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Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research endeavors to make a more satisfactory connection between the text and sermon by utilizing the speech act theory (SAT). In the light of SAT, the movement from text to sermon is neither simply to be viewed as finding timeless principles, meanings, big ideas from Scripture nor to emphasize a human experience in the modern world to serve as a re-narration of the text. Rather, the homiletical bridge in SAT has to be considered as the performative action of the text itself. The essence of interpretation in preaching is therefore to recognize the illocutionary act in Scripture. In SAT, the illocutionary act creates the meaning as well as the perlocutionary action. This is the center of the effort in order to build a more satisfactory bridge between text and sermon. Obviously, the SAT can directly serve the Reformed Confessions in which the living Triune God is still speaking through the Scripture in the present. The Spirit is the enabler of a disclosure of the autonomous and meaningful action of the Bible. The Spirit has continually enabled the Christian community to understand and to enact the Scripture in the context of the common life of the Christian community. This means that the Bible is not given to be exegeted in academic isolation, but to be performed by the people of God. Perhaps, when the preacher proclaims the re-illocutionary preaching, he/she will encounter an unexpected manner of sermon. However, this creative preaching generates unexpected reality through the Bible in which the Spirit gives the energy to accomplish this alternative reality. This should offer practical guidelines for performing individual faith and generating social capital. That event is proclaimed (performed) as the living Word of God for modern man. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsing beoog om ‘n meer bevredigende konneksie te maak tussen teks en preek deur gebruik te maak van die sogenaamde “Speech Act Theory”, oftewel Spraak Handeling Teorie [SHT]. In die lig van die SHT is die beweging vanaf teks na preek nie net om klem te lê op onveranderde beginsels, opinies, waardevolle betekenisse van die Woord of ondervindinge van menslike ervaring in die moderne wêreld om as ‘n herskrywing van die teks te dien nie, maar eerder moet die homilitiese brug gesien word as die manifestering van die teks self. Die primêre fokus van interpretasie is hiervolgens dus om die performatiwe funksie van die Woord te herken. Volgens die SHT skep die performatiewe funksie die betekenis sowel as die performatiewe aksie. Bogenoemde uitgangspunte vorm die middelpunt van aksies wat geneem word om te verseker dat ‘n aanvaarbare brug gebou word tussen prediking en teks. Dit wil voorkom asof die SHT die Gereformeerde Belydenis kan dien, aangesien die Lewende, Drie-enige God volgens hierdie belydenis nog steeds deur die Woord praat in die teenwoordige tyd. Hiervolgens is die Gees van God ‘n fasiliteerder van die onafhanklike en betekenisvolle openbaring van die Bybel. Die Gees van God het volgens hierdie belydens voortdurend die Christen gemeenskap gelei om die Woord te verstaan en om dit uit te voer in die konteks van die normale Christen gemeenskap. Dit beteken dat die Bybel nie gegee is om bloot in isolasie akademies uitgelê te word nie, maar om uit-gevoer te word deur die gemeenskap van God. Predikers wat die performatiewe boodskap van die Skrif binne die kragveld van hierdie gemeenskap preek, mag op verrassende wyses anders preek. Hierdie kreatiewe styl van prediking genereer ‘n onverwagse realiteit, in ooreenstemming met dit wat die Bybel deur die Gees van God intendeer om uit te voer (“perform”). Hierdeur word individuele geloof, maar ook die verrykking van die gemeenskap gedien.

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of institutional politics in postcolonial societies, in this case, contemporary Mali. It examines the ways in which transitions to democracy have transformed everyday politics not only through the creation of new institutional arrangements, but through the promotion of new understandings of social and political authority. In particular, this research examines the expectations that democratic institutions place on political deliberation and public speech, as well as the multiple ways in which democratic political speech has failed to fulfill those expectations. To address these questions, it combines Linguistic and Political Anthropology in the analysis of everyday discussions that took place in institutions of political representation in contemporary Mali—from the National Assembly to local councils and party meetings. This linguistic evidence was collected during fifteen months of fieldwork in Bamako and Kita, Mali, in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Each chapter is centered on one of the various categories that mediate the relationship between political speech and action—such as authority, representation, and intention. My analyses of discursive patterns within the specific political context of Mali lays bare an oscillation between a serious engagement with democratic political discussion on the one hand, and its rejection through expressions of suspicion and disbelief on the other. Drawing on J. L. Austin’s speech act theory, I argue that democratic political speech suffers “infelicity,” or a recurrent difficulty in authenticating formal political speech and investing it with added performative force.

Studies across different languages over the past three decades have claimed that compliments are formulaic in nature, realized by only a few syntactic and semantic formulae. Much of the research employs elicitation or ethnographic field notes data, which biases the analysis to single utterance, explicit and formulaic compliments. However, my observations of Chinese compliments in naturally occurring conversation paint a different, much more sophisticated, picture. The current study investigates the realization of spontaneous Chinese complimenting behavior in the speech communities of Shanghai and other cities in China. Over 200 speakers from different walks of life were audio-recorded in a vast array of natural settings. Three hundred compliment-response sequences were selected for analysis. Adopting a combination of the pragmatic speech act analytic approach and the discursive pragmatic analytic approach, the current study examines the pragmatic-discursive structure of Chinese complimenting in conversation sequences over multiple turns involving two or more parties. Results of the study reveal that Chinese compliments and compliment responses are not isolated, single utterance acts, but rather multi-turn discursive events. Chinese compliments operate as pragmatic-discursive strategies working together over the discourse in a core and support relationship. Among the 3,835 compliment strategies identified, 525 are core strategies and 3,310 are support strategies. The core compliment strategy is normally the first general summative statement initiating a compliment topic. Seven major support compliment strategies—agreement, comment, example, repetition, intensification, quote, and comparison—fulfill three major pragmatic-discursive functions: to align with, to elaborate, or to emphasize the core or another support strategy. The seven major support compliment strategies are further realized by a wide variety of substrategies and linguistic forms with no formulaicity and predictability in lexical or syntactic distribution. The different pragmatic-discursive strategies interact such that the participants negotiate and “co-construct” the compliment event. The analysis indicates that context, both interaction-external and interaction-internal, is crucial in the construction and interpretation of a compliment action.

Given the small body of existing research concerning focus on form at post-task stage in task-based language teaching, the present study adopts post-task transcribing as a focus on form activity and explores the effects of transcribing under various conditions. In addition, two task types are adopted in multiple task sessions to explore task effects and task practice effects on learners' oral performance. / Ninety-six participants, divided into five experimental groups and one control group completed four tasks with a one-week interval between each task. Different experimental groups were assigned various post-task activities respectively. No post-task activity was adopted in the control group. Task performance was measured in terms of complexity, accuracy, fluency and lexical performance. / The findings are multifaceted. First of all, the adoption of post-task transcribing was found to be efficient for different formal aspects of task performance. In the second place, the pair-based transcribing brought about more syntactically complicated language, whereas the individual condition at the post-task stage led to an improvement in lexical sophistication. Thirdly, further revision after transcribing had complex effects on accuracy and complexity. Fourthly, interactive tasks proved to be more promising for a better overall task performance. Last but not least, multiple task practices were found to be beneficial for learners' lexical performance. / The findings were discussed in light of the concept of noticing and attention, Levelt's speaking model, socio-cultural theory and other related SLA theories. Based on the theoretical discussion, pedagogical implications have been proposed. / This research argues that in task-based language teaching, more attention should be paid to the post-task stage regarding its effect on focus on form. Specifically, it suggests that (a) a post-task transcribing activity can be adopted as a feasible focus on form activity in L2 classrooms; (b) different conditions for the operation of post-task transcribing may bring about distinct effects on various aspects of task performance; (c) different task types have different effects on learners' performance; (d) multiple task sessions are necessary for L2 language improvement. Further, the present study calls for a process-product approach in further studies concerning the effects of post-task focus on form activities. / Li, Qian. / Adviser: Peter Skehan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 254-278). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese; appendix III also in Chinese.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Stanford University, 1981. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-193).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Instytut Badań Literackich, 1975. / At head of title: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Badań Literackich. Includes bibliographical references.

The author's Habilitationsschrift (Universität Zürich, 1983). / Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-326) and index.