Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the speech acts of complimenting in Xhosa. It is divided into five chapters, which are arranged as follows: Chapter 1 states the aims of the study. The method, design and the organization of the study are also investigated. Chapter 2, the speech act theory and the politeness theory have been dealt with. These theories included the basic assumptions of this study. Chapter 3 deals with compliments and compliment responses as they are discussed with regard to various languages, i.e. the works of Wolfson and Manes (1980), Wolfson (1983), Manes (1983), Holmes (1988) and Herbert (1990). Chapter 4 deals with compliments and compliment responses in Xhosa. In this chapter the compliments have been divided into three social groups, namely males and females; friends and people of unequal status. The people of unequal status are divided into two sub-groups, people with superior status and lower status. In Xhosa people of lower and high status do compliment one another. Also Xhosa males and females; friends and people of unequal status tend to compliment one another. The most common compliments concentrate on appearance, ability and possession. In some cases the compliments are used to a way of encouragement and showing of appreciation. People who are being complimented tend to respond to the compliment. The response can be positive or negative. The person who is complimented can agree or disagree with the compliment. The response depends on how he/she feels about the compliment. Chapter 5 is the last chapter of this study. It represents the conclusion in which the main findings in the study are summarized. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die spraakhandeling van komplimentering in Xhosa. Die studie is in vyf hoofstukke ingedeel wat soos volg georganiseer is. Hoofstuk 1 bespreek die doelstellings, die navorsingsontwerp en -metode, en die organisasie van die studie. Hoofstuk 2 bied 'n bespreking van die terme van spraakhandelinge en beleefdheidsteorie. Hierdie teorieë is van belang vir die basiese vraagstukke wat in die studie ondersoek word. Hoofstuk 3 bied 'n oorsig van vorige navorsing oor die spraakhandeling van komplimente en komplimentresponse soos ondersoek met betrekking tot verskillende tale. Die navorsing van Manes (1980), Holmes (1988), Herbert (1990) en Wolfson (1983). Hoofstuk 4 ondersoek die spraakhandeling van komplimente en komplimentresponse in Xhosa. In hierdie hoofstuk is die spraakhandeling van komplimente en komplimentresponse onderneem met betrekking tot drie sosiale groeperinge, naamlik tussen manlike en vroulike persone, tussen vriende, en tussen persone van ongelyke status. Laasgenoemde groep is verder verdeel in terme van twee sub-groepe, naamlik: persone met hoër en laer status, respektewelik. In Xhosa diskoers, komplimenteer persone van hoër en laer status mekaar. Voorts komplimenteer manlike en vroulike persone, vriende, en mense van ongelyke status mekaar in Xhosa. Die mees algemene komplimente hou verband met voorkom, vermoëns, en besittings. In sommige gevalle word komplimente gebruik as 'n wyse van aanmoediging of waardering. Die studie bied evidensie uit Xhosa dat mense wat gekomplimenteer word, neig om te reageer op die kompliment. Hierdie respons kan positief of negatief wees. Die persoon wat gekomplimenteer word kan saamstem of verskil met die kompliment. Hierdie reaksie word bepaal deur hoe die hoorder voeloor die kompliment. Hoofstuk 5 is die laaste hoofstuk van die studie. Dit bied die gevolgtrekking van die navorsing oor die spraakhandeling van komplimentering in Xhosa en gee 'n opsomming van die hoofbevindinge. / ISIHWANKATHELO: Esi sifundo siphononga izenzo ntetho zoncomo esiXhoseni. Sahlulwe saba zizahluko ezintlanu ezicwangciswe ngolu hlobo: Isahluko sokuqala sichaza iinjongo zesi sifundo. Kukwaqwalaselwe, indiela, isicwangciso kunye noluhlu Iwesi sifundo. Isahluko sesibini sixusha ithiyori yesenzo ntetho kunye nethiyori yentetho echubekileyo. Ezi thiyori zibandakanye imiba engundoqo yesi sifundo. Isahluko sesithathu siqwalasela izincomo kunye neempendulo zezincomo njengoko zichazwa kwezinye iilwini, oko kukuthi, imisebenzi ka Wolfson no Manes (1980), Wolfson (1983); Manes (1983); Holmes (1988); no Herbert (1990). Isahluko sesine siqwalasela izincomo kunye neempendulo zezincomo esiXhoseni. Kwesi sahluko izincomo zohlulwe zaba zindidi ezintathu: amadoda nabafazi; izihlobo; abantu abanamawonga angalinganiya. Abantu abanamawonga angalinganiyo bohlulwe bangamaqela amabini: abantu abanamawonga aphezulu kunye nabo banamawonga asezantsi. EsiXhoseni abantu abanamawonga aphezula kwakunye nabo banamawonga asezantsi bathi bancomane omnye nomnye. Kwakhona esiXhoseni amadoda nabantu ababhinqileyo, izihlobo kunye nabantu abanamawonga angalinganiyo badla ngokuncomana. Ezona zincomo zibalaseleyo zezo ziquka imbonakalo, ingqondo kunye nobumnini. Kwezinye iziganeko izincomo zisetyenziswa njengendlela yokukhuthaza kunye nokubonisa ixabiso. Abantu abanconywayo badla ngokuphendula isincomo eso. Impendulo yesincomo isenokuba yeyakhayo okonye engakhiyo. Umntu onconywayo usenokuvumelana okanye angavumelani nesincomo. Impendulo yakhe ixhomekeke ukubeni uziva njani na ngesincomo eso. Kwesi sifundo, isahluko sesihlanu sesokugqibela kulapho kuchazwa khona izigqibo ekufikelelwe kuzo nezithe zashwankathelwa.

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Language Studies / Master / Master of Arts

The focus of this study was to explore how prosodic position and word type affect the phonetic structure and resulting perceptual identification of Korean stops and fricatives. When there is less contextual information, speakers tend to produce clearer speech. For example, consonants at the beginning of prosodic domains, such as syllables, words or phrases, are known to be more clearly articulated and distinguishable than later-occurring consonants. However, it is not yet clear whether the prosodically conditioned realizations of a segment are perceptually distinctive in continuous speech. In addition, there are few studies examining whether the properties of prosodic domain-initial segments are affected by the information content of words (real vs. nonsense words). The acoustic properties of stops and fricatives were compared across IP, PP and Wd-initial positions both in real and nonsense words. It was found that segments in the higher prosodic domain-initial positions showed enhanced durational properties compared to the lower prosodic domain-initial positions. However, the enhancing strategies were different among phonation types. Relative to lenis and aspirated stops, and lenis fricatives, tense stops and fricatives showed less consistent variation as a function of prosodic position and word type. In the perception study, the identification error rates and reaction time for same-spliced CVs were compared to those for cross-spliced CVs. Korean listeners identified the same-spliced CVs more accurately and faster than cross-spliced CVs. In addition, the distinctive acoustic properties of each prosodic domain-initial position were perceptually distinguished by Korean listeners. Due to relatively shorter duration and less distinctive contrast, the target CVs extracted from lower prosodic domain-initial positions caused more confusion in the identification of target segments. In conclusion, this study provides the evidence that speakers modulate their speech clarity depending on information content. By enhancing phonetic properties and phonological contrast, speakers tend to provide perceptual cues for prosodic positions with less contextual information. / text

Within the context of foreign language learning, very little research has examined how learners process second language (L2) words in terms of which variables best predict their processing speed and which mechanisms best characterize bilingual lexical processing. The present study set out to address this gap by using a range of learner and lexical variables (such as vocabulary size, word length, and age of acquisition) as points of reference against which to identify the best predictors of children’s and adults' L2 lexical processing, and by comparing response latencies across stimulus conditions so as to identify the processing pattern specific to each age group. Thirty-nine primary-aged and 94 university-level Chinese learners of English performed a picture-naming task in English and then in Chinese, and then completed a Chinese-to-English task. The researcher analyzed and estimated how those learner and lexical variables predicted the recorded response latencies by means of multiple regression and structural equation modeling, and made cross-stimulus-condition comparisons with the use of analysis of variance. The results suggested that different aspects of vocabulary knowledge contributed significantly to predicting children's and adults' processing speed, and that shorter processing time was significantly and directly predicted by the younger age at which an L2 word was learned and its higher degree of word typicality. Both lexical association and conceptual mediation were present in L2 lexical processing irrespective of learners' age but in general the later an L2 word is learned, the greater the likelihood that the word is lexically accessed and processed. These results illustrate the crucial role that language experiences and conceptual structures play in influencing the ease or difficulty with which L2 lexical items are retrieved, and reflect the complexities and dynamics involved in processing bilingual lexicons. These findings will be discussed within the context of the role of research and theory in developing evidence-based pedagogical practice with a specific reference to vocabulary acquisition in children and adults learning foreign languages within input-limited contexts.

This degree project essay examines the literary culture phenomenon known as poetry slam, a competitive format for performance poetry, with the purpose of discussing whether poetry slam could contribute to upper secondary school Swedish teaching or not. The essay consists of two parts, one where poetry slam is presented and one where poetry slam is discussed from a didactic perspective. In the first part, a brief history of poetry slam and its origins in the U.S. is presented, followed by a discussion of the ideology within the slam movement. Furthermore, the set of rules that regulate poetry slams are presented and finally the first part of the essay is ended with a discussion of poetry slam as a poetic genre of its own. The second part starts by presenting and discussing the concept of aesthetic learning processes and how poetry slam might enable such processes. Poetry slam is then related to the Swedish subject syllabus for upper secondary school in order to analyse whether there is any rationale for poetry slam in Swedish teaching or not. Furthermore, poetry slam is related to literacy development, first by discussing creative writing and then by discussing oral performance. The results of the analysis shows that poetry slam is foremost motivated in Swedish teaching as a literary historical content, partly as an opportunity to work with oral performance, and also to cultivate students’ linguistic subjectivity. Poetry slam could possibly enable aesthetic learning processes, although it may be questioned whether poetry slam qualifies as an artistic community professional enough to provide artistic working methods. The very concept of a school poetry slam could also be seen as a contradiction, when considering the slam movement’s self image of counter culture, as schools themselves could be interpreted as dominant literary establishments. Possible pitfalls related to poetry slam in Swedish teaching are the competitive format’s effect on students socio-emotional safety and the scoring system that may be hazardous for students’ linguistic subjectivity. Also, poetry slam may not meet the curricular demands on rhetoric performances which are mandatory in the upper secondary school Swedish courses, and thus questions may be raised if oral poetic performances can be prioritised at the expense of oral rhetoric performances. Moreover, the free, creative space provided to students within creative writing processes puts high demands on the teacher balancing students’ creative freedom, in order to possibly articulate hidden knowledge, with making sure that students do not spend time procrastinating.

Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit syntaktischen Strukturen des gesprochenen Gegenwartsdeutschen. Ausgehend von einem Korpus von spontaner Sprache, u.a. aus Talkshows und Reality-TV-Sendungen, wird Videomaterial aus Lehrwerken für Deutsch als Fremdsprache auf gesprochensprachliche syntaktische Strukturen hin analysiert. Es soll der Frage nachgegangen werden, inwieweit Unterrichtsmaterialien die Sprachwirklichkeit angemessen widerspiegeln.

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