Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates how linguistic super diversity is managed in a higher education context in Tanzania. Specifically, the use of language in lectures to large classes made up of students with linguistically diverse backgrounds at the University of Dar es Salaam is in focus. Considering the multilingualism of the students as well as the lecturers, and a language-in-education policy, which prescribes English as the language of teaching and learning, the study is interested in the perceptions and practices of those teaching big numbers of students in large lecture halls. The data comprised eight recorded lectures and interviews with the respective lecturers. The intention was to identify, describe, document and analyse interactional strategies that lecturers use, particularly the discourse strategies that lecturers use in conveying new information at a relatively sophisticated level of academic rhetoric, and to facilitate interaction between them and students. With large numbers of students in the audience, and given that they are first year students new to the university-spoken register, lecturers are likely to make remarkable language choices consciously or unconsciously. Conversational Analysis (CA) and Discourse Analysis (DA) approaches facilitated the identification and analysis of conversational and discursive features of lectures as part of spoken registers that are generically used in university teaching. The analysis particularly considered the linguistic diversity of the participants in the higher education context in Tanzania and how lecturers use language to cater for such diversity. The sample involved eight lecturers, four from each of two departments regarded among those with the highest student numbers in the College of Arts and Social Sciences of the University of Dar es Salaam, namely the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology. The findings indicate that lecturers use a selected number of both propositional and structural discourse strategies during lecture sessions. The three most notable propositional discourse strategies are repetition, use of questions, and use of code switching between English and Kiswahili. Lecturers use phrasal and clausal types of repetition to achieve cohesion, topic continuity and emphasis. They use tag, rhetorical, open and closed types of questions to check for comprehension, to stimulate higher level thinking, to manage classroom behaviour as well as to encourage students' participation and independent study. They also use inter and intra sentential types of code switching to engage with students, to translate some concepts, explain, and manage students' behaviour and to advise or encourage students. Regarding structural discourse strategies, the study shows that lecturers notably use discourse markers so and now as cohesive devices, marking such textual functions as framing, linking and showing consequential relationships. They use the discourse markers so and now to achieve similar communicative goals as those achieved using propositional discourse strategies. In referring to themselves or their audience, they use specific pronouns you, we, and I, to perform different functions. They use the pronoun you not only as an interactive device, but also as an explanatory device of significance in classroom interaction. They use the pronoun we not only as a solidarity device, but like you, also as a strong explanatory device. They also use the pronoun I to mark speaker's knowledge and his or her stance about it, and speaker's circumstance and experience. This study not only describes generic features and language practices in big lectures; it also engages critically with some of the established practices and in so doing adds to the literature on individual and societal multilingualism and how lecturers manage it in an African higher education context. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie is 'n studie van die wyses waarop talige superdiversiteit binne 'n konteks van hoër onderwys in Tanzanië bestuur word. Meer spesifiek, word aandag gegee aan die gebruik van tale gedurende lesings vir groot klasse wat bestaan uit studente met talig diverse agtergronde. Met inagneming van die veeltaligheid van die studente sowel as die dosente, asook 'n taal-in-onderrig-beleid wat Engels as die taal van onderrig en leer voorskryf, stel die studie belang in die persepsies en praktyke van diegene wat groot getalle studente in groot lesinglokale onderrig. Die studie is kwalitatief dáárin dat dit gewerk het met 'n beperkte aantal opnames van lesings en van onderhoude met die dosente wie se klasse opgeneem is. Die bedoeling was om die mees opvallende interaksionele strategieë wat by die Universiteit van Dar es Salaam aangewend word, te identifiseer, te beskryf, te dokumenteer en ook te analiseer. Veral is gekyk na die diskoersstrategieë wat dosente gebruik om nuwe inligting op 'n redelik gesofistikeerde vlak van akademiese retoriek oor te dra, en om interaksie tussen die dosent en die studentegehoor te fasiliteer. Die generiese eienskappe van hierdie lesings is geïdentifiseer deur die hele reeks opnames na te gaan. Die groot getal studente in die gehoor en die gegewe dat hulle eerstetaalsprekers van 'n verskeidenheid verskillende gemeenskapstale is, sal dosente noodwendig, bewustelik of onbewustelik, interessante taalkeuses maak. Die feit dat beide Engels en Swahili amptelike tale in Tanzanië is, dat die meerderheid studente vlot sprekers van Swahili is, selfs al het hulle hulle hoërskoolonderrig deur die medium van Engels ontvang, lei tot die aannames dat (i) Swahili 'n sterk lingua franca tussen sprekers van verskillende eerstetale is, en (ii) voortgesette hoër onderrig deur die medium van Engels onproblematies behoort te wees. Die benaderings van Gespreksanalise (GA) en Diskoersanalise (DA) het die identifikasie en analise van gesprekseienskappe en diskursiewe eienskappe van lesings as deel van die gesproke registers wat generies in universiteitsonderrig gebruik word, gefasiliteer. Die analise het veral in die talige diversiteit van die deelnemers in die konteks van hoër onderrig in Tanzanië en in die wyse waarop die dosente vir hierdie diversiteit voorsiening maak, belanggestel. Die deelnemers aan hierdie studie was agt dosente, vier elk uit twee departemente met die hoogste studentetal by die Kollege van Kuns en Sosiale Wetenskappe van die Universiteit, naamlik die Departement Politieke Wetenskap en Publieke Administrasie en die Departement Sosiologie en Sosiale Antropologie. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat dosente gereeld en generies 'n telbare aantal proposisionele en strukturele diskoersstrategieë gedurende lesings gebruik. Die drie mees opvallende proposisionele diskoersstrategieë is herhaling, die gebruik van vrae en die gebruik van kodewisseling tussen Engels en Swahili. Dosente gebruik frase- sowel as klousherhaling om kohesie, kontinuïteit van die onderwerp en klem te bewerkstellig. Hulle gebruik einddeel-, retoriese en oop en geslote tipe vrae om begrip te toets, om 'n hoër denkvlak te stimuleer, om die gedrag in die klaskamer te beheer, asook om die studente se deelname en onafhanklike studie aan te moedig. Hulle gebruik ook kodewisseling binne en tussen sinne ten einde nouer met die studente te skakel, sekere konsepte te vertaal, studente se optrede te verduidelik, te vertaal en te beheer en studente te adviseer of aan te moedig. Betreffende die strukturele diskoersstrategieë toon die studie aan dat die diskoersmerkers so en now wyd deur dosente gebruik word as kohesiemeganismes wat tekstuele funksies soos raming, skakeling en oorsaaklike verhoudinge aandui. Hulle wend die diskoersmerkers so en now aan om dieselfde kommunikatiewe doelwitte te bereik as dié wat bereik is met die gebruik van proposisionele diskoersstrategieë. In verwysing na hulleself of die toehoorders, span hulle spesifiek die voornaamwoorde you, we en I in om verskillende referensiële funksies of aanspreek funksies te verrig. Die voornaamwoord you word nie slegs as 'n interaktiewe meganisme gebruik nie, maar ook as 'n beduidende verklarende meganisme in klaskamer interaksie. Hulle gebruik die voornaamwoord we nie net as 'n samehorigheids-meganisme nie, maar ook, soos you, as 'n sterk verklarende meganisme. Hulle gebruik ook die voornaamwoord I om sprekerskennis te merk en sy/haar houding daaromtrent uit te druk, asook die spreker se omstandighede en ervaring. In die analise word aandag gegee aan relevante aspekte van tweetalige onderrig, die gebruik van Engels as 'n lingua franca, en die verskynsel van kodewisseling in akademiese diskoers binne 'n veeltalige onderrigkonteks. Die studie beskryf nie alleen generiese eienskappe en taalpraktyke in groot groep lesings nie; dit oorweeg ook sekere gevestigde gebruike in groot lesings dra daarmee by tot die literatuur oor invividuele en gemeenskaplike veeltaligheid en hoe dit hanteer word deur dosente in 'n hoër onderwyskonteks in Afrika. / The African Doctoral Academy (ADA) for awarding me a full scholarship for full time doctoral study; the financial assistance the University of Dar es Salaam furnished me with through the Directorate of Research and Publication.

published_or_final_version / English Studies / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purpose of this study was to discover the print awareness knowledge of 25 four- and five-year-old Spanish-English bilingual children and to see if differences among the children are related to home environmental factors. The specific questions to be answered were: (1) How does the use of language varieties in the home affect print awareness? (2) How does the language of written materials in the home (whether in Spanish or English) affect print awareness? (3) In what language do children respond to print awareness tasks? (4) How does the literacy environment in the home affect print awareness? (5) How does the language of the literacy environment (whether English or Spanish) affect print awareness? (6) How does the parental attitude toward reading affect print awareness? This naturalistic study presents data collected and analyzed with the following instruments: Signs of the Environment, Level I and Level II; Pre-Schooler's Book Handling Knowledge; and a Parent Interview which was conducted in the home. The data indicate that the children whose parents said that both languages were spoken in the home had the highest percentage of appropriate responses on all three tasks. Three main factors appear to influence the language in which the child responded to the tasks. These are contextual setting, experience with the item, and television. This study was not organized in such a way as to discover whether amount of literacy in the home and its degree of use makes a difference to children's print awareness. However, it is evident from the responses given by the children that the literacy environment of the home and its surroundings does influence print awareness. This study provides ample evidence that some bilingual economically poor children have a strong support base in literacy development which schools can expand upon: (1) Bilingual children are print aware and have knowledge of books. (2) Bilingual parents care and are anxious for the children to learn. (3) Bilingual parents read to their children and provide them with opportunities to read and write in the home. (4) Bilingual homes have a variety of opportunities for literacy.

Language issues, often linked with ideas of history, sentiment, identity, ideology, maintenance, revitalization, minority, and indigenous peoples, are raised constantly in Taiwan. This study focused on examining issues related to language planning and bilingual education at the elementary school level in Taiwan. The research purposes were: 1) to examine the current language education practices in the elementary school by employing perspectives of language planning and bilingual education in Taiwan; and 2) to make recommendations about the current language planning and policy of Taiwan with respect to elementary school language education. There were 123 participants involved in this study. They were elementary school language teachers, language professionals, and parents. Data collection began in the winter of 2004 and continued through the summer of 2005. The research context was elementary school language education. Transcripts and questionnaires were the primary sources for data analysis. Five major phenomena with respect to elementary school language education in Taiwan were found. First, there was no systematic language planning for the present elementary school language education in Taiwan. Second, the three language subjects, Mandarin, English, and Dialects, within the Language Arts area were seen as independent courses without any interdisciplinary integration. Third, parental decisions about the prior order of language learning were structured upon a profound process related to language ideology and instrumentalism. Fourth, the elementary school language curriculum was guided by the concept of Han-centrism. Fifth, because of the phenomenon of language shift, Mandarin has become most children's mother tongue rather than the local languages. Based on the five findings, I suggest that first, team teaching is helpful for elementary school language teachers to integrate children's learning of different languages. Second, parents, language professionals, and language teachers should have more opportunities to communicate with each other about children's language learning. Third, language planners should bear the Han-centric phenomenon in mind, especially when considering issues of educational resources and opportunities and social justice. Fourth, the definition of mother tongues needs to be redefined. Fifth, it is important for every elementary school to develop its own school-based language policy.

In Kuwait, the English language is increasingly gaining importance signifying globalisation and internationalisation of the local culture and linguistic environment. Alongside the positive effects of the wide-spread usage of English there are negative tendencies which emerge onto the scene. This thesis is concerned with the educational aspects of such influences where it explored trainee teachers’ conceptualisations of English as an international / global language, and examined the implications of current views of English for teacher preparation in light of the most recent methodological trends such as global English delivery, expansion of teacher knowledge base, the introduction of linguistic rights and instructional policies to educational stakeholders, and the merging of language and culture in English language teaching. Through questionnaires and in-depth interviews the study found that the relationship between the local and global in Kuwait is a complex issue with social, educational and political implications. Multiple functions for English and its status within the local context were voiced and consequently alternative futures for Standard Arabic as the main source and medium of local literacy and language of academia against the background of rapid Anglicisation emerged. The results may attract the attention of Kuwait’s educational theorists and practitioners, and the hopeful outcome would be to inspire teachers to engage in critical thinking and challenge their realities; and encourage Kuwait’s educational policy makers to find a balance between the source and target languages/cultures, as well as bring to the foreground local expertise and knowledge.

D.Litt. et Phil. / This study argues that the Critical Language Awareness Perspective adds an essential dimension to language learning and teaching. It further holds that this dimension brings to consciousness both the learners’ and teachers’ critical awareness of language use. It is this awareness that exposes the non-neutrality of language as a medium of communication. The CLA perspective engages both language learners and teachers in questioning and responding to the common-sense assumptions that are linguistically mediated. It also helps them to critically use language to achieve their own objectives. Three of these could be to use language in order to progress well with their studies, find employment and to change their societal psychic and thinking for the betterment of the general public. In this way the CLA perspective assists in developing responsible citizenry. This study therefore examines whether the Critical Language Awareness Perspective is part of the English Second Language programme in grade eleven ESL classes in the Goldfields area. It begins by examining the literature that indicates that the CLA perspective is a significant component of the any language teaching and learning practice. It then examines the empirical data in order to confirm that the CLA perspective does not form part of ESL teaching and learning practice in the context under investigation. It finally suggests possible solutions that could be adopted to facilitate the incorporation of CLA in the ESL class.