Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French

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Open Access
Die Afrikaanse evangeliese gesang: 'n literêre ondersoek
(University of the Free State, 1969-01) Gaum, Frederik Malherbe; Beukes, G. J.; Kok, B.; Nienaber, G. S.
Abstract not available
Open Access
The contribution of Paul Hiebert to folk religion: a missiological study among the Dendis of North-East Benin
(University of the Free State, 2022) Bade, Michee Bakande; Verster, Pieter
Hiebert contends that one of the reasons Christian mission has failed or not been very successful among folk religion, is the long ignorance of the folk religion worldview held by many of the early Western Christian missionaries (1982:35-47). Building on insights from his classic essay on the “excluded middle,” Paul Hiebert suggests a new concept and paradigm for cross-cultural mission–a three-tiered view of the universe (1982:44-47). Firstly, using the Dendi people of North-East Benin as the context of the empirical study, this research examined the impact of a phenomenological study of folk religion mission among folk religionists. The researcher argues in this research that the implications for missions of Hiebert’s three-tiered view of the universe is the development of two theological concepts: “a theology of the invisible” (Hiebert et al. 1999:370) and “a theology of the kingdom of God.” (Love 2000:40; cf. Bosch 1991:10; Glasser et al. 2003:74; Hiebert et al. 1999:25; Ott et al. 2010: 65, 315). Secondly, this researcher reviewed the Dendi responses to spirit attacks with ruqyah and adorcism and discusses how a Christian ritual of exorcism could replace these Dendi crisis rituals. The objective of this study was to evaluate how life crises or special events in the life of the Dendi people call for radical shifts or paradigm shifts. The ethnographic research of this study comprised interviews conducted in two different cities (Kandi and Malanville). The data randomly collected from 28 Dendi adult men and women was analyzed and interpreted using ATLAS.ti 9, a Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS). The qualitative data obtained from the field not only established the fact that the Islam practiced by the Dendi is still heavily influenced by the Dendi animist pre-Islamic worldview, but that a mission strategy that focuses on the people’s felt needs would be most efficient. This study concludes that the felt need approach to mission among folk religion should be preferred and encouraged in Christian mission, because it is Christological missiology, holistic mission, which leads to worldview transformation and conversion: first meet the felt needs of the people and then invite them to follow Jesus (Love 2000:91; Ott et al. 2010:276; White 1905:143).
Open Access
The controversy surrounding Private Military Companies (PMCs): looking back on executive outcomes
(Faculty of the Humanities, University of the Free State, 2010-06) Senekal, Burgert
Amidst arguments that the nature of war has changed, notably by Kaldor (2006), Keegan (2004), Münkler (2005), and Van Creveld (2008), Private Military Companies (PMCs) have received increasing media and scholarly attention over the past decade. South Africa is no stranger to the media storm evoked by Blackwater USA during the recent conflict in Iraq Executive Outcomes (hereafter referred to as EO) caused a comparable controversy during the 1990s, first through their involvement in Angola after the withdrawal of the SADF, and later through their contract in Sierra Leone. At the time, PMCs were still a relatively new phenomenon, and thus research was scarce and it was difficult to discuss EO properly in the context of PMCs rather than as mercenaries. In the wake of the war in Iraq, the rapid growth of research into the PMC phenomenon has however provided a wealth of information that facilitates a better understanding of EO’s role in the post-Cold War conflict environment. This article aims to discuss EO in this global debate by using recent research into the phenomenon, arguing that Executive Outcomes was part of a global trend in warfare.
Open Access
"The dark place where talent leads": the merits and shortcomings of feminist criticism in the study of selected works by Christa Wolf
(University of the Free State, 2001-11) Weingartz, Gisela; Von Delft, K. U. T.
During earlier research, it became evident Feminist Literary Criticism could offer useful insights when reading Christa Wolfs work. At the same time, such criticism revealed certain limitations which inhibit a full and accurate reading of Wolfs work. Given this situation, an exploration of the merits and shortcomings of Feminist Literary Criticism when applied to selected works of Christa Wolf became necessary. The research question has been articulated thus: What are the merits and shortcomings of Feminist Literary Criticism when applied to selected works of Christa Wolf? Because the Feminist Movement lacks dominant theory, the question arises whether Feminism can be seen as a literary theory/criticism that can serve as an appropriate means of investigating Christa Wolfs work. A corollary to the research question consequently emerged: does Feminism offer a literary theory or rather a philosophy/ideology based on a diversity of presumptions, gender included? In order to seek answers to these questions, the following dimensions are addressed: (a) A brief historical background and critical overview of Feminism; (b) An exploration of the multiplicity and diversity of the Feminist approaches and methodologies and the question of whether an integrated Feminist theory exists at present; (c) A further exploration of differences between the Anglo-American and French 'schools' of Feminist because such theories impact upon the study; German Feminist Criticism is also dealt with; (d) A consideration of debates concerning the terms female writing, feminist writing and feminine writing based on Feminist distinctions between female, feminist and feminine as well as the difference between gender and sex. (e) A consideration of Christa Wolf's creative vision of a Utopian Society and its relationship to the Feminist Movement's critical stances towards patriarchies throughout history. (f) A discussion of the discrepancies between female and feminist re-tellings of mythical materials as well as the manner in which Wolf deconstructs and reconstructs prehistoric myth in such a way that patriarchal misrepresentations are made evident. This dissertation consists of five chapters. The opening chapter offers a critical overview of the main premises of Feminist Criticism, drawn from major and/or contemporary sources. Part of this discussion falls on writings generated especially by German and American feminist critics who focus on the reception of Christa Wolfs work. The focal point of discussion is whether the Feminist Movement offers a literary-critical theory that can be applied meaningfully to the works of Christa Wolf. Chapter 1 is followed by three chapters (Chapters 2, 3, and 4), each devoted to discussion of an individual text by Wolf: Nachdenken Ober Christa T., Kassandra and Medea respectively. Methodologically, each chapter manifests a tripartite structure consisting of (a) a detailed discussion of Feminist Criticism of the specific text; (b) a hermeneutic examination of the text itself; and (c) an explication of the similarities and differences between (a) and (b) to show the merits and shortcomings of Feminist criticism of the text. The penultimate chapter, Chapter 5, examines some of Wolfs non-fictional work with a view to delineating her perspectives on the major gender themes and motifs in her fiction while the final chapter offers a discussion of the findings. The dissertation concludes with a list of references.
Open Access
Die argivering van die Afrikaanse film (1916 – 2014)
(University of the Free State, 2015-07) Steyn, Christa; Van Jaarsveld, A.; Van Coller, H. P.
Abstract not available
Open Access
Die bydrae van nie-artistieke praktyke tot die literêre sukses van eksemplariese Afrikaanse tekste. 'n Ondersoek na beeldvorming
(University of the Free State, 2019) Erasmus-Alt, Joanita; Van Coller, H. P.
English: As one of the symbolic aspects of human existence, art is inextricably linked to the material aspects of this existence. The result is that art has, for quite some time now, no longer been flourishing in isolation; rather, it has become part of a larger system in which economic principles also have an important part to play. The literary field is thus structured around two opposing poles: the economic and the artistic. Whereas the economic pole is engaged in a struggle to obtain economic capital ‒ the struggle in which particularly the media play an important part ‒ the artistic pole, for its part, strives to gain symbolic capital, which is the capital of legitimation. In this pole the prestige, fame, esteem, literary prizes and translations of the author’s work are decisive factors. Based on the premise that critics’ literary views differ, there are two main kinds of adjudication, namely intrinsic evaluations and extrinsic evaluations. Intrinsic evaluations are conducted in terms of specific artistic considerations that have a bearing on those formal characteristics that qualify a text to be classified as literature. The extrinsic evaluation, on the other hand, focuses on considerations, such as the standing of the text within a tradition and how the work is received. In this thesis the focus has been on extrinsic adjudication, that is, on the elements and role players that were involved in the process of literary canonisation. Because the image that is created of a book or an author must, as it were, take precedence over either the texts or the authors themselves, the creation of a credible image is of cardinal importance in the adjudication process. As a result of increasing mediatisation, the iconic value of information that is both sensational and serves to construct a particular image of an author, is just as important as the message itself. Therefore, the issue as to precisely what it is that determines the value of a literary work leads to a rejection of the allegation that so-called non-artistic considerations have no role to play in theorists and critics’ statements about literature. To illustrate this trend, the researcher identified four authors whose work enjoyed unparalleled popularity almost directly after publication: Dalene Matthee (Kringe in ŉ Bos, 1984), Marita van der Vyver (Griet skryf ŉ sprokie, 1992), Francois Smith (Kamphoer, 2014) and Bibi Slippers (Fotostaatmasjien, 2016). These texts represent different decades in Afrikaans literature – decades during which different artistic (and critical) paradigms and poetics were current. Comparison of the different texts, the image construction process involved, their marketing and their reception thus provided a broader empirical base from which to generalise inferences. This study is a descriptive study that has endeavoured, by means of both quantitative and qualitative methods, to investigate the strengthening influence of image construction as a form of symbolic capital in enhancing the success of the chosen texts. The thesis was premised on an empirical-institutional approach, one that was preceded by a theoretical orientation and a study of the relevant published research data and available digital material. One of the aims of the study was to investigate the production of symbolic value. In that conceptions of literature as ideological, socially bound viewpoints were deemed to be desirable in a study of this nature, a reconstructive approach was coupled with the institutional approach. The aim of the reconstructive approach is to reconstruct and systematise authors’ or a particular society’s conceptions of literature at a particular juncture. The study of mediation in the process of image construction ‒ with specific reference to the role of various agents (the editor, the publishing organisation, literary critics, the media), literary prizes/awards, translations and other cultural strategies ‒ can potentially throw light not only on the extent to which the various role players in the system have contributed to the success of the chosen texts but also on the particular ways in which these role players have done so.
Open Access
Die eufemisme in Afrikaans
(University of the Free State, 1970) Lubbe, Hendrik Johannes; Kok, B.; Badenhorst, W. J.; Van Heerden, C.
Abstract not available
Open Access
Die mededinging tussen die manlike en vroulike voornaamwoord in Afrikaans
(University of the Free State, 1984-06) Du Plessis, Chris; Van Jaarsveld, G. J.
Die probleem wat in die verhandeling onder die loep kom het drie fasette, naamlik: - die manlike dominansie in die taal van mans en vrouens; - die konkurrensie van hy/sy en hy/dit en om die dominansie te bepaal: - die wisselende gebruik van hy en sy met verwysing na lewende geslagtelike referente, nie-lewende referente, menslike referente en om voorbeelde en moontlike voorwaardes vir die onreëlmatige gebruik te probeer bepaal. 'n Werkbare definisie is gegrond op die omskrywing wat in WAT gevind word en die voornaamwoorde is aan die hand van hierdie definisie getoets. Die ondersoek het die volgende bevindings aan die lig gebring, naamlik dat: - taalverandering besonder sterk aan die werk is by voornaamwoordelike anaforiek en dat hy klaarblyklik besig is om dit nog verder te verdring; - die primêre funksie van hy die gebruik in verband met manlike persoons- en diername en by gemeenslagtige persoons- en diername is waar die geslag nie ter sake is nie; - hy egter onder bepaalde omstandighede deur sy verdring word; - die dominansie van die manlike voornaamwoord vir onsydige voorwerpe en vir gemeenslagtige persoonsname suggereer dat manlike dominansie moontlik ook op ander vlakke van die taal gereflekteer word. Die belangrikste bevindings wat gemaak is, is naamlik dat: - onreëlmatige voornaamwoordgebruik in sommige streke 'n patroonmatige voorkoms het, andersins toon die wisselende verskynsel 'n minder patroonmatige gebruik wat in beide die Standaard en nie-Standaardafrikaans voorkom; - die verskynsel van wisselende voornaamwoordgebruik hom landswyd voordoen en by beide geslagte aangetref word; - die onreëlmatige gebruik in nie-Standaardafrikaans sterk ooreenkoms toon met die Namakwalandse spreekstyl; - die gebruik 'n subsisteem van die spreker se taalskat is as gevolg van faktore soos die volgende: respek; vleitaal; liefdevolle, versagtende optrede, simpatieke meegevoel, neerhalende gebruik, woede, selfstandigheid, Engelse invloed, Nederlandse invloed, gevoelswaarde. Ten slotte is aangetoon dat: - die onreëlmatige gebruik gemanifesteer word in opvoedingshiërargieë; - beheersdheid gepaard gaan met die wisseling; - daar 'n proses van taalverandering aan die werk is, maar dat algehele standaardisering uitgesluit is omdat te veel affktiwiese faktore betrokke is.
Open Access
Die pikareske grondpatroon in enkele werke van Etienne Leroux
(University of the Free State, 1987-11) Botha, Wilna Marie; Van Coller, H. P.
Die doel van hierdie studie is om die pikareske grondpatroon in drie romans van Etienne Leroux, naamlik Die mugu, Isis Isis Isis en Onse Hymie, te ondersoek. Die keuse van juis hierdie drie romans word bepaal deur die feit dat die leser hier telkens te doen het met 'n reisende karakter. Verder kom daar in al drie romans 'n duidelike beeld van die onderskeie gemeenskappe, wat deur die karakters verteenwoordig word, aan die bod. Hierdie kenmerke, asook die feit dat ons met ‘n buitestaanderfiguur te doen het, dien as basiese definisie van die pikareske roman. Omdat hier sprake is van die vereensaming van 'n karakter binne sy gemeenskap, kan die optrede van die pikaro nie na regte bestudeer word as dit nie teen die agtergrond van die gemeenskap geskied nie. Dit noodsaak ‘n kontekstuele benadering wat uiteraard binne ‘n streng outonomistiese kader onmoontlik is. Daarom is dit beter om ‘n cop, buigsame definisie daar te stel wat ruimte laat vir die manier waarop die genre in verskillende tydperke, milieus en sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede in verskfllende skrywers se werk neerslag vind. Tog kan daar basiese karaktertrekke vir die pikareske roman vasgestel word. Elke skrywer gee egter sy eie, unieke en persoonlike interpretasie daarvan in sy werk weer. Uit die literatuur kan die volgende kenmerke aangedui word waarvolgens ‘n roman as pikaresk getipeer kan word. 'n Eenvoudige verhaalverloop, waar klem op die uiterlike handeling geplaas word, kan as eerste kenmerk van die pikareske roman gereken word. Dan volg ~ beskrywing van die milieu waarbinne die titelheld tuishoort. Die pikaro se huislike omstandighede is nie geed nie. Hy word as weeskind gereken, die wereld ingestuur en sodoende aansy eie lot oorgelaat. Hierna volg sy inwyding in die wereld. In sy naiwiteit word die pikaro bedrieg. Dit het tot gevolg dat hy sy onskuld verloor. Verder vu! dit horn met ‘n drang om wraak te neem en andere te bedrieg socs hy bedrieg is. Bogenoemde dwing die pikaro om volgens die grille van die geluk te leef. Daar vind ook nooit integrasie tussen die karakter en die wereld waardeur hy beweeg, plaas nie. Wat die vertelstruktuur van die pikareske roman betref, word klem gele op die eerstepersoonsvertelling. ‘n Verdere kenmerk is ·n episodiese verhaalverloop, waardeur die chaos in die wereld wat beskryf word, benadruk word. Die parodie, asook 'n oop slot, is verder kenmerkend van die pikareske roman. Die pikaro as hoofkarakter is slegs gedeeltelik ‘n reisende karakter. Sy eensaamheid staan voorop en omdat hy nie heeltemal las van die gemeenskap kan staan nie, word hy verder ‘n half-outsider genoem. Hy kan oak nie diepgaande emosie ervaar nie en is iemand wat baie verskillende rolle kan speel. Sy enigste konstante karaktertrek is sy wil om te bly leef. Satire en ironie speel belangrike rol in hierdie roman en dit kan oak as verhaal van die ruimte beskou word. Nadat bogenoemde kenmerke op Leroux se romans toegepas is, is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat 'n duidelike pikareske grondpatroon wel daarin aangetref word. Leroux maak egter nie slaafs gebruik van die pikareske genre nie en vernuwe dit op ‘n geslaagde wyse. Die pikaro word daardeur getransponeer na 'n moderne Suid-Afrika. Sodoende word Die mugu die eerste vingeroefening in hierdie genre terwyl Isis die suiwerste vorm van die pikareske roman binne Leroux se werk is. Wat Onse Hymie betref is daar, ten spite van die pikareske grondpatroon, 'n oorhel na die burleske en 'n meer radikale betrokkenheid by en kritiek op die samelewing.
Open Access
Die sinestetiese beeld in die poesie van Breyten Breytenbach
(University of the Free State, 1976-01) Galloway, Francina Cornelia Johanna; Beukes, G.
Abstract not available
Open Access
Die voorkoms en funksie van dwelms in die Afrikaanse letterkunde
(University of the Free State, 2021-11) Van Rensburg, Elizabeth; Pieterse, H. J.; Smit, M.
English: Since the earliest recordings, drugs have been described as an influential part of social, psychological, technological and economic aspects of society. Herodotus is one example of an author who wrote about drug use as early as 440 B.C. All over the world, statistics show that drug use is increasing and expanding, and many changes to drug legislation are being considered. The primary goal of this study is to determine the incidence and literary function of drugs in the Afrikaans literature. Literature sociology holds that literature is a social occurrence and that literature and society reflects, as well as influence, each other. This approach enables the literature analyst to view literature as a mirror or as a reflection of reality. One of the benefits of this approach is that aspects of reality and literature, a portrayal of reality, can be compared against each other. By comparing these things, the success of certain literature devices, such as credibility, can be tested. For this study, literature sociology will be used to focus on one aspect of reality, namely drugs. A twofold analytical approach, using two main literature sociology thought streams, will be used to determine the literary function of drugs. Firstly, relevant drugs will be examined using a Marxist standpoint, meaning that the role, perspective and status of these drugs will be researched. Secondly, a critical reading approach, as suggested by Humanitarian literature sociologists, will be used to analyse texts. The focus of this analysis will be on drugs and its literary function. By comparing both viewpoints on drugs, the credibility of texts can be considered. Representative Afrikaans texts with drugs as the main or subtheme were selected to determine the incidence of drugs in Afrikaans literature. A few examples of these works include, among others, Vreemder as fiksie en ander konterfeitsels (1996) and Tweede natuur (2000) by Johann de Lange, Op soek na generaal Mannetjies Mentz (1998) by Christoffel Coetzee, Seks & drugs & boeremusiek (2000) by Koos Kombuis, In stede van die liefde (2005) by Etienne van Heerden, Donker liefde: my verhouding met heroïen (2007) by Anoux Venter, Noudat slapende honde (2008) and grond/Santekraam (2011)by Ronelda Kamfer and Tussen middernag en dagbreek (2012) by J.W. Bogaards. Firstly, a historic overview of drugs will be discussed. An archive of all relevant Afrikaans literature related to the topic will be listed and thereafter, an in-depth textual analysis will be made of four selected texts. Lastly, a conclusion will be drawn and possible suggestions for other research will be made. This reseach provides a new tool for examining literature from a certain perspective. This enables the researcher to link certain themes together, test the credibility of a text and examine literary elements from a new perspective.
Open Access
Digbundel: die taal van die kannibaal en "Kranksinnig of klanksinnig". Uitbeeldings van psigiatriese versteurings in die Afrikaanse poësie: ’n intertekstuele ondersoek
(University of the Free State, 2016-10) Colin, Peter Francois; Pieterse, H. J.
No abstract available
Open Access
Die digter en sy middele: 'n ondersoek na die vernufpoesie in Afrikaans
(University of the Free State, 1988-11) Hugo, Daniel Johannes; Kannemeyer, J. C.; Van Coller, H. P.; Scholtz, M. G.
Abstract not availble
Open Access
'n Diskoersanalitiese ondersoek na die aard van Afrikaanse en Engelse radio-advertensies in reklamekompetisies
(University of the Free State, 2009) Bertram, Mariska; Van Niekerk, Angelique
English: A discourse analytical investigation is done into the nature of Afrikaans and English radio advertisements in advertisement competitions, namely, The Loerie Awards (English and Afrikaans) and the Pendoring Awards (2005, 2006) with the focus on the following research question: In what way can a discourse analytical investigation into the recursive language patterns found in radio advertisements contribute to the establishment of workable guidelines in order to write credible radio copy? The following goals were set on the basis of the above research question: A) Which language (e.g. dialogue and code-switching) and language-related strategies (e.g. humour and intertextuality) characterise Afrikaans and English radio copy? Advertising and communication do not occur in a socio-economic vacuum, and the fact that advertisements communicate with real people via real characters or spokespersons in a given socio-economic context, would make it possible to draw conclusions about the socioeconomic world as illustrated by radio advertisements from the selected competitions. This brings me to my second goal: B) What image does South African radio advertisements sketch about the socioeconomic world, given the marketing message in every advertisement? Given goal A was there a clear distinction made between the terms ‘language characteristics’ and ‘language related characteristics’. The distinction is to a great extent based on Van Jaarsveld’s (1987:204) distinction between the linguistic and the communicative assumptions as prerequisite for successful communication. Carstens’ (1997:105) distinction between constitutive and regulative principles for textuality according to me further justify the necessity of the distinction made. The former create and define the form of language behaviour what is to be known as textual communication. That implies that certain rules must be performed to determine the textuality of a text. The second principle control existing forms of behaviour and has as premise that this behaviour will still occur even if there do not exist clear rules for them. These assumptions and principles are being discussed in detail in chapters four and five that contain the language and language related characteristics. In the literature study an overview is given of the communication process, marketing, integrated marketing communications, advertising and the advertisement process. Here an overview is given of the nature of radio as advertisement medium, as well as of the functions of radio as medium, radio programming, the creative brief, the creative brief and the selling idea, positioning and message strategies. The focus then shifts to advertising and specifically radio advertising. Next, the data itself and the analysis of each advertisement are discussed. Here the Pendoring Toekennings and The Loerie Awards radio prize winners of 2005 / 2006 were used. Descriptions are given of the inventory variables (humour, intertextuality, codeswitching, and so forth) which were used to analyse the data. Each advertisement is analysed in terms of language and language-related characteristics, and concludes with the marketing message of each advertisement. The analyses of the data is consistent with the didactic-academic goal, namely, to compose guidelines for the writing of creative radio copy, which will be included in the conclusion. The following language characteristics are discussed as a whole in terms of their realisation in the data: Dialogue characteristics (address forms, turn-taking, hesitations, rude language use, lexicon, interruptions, cyclic nature of time, slang, tone of voice, pronunciation, exclamations, assimilation), repetition, code-switching, code mixing, rhyme and language play. According to the language-related characteristics – shared knowledge, historic time happenings, humour, intertextuality, irony, auditive nature (which consists of background sound and music), controversy and stereotypes – and the marketing message from the data as a whole, the image of the South African society can be expressed. The image from the data can be summarised as follows: South Africans presently live in an era where politics exercises great influence and is realised in contemporary radio advertisements. The biggest part of the dataset holds a connection with political changes which influence the society. It can, for example, be seen in the name changing of cities and the apartheid museum which was built. At the same time Afrikaans speakers fight for their language to survive – art festivals for example the KKNK are held, not only for entertainment, but also to promote Afrikaans.
Open Access
'n Diskursiewe ondersoek van enkele verteenwoordigende Afrikaanse en Nederlandse historiese romans
(University of the Free State, 2005-11) Marais, Nina-Marié; Van Coller, H. P.
English: The preceding study is an exploration of the interdisciplinary and inter-discursive “dialogue” between the historical novel, historiography and the philosophy of history. A rigid distinction between the discourses of literature and historiography is questioned in the contemporary literary criticism and the contemporary philosophy of history. In the work of the narrativist philosophers of history like Hayden White and Frank Ankersmit the narrative features of historiography is analysed. In contemporary literary criticism the historical novel is not studied in an autonomous manner. The emphasis in the work of Linda Hutcheon and Elisabeth Wesseling is on the close ties between historiography, the historical novel and the philosophy of history. Developments in the philosophy of history and historiography from the nineteenth century until the late twentieth century has been related to developments in the genre of the historical novel in this study. Although the developmental phases of the philosophy of history does not correlate completely with the developmental phases of the historical novel, it can be alleged that the Classical historical novel can be associated with empiricism in nineteenth century historiography and philosophy of history and that the new historical novel has a close affiliation with the contemporary philosophy of history. The poststructuralist problematisation of history has had a big influence on the contemporary philosophy of history, as well as on the new historical novel. It appears that the deconstruction of empirical approaches to historiography has a great deal in common with the contemporary critique on the historical novel in which confidence in the objective representability of the historical reality is undermined. Historiography ( like fiction ) is seen as a subjective, ideological and rhetorical construct which cannot represent the past in a transparent manner. History is viewed as a text which is constantly rewritten from new points of view and new ideological perspectives. Each attempt to reconstruct a reliable image of the past is undermined by limitations like the fact that archival material does not provide a complete picture of the past, the fact that each archival document was written from an ideological perspective or that the archive is institusionalized. The idea that history can be viewed as an ideological construct was proposed by Hutcheon and Wesseling in their work and it was especially this aspect of the historiographical discourse that was analysed in this study. Foucault’s association of discourse with a form of power was applied to the manner in which the historiographical discourse took part in the colonial discourse in the past, but also the manner in which a principally male perspective on history was favoured in the historiographical discourse in the past. With reference to contemporary historical novels like Eilande ( 2002 ) by Dan Sleigh as well as the novels of Hella Haasse like Heren van de Thee ( 1992 ), Mevrouw Bentinck of Onverenigbaarheid van karakter ( 1978 ) and Een gevaarlijke verhouding of Daal-en-Bergse brieven ( 1976 ) the ways in which the new historical novel represents an alternative form of historiography than formal historiography was investigated. It appears that new historical novels provides an alternative perspective on history than the Western and androcentric historiographical tradition. The existing historical record is supplemented in these novels with the perspective of marginal subjects such as women, indigenes, or the micro-histories of unimportant historical figures. The novelist Haasse enters the domain of the historian through the re-valuation of “apochryphal” historical sources such as the letter, diary, marriage certificate or will, whereby an alternative perspective is given on history than in the traditional, political historiography.
Open Access
Grammatikale en leksikale verskynsels in die Afrikaans van 'n groep Tswanastudente in Kimberley
(University of the Free State, 2001-05) Bessinger, Johanna Elizabeth Cornelia; De Wet, A. S.; Jenkinson, A. G.
English: This study examines the Afrikaans of a group of Tswana students (TswaA) at Phatsimang College of Education in Kimberley. The sample group live in a language situation in which they are constantly exposed to contact with various languages and varieties. A study of grammatical and lexical phenomena in their usage reflects this contact. The aim of this study is to produce a morphological, syntactical and lexical description of the TswaA variety, to determine its typical characteristics and to compare it with Standard Afrikaans and with other languages, such as English, and dialects such as Griqua Afrikaans and Cape Afrikaans. The data base thus compiled can be used in the teaching situation at the college. A short historical background of the Tswana is provided in Chapter 2 in order to explain the influence of the course of their history on their use of language and language preferences. Some socio-economic and linguistic information regarding the Tswana language community is also provided. Chapter 3 outlines the research procedure. The TswaA variety is predominantly the product of language contact; therefore special attention is paid in Chapter 4 to language modification with specific reference to language contact processes, namely borrowing and interference resulting from incomplete language assimilation. After this, interlanguage theory, mother tongue interference in L2 acquisition, language shifts and pidginisation are discussed. Then the reasons for language shifts, as well as the processes by which language modifications spread through a community, are examined. Finally, the effect of this contact situation on TswaA is briefly reviewed. In Chapters 5, 6 and 7 the written and spoken data obtained from the sample group are examined and described from the perspectives of morphology, syntax and semantics. Significant differences from Standard Afrikaans, as well as points of correspondence with Griqua Afrikaans and Cape Afrikaans are indicated. With regard to morphology, the formation of plurals, diminutives and compounds, flexion and derivation are examined. Syntatic variation is discussed with reference to prepositions, pronouns, negation, the infinitive, the article and certain striking phenomena in verb use and word order within sentences. With regard to compounds and derivations, the creation of new words is characteristic of the semantic variation in TswaA, as is ingenuity in the creation of own expressions. Existing South African lexical items undergo broadening of meaning in TswaA to compensate for limited vocabulary. Typical characteristics found in TswaA reflect the influence of contact with other variaties and languages. Contact with Griqua Afrikaans is evident in morphological and syntactic correspondence, for example, the double diminutive, the hypercorrect ge- in the formation of the past tense, foregrounding of the te in the infinitive construction and the heaping up of the connectives loop and gaan. Constructions which are typical of Cape Afrikaans, but also occur in GA, and which have a high frequency in TswaA, are the use of is and hel in infinitive constructions instead ofwees and hê and the weak past tense form gehel instead of gehad. The influence of English is apparent in numerous grammatical phenomena, such as the omission of the second nie in negative constructions, the use of prepositions, the use of was in place of is in the past tense of passive constructions, as well as in the many instances of derivation and borrowing and arbitrary code switches that occur. TswaA is also a learner variety and reveals typical interlanguage characteristics, for example periphrastic marking in the indication of number and diminution, elevation of gender differentiation in the pronominal system, typical periphrastic forms such as prepositional division and the high frequency of unaltered SVO word order. However, from the absence of other typical interlanguage characteristics such as a high frequency ofpassive and copulatory constructions, it would seem that this variety has already undergone development and extension Mother tongue interference leads, for example, to direct translation of the mother tongue pattern, as can be seen in the anaphoric use of the pronoun and noticeable differences in word order from Standard Afrikaans. These findings can serve as a data base and as guidelines in the teaching situation at the Phatsimang College. of Educati on.
Open Access
Grensoorskryding in Alfabet van die voëls deur S.J. Naudé en Sondag op ’n voëlplaas deur Johann Nell
(University of the Free State, 2016) Erasmus-Alt, Joanita; Van Coller, H. P.
English: The point of departure in this thesis are the concepts of border crossing and liminality. The latter term was used for the first time by Arnold van Gennep in his work Les rites de passage (1908). Van Gennep (1960:166) identifies three phases in the process of border crossing: the phase of seclusion, the liminal phase (the phase during which transformation takes place) and the integration phase. According to Van Gennep rites de passage is an essential characteristic of any kind of crossing and it refers to the dichotomy that exists between stable and transient structures. It is noticed that in a continuously changing modern society there is an increase in striving for a world without borders. It is typical of post-modernism that concepts of philosophy are mixed with concepts and methods from other disciplines; therefore an increase in integration of multi-disciplinary approaches is found in academic disciplines. In this thesis an overview is provided of important views regarding the nature of topological, philosophical and literary borders. The theoretical discussion serves as point of departure for the analysis, interpretation and discussion of the extent to, and the manner in which the crossing of borders is demonstrated.The focus of this discussion is based on two Afrikaans prose texts, namely Alfabet van die voëls [Alphabet of the birds] (2011) by S.J. Naudé and Sondag op ŉ voëlplaas [Sunday on a bird farm] (2013) by Johann Nell. Due to the iconoclastic nature of post-modern literature it is clear that demarcated borders are disappearing – also in relation to literary genres. Furthermore, the line between high and low literature is continuously becoming less prominent. As the continuous development of literary forms is making it difficult to define explicit demarcated literary genres, the current trends of deliquescence in the chosen genres (short-story cycle, farm novel, town novel, city novel, as well as the coming-of-age story or Bildungsroman) were taken as premise in this investigation. In both these texts spatial, psychological and metaphysical crossing of borders by a liminal main character (or characters) occurs at the story level. Against the backdrop of socio-political changes the various main characters experience different forms of trauma and loss – experiences that inevitably play an important role in moulding a personal identity. The search for the meaning of life and the discovery of the self presumes that the main characters as a result undergo a border-crossing, transformative and disengaging process. As part of the study, attention is not merely paid to different forms of border crossing at story level; the focus also is on the ways in which this border crossing is presented in the structure of the discourse and through narration. Apart from the dynamics which the theme of border crossing effectuates at the level of the story, the aspect of choice of the liminality can also be expressed in the structuring of the actions. As a result of the course of action being structured around border-crossing occurrences, a narrative cycle is brought about by means of processes of progression and regression. At the level of the story, border crossing is closely related to demarcating the area. In the thesis attention is paid to the ways in which the territorialising characteristics of the refrain and birds as complex metaphors are employed. These metaphors are not merely an ornamental aspect of language, but due to their repetitive occurrence they become fundamental themes through which the characters can conceptualise their respective lives and their activities in their immediate surroundings. In post-modern literature the crossing of borders often is demonstrated by the author entering the text on a self reflective level. This thesis investigates the ways in which the real author is present as a character in the literary work by means of subtle manipulation. The various forms of crossing borders demonstrated in both Naudé’s Alfabet van die voëls and Nell’s Sondag op ŉ voëlplaas, serve as confirmation of the idea that the crossing or fading of borders is relevant, for a variety of reasons, to post-modern literature and that it also seems to be a significant trend in Afrikaans literature.
Open Access
Henk van Woerden se "Kaapse trilogie" as 'n vorm van bekentenisliteratuur
(University of the Free State, 2006-08-22) Bruwer, Aletta Susanna; Van Coller, H. P.
English: South Africa is a country of beauty and violence. Understanding the essence of the country requires a journey into its past to dig up its variety of stories in order to present them in alliance with all the beauty and hardship and cruelty of the surroundings in which they play off. Henk van Woerden undertakes such a journey. Van Woerden’s books Moenie kyk nie (1993), Tikoes (1996) and Een mond vol glas (1998) are based on his own past as Dutch immigrant in South Africa and his personal experience of the country’s history of apartheid. The reception of these books – and of Een mond vol glas in particular - is characterized by misinterpretation and fierce judgement. This misinterpretation and consequent, unjustified negative evaluation result from two things: failure to read the three books as a trilogy (which would add an extra dimension of meaning) and not taking into account the specific genre to which they belong. The hypothesis proposed and validated in this study is that Van Woerden’s three books, in which his youth in the Cape and later important periods in his life are described, form an autobiographical unit: they are cyclically linked. This necessitates interpretation and evaluation based not only on an individual text, but taking into account the relationship with other texts in the cycle. H.P. van Coller’s definition of prose cycles is used to proof that the books do form a literary unit. The most important indication of a cycle in Van Woerden’s texts is the great amount of motives and themes, characters and events, which repeatedly occur and develop. A further hypothesis states that the genre in which the cycle as a whole is described, is a form of historiography where the combined meaning has a function that rises above factual controllability. It is suggested that these books can be defined as a hybrid form of confessional literature, in which the author depicts the history of the country, recalling his personal experience of it. He does this by using fictional tools to give these autobiographically founded stories an artistic dimension. Readers who interpret Van Woerden’s trilogy in this way, will recognize the function of the past being processed by way of giving artistic form to it. Finally, the texts are in line with the prevailing tendencies in history writing in both Dutch and South African literature, where the subjective rewriting of history in order to tell of personal experience of events is acceptable. In other respects Van Woerden’s work is ground braking. The texts converse interestingly with numerous other texts and contribute mainly to colonial and post-colonial discourses in Dutch and Afrikaans literature.
Open Access
Die impak van sosiopolitieke verandering op die plek van vroueskrywers in die Afrikaanse literêre kanon
(University of the Free State, 2009) Human-Nel, Maria Johanna; Van Coller, H. P.; Van Jaarsveld, A.
Abstract not available
Open Access
Intensivering in Afrikaans
(University of the Free State, 1974-12) Esterhuizen, H. L.; Van Heerden, C.
Abstract not available