Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of STellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The gap which exists between the academic culture represented by lecturers and the nonacademic- culture represented by students at a residential university is even greater at a distance learning institution (DLI). At a DLI, lecturers and students are faced with a number of challenges. Firstly, the majority of distance learning students are older than the average residential student and have added responsibilities related to their families and jobs. Secondly, they come from a wider variety of cultural, educational and socio-economic backgrounds than residential first-years. Finally, the majority of these students have a relatively low proficiency in their second language (L2) English, which is usually their third or fourth language rather than their second language, and which is the language of instruction at South African DLIs. At a DLI, there is little or no face-to-face contact between lecturers and students, and teaching takes place primarily by means of printed study material, specifically study guides. Study guides substitute for the lectures and other contact periods that residential students receive. In addition, study guides have to facilitate the student in the world of a new and sometimes intimidating culture, namely the (tertiary) academic culture. However, many students may have trouble understanding the type of language used in study material (essentially, academic language), sometimes because lecturers do not understand the challenges faced by DLI students and/or because they write in a formal, academic style, which is often not easily accessible to first-year students. This could pose a barrier for learning, as well as for the transition of the student from the non-academic culture to the academic culture. The aim of the study reported in this thesis was to identify the linguistic criteria which a successful study guide for L2 speakers of English should adhere to. These criteria were extracted from literature on effective writing/teaching in general, then discussed in terms of their relevance for the specific purpose of writing effective study guides, and finally applied to critically evaluate the language used in three DLI study guides. The thesis ends with some concluding remarks, a discussion of the implications of the findings of the research, and some recommendations for further research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gaping tussen die akademiese kultuur wat verteenwoordig word deur dosente en die nieakademiese kultuur wat verteenwoordig word deur studente by 'n residensiële universiteit is selfs groter by 'n afstandsonderriginstelling (AOI). By 'n AOI kom studente en dosente voor 'n aantal uitdagings te staan. Eerstens is die oorgrote meerderheid afstandsonderrigstudente ouer as die gemiddelde student aan 'n residensiële universiteit en het hulle bykomende verantwoordelikhede met betrekking tot hul gesinne en werkplekke. Tweedens kom hulle uit 'n wyer verskeidenheid van kulturele, opvoedkundige en sosio-ekonomiese agtergronde as eerstejaarstudente van residensiële universiteite. Ten laaste is die meerderheid van hierdie studente se taalvaardigheid in hulle tweedetaal (T2) Engels relatief laag. In die meeste gevalle is Engels hulle derde of vierde taal eerder as hul tweede taal, terwyl dit ook die taal van onderrig is by Suid-Afrikaanse AOIs. By 'n AOI is daar geen of min persoonlike kontak tussen dosente en studente, en onderrig vind meestal plaas deur middel van gedrukte studiemateriaal, veral studiegidse. Studiegidse dien as plaasvervanger vir die voorlesings en ander kontaksessies wat 'n student by 'n residensiële universiteit ontvang. Ook moet studiegidse die student voorthelp in die wêreld van die nuwe en soms intimiderende kultuur, die (tersiêre) akademiese kultuur. Tog sukkel baie studente om die tipe taal (akademiese taal) wat in die studiemateriaal gebruik word te verstaan, wat soms veroorsaak word deur dosente wat nie 'n goeie begrip het van die uitdagings wat AOI-studente in die gesig moet staar nie, en/of omdat hulle in 'n formele, akademiese styl skryf wat nie maklik toeganklik vir eerstejaarstudente is nie. Dit kan 'n struikelblok vir leer wees, sowel as vir die oorgang van die student vanaf die nie-akademiese kultuur na die akademiese kultuur. Die doel van die studie waaroor daar verslag gelewer word in hierdie tesis was om die linguistiese kriteria te identifiseer waaraan 'n suksesvolle studiegids vir T2 sprekers van Engels moet voldoen. Hierdie kriteria is afgelei uit die literatuur oor effektiewe skryf/onderrig oor die algemeen, en vervolgens bespreek in terme van hulle relevansie vir die spesifieke doel van die skryf van effektiewe studiegidse. Laastens is hierdie kriteria gebruik om die taalgebruik in drie AOIstudiegidse krities te evalueer. Die tesis word afgesluit met enkele slotopmerkings, 'n bespreking van die implikasies van die bevindinge van die navorsing, en enkele aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing.

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The classic Victorian tale by Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), has been enjoyed by adults and children alike in many countries and in many languages. In this book, Carroll parodies the accepted style of children’s books of the Victorian Age by mocking the moralistic and realistic expectations. All the poems in the book are parodies of once familiar nursery rhymes, which often conveyed a moral lesson. Translating Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a challenging task, as it poses culturespecific, text-specific and language-specific problems. Although the book has been translated into more than 70 languages, it seems to be more popular in some cultures than in others. At the same time, some cultures seem to be content with “older” translations, while others need “updated” versions. Cultural differences seem to play a role in these preferences. The aim of this study is to examine the French and Afrikaans translations of a parodied poem (as found in chapter 2 of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) from an intercultural perspective. In both cases, the translators seem to have found equivalents in their respective cultures that would be acceptable to their target readers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die klassieke Victoriaanse verhaal deur Lewis Carroll, Alice se Avonture in Wonderland (1865), het plesier verskaf aan volwassenes en kinders in baie lande en in baie tale. In hierdie boek parodieer Carroll die aanvaarbare styl van kinderboeke van die Victoriaanse tydperk deur die spot te dryf met die moralistiese en realistiese verwagtinge. Al die gedigte in die boek is parodieë van eens bekende rympies, wat dikwels ‘n morele les bevat het. Die vertaling van Alice se Avonture in Wonderland is ‘n uitdagende taak, aangesien dit bepaalde kultuur-, teks- en taalverwante probleme inhou. Hoewel die boek in meer as 70 tale vertaal is, blyk dit meer gewild te wees in sekere kulture as in ander. Terselfdertyd is sommige kulture skynbaar tevrede met “ouer” vertalings, terwyl ander meer “hersiene” weergawes verkies. Kultuurverskille speel oënskynlik ‘n rol in hierdie voorkeure. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die Franse en Afrikaanse vertalings van ‘n geparodieerde gedig (soos dit voorkom in hoofstuk 2 van Alice se Avonture in Wonderland) te ondersoek vanuit ‘n interkulturele perspektief. Klaarblyklik het die vertalers in beide gevalle ekwivalente in hulle onderskeie kulture gevind wat aanvaarbaar sou wees vir hulle teikenlesers.

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Viewing cross-cultural dance performances on international tours or as part of international dance festivals has become common practice all over the world. For critique writers, choreographers/ dancers and the audience the accessibility of such a diverse variety of dance has both advantages and disadvantages. Cross-cultural differences in these performances challenge strategies of viewing and perception which may lead to aesthetic enrichment but these performances also risk being misunderstood. In dance critique writing, such a misunderstanding may result in a negative critique projecting, in a worst scenario, negative prejudices on the respective cultures. This thesis investigates how attitudes towards, and perceptions of, cultural differences are reflected in cross-cultural dance critiques, through the use of particular linguistic and stylistic devices. Analysis strategies deriving from Critical Discourse Analysis and Text Analysis are used to uncover the critique’s strategies to communicate their evaluation including ways of persuasion and power. I analyse six critiques from three countries on the performance Beautiful Me performed on international tours by the Vuyani Dance Theatre from South Africa. My initial hypothesis is that cultural differences may lead to negative critiques due to intercultural misunderstanding. Since viewing Performance Art is not only influenced by the critique writer’s cultural background but also by their perception attitude towards the performance, the analysis takes perception modes such as a theatre semiotic approach and a phenomenological approach into consideration. Interestingly, different perception modes seem to have a greater impact on the outcome of a critique than cross-cultural differences. This means that most negative evaluations must have their origin in the applied strategy of viewing and perceiving dance. The critic seems to interpret and embed the perceived features of the dance performance into specific cultural or socio-political contexts forming an individual, often complex evaluation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om te kyk na kruiskulturele dansuitvoerings deur dansgeselskappe op internasionale toere of as deel van internasionale dansfeeste, het wêreldwyd algemene praktyk geword. Vir kritici, choreograwe/dansers en die gehoor hou die toeganklikheid van so ’n diverse verskeidenheid dans sowel voordele as nadele in. Kruiskulturele verskille in hierdie vertonings daag kyk- en waarneem-strategieë uit, wat tot estetiese verryking mag lei. Daar is egter ook ’n moontlikheid dat hierdie vertonings verkeerd geïnterpreteer mag word. Só ’n waninterpretasie in dansresensies mag lei tot negatiewe kritiek wat, in uiterste gevalle, negatiewe vooroordele oor die betrokke kulture projekteer. Hierdie tesis doen ondersoek na die wyse waarop houdings teenoor en persepsies van kultuurverskille in kruiskulturele dansresensies deur middel van spesifieke talige en stilistiese middele gereflekteer word. Analitiese strategieë uit die velde Kritiese Diskoersanalise en Teksanalise word gebruik om kritici se strategieë wat ’n oordeel kommunikeer, bloot te lê. Ek analiseer ses resensies uit drie lande wat handel oor die vertoning Beautiful Me wat deur die Suid-Afrikaanse dansgeselskap Vuyani Dance Theatre tydens internasionale toere opgevoer is. My aanvanklike hipotese is dat kultuurverskille aanleiding mag gee tot negatiewe kritiek vanweë interkulturele misverstande. Aangesien die beoordeling van Uitvoerende Kunste nie slegs deur die kritikus se kulturele agtergrond beïnvloed word nie, maar ook deur hul waarnemingshouding teenoor die vertoning, neem die analise waarnemingsmodusse soos ’n teater-semiotiek-benadering en ’n fenomenologiese benadering in ag. Interessant genoeg, lyk dit asof verskillende waarnemingsmodusse ’n groter impak het op die uitkoms van kritiek as kruiskulturele verskille. Dít beteken dat die meeste negatiewe oordele hul oorsprong moet hê in die toegepaste strategie van dans kyk en waarneem. Dit blyk dat die kritikus die waargenome eienskappe van die dansuitvoering interpreteer en inbed in spesifieke kulturele of sosio-politiese kontekste wat aanleiding gee tot die verskillende, dikwels komplekse maniere van beoordeling.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate the impact of individual sociocultural and linguistic differences on the creation of a successful sports team on and off the field. The specific team of interest for this particular study is the Western Province amateur cricket team, based in Cape Town, South Africa. The sociocultural and linguistic differences of the participants were examined using theories focusing on intercultural communication and the various strategies that can be put in place to overcome the barriers of intercultural difference within a sports team. To this end the linguistic repertoires of participants were captured through the use of language biographies. The study further investigates how participants consider themselves to be a part of the team’s community of practice (CofP), and seeks to identify obstacles in terms of acquiring and maintaining membership of this CofP. The data is analysed with the use of thematic analysis (TA) methodology. In total 17 members of the Western Province amateur cricket team participated in the study, two coaches and 15 players. They are speakers of English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa. Questionnaires which elicit both personal and linguistic background information, as well as information on perceived linguistic competence, were used for data collection. Along with the questionnaires, structured interviews which aimed to determine language preferences in receiving feedback and level of comfort when communicating with speakers of different languages and from different cultures, were conducted. The questionnaire and interview data reflect the linguistic preferences of the participants, however also show that all participants conform to the team’s lingua franca in order to understand and communicate openly without misunderstanding. The study shows that sociocultural and linguistic differences can act as a barrier to a sports team’s dynamic and environment, but these barriers can be overcome to create a successful and cohesive community of practice on and off the field. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ten doel om die impak van individuele sosiokulturele- en taalverskille op die skep van 'n suksesvolle sportspan, beide op en van die veld af, te ondersoek. Die spesifieke span van belang in hierdie studie is die Westelike Provinsie amateur-krieketspan, gebaseer in Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika. Die sosiokulturele- en taalverskille tussen die deelnemers word met behulp van teorieë wat op interkulturele kommunikasie fokus en die verskeie strategieë wat ingestel kan word om die hindernisse van interkulturele verskille binne 'n sportspan te oorkom, te ondersoek. Vir hierdie doel is die taalrepertoires van deelnemers ingesamel met behulp van taalbiografieë. Die studie ondersoek ook hoe deelnemers hul lidmaatskap tot praktyk gemeenskappe beskryf, en poog om struikelblokke in terme van die verwerwing en instandhouding van hierdie lidmaatskap te identifiseer. Die data is ontleed met die gebruik van die tematiese analise (TA) metode. In totaal het 17 lede van die Westelike Provinsie amateurkrieketspan deelgeneem in die studie, twee afrigters en 15 spelers. Hulle is sprekers van Afrikaans, Engels en isiXhosa. Vraelyste wat beide persoonlike- en taalagtergrondinligting, asook inligting oor waargenome taalvaardigheid, ontlok, is gebruik vir datainsameling. Saam met die vraelyste, is gestruktureerde onderhoude, wat daarop gemik is om inligting oor taalvoorkeure in verband met terugvoer ontvang en vlak van gemak in kommunikasie met sprekers van ander tale en van ander kulture te ontbloot, gevoer. Die vraelys- en onderhouddata het die taalvoorkeure van die deelnemers getoon, maar dit het ook getoon dat al die deelnemers toegang het tot die span se omgangstaal, wat hulle in staat stel om te verstaan en openlik te kommunikeer sonder enige misverstande. Die studie toon dat sosiokulturele- en taalverskille as hindernisse tot 'n sportspan se dinamiek en omgewing kan optree, maar ook dat hierdie hindernisse oorkom kan word om 'n suksesvolle en samehangende praktyk gemeenskap, op en van die veld af, te skep.

Thesis (PhD (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The attainment of literacy is crucial for survival in a modern industrialised, knowledge-driven society. Children with poor language skills are at risk for academic failure because of the differences between oral language used in daily interactions and the language skills needed to succeed in a formal school environment. The impact of poorly developed oral language skills on the successful acquisition of reading skills, particularly reading comprehension, is often underestimated in the education of young learners in South Africa. Narrative skills form the bridge between oral language and literacy by providing experience in using the extended and decontextualized discourse units that children will encounter in written language. This study investigated the relationship between narrative skills and reading comprehension skills in young learners who are developing literacy. Specific linguistic markers of literacy in the narratives of a group of Grade 3 learners from communities with low socio-economic status were examined. The main research questions this study attempted to answer were: “How do linguistic deficits of learners with poor reading comprehension and specific reading comprehension deficits manifest in their oral narratives?” and “Are there linguistic markers that decisively distinguish between learners with specific reading comprehension deficits and learners with general poor reading skills as compared to learners with normal reading comprehension?” In a quasi-experimental research design, the Grade 3 participants in this study were assigned to three groups: Readers who are competent at word level and comprehension (good reading comprehension group), readers who are competent at word level but poor at comprehension (specific comprehension disorder group) and readers who are poor at both word level and comprehension (poor reading comprehension group). Measurement protocols were used to assess the linguistic variables of interest, namely vocabulary, narrative micro- and macrostructure structure, cohesion, coherence and other aspects of oral language. The results of this study confirmed the relationships between language skills and reading comprehension. It was found that readers with general poor reading skills performed significantly poorer on a variety of linguistic measures than readers with good reading comprehension. The group identified as readers with specific reading comprehension disorders were, in general, not significantly different from the other two groups. This study therefore did not provide clear evidence that readers with specific reading comprehension disorders presented with linguistic markers that could differentiate them from the other groups. The clinical implications for speech-language therapists and educators with regards to assessment and intervention were highlighted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die behaling van geletterdheid is noodsaaklik om te oorleef in ‘n moderne, geïndustrialiseerde en kennisgedrewe samelewing. Kinders met swak taalvaardighede loop die risiko om akademies te faal weens die verskille tussen die orale taal wat alledaags gebruik word en die taalvaardighede wat vereis word om sukses in formele skoolomgewings te behaal. Die impak van swak orale taalvaardighede op die suksesvolle aanleer van leesvaardighede, spesifiek leesbegrip, word dikwels onderskat in die onderrig van jong Suid-Afrikaanse leerders. Narratiefvaardighede vorm die oorgang tussen orale taal en geletterdheid omdat narratiewe ondervinding verskaf in die gebruik van uitgebreide en gedekontekstualiseerde diskoerseenhede wat kinders in skryftaal teëkom. Hierdie studie het die verband tussen narratiefvaardighede en leesbegrip in jong kinders wat besig is om gelettedheid te ontwikkel, ondersoek. Spesifieke linguistiese merkers vir geletterdheid in die narratiewe van ‘n groep Graad 3 leerders van lae sosio-ekonomiese status, is ondersoek. Die hoof navorsingsvrae van die studie was: “Hoe manifesteer die linguistiese gebreke van leerders met swak leesbegrip en spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme in hul orale narratiewe?” en “Is daar linguistiese merkers wat afdoende onderskei tussen leerders met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme en leerders met algemene swak leesvaardighede?” In ‘n kwasieksperimentele ontwerp is die deelnemers aan hierdie studie toegeken aan drie groepe: Lesers wat bevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met goeie leesbegrip), lesers wat bevoeg is op woordvlak, maar met swak begrip (groep met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme) en lesers wat onbevoeg is op woordvlak en begripsvlak (groep met algemene swak leesvaardighede). Protokolle is gebruik om die linguistiese veranderlikes, naamlik woordeskat, narratief mikro- en makrostruktuur, kohesie, koherensie en ander aspekte van verbale taal, te meet. Die resultate van hierdie studie het die verband tussen taalvaardighede en leesbegrip bevestig. Daar is gevind dat lesers met algemene swak leesvaardighede, in vergelyking met lesers met goeie leesbegrip, beduidend swakker presteer het op verskeie linguistiese metings. Die groep wat geïdentifiseer is as lesers met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme het, oor die algemeen, nie beduidend van die ander twee groepe verskil nie. Hierdie studie het dus nie duidelike bewyse gevind dat lesers met spesifieke leesbegripsprobleme linguistiese merkers vertoon het wat hulle van die ander twee groepe kon onderskei nie. Die kliniese implikasies vir spraak-taalterapeute en opvoeders met betrekking tot assessering en intervensie is toegelig.

The study was motivated by the 2002 Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) that was promulgated by the Department of Education (DoE) in response to its concerns over the alarmingly high failure, dropout and retention rates of particularly black South African students. The LPHE has identified English-medium instruction as the possible main factor in denying the majority of black students’ access to and success in higher education. However, the LPHE is yet to be fully implemented in the country partly due to the fact that sociolinguistic studies among black-African-language speakers indicate that there is a strong preference for English over black African languages in all formal sectors of society, including academia. This preference for English is, in part, a result of the lack of development and the under-resourcing of black African languages in education. Also, black South Africans, while they desire quality mother tongue instruction (MTI), strongly wish to improve their English proficiency. Following on these indications, this study developed and piloted dual language instruction (DLI) (isiZulu-English) teaching and learning course material on academic literacy and communication skills. The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which participation in the DLI pilot course might contribute towards ‘attitude change’ as regards the use of isiZulu as a teaching and learning resource alongside English in higher education. The investigation, which took place at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, was undertaken among isiZulu-speaking students and their lecturers, all of whom were involved in an Academic Literacy and Communication Skills course for engineers at foundation level. In order to collect data the study adopted an embedded mixed-method research approach in that while it mainly made use of three questionnaires that were administered to The study was motivated by the 2002 Language Policy for Higher Education (LPHE) that was promulgated by the Department of Education (DoE) in response to its concerns over the alarmingly high failure, dropout and retention rates of particularly black South African students. The LPHE has identified English-medium instruction as the possible main factor in denying the majority of black students’ access to and success in higher education. However, the LPHE is yet to be fully implemented in the country partly due to the fact that sociolinguistic studies among black-African-language speakers indicate that there is a strong preference for English over black African languages in all formal sectors of society, including academia. This preference for English is, in part, a result of the lack of development and the under-resourcing of black African languages in education. Also, black South Africans, while they desire quality mother tongue instruction (MTI), strongly wish to improve their English proficiency. Following on these indications, this study developed and piloted dual language instruction (DLI) (isiZulu-English) teaching and learning course material on academic literacy and communication skills. The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which participation in the DLI pilot course might contribute towards ‘attitude change’ as regards the use of isiZulu as a teaching and learning resource alongside English in higher education. The investigation, which took place at Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, was undertaken among isiZulu-speaking students and their lecturers, all of whom were involved in an Academic Literacy course for engineers at foundation level. In order to collect data the study adopted an embedded mixed-method research approach in that while it mainly made use of three questionnaires that were administered to students there were also focus group interviews to supplement quantitative data. In addition, the data analyses were comparatively undertaken across different times of the study and between different groups of participants (students and lecturers). The purpose in the comparative analyses of all the data collected was to discover whether or not there were areas of convergence and/or divergence in the garnered opinions concerning attitudes to bi-/multilingual education. The important finding of this study was that the majority of students indicated from the onset that they preferred to use their primary language as a learning resource while they also valued the role of English in education. This was taken as an indication of positive attitudes to bilingual education. As a result, the use of the DLI pilot course contributed to a minimal attitude change in that after its use there were a few students who for the first time acknowledged the positive role of isiZulu in education. The majority of lecturers also approved of the use and/or the role of L1 in education and indicated support for its use in content subjects. However, the longitudinal investigation of attitudes amongst students in their final year of study revealed a shift in attitude in that the majority identified English as the only language of education. The thesis concluded by suggesting that it is attitudes based on personal experience rather than on preconceived ideas that should inform our decisions on language education policy implementation. It was then recommended that Higher education institutions that are in areas where the student population remains predominantly black in terms of demographics should lead in the implementation of multilingual education policies. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The focus of the research reported on in this dissertation is an evaluation of the Language in Learning and Teaching project (LILT), in terms of its ability to facilitate English language development in schools where both educators and learners are second language speakers and where the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) is English. The research involved two main phases. During the first phase I established evaluation criteria from the literature review, from another project the English Language Education Trust, (ELET) and from my own experience and feedback from the end-users (Le. teachers) and the observation of workshops. In the second phase I evaluated the LILT materials against the criteria developed in the literature review, analysed the feedback from end-users in the form of a questionnaire and made recommendations. In this dissertation the following terms will be used interchangeably: teacher, educator, facilitator and tutor because in the quoted passages, the term teacher is largely used. However, in Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) the terms educator, facilitator and tutor are used. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Thesis (MA (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / This study investigates the ways in which former South African Police (SAP) perpetrators of human rights violations justify their criminal actions in testifying before the Amnesty Committee (AC) of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In particular, attention goes to the testimonies of former Commissioner of Police Johan van der Merwe, and former member of the Security Branch section of the SAP, Jeffrey Benzien. A key assumption in the study is that the justification of human rights violations is a discursive practice that is largely language dependent (Reisigl & Wodak 200: xi). The research draws on the theoretical aims and methods of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). It refers largely to Benke and Wodak’s (2003) discourse–historical study on the justificatory discourse of ex-Wehrmacht officers of the Austrian army. This study therefore takes a discourse-historical approach to discourse and the data, an approach which takes into consideration the surrounding political and historical context of the selected texts, which are, in this case, the testimonies of perpetrators at the AC hearings. Besides an analysis of the justificatory discourses produced by two former police officers, the study reflects on how the discursive strategies of the apartheid perpetrators compare with one another and with the ex- Wehrmacht officers. CDA and the discourse-historical approach provide interdisciplinary angles on linguistic analysis of a text. For this reason, a review is given of literature which relates the study to political, historical and philosophical insights. The analysis particularly makes use of Foster et al.’s (2005) socio-political study of apartheid perpetrator narratives. The study reveals that perpetrators used a fixed set of justificatory discursive strategies to talk about human rights violations, and their role in such violations. These linguistic strategies are used for a number of different reasons, including reducing personal responsibility, avoiding talking about past atrocities, saving face where personal malicious and degenerate behaviour is made public and diverting feelings of personal guilt. On a discourse theoretical level the study eventually convinces that there are generic strategies typically used in justificatory discourse, whether it be in response to Wehrmacht atrocities of the Second World War or to security force excesses in repressing aspirations of disenfranchised citizens during the last thirty years of the Nationalist government in South Africa. Some stories don’t want to be told. They walk away, carrying their suitcases held together with grey string. Look at their disappearing curved spines. Hunch-backs. Harmed ones. Hold alls. Some stories refuse to be danced or mimed, drop their scuffed canes and clattering tap-shoes, erase their traces in nursery rhymes or ancient games like blind man’s bluff. Excerpt from “Parts of Speech” by Ingrid de Kok

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The non-standard “way of speaking” associated with gang members on the Cape Flats is the focus of the present study. This thesis is not about gangsters and gang culture, neither is it an attempt to analyze their use of language. Rather, it is an investigation of the linguistic markers of the language variety spoken by gang members on the Cape Flats, according to the film Dollars and White Pipes. This film portrays the true story of Bernie Baatjies and is set in Hanover Park, an area on the Cape Flats characterized by a high level of unemployment and low levels of education. During the Apartheid years, people of colour all over Cape Town were displaced: they were forced to move to barren land and start rebuilding their lives all over again. The youth perceived their parents as cowards for not fighting back against the system. Their anger with their parents led to the formation of gangs on the Cape Flats. These gangs resort to violence, using it as a means of dominating others and showing power through claiming territory. Gang members establish in-group distinctiveness through speech divergence. In this thesis, the notion of establishing membership of a specific linguistic community, in this case gang membership, by means of vocabulary use is examined with reference to concepts such as slang, anti-language and social judgments based on linguistic aspects. It is shown that the linguistic repertoire of the Cape Flats gangsters as a speech community can broadly be categorised as non-standard Afrikaans, non-standard English and English-Afrikaans code switching. In order to examine the linguistic markers of the language variety spoken by gang members on the Cape Flats, utterances in the film that were judged non-standard were transcribed orthographically. The standard version of each utterance was also identified. Non-standard words and phrases were then grouped according to language and parts of speech. These non-standard words and phrases were in turn presented to real–life gangsters from the Cape Flats in order to obtain judgements on their authenticity. Research approaches and methods drawn on in the thesis are Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Discourse Analysis (DA), both of which are briefly discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die nie-standaard “manier van praat” wat geassosieer word met bendes op die Kaapse Vlakte is die fokus van hierdie studie. Hierdie tesis handel nie oor bendes en die bendekultuur nie en is ook nie ʼn poging om hul gebruik van taal te analiseer nie. Dit is eerder ‘n beskrywing van die linguistiese merkers van die taalvariëteit wat deur bendes op die Kaapse Vlakte gepraat word, volgens die rolprent Dollars and White Pipes. Hierdie rolprent is die ware verhaal van Bernie Baatjies en speel af in Hanover Park, ‘n area van die Kaapse Vlakte gekenmerk deur ‘n hoë vlak van werkloosheid en lae vlakke van opvoeding. As gevolg van Apartheid is mense van kleur regoor Kaapstad verplaas: hulle is forseer om na dor land te verskuif en om hul lewens van oor af op te bou. Die jeug het hul ouers gesien as lafaards omdat hulle nie terug baklei het teen die stelsel nie. Hulle woede teenoor hulle ouers het gelei tot die vorming van bendes op die Kaapse Vlakte. Hierdie bendes het hulle gewend na geweld. Geweld is gebruik in ʼn poging om andere te domineer en om mag ten toon te stel in die aanspraak op gebied. Bendelede bewerkstellig spraak uiteenlopenheid as ʼn metode om in-groep onderskeibaarheid daar te stel. In hierdie tesis word die idee van bewerkstelliging van lidmaatskap van ʼn spesifieke linguistieke gemeenskap, in hierdie geval bendelidmaatskap, by wyse van die woordeskat wat hulle verkies om te gebruik, bekyk met verwysing na konsepte soos groeptaal, anti-taal en sosiale oordeel gebaseer op linguistieke aspekte. Daar word gewys dat die linguistiese repetoire van die bendes van die Kaapse Vlakte as spraakgemeenskap, gekategoriseer kan word as nie-standaard Afrikaans, nie-standaard Engels en Afrikaans-Engels kodewisseling. Om die linguistiese merkers van die taalvariëteit wat deur bendes op die Kaapse Vlakte gepraat word te bekyk, is uitings in die rolprent wat nie-standaard ge-ag is, ortografies getranskribeer. Die standaard weergawe van die uitings is ook geïdentifiseer. Nie-standaard woorde en frases is gegroepeer volgens taal en woordsoorte. Hierdie nie-standaard woorde en frases is aan werklike bendelede van die Kaapse Vlakte voorgelê om betroubaarheidsoordele te verkry. Die navorsingsbenaderinge en metodes waarop gefokus is, is Kritiese Diskoers Analise (KDA) sowel as Diskoers Analise (DA), wat beide kortliks bespreek word.

Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The financial sector of South Africa is increasingly under pressure to ensure that the language used in all communication is aligned with international best practice and, furthermore, that the correct business terminology is applied. Standards of language proficiency and usage have, however, deteriorated over the past few years. This appears to be due mainly to lack of good language education at school level. In Nedbank, specifically, the language used by employees in written external communication is not always on par as is evident from the documentation that Nedbank Editorial and Language Services (Nels), the “language custodian” of the bank, has to edit and translate. Nels decided six years ago that, instead of rewriting all these documents, which is not timeor cost-efficient, to rather give business-writing training across the bank to enable Nedbank employees to increase their general writing proficiency of English. This study aims to establish whether there are discrepancies in the type of error made in English as used by Coloured Afrikaans mother tongue speakers and White Afrikaans mother tongue speakers in order to determine how to customise the business-writing training materials to the benefit of each cultural grouping in Nedbank. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die finansiële sektor in Suid-Afrika is toenemend onder druk om te verseker dat die taal wat in alle kommunikasie gebruik word in ooreenstemming is met internasionale “beste praktyk”, en verder dat die korrekte besigheidsterminologie gebruik word. Taalvaardigheids- en taalgebruiksvlakke het egter oor die afgelope aantal jare verswak, waarskynlik a.g.v. onvoldoende taalonderrig op skool. In Nedbank is die taalgebruik van werknemers in geskrewe eksterne kommunikasie nie altyd van ’n aanvaarbare standaard nie, soos duidelik blyk uit die dokumentasie wat Nedbank Editorial and Language Services (Nels), die bank se “taalbewaarder”, moet redigeer en vertaal. Nels het ses jaar gelede besluit om besigheidskryfkursusse vir die hele groep aan te bied, eerder as om al die eksterne kommunikasie oor te skryf, wat nie tyd- en koste-effektief is nie. Sodoende kan werknemers hulle algemene skryfvaardighede in Engels verbeter. Hierdie studie probeer vasstel of daar moontlike verskille is in die soort foute wat in Engels deur gekleurde Afrikaans-moedertaalsprekers en wit Afrikaans-moedertaalsprekers gemaak word, in ‘n poging om doeltreffende opleidingsmateriaal te ontwikkel vir elke kulturele groepering in Nedbank.