Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))—University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Members of churches commonly use the English terms salvation/saved and their isiZulu equivalents insindiso/ukusindiswa. Implied meanings seem to have become attached to these terms, especially in isiZulu, which could cause miscommunication due to the attitudes of superiority of the so-called “saved ones” (abasindisiwe) and consequent antagonism amongst certain ecclesiastical groupings. The question addressed by this study was whether or not the meaning of the term to be saved and its isiZulu translation ukusindiswa, as understood by a selection of isiZulu-speaking Christians, is unambiguous. A further question was whether – should it be the case that these terms are found to be ambiguous – to be saved and its isiZulu translation ukusindiswa could be rehabilitated. Nine people from various denominational backgrounds, both lay and ordained, were interviewed in order to discover how they understood the terms in question. The interviewees were asked ten question, including questions on the influence of cultural practices on the meaning of the terms. These cultural practices were in connection with ancestors, as experienced in Zulu culture, and the influence of their understanding of the terms on the permissibility of ancestral practices. The answers given by the interviewees revealed certain trends. One of them was that, for some isiZulu speakers, the meaning of the terms included the aspect of laying aside of all contact with the ancestors. Those who understood the terms in this manner were seen by the interviewees as having an attitude of superiority and as condemning members of more traditional churches for their adherence to Zulu culture. A sociolinguistic analysis of the terms salvation/insindiso and to be saved/ukusindiswa is presented based on the interviewees’ responses. A conclusion is that the terms are often used in a biased and/or “loaded” way, which is a principal cause of miscommunication and misunderstanding. Ways of reducing this misunderstanding are proposed, including the “rehabilitation” of the terms linguistically and theologically. Greater sensitivity to different ecclesiastical cultures should be shown, involving the use of inclusive language and the exercising of the skills of intercultural communicative competence. This study reveals that the church needs to work at the issues surrounding the terms in question, the use of which can cause a breakdown in intercultural communication.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The number of students studying outside of their country of birth is growing rapidly. While the United States of America only sends a small number of students abroad every year, high profile institutions and individuals have argued that studying abroad has become an important developmental experience in the globalized world. This effects (and will continue to effect) countries that send students as well as those that accept such students. While it is recognised that study abroad is both a business and an educational endeavour, the relative importance accorded each facet is disputed by those working and researching in the field. Some argue that to reduce study abroad to a ‗business endeavour‘ would be to remove the quintessential benefits of the experience. Nevertheless, the field (along with all education) is moving to embrace neoliberalisation. Research into the effect of this mass movement is sparse, scarcer still is research into the actual effects on students participating in this movement. This study is an analysis of the linguistic identity construction of American students shortly after a semester abroad at Stellenbosch University. Forty seven surveys were analysed to demonstrate how the way in which students construct their identities is influenced by broader practices in the field. The research shows how identities are co-constructed and suggests that the field of study abroad needs to be critically self-reflective in order to mitigate the potential negative effects of the practices they use. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aantal studente wat buite hul land van geboorte studeer is vinnig besig om toe te neem. Alhoewel die Verenigde State van Amerika jaarliks slegs ʼn klein aantal studente oorsee stuur, beweer hoë profiel institute en individue dat ʼn buitelandse studiegeleentheid ʼn belangrike ontwikkelingsondervinding is in ʼn toenemend geglobaliseerde wêreld. Dit beïnvloed (en sal aanhou om te beïnvloed) beide die lande wat studente stuur en die lande waarnatoe die studente gestuur word. Hoewel dit algemeen erken word dat ʼn buitelandse studiegeleentheid beide ʼn besigheid en ʼn opvoedkundige aangeleentheid is, betwyfel navorsers en die wat in die praktyk werk die mate waartoe beide aspekte bydra tot die praktyke wat gebruik word. Sommige beweer dat om ʼn buitelandse studie geleentheid te reduseer tot ʼn besigheidsaangeleentheid, die ervaring van sy wesenlike voordele ontneem. Ten spyte van die kritiek word toenemend meer waarde geheg in die veld van 'buitelandse studie geleenthede' (saam met ander opvoedkundige kontekste) aan neoliberalisme. Navorsing wat die invloed van neoliberalisme op onderrigpraktyke ondersoek is raar, nog raarder is navorsing wat die effek van neoliberalisme op studente ondersoek. Hierdie studie analiseer die linguistiese identiteitskonstruksie van Amerikaanse studente kort na hul ʼn buitelandse studiegeleentheid van ʼn semester by Stellenbosch Universiteit voltooi het. Sewe en veertig opnames is geanaliseer om te demonstreer hoe die manier waarop studente hul identiteit konstrueer deur die praktyke in die veld beïnvloed word. Die studie dui aan dat identiteite saam gekonstrueer is en beveel aan dat die veld van 'buitelandse studiegeleenthede' krities en self-reflektief moet wees om potensiële negatiewe effekte van die praktyke wat gebruik word teen te werk.

This study is offered as a potential contribution to the struggle for Indigenous reclamation, revitalization and renewal of knowledge systems, cultures, lands and resources. It acknowledges that Canadian Indigenous history does not begin with the arrival of the Europeans. Neither does their future depend exclusively on Western worldviews. Rather, the study argues, the future depends on the convergence of Indigenous worldviews, encapsulated through orality in their languages and knowledges, with imported Western worldviews and knowledges encapsulated through literality. Using qualitative ethnographic, sociolinguistic and phenomenological research approaches, this study focuses on some primary questions: Firstly, can locating the discourse between Indigenous and Western knowledge systems in an abstract, neutral and voluntary `ethical space' between them contribute to identification of their complementary diversities? Secondly, can the convergence of these knowledge systems in creative interconnections in research, development and teaching enable each system to preserve its own integrity? Thirdly, can a portable (collaborative, multi-venue) institutional model for Indigenous tertiary education be developed? This model will be capable of being locally-customised. It will be intended for local development by Indigenous communities wishing to add a community-based delivery mode interconnected with others to the delivery of tertiary education to their citizens. To address these questions, findings from literature on Indigenous knowledges globally and literature on Indigenous tertiary education in North America is converged with field research findings. Findings from the literature and field research are converged to describe how the imposition of Western worldviews has contributed to a systemic erosion of Indigenous worldviews, languages, knowledges and practises. However, interviewees do not advocate `either-or' choices. They are clear that `both-and' solutions, under community jurisdiction, hold the greatest promise for stimulating the resurgent forces that can play a lead role in reclaiming, renewing and revitalizing Indigenous responsibility for Indigenous peoples, resources, economies, communities and governance. They are just as clear that the reclamation, renewal and revitalization of Indigenous knowledges through tertiary education can lead the way in Indigenous governance, community, social, health, justice, and economic development. Data illustrate that conventional/mainstream tertiary institutions often argue for the inclusion of Indigenous program content managed by Indigenous people. They argue that this will assure that a few incremental reforms may turn the institutions into instruments that serve Indigenous peoples and communities effectively. This study shows that such arguments ignore Indigenous contexts and Indigenous teaching/learning processes while continuing to embrace the Western development paradigm. It also calls for a complementary Indigenous Multiversity that, while pluralist and open to all knowledges, is rooted in Indigenous thought and knowledge. It can be the basis for reaching out to and interfacing with other peoples and their knowledges. This study sees the `ethical space' in an Indigenous Multiversity as an optimal location for confronting and reaching out to all knowledges and worldviews while resolving content/context/teaching-learning process issues. Starting in one community, the Multiversity could finally be made up of a consortium. The consortium could unite interdependent Indigenous community-based tertiary institutions. The institutions could be partnered with conventional/mainstream professional and technical institutions and colleges. Such partnerships could assure that, in addition to having access to local and other Indigenous languages, values, knowledges and worldviews, students may be able to access Western languages, values, knowledges and worldviews. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Comparative Education)

This diploma thesis deals with a comparison of works of German and Czech fairy tale authors. The two cultures are represented by the Brothers Grimm and by K. J. Erben. Fairy tales of these authors are analysed from an intercultural point of view. Since each culture has different features, fairy tales of these cultures are written in a different form, as well. The theoretical part of the thesis is based on expert literature on intercultural communication and on the topic of fairy tales. Further sources include literature on the Brothers Grimm and on K. J. Erben. In the practical part, five fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and five fairy tales of K. J. Erben are analysed and compared. This analysis and comparison represent the core of this thesis, with four different fairy tales chosen of each author and one fairy tale describing the same story.

The standard ideology, embedded in discourses of traditional language teaching, has been found to have an influence on non-native speakers' linguistic identities. It manifests itself in their preoccupation with grammatical correctness and accent, and consequently in shaping negative self-perceptions, by focusing on the lacks in proficiency relative to the native speaker model. Some of the recent studies, however, reported contrasting findings. They reveal a weakening of this influence, which stems mainly from the current role of English as a global lingua franca. The ultimate goal of this study is to explore the English non-native students' perceptions of their English, as it served as a main shared resource for socializing within their community, in order to find whether and how this decentralization, combined with the "real life" use of English within an informal environment of an Erasmus community of practice, might impact their linguistic identities. The theoretical part of this study consists of three sections. Firstly, it provides a description of the concept of English as a lingua franca and its development. The second part explicates the relation between ELF and linguistic identity whereas the third part introduces the community of practice approach, which has been employed both as a...

Dissertation thesis Eva Obrátilová Expressions of the traditional world-view of Mongolians, as reflected in the spoken language (with an emphasis on crisis-situation Topics) Abstract The aim of this work is to describe some of the traditional world-view of the speakers of Mongolian. Based on my research, I have placed research emphasis on the connection between culturally specific phenomena and language, the influence between the world-view and linguistic expressions connected with the nomadic way of life of the Mongolians. The material is classified and explicated from an ethnolinguistic and sociolinguistic point of view, with a strong emphasis on the ethnography of communication and intercultural communication. Based on the analysis of communication situations, this dissertation describes some of the manifestations of world-view, taboo, values as well as the traditional world-view of the Mongolian speakers. Keywords: ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistics, ethnography of communication, intercultural communication, Mongolian studies

L'interculturel est un concept souvent partagé mais rarement défini dans la recherche alors que ses compréhensions, interprétations et applications sont variées, ce qui mène à des malentendus et des positionnements épistémologiques et méthodologiques ambigus. En parallèle, de nombreuses critiques et propositions de réorientations de la notion voient le jour. Nous entendons faire le point sur la notion et son intégration potentielle dans l'enseignement de la communication interculturelle (ECI). Notre étude se base sur l'analyse de six groupes focalisés d'enseignants (-chercheurs) impliqués dans l'enseignement de l'interculturel du niveau supérieur en Finlande, pays du nord de l'Europe. Nous avons recours aux paradigmes postmodernes et aux sciences du langage (analyse du discours inspirée d'auteurs français, et plus particulièrement de l'école française de la deuxième génération (les théories de l'énonciation (Kerbrat-Orecchioni, 2002 ; Marnette, 2005) et une approche du dialogisme inspirée par Bakhtine (1977))). Ces méthodes permettent de mettre en avant la complexité identitaire en posant l'hétérogénéité du discours comme principe, c'est-à-dire qu'elles considèrent que tout discours inclut la « voix » de l'autre. Repérer la présence de ces voix dans les discours des enseignants/chercheurs nous a permis de démontrer comment celles-ci participaient à la construction de leur identité pendant l'interaction. Nous avons pu observer comment les relations entre ces interactions verbales donnaient lieu à des instabilités (contradictions, omissions), dont l'étude nous a aidée à déduire leur(s) façon(s) de concevoir l'interculturel. Les discours analysés révèlent a) que la définition de l'interculturel est partagée sans être perçue de la même manière et b) que les différentes représentations du concept peuvent varier dans le discours d'un même enseignant, mettant en évidences des contradictions qui posent problème s'il s'agit de communiquer un savoir-être aux apprenants. Nous nous sommes efforcée de trouver la place d'un interculturel renouvelé parmi ces discours et de dissocier l'image de l'éducation interculturelle qui est promue en Finlande de ce qui est proposé en réalité : les changements actuels semblent avoir un minimum d'impact sur la façon dont les enseignants traitent l'interculturel. Nous nous demandons alors comment l'Etat finlandais peut promouvoir un enseignement interculturel cohérent sans proposer aux enseignants/chercheurs une formation qui leur permettrait de reconnaitre les diverses diversités impliquées par l'interculturel. / The « intercultural » is rarely defined by researchers or media as it is perceived as transparent while its interpretations and applications vary in many ways. This leads to misunderstandings and ambiguous positioning. In parallel, several critics and reorientation propositions arise. I intend to define the scope of the concept and its integration in educational contexts. This study is based on the analysis of six focus groups involving lecturers (-researchers) specialised in intercultural communication in higher education in Finland. It reviews the different perceptions of "the intercultural" that can be found through their discourses. I use discourse analysis from French authors, more particularly the theories of enunciation (Kerbrat-Orecchioni, 2009 ; Marnette, 2005) and an approach to dialogism inspired by Bakhtin (1977) who stated that all discourses include the voice of the Other (Rabatel, 2008; Vion, 2005). Mapping the presence of voices in the discourses of lecturers helped me demonstrate how these voices participate in the co-construction of their identity and what their impact on the teacher's conceptualization of interculturality is. The analysis revealed that a) discourses about "the intercultural" are shared in spite of its polysemic definitions and approaches and b) the different representations of the concept can vary in the speech of the same teacher, showing contradictions that can be a problem when teaching a savoir-être (life skills) to learners. This study also aimed at finding the place of a renewed interculturality in Finnish higher education and intended to dissociate the image of the intercultural as it is promoted in the country from what is actually taught in practice: the latest and ongoing changes seem to have very little impact on the way these practitioners talk about the "intercultural". I conclude asking the question of how the Finnish government can promote a coherent Intercultural Education without offering its teachers/researchers a training that could help them recognize the diverse diversities implied by a renewed interculturality.

The present study aimed to find out which compliment response types Saudi learners of English would use in particular situations within an academic context and to identify possible cultural and gender differences in the compliment responses between Saudi learners of English and native speakers of American English. In order to examine the two main variables of the present study, which were cultural and gender differences, the study used a Multiple Choice Discourse Completion Task (MDCT). The instrument included four imaginary written situations related to an academic context. Specifically, the first two scenarios involved a compliment on student achievement by a male and a female professor. In the third and fourth scenarios, the compliment was offered by a male and a female classmate, respectively. The compliment response types were based on Herbert's (1990) taxonomy. The participants included 104 American native speakers and 71 Saudi English speakers, all of them enrolled at a US university. The analysis of the data involved calculating descriptive statistics and multiple chi-square tests to elicit possible differences between native and non-native in each situation. Descriptive statistics were used to provide a detailed description of the results in terms of percentages. In addition, the value of Phi was calculated for each chi-square test in order to provide further evidence about the effect size of the observed differences. Overall, the results for the comparisons of cultural differences revealed that there were more similarities than differences between the American and Saudi participants in their compliment responses in all four situations. Furthermore, the results of the gender comparisons showed that there were more gender differences within the American sample than within the Saudi one. The lack of or very small number of cultural and gender differences was attributed to the fact that the majority of the Saudi participants had spent a substantial amount of time in the US and were all enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs at a US university. Another speculation that emerges based on the results of this study is that the similarities between the Saudi and American students, and the male and female participants, could be attributed to the changing definition of culture in the present day globalized world. Particularly, it appears that cultural differences may be fading away, especially among the younger generations, under the influence of globalization, advanced technology, and the Internet.

In this dissertation, I autoethnographically explore the Guatemalan traditional blouse, a huipil, as a cultural object of identity, where the objectification of clothing is blurred as intertextual, and can be seen as both object and art. I argue, the huipil is situated within the purview of Latina/o communication studies, contributing to the conversation of a created, a woven, and a worn mestizaje. In chapter two, I discussed the historical significance of Rigoberta Menchú as a key international historical figure. Who preserves the cultural, historical, and political significance a representation of Guatemalan Indigenous women by continuing to wear her full traditional traje. In chapter three, I moved to discussing the performance art works of Regina José Galindo. I worked to construct a historical view of Guatemala for myself as shown through Galindo’s performance art work. I attempted to find answers to Galindo’s understanding of the huipil. In chapter four, I discuss who further contributed to the overall understanding of the huipil as significant to their cultural, historical, and political orientations as women from Guatemala during my research interviews. I developed a sense of the fabricscape woven to construct an identity based on clothing that communicatively segregates the Indigena and Ladina women into those categories. Finally, I turned to the Guatemalan experiences I had as family member, friend, and American scholar focusing on the huipil. The textile that carried me through my journey to and from Guatemala. I dressed the part of the dissertation as I wear this meaning in Mi Huipil and weave this document from and back into that embodied experience.

This paper highlights the methodology that has been used at Rhodes University and other South African universities in implementing vocation-specific African language learning programmes. Essentially, the paper links the curriculum design to the theoretical paradigm of intercultural communication. Intercultural theory is used as a basis to develop vocation-specific courses where language and culture are taught, for example, to second language learners of isiXhosa at Rhodes University. These courses include courses for Pharmacy and Law students. This paper offers a new theoretical paradigm for intercultural language teaching. Furthermore, examples from specific courses are provided in order to illustrate how this theoretical paradigm can be implemented in a practical way. The impact of multilingualism and intercultural communication in the wider legal and healthcare work environment in South Africa is also discussed.