.
English: This study investigates the intercultural discourse between the Igbo and the Sesotho people residing in Bloemfontein. The study is motivated by the way in which the Igbo in Bloemfontein switch from one language into another, which is based on who their addressee is. The study assesses the backgrounds of the two countries (Nigeria and South Africa) where these ethnic groups emerged, including their languages. The backgrounds help in the assessment of the attitudes, feelings and opinions of the two groups under study in the way they relate with one another when they are in intercultural communication. Related literature was reviewed on different aspects of intercultural discourse and intercultural communication (Chapter 3), with focus on: different views on discourse/discourse analysis; discourse, racism and discrimination; differences in male’s and female’s speeches. The review also covers language, migration and loyalty; language contact; intercultural discourse/communication; conversation analysis, as well as conversational features: turn-taking, interruption/overlapping, and code-switching/code-mixing. The review describes the field of discourse analysis and situates the current study within this field of research. The study further explored language stereotypes and xenophobic sentiments which help in identifying the power of dominant group over minority groups and foreigners, as well as the power of press in dissemination of information in the society. Given the complexity of the research, the study employed different research instruments: questionnaire, interviews and audio-recordings of natural interactions in different contexts (shop, hospital, church, home and among friends) in collecting data. The data were analysed using qualitative and quantitative (tables and bar graphs) research methods. Intercultural interaction/communication/discourse between the Igbo and the Sesotho shows that the attitudes and feelings of the two groups are positive, as they are comfortable, not afraid, confident, not nervous and relaxed when interacting with each other. The study reveals that the two groups often (81% Igbo and 92% Sesotho) switch from one language to another during intercultural communication. However, the kind of switch the study records is word/phrase switches, mostly the words/phrases of the dominant language (Sesotho). The reasons for their switches vary: to emphasis a word or an expression, to be more polite in greeting and appreciation, to show respect, as well as to identity with the addressee. The study records four sentences switching which only occurred among the children at home context. However, the results from the study show that during the intercultural communication between the Igbo and the Sesotho, turn-taking, interruptions and discourse dominance are determined by some factors, such as; age, educational background, gender, the relationships between the interactants, and the context of the interaction. The freedom with which women speak during interaction is also assessed. The study reveals that although women speak freely, they do not speak more freely than their male counterparts, in mixed-gender interactions. In addition, the results reveal that there are no restrictions on the speech of Igbo women. However, Sesotho shows some restrictions on the language of their married women, “hlompha” (a language of respect), where a married women are bound by tradition not to pronounce any word relating to the name of her in-laws. The study establishes that there are derogatory words to refer to both women and men in both groups. For example, in Igbo “nwoke/nwaay -aga” and in Sesotho “nyopa” are used to refer to barren woman with no counterparts for men. The study in addition investigates the words used to refer to foreigners and whether such words provide evidence for xenophobic sentiments in South Africa. The study identifies both positive and negative words used by the Igbo and the Sesotho to refer to foreigners. According to the majority of the respondents (79.5%), such words do not contribute to xenophobic sentiments in South Africa generally or Bloemfontein specifically.
Open Access
Portrayal by a selection of South African media of Nigerians residing in South Africa
(University of the Free State, 2011) Amaechi, Celestine Emeka; Naudé, J. A.; Lake, J.
𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲 Many young (21–50 years) Nigerians are located across the length and breadth of the South African Republic. The cities of Gauteng are home to the bulk of these people from all walks of life. Unofficially, there are approximately 50 000 Nigerians living in limbo as refugees (Tromp, 2006:8). Indeed, the Nigerian community in diaspora has become part and parcel of the great nation of South Africa. In the South African community, there is a stereotyping of Nigerians with regard to issues relating to justice, crime, security and home affairs. The South African media has severely ‘accused’ Nigerians, especially those in the private sector of the economy, of causing certain suburban problems and with the mayhem often found in the city centres. That a gigantic number of 50 000 undocumented Nigerians are said to reside in South Africa, clearly supports the allegation that “foreigners are unacceptably encroaching on the informal sector and therefore on the livelihoods of our huge numbers of unemployed people” (Danso & McDonald, 2001:124). In the words of Fowler (1991:121): “It stands to reason that a newspaper is likely to project such beliefs as are conducive to the commercial success of its proprietors generally”. The South African media, i.e. television, radio and print media play a role in the entrenchment of this stereotyping. It is therefore of value to launch an investigation into how Nigerians are portrayed by the South African media, and by newspapers in particular. The project will serve as a relevant contribution to the field of Critical Linguistics (CL) and it is hoped that it will provide study material for aspiring critical linguists and teachers of language. Furthermore, as the South African print media has published widely on the activities and attitudes of Nigerian nationals residing here, it has become necessary to conduct research on this phenomenon thereby, thus setting the stage for other researchers to delve further into this domain. 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗔 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬! ___________________________________________________________________
Open Access
Contextualising ethics in the practice of translator education: the case of the indigenous value system of the Basotho
(University of the Free State, 2012) Marais, Kobus
English: This article develops the suggestions made in recent publications on translation studies concerning the role of the translator as an agent. The article discusses agency as a central theme in translation, and points out that it is not a value unto itself, but that it must be conceptualised within a value system. This value system, it is contended, is inculcated during the years of study at tertiary institutions. This suggests that the value system must be incorporated into the curriculum, the choice of which is left in the hands of the lecturer. Following the lead of Tymoczko, who argued for the internationalisation of translation studies, the indigenous Basotho value system and the concept of ubuntu, with its concomitant values, are explored as values that may be of interest to translation studies. If the study of translation is to be contextualised, so does ethics in translator education. The article reconsiders the implications of critical studies for ethics, arguing that it creates an impasse for human ethical action. As a value system that nurtures society and individuality, ubuntu may be a valuable alternative.
Open Access
Die rol van taalaktivisme by die herwaardering van moedertaalonderrig in Suid-Afrikaanse skole
(University of the Free State, 2012-07) Snayers, Johny Henry; Du Plessis, L. T.
Afrikaans: Op 8 Mei 1996 het die Grondwetlike Vergadering van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika ’n nuwe demokratiese grondwet aanvaar. Die Grondwet maak voorsiening vir ’n redelike aantal klousules betreffende taalkwessies. Dit maak onder meer voorsiening vir elf amptelike tale wat die veeltalige en multikulturele aard van ons samelewing weerspieël. Die Nasionale Regering maak sy standpunt oor taal in die onderwys in die 1996 Suid- Afrikaanse Handves van Menseregte duidelik. Hieruit blyk dit duidelik dat die Departement van Onderwys die ontwikkeling van veeltaligheid binne die raamwerk van toevoegende tweetalige onderwys beklemtoon. Skole word byvoorbeeld sterk aanbeveel om ten minste twee tale van onderrig vanaf Graad 1 aan te bied, waarvan een van die twee tale die huistaal van die leerder moet wees. Hierdie positiewe doelwitte ten spyt, blyk dit dat die teenoorgestelde in die praktyk gebeur. Al meer klagtes kom na vore, veral uit die geledere van die minderheidstale (Afrikaans en die Afrikatale) dat hul tale, as tale van onderrig, gemarginaliseer word. ’n Positiewe ontwikkeling is egter die steun vir moedertaalonderrig, veral ook uit gemeenskappe wat tradisioneel gesien was as sou hulle ten gunste van Engelsonderrig wees. Hierdie herwaardering van die rol van die moedertaal in onderrig kan toegeskryf word aan bepaalde taalaktivistiese inisiatiewe wat sedert 1994 van stapel gestuur is. Hierdie studie ondersoek die rol wat taalaktivisme by die terugkeer na moedertaalonderwys in Suid-Afrika na die vestiging van ’n demokratiese taalbestel in die land speel. Die siening dat gemeenskappe apaties staan teenoor taalregtekwessies in die onderwys wat deur politieke en ander drukgroepe teweeggebring word wat die status quo ten opsigte van die bevordering van Engels as onderrigmedium ten koste van die minderheidstale wil bevorder, is ondersoek. Dit is gedoen deur te bepaal: (a) hoe wydverspreid die verskynsel van taalaktivisme in Suid-Afrika voorkom, (b) die vorme (indien enige) waarin taalaktivisme onder die verskillende taalgemeenskappe figureer, (c) of daar inderdaad ’n herwaardering van moedertaalonderrig is, en (d) watter rol (indien enige) taalaktivisme by die herwaardering van moedertaalonderrig speel. Hoofstuk 2 bied ’n uiteensetting van die teoretiese agtergrond waarteen die studie onderneem is. Dit bied ’n literatuuroorsig oor taalaktivisme as verskynsel (en die rol daarvan binne die taalbeplanningsveld) en hoe dit in moedertaalstryde in die wêreld manifesteer, veral met betrekking tot die onderwys. Verskeie definisies van taalbeplanning as insluitende proses, en dus nie slegs as ’n aksie van bo-na-benede nie, is ondersoek. Die rol wat gemeenskappe in die beïnvloeding van taalbeleid speel, word aan die hand van verskeie definisies wat in die literatuur rakende taalregte-aktivisme bestaan, ondersoek. Die aanwending van die instrumente van taalaktivisme, soos ontwikkel deur Martel en later Lubbe en Du Plessis, word in hierdie situasies ondersoek. Aan die einde van die hoofstuk word tot die slotsom gekom dat wisselwerking tussen regerings- en gemeenskapsorganisasies ŉ uiters belangrike rol in die behoud en ontwikkeling van die kulturele en linguistiese erfenis van enige gemeenskap kan speel. Hoofstuk 3 bied ’n oorsig van die kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp en -metodologie wat in die studie gevolg is. Vir die doel van hierdie ondersoek word ŉ literatuur-, dokumenteen empiriese studie, wat die ontleding van mediaknipsels behels, uitgevoer. Dit verskaf ’n uiteensetting van die metodes wat gevolg is om inligting uit die literatuur (beide nasionaal en internasionaal), tersaaklike dokumente en mediarekords wat vir die doeleindes van die studie geselekteer is, te verkry. Dit gee ook ’n uiteensetting van die strategieë wat gevolg is ten einde geldigheid en betroubaarheid te verseker. Die studie word gedoen aan die hand van die tipologie van die instrumente van taalaktivisme wat deur Martel (1999) bekendgestel en deur Lubbe et al. (2004) asook Du Plessis (2006) verder ontwikkel is. Die tipologie onderskei tussen die hoofinstrumente van taalaktivisme wat deur taalaktiviste aangewend word en gee ook ’n waardering van watter instrumente meer sukses kan behaal. Die analise is aan die hand van die definisies van taalaktivisme en die sosiale bewegingsteorie soos in Hoofstuk 2 behandel, gedoen. Hoofstuk 4 bied ’n historiese agtergrond tot taalbeplanning en taalbeleidsontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika. Die hoofstuk belig die hoofmomente binne die politieke konteks van taalbeleidsontwikkeling. Hier word gepoog om, deur die studie van die tersaaklike literatuur, die rol van taalaktivisme in Suid-Afrika aan te toon. Studies wat oor taalaktivisme en moedertaalonderrig handel, sowel as amptelike dokumente rakende taal in die onderwys word hier gebruik. Die tydperk 1652 (die begin van die Koloniale tydperk) tot na 1994 (die demokratiseringstydperk) word hier gedek. In Hoofstuk 5 word die bevindinge wat na aanleiding van die media-analise vir die tydperk 1994 tot 2005 gemaak word, behandel. Daarna volg ŉ kritiese analise en interpretasie van die bevindinge ten einde vas te stel watter rol taalaktivisme by die herwaardering van moedertaalonderrig in Suid-Afrika gespeel het. Daar word tot die slotsom gekom dat taalaktivisme wel binne die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap plaasgevind het. Ook dat die twee hooftradisies van taalaktivisme steeds figureer, maar dat daar tekens is dat beide kante van die spektrum wel bereid is om inklusief saam te werk tot ŉ groter demokratiese onderwysbestel. In die laaste hoofstuk word ’n opsomming aangebied van die bevindinge in die verskillende hoofstukke. ’n Sintese van die bevindinge word aangebied na gelang van die probleemvrae soos in Hoofstuk 3 uiteengesit. Gevolgtrekkings word gemaak, gebaseer op die bevindinge, en aanbevelings word dan gemaak rakende ondersoeke na verdure probleemareas en moontlike oplossings.
Open Access
Applied linguistics beyond postmodernism
(University of the Free State, 2013) Weideman, Albert
Applied linguistics clearly has modernist roots, which have steadily been eroded by postmodernist views. Opposites, such as quantitative and qualitative, or positivist and postpositivist, are often used to characterise this intellectual conflict. The current ascendancy of a potentially modernist paradigm, a dynamic or complex systems approach, will be noteworthy for drawing our attention to at least two complex linguistic ideas that have not adequately been analysed in linguistic theory. A foundational, philosophical analysis of such trends, as attempted in this article, should adopt a fittingly humble stance. That kind of humility, however, also applies across paradigms: the arrival of a new paradigm in the field is a timely reminder that enduring domination of a single paradigm in any discipline remains unlikely.
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Mother tongue education in official minority languages of Zimbabwe: a language management critique
(University of the Free State, 2013-02) Ndlovu, Eventhough; Du Plessis, Theodorus; Mwaniki, Munene
English: In January 2002, the government of Zimbabwe officially declared six official minority languages, namely, Kalanga, Nambya, Shangani, Sotho, Tonga and Venda as languages of instruction and subjects in primary schools in the areas where they are spoken as mother tongues. The government had planned for these languages to be introduced to a grade per year until they could be taught at grade 7 level by 2005 (Secretary’s Circular Number 1 of 2002). Three of these languages (Venda, Tonga and Kalanga) under the auspices of the Venda, Tonga and Kalanga Association (VETOKA) were pioneers in advocating and lobbying for the introduction of marginalised local languages in education in the early 1980s. However, Kalanga and Venda have remained behind, despite having been the pioneers of this initiative. Long after 2005, only Tonga emerged as the first language to be examined in grade 7 in 2011. In current studies in language planning, policy and management, there have been strong suggestions that bottom-up approaches may be more successful than top-down approaches. Bottom-up approaches are said to be the most promising in terms of community commitment and sustainability (Alexander, 1992; Baldauf, 1994; 2005; 2008; Kaplan and Baldauf, 1997; Webb, 2002; 2009; 2010; Mwaniki, 2004; 2010b; Benson, 2005; Trudell, 2006; Lewis and Trudell, 2008; Liddicoat and Baldauf, 2008; Baldauf, Li & Zhao, 2008; Hatoss, 2008). The delay in the implementation of the 2002 policy development and success story of Tonga raises the questions: “Why this delay? Why was Tonga first?” This study therefore examines the possible causes for the delay in the implementation of the 2002 policy development and the conditions and factors that led to the success story of Tonga. It is expected that an understanding of these causes could help explain the delay in the implementation of the other three languages and similar initiatives elsewhere. It is also hoped that this study will enhance our understanding of the dynamics of bottom-up approaches to language planning. In evaluating and examining the implementation of the 2002 policy development and conditions and factors that led to the success story of Tonga, I adopted the Language Management Approach (LMA) proposed by Mwaniki (2004). The LMA is used alongside Kaplan & Baldauf’s (1997; 2003) seven areas of policy development for language-in-education policy implementation; the ethnolinguistic vitality model advanced by Giles, Bourhis & Taylor (1977) as well as Webb’s (2010) factors and conditions that determine the success and failure of bottom-up and top-down policies. These three frameworks interrelate and overlap with one another, and also with some of the language management variables, methodologies and strategies. It emerged that the delay in the implementation of the 2002 policy development was due to the failure to secure and deploy the language management variables, methodologies and strategies at an optimal level. The failure to timeously develop the seven areas of policy development for language-in-education policy implementation also accounts for the delay. On the one hand, the Tonga group owes its success to the deployment of some of the language management variables, methodologies and strategies and the development of some of the seven areas of policy development for language-in-education policy implementation. The ethnolinguistic vitality of the three language groups in question and the conditions and factors that determine the success or failure of bottom-up and top-down policies also contributed to the delay in the implementation of the 2002 policy development. The success story of Tonga is as a result of the Tonga group’s ethnolinguistic vitality and some of the conditions and factors that determine the success and failure of bottom-up and top-down policies.
Open Access
A sociolinguistic and socio-educational evaluation of the effectiveness of Bilingual and Biliterate Education for lower primary deaf learners in the Khomas region of Namibia
(University of the Free State, 2013-06) Bruwer, Beausetha Juhetha; du Plessis, Theodorus; Van Staden, Annalene
English: Sign Language-based Bilingual Education is a known Bilingual-Bicultural model that offers the best chance for a deaf learner to achieve academic success. Even though the Ministry of Education in Namibia also claims to have adopted this approach to teaching deaf learners, the education system still remains unable to produce deaf learners who can exit school with a valid grade twelve certificate. The study constitutes a programme evaluation design in which a sociolinguistic and socio-educational evaluation of the effectiveness of Bilingual and Biliterate Education was done. A logic model tool for evaluation was used systematically to formulate a design for this evaluation. By drawing up a logic model, the main objectives of the Bilingual-Bicultural programme, together with the overall impact the success of the programme can have, was highlighted. The main intention of the study was to assist schools for deaf learners to enhance the literacy levels of learners in both Namibian Sign Language and English. Literacy in Namibian Sign Language and English can then serve as basis to achieve academic success. The study was aimed at lower primary deaf learners in the Khomas region of Namibia. The principal of NISE School for Hearing Impaired learners, the head of department, lower primary teachers and learners formed part of the research population. The education officer and school inspector responsible for the school were also included in the research population. Qualitative research was done, and data were collected from documents, different interviews and class observations. An inductive data analysis approach was used to make sense of the information that was collected. Based on the logic model tool that was created to do the evaluation, it was found that the ground work for the Bilingual-Biliterate programme had been done, as the necessary documents to support the programme were in place. What the programme lacks most seems to be support provided to parents of deaf learners and the involvement of the parents in the educational programmes of the school. There is also a great need for assessment criteria and tools to be created in order to justly assess the deaf learners. Other grey areas that may hinder the success, or the full impact, that the programme can have, are that staff members still need to develop their Namibian Sign Language skills and knowledge of Deaf Education. A fully trained staff in Namibian Sign Language and Deaf Education will determine the existence of a Sign Bilingual environment at the school; the exisistence of a Sign Bilingual environonment was another grey area of the programme. Adequate teaching materials also need to be developed, to be readily available for instruction within the programme. According to the logic model, planned work for teacher training, creating a Sign Bilingual environment and creating teaching materials were already done. Remaining now only is that the goals of these objectives have to be reached. If the full impact of the programme is reached, it is envisaged that deaf learners could more easily obtain a Grade 12 certificate.
Open Access
Teaching translation at Further Education and Training Colleges: Maluti FET as a case study
(University of the Free State, 2013-10) Hlohlolo, Sephiri David; Van Rooyen, M.; Marais, J.
A recent study (Erasmus 2010: 109) found there is a need for the training of both community interpreters and translators in South Africa and that this training was likely to elevate those community interpreters and translators from povertj and unemployment. It was further stated that the proposed curriculum could help in closing or fulfilling a gap in the labour market for translators, thus making it possible for graduates in this programme to make a living out of either translation or interpretation. Therefore, it has become necessary to explore the possibility of introducing such programmes and qualifications at FET Colleges to assist in job creation and poverty alleviation. For the purposes of this study I chose MaJuti FET College, Phuthaditjhaba in Qwaqwa in the Eastern Free State. The methodology followed in this study was qualitative in nature, focusing on one specific case study. The data collection process included questionnaires and interviews. Questionnaires were given to 50 students, while face-to-face interviews were conducted with the Campus Manager, Head of Department for Languages, and three lecturers. According to the responses there was interest, but that alone cannot guarantee an introduction of such a qualification in translation at Maluti FET College. The responses only provided a guideline and could be used as supporting statements for a possible introduction of a qualification. They could also be used to determine the possibility of students interested in enrolling for a course, if introduced. Some responses from both the interviews and questionnaires indicated that such a qualification could create some job opportunities for students on completion. Recommendations include that the Maluti FET College management should engage with College Council about the possible introduction of translation as qualification; that a partnership be developed between Maluti FET College and the University of the Free State with possible assistance in introducing translation; that the suggested curriculum as per SAQA prescriptions be implemented as is, in order to yield accreditation and certification to students who complete the qualification; and furthermore that various government departments such as the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, and Department of Justice be approached for funding such programmes through bursaries.
Open Access
In the aftermath of xenophobia: a critical discourse analysis
(University of the Free State, 2014-07) Els, Christina Aletta; Kriel, M.; Weideman, A. J.
English: While evidence confirms that print media in South Africa has contributed to the development of a xenophobic environment (McDonald and Jacobs, 2005:306; Danso and McDonald, 2001:124), particularly in the manner in which the media has stigmatised non-nationals, this does not necessarily imply that the print media was complicit in the xenophobic outbreaks of April/May 2008 (Smith, 2011:111). However, an investigation into the representation of non-nationals in the print media is nevertheless a lacuna that needs to be addressed (Smith, 2010:188). The focus of this study is on the discursive representations of non-nationals in the tabloid, the Daily Sun, during April to May 2008 –it focuses not only on the way in which the Daily Sun represented the ‘Other’, but also identifies some of the underlying ideologies that underpin these representations. The tabloid phenomenon, which presented itself in post-1994, has created a new trend of inclusivity in South African society in that previously marginalised groups have now, for the first time, been targeted as a viable market. The Daily Sun has been instrumental in providing people, who have been voiceless under apartheid, with a sense of identity by providing access to affordable newspapers. By the same token the Daily Sun has been accused of stoking the fires of xenophobia by means of uncritical and biased reporting. This led to a formal complaint against the newspaper in 2008, spearheaded by the Media Monitoring Project (nowadays MMA). These contradictions, as Wasserman (2007:791) points out, are characteristic of a society “in rapid and unequal transition and the tabloid media as commercial entities reliant on a public caught between history and progress…”. The researcher, working within the frame of Critical Discourse Analysis, draws a parallel, although not necessarily a causal link, between the xenophobic pogroms of May 2008 and the discursive representations of the tabloid, the Daily Sun, during April to May 2008
Open Access
The theoretical justification for the design of a communicative course for nurses: nurses on the move
(University of the Free State, 2015-01) Pretorius, Marilize; Weideman, A. J.; Van Dyk, T.
English: This study provides a theoretical justification for the design of a communicative course for nursing staff – Nurses on the Move (NoM) – in the South African context. Communication is deemed a key in achieving effective, safe nursing practice. One of the main problems associated with nursing communication in South Africa relates to the fact that South Africa has eleven official languages. Nursing staff are thus often required to communicate with other healthcare professionals, patients and the family and friends of patients in an additional language. As a result, miscommunications can occur, which could lead to serious adverse events. An intervention to address this problem in the form of an applied linguistic design, such as a NoM syllabus, displays two terminal functions – the technical modality, which guides the design, and the analytical function, which provides the rational basis for the design (Weideman, 2006a). A detour into theory and analysis is thus required in order to provide a theoretical justification for the technical design. Based on this justification, the design of the syllabus can proceed, which will ultimately prescribe what the course should consist of, including its assessment. This study thus consisted of a needs analysis to inform the design of a NoM course that could help to address the communication problems in the nursing profession. The approach to language teaching selected for this design is Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), which requires that, among other things, authentic texts and functional communication be used in the design of the syllabus for the course. The needs analysis, therefore, consisted of a review of the international literature to develop a typology of nursing communicative interactions, as well as to identify nursing communication problems. After a rigorous ethical clearance process, the literature review was followed by observations of nursing staff and the various individuals they interact with during their work, which included audio recording interactions and making field notes. This enabled us to extend and refine the initial typology. The data were also analysed for the most common communicative functions, and their common combinations, given the typology. In addition, the problems and short-circuits in communication are also identified and interviews conducted to further clarify issues raised in the data from the observations. Based on these analyses we outlined what the content and structure of the envisioned NoM course should comprise. Furthermore, the principles for design that derive from the analogical connections between the technical and all the other dimensions of reality were also discussed to specify the requirements for the design of a NoM course (Weideman, 2006a). The data generated and analysed in this study allows us also to justify, or in certain cases to anticipate the justification of, the proposed syllabus in terms of the following requirements: systematicity, scope, validity, consistency, differentiation, appealing, articulation, appropriateness, economy, alignment, accountability, fairness and trustworthiness. As a result, the subsequent phases of design can commence, in which the syllabus is articulated into a complete course and its assessment. Ultimately the aim is to alleviate some of the pain and suffering of South Africans by helping nurses to improve their communicative competence, and thus enabling them to practice their profession more effectively.

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