Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

This thesis investigates verbal insults recorded in judicial protocols in the Swedish university townUppsaladuring the 1630s. The aim of the study is to analyze insults as linguistic formulations and social acts in Early Modern Swedish society. The methodology of the study is guided by speech act theory and ethnography of communication in order to examine the lexical realizations of insults and verbal action in different speech communities. From a total of 652 protocols in two series of records from the city court and the university council inUppsalain the 1630s, sections of text were excerpted that registered insults. The material under investigation comprises 179 cases that contained 276 insults. The descriptive meta-linguistic expressions for insults are rich as well as varied, and the performed insults are reported with or without invectives and as direct or indirect speech. Clear patterns emerged in the investigation by performing various semantic-, pragmatic-, and discourse-level analyses of the judicial records. Insults among city people were commonly interpreted as truth-conditional representative speech acts and thereby were viewed as false accusations of various kinds. In the academic world, however, the truth value of the insult was of minor importance. The speech act was regarded mainly as an expressive utterance of anger and frustration. Through a comparison of the city and university judicial records, it is shown that the patterns of insults reveal a general semantic process in which primarily concrete, objective meanings come to fulfill increasingly interpersonal and pragmatic speech functions.

The United States is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees and immigrants who desire to learn English. In contrast to academically-focused English language learners (ELLs), or international students, refugee and immigrant ELLs are often dealing with the stresses of poverty and/or a precarious immigration status, giving them a diverse and complex set of needs that are often not adequately met by ESL programs. Building off a foundation of Activity Theory, Sociocultural Theory, and Language Ecology, which emphasizes an approach to language learning and teaching that does not separate language from the authentic contexts from which it arises (Van Lier, 2002; Leather & Van Dam, 2003; Pennycook, 2010; Swain & Watanabe, 2012; among others), I seek to uncover and address these needs in-context through an ethnography of six Spanish-speaking immigrant ELLs in the western United States. I detail the results of an in-depth analysis of 116 hours of participant observation with these women, paying special attention to their daily routines and how, where, and why they employ English or Spanish. I show how the women's daily routines and participation in Latinx communities curtail much of their need for daily English, how they employ various strategies to get by when they do need English, and how their expressed motivations to learn English are often thwarted by their current life circumstances. I end by summarizing key observations about the ELLs in the study and making general recommendations to ESL programs for how to apply these observations.

<p>The present thesis addresses the relationship between the structure and social functions of language through the study of an Afro-Brazilian Portuguese speech community. The adopted methodological, analytical, and theoretical standpoints have their origin in linguistic anthropology, social psychology of language and discourse analysis. A set of data was collected during extensive fieldwork in Salvador (Brazil), and consists of recordings of informal conversations with and between followers of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion.</p><p>Focusing on the communicative process in a specific communicative setting, the linguistic analyses illustrate the relationship between language and identity by examining theway in which expressions of African origin function as identity markers. In order to connect such Africanisms used by Candomblé followers in their everyday speech with the linguistic attitudes and ideologies found in Brazilian society throughout history, an interdisciplinary approach was called for and factors that affect the speech community’s ethnolinguistic vitality were explored. Linguistic attitudes and ideologies that have influenced group vitality were analyzed in the socio-political context (or macro-context). At the same time, the purpose was to understand communication within the sacred space of Candomblé by examining issues such as changes in linguistic forms and functions in the communicative situation (or microcontext).</p><p>Apart from revealing patterns of communication in Candomblé communities, the results of the analyses show how linguistic changes such as re-Africanization are triggered by changes of attitudes in society. These changes affect speakers’ identities and language use within speech communities.</p>

The present thesis addresses the relationship between the structure and social functions of language through the study of an Afro-Brazilian Portuguese speech community. The adopted methodological, analytical, and theoretical standpoints have their origin in linguistic anthropology, social psychology of language and discourse analysis. A set of data was collected during extensive fieldwork in Salvador (Brazil), and consists of recordings of informal conversations with and between followers of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion. Focusing on the communicative process in a specific communicative setting, the linguistic analyses illustrate the relationship between language and identity by examining theway in which expressions of African origin function as identity markers. In order to connect such Africanisms used by Candomblé followers in their everyday speech with the linguistic attitudes and ideologies found in Brazilian society throughout history, an interdisciplinary approach was called for and factors that affect the speech community’s ethnolinguistic vitality were explored. Linguistic attitudes and ideologies that have influenced group vitality were analyzed in the socio-political context (or macro-context). At the same time, the purpose was to understand communication within the sacred space of Candomblé by examining issues such as changes in linguistic forms and functions in the communicative situation (or microcontext). Apart from revealing patterns of communication in Candomblé communities, the results of the analyses show how linguistic changes such as re-Africanization are triggered by changes of attitudes in society. These changes affect speakers’ identities and language use within speech communities.

This study investigates the relationship between faith, communication, and organization in a large Baptist church. A chief purpose of this study is to describe and interpret potential communicative dimensions and consequences of immateriality (e.g., faith-oriented influences) for organizations and their members. This investigation also interrogates organizational communication scholars’ theoretical understandings of how communication constitutes complex organizations (McPhee & Zaug, 2000; Taylor & Van Every, 2000; see also Putnam & Nicotera, 2009). Toward this end, I conducted an extended case study of a large Baptist church. This research process was guided by descriptive, interpretive, and evaluative questions regarding (a) the nature and interplay of various discourses in the organization, (b) member interpretations and communicative consequences of these discourses, and (c) the implications for a communicative ontology of organizational constitution. Data collection consisted of formal meeting observations, semi-structured interviews, and examination of multiple organizational documents that presumably inform the church’s organizational processes. In total, I observed 26 formal meetings (52 hours of observation), conducted 40 interviews with pastors, support staff, and lay leaders, and examined seven documents generated by the church and related institutional bodies. Two forms of analysis were employed to strengthen the case studying findings, an ethnographic discursive analysis of the meeting interactions and a narrative analysis derived largely from the interview data. The ethnographic discourse analysis examines three communication codes that governed the organization’s meeting interactions. I refer to these codes as keep the faith, secular thinking, and business as usual and explore potential patterns and consequences of their collective use. This analysis was supplemented by an additional narrative analysis of interview data that highlighted four narratives representing the varied ways that participants shape and are shaped by the organization. The congregationalist and spiritual authority narratives are more widely espoused and endorsed in organizational literature while the rubber stamp and separation narratives reveal a more hesitant or regretful confession of church organizing processes. I synthesize these findings by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of immaterial influences on organizational constitution, particularly in non-profit or third sector contexts. / text

Today, unlike yesterday we talk about Moral Regeneration amongst the Vhavenḓa youth of today and throughout the whole world. Strategies of combating this monster that is snatching our youth are recommended in this study. The problem dealt with in this study is the issue of Moral degeneration amongst the youth which needs to be regenerated. There are many causes of moral degeneration amongst the youth discussed in this study which are accompanied by the remedial strategies. As a way forward in this study, observations of researchers and scholars on how to find the solution about moral degeneration that has impacted on the lives of Vhavenḓa youth and other youth of today around the globe were focused on. The literature review in this study was based more on issues that are linked to Indigenous Knowledge Systems as discussed by various scholars. This study used the qualitative research methodology though quantitative minimally. The sampling of data was more purposive though there were cases of convenience and snowballing so as to get more data. Data for this research study was collected through questionnaires and interviews from a host of interviewees. This data was analysed using open and axial coding. The findings were grouped or categorised into major themes in terms of selective coding. Reasons behind the findings were explained too. Finally, consequences, implications for further study and also recommendations were indicated. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African languages)

Today, unlike yesterday we talk about Moral Regeneration amongst the Vhavenḓa youth of today and throughout the whole world. Strategies of combating this monster that is snatching our youth are recommended in this study. The problem dealt with in this study is the issue of Moral degeneration amongst the youth which needs to be regenerated. There are many causes of moral degeneration amongst the youth discussed in this study which are accompanied by the remedial strategies. As a way forward in this study, observations of researchers and scholars on how to find the solution about moral degeneration that has impacted on the lives of Vhavenḓa youth and other youth of today around the globe were focused on. The literature review in this study was based more on issues that are linked to Indigenous Knowledge Systems as discussed by various scholars. This study used the qualitative research methodology though quantitative minimally. The sampling of data was more purposive though there were cases of convenience and snowballing so as to get more data. Data for this research study was collected through questionnaires and interviews from a host of interviewees. This data was analysed using open and axial coding. The findings were grouped or categorised into major themes in terms of selective coding. Reasons behind the findings were explained too. Finally, consequences, implications for further study and also recommendations were indicated. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African languages)

This research investigates how the speech community living in Maputo city uses language in relation to HIV/AIDS and studies related stigmas which impede women's access to HIV/AIDS counselling services. My hypothesis is that frequent use of gender stereotypes in AIDS discourse aims at stigmatising women as AIDS propagators, while minimizing male sexual transgressions in the AIDS crisis. Interpretation of primary data collected via focus group discussions and interviews is done with five different approaches that study respectively: social meanings and representations of AIDS embedded in context, the stigmatising process correlating gender stereotypes and discrimination against women, stereotypical speech attitudes and speech mechanism as well as the functions and effects of stereotyping. My conclusion is that deeply rooted gender barriers are to be removed in order to combat the social plague of AIDS and that ethnography of communication offers interesting models for development projects that can initiate behavioural changes through speech. / Linguistics / M.A. (Sociolinguistics)

This research investigates how the speech community living in Maputo city uses language in relation to HIV/AIDS and studies related stigmas which impede women's access to HIV/AIDS counselling services. My hypothesis is that frequent use of gender stereotypes in AIDS discourse aims at stigmatising women as AIDS propagators, while minimizing male sexual transgressions in the AIDS crisis. Interpretation of primary data collected via focus group discussions and interviews is done with five different approaches that study respectively: social meanings and representations of AIDS embedded in context, the stigmatising process correlating gender stereotypes and discrimination against women, stereotypical speech attitudes and speech mechanism as well as the functions and effects of stereotyping. My conclusion is that deeply rooted gender barriers are to be removed in order to combat the social plague of AIDS and that ethnography of communication offers interesting models for development projects that can initiate behavioural changes through speech. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Sociolinguistics)