“Accent” is the pattern of speech pronunciation by which one can identify a person’s linguistic, social or cultural background. It is an important source of inter-speaker variability and a particular problem for automated speech recognition. The aim of the study was to investigate a new computational approach to accent classification which did not require phonemic segmentation or the identification of phonemes as input, and which could therefore be used as a simple, effective accent classifier. Through a series of structured experiments this study investigated the effectiveness of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) for speech accent classification using time-based units rather than linguistically-informed ones, and compared it to the accuracy of other machine learning methods, as well as the ability of humans to classify speech according to accent. A corpus of read-speech was collected in two accents of English (Arabic and “Indian”) and used as the main datasource for the experiments. Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients were extracted from the speech samples and combined into larger units of 10 to 150ms duration, which then formed the input data for the various machine learning systems. Support Vector Machines were found to classify the samples with up to 97.5% accuracy with very high precision and recall, using samples of between 1 and 4 seconds of speech. This compared favourably with a human listener study where subjects were able to distinguish between the two accent groups with an average of 92.5% accuracy in approximately 8 seconds. Repeating the SVM experiments on a different corpus resulted in a best classification accuracy of 84.6%. Experiments using a decision tree learner and a rule-based classifier on the original corpus gave a best accuracy of 95% but results over the range of conditions were much more variable than those using the SVM. Rule extraction was performed in order to help explain the results and better inform the design of the system. The new approach was therefore shown to be effective for accent classification, and a plan for its role within various other larger speech-related contexts was developed.

“Accent” is the pattern of speech pronunciation by which one can identify a person’s linguistic, social or cultural background. It is an important source of inter-speaker variability and a particular problem for automated speech recognition. The aim of the study was to investigate a new computational approach to accent classification which did not require phonemic segmentation or the identification of phonemes as input, and which could therefore be used as a simple, effective accent classifier. Through a series of structured experiments this study investigated the effectiveness of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) for speech accent classification using time-based units rather than linguistically-informed ones, and compared it to the accuracy of other machine learning methods, as well as the ability of humans to classify speech according to accent. A corpus of read-speech was collected in two accents of English (Arabic and “Indian”) and used as the main datasource for the experiments. Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients were extracted from the speech samples and combined into larger units of 10 to 150ms duration, which then formed the input data for the various machine learning systems. Support Vector Machines were found to classify the samples with up to 97.5% accuracy with very high precision and recall, using samples of between 1 and 4 seconds of speech. This compared favourably with a human listener study where subjects were able to distinguish between the two accent groups with an average of 92.5% accuracy in approximately 8 seconds. Repeating the SVM experiments on a different corpus resulted in a best classification accuracy of 84.6%. Experiments using a decision tree learner and a rule-based classifier on the original corpus gave a best accuracy of 95% but results over the range of conditions were much more variable than those using the SVM. Rule extraction was performed in order to help explain the results and better inform the design of the system. The new approach was therefore shown to be effective for accent classification, and a plan for its role within various other larger speech-related contexts was developed.

Text in Afrikaans / Een van die grootste probleme waarmee die prediker in 'n industriele konteks te doen het, is om die evangelie op 'n sinvolle wyse aan die hoarders oor te dra. Die radikale verandering in die samelewing deur die moderniseringsproses, het die homiletiek gedwing om teoreties her te besin. Hierdie moderne homiletiese teorie soos deur H.J.C. Pieterse, T.G. Long en G.D.J. Dingemans verteenwoordig het die volgende belangrike teoretiese aanpassings gemaak: Eerstens, in plaas van die tradisionele beweging van die teks na die hoarders, is die homiletiese proses omgekeer. Die beweging is nou vanaf die hoarder na die teks deur middel van die prediker en weer terug van die teks na die hoorder. Tweedens, hierdie benadering het noodwendig hermeneutiese implikasies gehad. Daarom het die homiletiek die bree aanpak van die moderne kritiese hermeneutiek in diens geneem. Derdens moes 'n nuwe kommunikasieteorie ondersoek word naamlik, die dialogiese kommunikasieteorie van H.J.C. Pieterse en C.J.A. Vos. / One of the greatest problems, with which a preacher in an industrial context have to deal with, is to convey the gospel in a sensible manner to the listeners. The radical change in society caused by the modernisation process, forced homiletics to review its theoretical base. Modern homiletics as represented by H.J.C. Pieterse, T.G. Long and G.D.J. Dingemans, has made the following theoretic adjustments: Firstly, in stead of the traditional movement of the text to the listeners, the homiletical process is revearsed. The movement is from the listener to the text by means of the preacher and back from the text to the listener. Secondly, this approach inevitably has hermeneutic implications. Therefore homiletics has employed the broad approach of modern critical hermeneutics. Thirdly, a new communication theory has to be developed namely, the dialogical communication theory of H.J.C. Pieterse and C.J.A. Vos. The most important theoretical foundation for preaching in an industrial context is the approach of taking the listeners as starting point without neglecting the text. In practice, it brings about that the following topics ask for particular attention: For the understanding and formulating of the message of the Scriptures, the modern critical hermeneutics and the use of metaphors is of the greatest importance. The new understanding of rhetorics which is about conveying the message, must be taken into consideration. The formulating of the message in the language of the listeners has a theoretical influence on the formulating and use of the theological concepts during preaching. The dialogical communication theory is also of great importance, and has dialogue before, during and after the preaching in mind. For it to be fulfilled, preaching work groups is an important component to improve dialogical communication in the congregation. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Practical theology)

Submitted by Leonardo Cavalcante (leo.ocavalcante@gmail.com) on 2018-05-18T15:46:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Arquivototal.pdf: 1343059 bytes, checksum: cafa24c300f0e2d9d8946475674ad034 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-18T15:46:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Arquivototal.pdf: 1343059 bytes, checksum: cafa24c300f0e2d9d8946475674ad034 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This masters research aimed to analyze the speeches of teachers of the deaf listeners about the categories: culture, sign language and Deaf Identity, bilingual perspective. She was held at the State School of Audiocomunicação "Demosthenes da Cunha Lima"-EDAC, located in the city of Campina Grande-PB, school which served a total of 189 deaf students from the city of Campina Grande - PB and other surrounding Brazilian municipalities, distributed in a total of 21 classes in every year to basic education, in three shifts. As for the subject of the research, we selected five teachers of the 17 respondents. It was established as the object of analysis the speeches of these professionals about sign language, Deaf culture and identity, expressed through semi-structured interview, which had its script divided into three thematic blocks, with a total of 17 topics, covering the key categories of research. Based on its qualitative character, the French discourse analysis (ADF-created by Michel Pêcheux, in the late 60) was the chosen method to process the data. The data from the interviews, transcription was made, turning the oral speech in written text. The analysis of the discourse of teachers of the deaf of listeners a bilingual school for deaf people involved in a confrontational and delicate process, due to my creation of listener person and researcher. To develop these analyses, it was necessary to be aware of a consistent theoretical basis, establishing a link between the cultural studies, Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, who understand the categories of culture-language (signs) and deaf identity, from an ideological-political-historical perspective-relational between subjects that make up the social body, Deaf or not. The data showed that the school seems to promote the natural and necessary conflict to destabilization and ambivalence that are own dialogue groups from the differences and understand each other in their linguistic and cultural specificities of identity. An educational space in which, although the dialogue is tense, marked by asymmetrical social relations, different from the past, the deaf seem to have voice. Your body is not only and so only a set of anatomical incomplete, marked by the absence of hearing and, consequently, speechless. The testimony of the participants of the survey showed that deaf people assume, on bilingual school, status of subject, which, like other talk, doubt, deny, deny, accepts, deletes, selects and suggests, through their mother tongue, natural: the language of signs, the Pounds. / Esta pesquisa de mestrado teve como objetivo analisar os discursos dos/as professores/as ouvintes de Surdos sobre as categorias: Cultura, Língua de Sinais e Identidade Surda, sob a perspectiva bilíngue. Ela foi realizada na Escola Estadual de Audiocomunicação “Demóstenes da Cunha Lima” – EDAC, localizada na cidade de Campina Grande- PB, escola que atendia a um total de 189 alunos/as Surdos, oriundos da cidade de Campina Grande/PB e outros municípios paraibanos circunvizinhos, distribuídos em um total de 21 turmas em todos os anos a Educação Básica, nos três turnos. Quanto aos sujeitos da pesquisa, foram selecionados cinco professores/as dos 17 entrevistados. Foram estipulados como objeto de análise os discursos desses profissionais sobre Língua de Sinais, Cultura e Identidade Surda, expressos por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, a qual teve seu roteiro dividido em três blocos temáticos, com um total de 17 tópicos, que abrangiam as categorias chave da pesquisa. Tendo por base seu caráter qualitativo, a Análise do Discurso Francesa (ADF - criada por Michel Pêcheux, no final dos anos 60) foi o método escolhido para tratar os dados. De posse dos dados das entrevistas, foi feita sua transcrição, transformando o discurso oral em texto escrito. A análise dos discursos de professores/as ouvintes de Surdos de uma escola bilíngue específica para Surdos implicou em um processo conflituoso e delicado, devido a minha constituição de pessoa ouvinte e pesquisador. Para desenvolver essas análises, foi necessário estar atento a uma consistente base teórica, estabelecendo uma articulação entre os Estudos Culturais, os Estudos Surdos e a Pedagogia Surda, que entendem as categorias da cultura-língua (sinais) e identidade surda, a partir de uma perspectiva ideológica-política-histórica-relacional entre os sujeitos que compõem o corpo social, Surdos ou não. Os dados mostraram que a escola parece promover o conflito necessário às desestabilizações e ambivalências que são próprias dos grupos que dialogam a partir das diferenças e entendem o outro em suas especificidades culturais/linguísticas e identitárias. Um espaço educacional em que, embora o diálogo seja tenso, marcado por relações sociais assimétricas, diferente do passado, os Surdos parecem ter voz. Seu corpo não é apenas e tão somente um conjunto anatômico incompleto, marcado pela ausência da audição e, consequentemente, sem fala oral. Os depoimentos dos participantes da pesquisa mostraram que os Surdos assumem, na escola bilíngue, status de sujeito, que, como os demais, fala, se impõe, duvida, nega, renega, aceita, exclui, escolhe e opina, por meio da sua língua materna, natural: a Língua de Sinais, a Libras.

Le nombre croissant d'appareils de diffusion de contenus audio pose le problème de partager le même espace physique sans partager lemême espace sonore. Les Sound Zones rendent possible la reproduction de programmes audio indépendants et spatialement séparés, àpartir d'un ensemble de haut-parleurs et de méthodes de reproduction de champs sonores. Le problème est alors décomposé en deuxzones : la Bright zone, où le contenu doit être reproduit et la Dark zone, où il doit être annulé. De nombreuses méthodes existent pourrésoudre ce problème, mais la plupart ne traite que le cas d'auditeurs en position statique. Elles s'appuient sur la résolution directe desméthodes d'optimisation adaptative, telle que la méthode de Pressure Matching (PM). Or, pour des utilisateurs en mouvement, cesméthodes ont un coût de calcul trop élevé, rendant impossible leur application à un problème dynamique. Le but de cette thèse est dedévelopper une solution présentant une complexité compatible avec un contrôle dynamique des Sound Zones, tout en conservant lesperformances des méthodes conventionnelles. Sous l'hypothèse que les déplacements sont lents, une résolution itérative du problème PMest proposée et évaluée. Les algorithmes LMS, NLMS et APA sont comparés sur la base de simulations en champ libre. La méthode LMSs'avère la plus avantageuse en termes de complexité, mais elle souffre d'une erreur de reproduction. Un effet mémoire limitant la réactivitédes algorithmes est aussi mis en évidence. Il est corrigé en implémentant une variante introduisant un facteur d'oubli (Variable LeakyLMS ou VLLMS). / The growing number of audio devices raises the problem of sharing the same physical space without sharing the same sound space. SoundZones make it possible to play independent and spatially separated audio programs by loudspeaker array in combination with sound fieldreproduction methods. The problem is then split into two zones: the Bright zone, where the audio content must be reproduced and theDark zone, where it must be cancelled. There are many methods available to solve this problem, but most only deal with auditors in astatic position. They are based on the direct resolution of adaptive optimization methods, such as the Pressure Matching (PM) method.However, for moving users, these methods have a too high computation cost, making it impossible to apply them to a dynamic problem.The aim of this thesis is to develop a solution offering a level of complexity compatible with a dynamic control of Sound Zones, whilemaintening the performance of conventional methods. Under the assumption that displacements are slow, an iterative resolution of the PMproblem is proposed and assessed. The LMS, NLMS and APA algorithms are compared on the basis of free field simulations. The LMSmethod is the most advantageous in terms of complexity, but it suffers from a reproduction error. A memory effect limiting the reactivityof the algorithms is also highlighted. It is corrected by implementing a leaky variant (Variable Leaky LMS or VLLMS) introducing aforgetting factor.

Summaries in German and English / Die vorliegende Arbeit ist innerhalb der Praktischen Theologie den interdisziplinären Forschungsrichtungen „Christian Leadership" und Homiletik zuzuordnen, weil sie das Thema Verkündigung aus dem Aspekt der Leitung betrachtet. Es wird erklärt, dass die Predigt ein Akt der Kommunikation des Evangeliums und daher eine gute Botschaft in Form und Inhalt ist. Sie wird aber nicht selten als eine Motivationsrede genutzt, die inakzeptablen Druck auf die Hörer ausübt und ethische Fragen rund um Macht und Manipulation veranlasst. Um diese ethische Fragen zu berücksichtigen, werden fünf Predigten aus Freien Evangelischen Gemeinden in der Schweiz nach der „Heidelberger Methode“ der Predigtanalyse untersucht unter Beachtung der Wirkung von sprachlichen Stilmitteln. Die Analyse ergab, dass die Verkündiger ihre Hörer motivieren wollen – dies geschieht aber nicht immer auf eine dem Evangelium angemessene Art und Weise. Oft werden zu viele unterschiedliche Themen angesprochen und auch undurchführbare und überfordernde Aufträge an die Hörer vermittelt / The aspect of motivating through preaching is researched within the disciplines of Christian Leadership and Homiletics in Practical Theology. It is argued that the sermon is an act of communication, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ in form and content, but it also can be used as a motivational speech, often transforming the gospel one-sidedly into a law and putting pressure on the listeners. This brings certain ethical questions, such as the use of power and possible manipulation of the hearer, into the equation. With a view to these ethical questions, five sermons from pastors in Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland are analysed by means of an adapted version of the “Heidelberger Model of Preaching Analysis”, looking at the use of rhetoric and linguistic styling in order to motivate the listeners. The analyses show that preachers do not always succeed in motivating the listeners in a way that is appropriate to the gospel and that listeners sometimes are overloaded with impracticable or overtaxing expectations. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Christian Leadership)

En människas röst är komplex och ofta svår för otränade lyssnare att beskriva verbalt. Det gör att värdefull information riskerar att gå förlorad när öronvittnen intervjuas i samband med en brottsutredning. Syftet i denna studie var att göra öronvittnesmål mer användbara genom att undersöka akustiska korrelat till vanliga röstbeskrivningar. 126 otränade lyssnare deltog i en enkätundersökning och bedömde röstegenskaper hos sju medelålders män som läste en text på svenska. Resultaten visade att röster med högre förstaformant bedömdes som mer spända och hårda, och röster med högre tredjeformant uppfattades som mer vanliga. Kvinnor bedömde röster med högre grundtonsfrekvens som ljusare. Röster som uppfattades som ljusa bedömdes i hög grad som spända och ostadiga, och de som bedömdes som mjuka tenderade att bedömas som mer avslappnade och melodiska. Resultaten bör betraktas med viss försikthet då antalet stimuli var lågt, men de indikerar att formanter har en avgörande betydelse för vår röstperception. Resultaten kan bidra till en ökad förståelse för den information som förmedlas i ett öronvittnesmål samt till att utforma effektiva metoder för att intervjua öronvittnen. På sikt är även akustiska fantomröster en intressant tillämpning. Kommande studier uppmanas att undersöka liknande frågeställningar med fler talare och med andra typer av talmaterial. / A person's voice is complex and often difficult for untrained listeners to describe verbally. This may lead to valuable information being lost in criminal investigations involving earwitnesses. The purpose of this study was to investigate acoustic correlates to common voice descriptions in order to enhance the usefulness of earwitness testimonies. 126 untrained listeners assessed voice characteristics of seven middle-aged men reading a Swedish text. Voices with a higher first formant were judged as more tense and harsh, and voices with a higher third formant were perceived as more common. Women rated voices with a higher fundamental frequency as higher. Voices that were perceived as high were also judged as tense and unstable, and those perceived as soft tended to be judged as relaxed and melodic. The results should be considered with some caution due to the low number of stimuli, but they indicate that formants play a crucial role in voice perception. The results can contribute to the understanding of earwitness testimonies as well as to develop effective methods for interviewing earwitnesses. Acoustic phantom voices are discussed as an interesting application. Future studies should investigate similar questions with more speakers as well as other types of speech material.

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die inhoud en vorm van 'n preek is 'n eenheid. Beide aspekte vorm deel van die teologiese teorie van die prediking. In hierdie studie word daar teoreties besin oor 'n bepaalde vorm van prediking. Dit behels 'n ondersoek na die literere vorm waarin die boodskap gestruktureer en verwoord word. Die Skrif bevat 'n verskeidenheid literere vorme wat deur Bybelskrywers aangewend is om die intensie van die teks effektief te kommunikeer. Elk van hierdie vorme besit 'n eiendomlike kommunikatiewe aard. Die ontwikkeling van die moderne literatuurwetenskap sedert die tagtigerjare van die twintigste eeu het stukrag verleen aan die insig dat die Bybel ook as 'n versameling godsdienstige literatuur bestudeer kan word. Dit het meegebring dat die intensie van die teks van die Bybel op 'n teologies verantwoordbare wyse, met inagneming van die historiese verbande, beter begryp kan word deur die gebruikmaking van insigte uit ander literatuur. As sodanig word erkende literere kunsvorme wat naas die logies-analitiese ook die emotiewe betrek, aanvaar. Die resultaat van hierdie ondersoek dui aan dat die preek as kunsvorm geevalueer en in die moderne preekteorie geregverdig kan word. Die proses van transformasie wat die moderne hermeneutiese benadering kenmerk; die veranderde beleweniswereld en verstaanshorison van die huidige hoorders asook die eiesoortige aard van Bybelse literatuur is vanuit 'n kommunikatiewe aanname in 'n kunsvorm binne die moderne homiletiese teorie haalbaar. Die teorie orienteer binne die kommunikatiewe handelingsteorie as meta-teorie wat ingestel is op dialogiese kommunikasie wat betekenisgewing deur waarnemerbetrokkenheid bevorder en 'n bepaalde denkwyse by die hoorders tot gevolg het. Die tradisionele vorm van prediking, gekenmerk deur absolute dominasie van die rede en intellektualisme uit die modernistiese tydvak, het teen die einde van die tweede millennium in ernstige diskrediet gekom. Die radikale verandering in die samelewing deur die moderniseringsproses met gepaardgaande paradigma verskuiwinge dwing die homiletiek om teoreties te herbesin. In hierdie studie word die preek as kunsvorm afgebaken tot die verhalende preekvorm, konseptueel ontwikkel en teoreties omskryf asook geplaas binne die moderne homiletiese teorie as komponent wat daarby pas. Die resultaat is verkry deur 'n vergelykende studie van gemeenskaplike wesenstrekke wat voorkom by erkende kunsvorme in die moderne kunsteorie; die verhalende kunsvorm in die moderne literere teorie met spesifieke verwysing na die Afrikaanse roman asook die verhalende preekvorm in die moderne homiletiese teorie. Deur hierdie vorm van prediking in die moderne preekteorie op te neem, kan 'n sinvolle bydrae gemaak word om die Christelike boodskap deur oortuiging sander enige vorm van dwang te kommunikeer. / In a sermon form and content are one. Both aspects form part of the theological theory of preaching. This theoretical survey investigates one of the various literary forms through which the biblical writers attempted to communicate the intention of the biblical text in the most effective way. Each of these forms possesses a distinctive communicative character. The development of modern literary theory since the eighties of the twentieth century was a propulsive force leading to the conviction that the Bible was also a collection of religious literature. This conviction implied that the intention of the biblical text could be more clearly understood in a theological justified manner within the historical context by using insights gained from other literature. Acknowledged literary art forms adhering to the emotive as well as the logic-analytical are embraced as such. In this study the sermon as an art form is limited to narrative preaching, developed as a concept; theoretically described and placed within the modern homiletical theory as a suitable component. Results are obtained by means of a comparative study of mutual features that are distinctive to acknowledged art forms in the modern theory of art; narrative art forms in modern literature theory specifically in the modern Afrikaans novel, as well as the narrative form of preaching in the modern homiletical theory. The modern homiletical theory is orientated within the communicative acts theory as meta-theory focusing on dialogical communication which promotes meaning through the involvement of the observer. The conclusions reached indicate that the sermon as an art form can be evaluated and justified within the modem homiletical theory. Taken up in this theory, it can prove significant in communicating the Christian message to the listeners in a convincing rather than compulsive manner. / Practical Theology / D.Th. (Practical theology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die inhoud en vorm van 'n preek is 'n eenheid. Beide aspekte vorm deel van die teologiese teorie van die prediking. In hierdie studie word daar teoreties besin oor 'n bepaalde vorm van prediking. Dit behels 'n ondersoek na die literere vorm waarin die boodskap gestruktureer en verwoord word. Die Skrif bevat 'n verskeidenheid literere vorme wat deur Bybelskrywers aangewend is om die intensie van die teks effektief te kommunikeer. Elk van hierdie vorme besit 'n eiendomlike kommunikatiewe aard. Die ontwikkeling van die moderne literatuurwetenskap sedert die tagtigerjare van die twintigste eeu het stukrag verleen aan die insig dat die Bybel ook as 'n versameling godsdienstige literatuur bestudeer kan word. Dit het meegebring dat die intensie van die teks van die Bybel op 'n teologies verantwoordbare wyse, met inagneming van die historiese verbande, beter begryp kan word deur die gebruikmaking van insigte uit ander literatuur. As sodanig word erkende literere kunsvorme wat naas die logies-analitiese ook die emotiewe betrek, aanvaar. Die resultaat van hierdie ondersoek dui aan dat die preek as kunsvorm geevalueer en in die moderne preekteorie geregverdig kan word. Die proses van transformasie wat die moderne hermeneutiese benadering kenmerk; die veranderde beleweniswereld en verstaanshorison van die huidige hoorders asook die eiesoortige aard van Bybelse literatuur is vanuit 'n kommunikatiewe aanname in 'n kunsvorm binne die moderne homiletiese teorie haalbaar. Die teorie orienteer binne die kommunikatiewe handelingsteorie as meta-teorie wat ingestel is op dialogiese kommunikasie wat betekenisgewing deur waarnemerbetrokkenheid bevorder en 'n bepaalde denkwyse by die hoorders tot gevolg het. Die tradisionele vorm van prediking, gekenmerk deur absolute dominasie van die rede en intellektualisme uit die modernistiese tydvak, het teen die einde van die tweede millennium in ernstige diskrediet gekom. Die radikale verandering in die samelewing deur die moderniseringsproses met gepaardgaande paradigma verskuiwinge dwing die homiletiek om teoreties te herbesin. In hierdie studie word die preek as kunsvorm afgebaken tot die verhalende preekvorm, konseptueel ontwikkel en teoreties omskryf asook geplaas binne die moderne homiletiese teorie as komponent wat daarby pas. Die resultaat is verkry deur 'n vergelykende studie van gemeenskaplike wesenstrekke wat voorkom by erkende kunsvorme in die moderne kunsteorie; die verhalende kunsvorm in die moderne literere teorie met spesifieke verwysing na die Afrikaanse roman asook die verhalende preekvorm in die moderne homiletiese teorie. Deur hierdie vorm van prediking in die moderne preekteorie op te neem, kan 'n sinvolle bydrae gemaak word om die Christelike boodskap deur oortuiging sander enige vorm van dwang te kommunikeer. / In a sermon form and content are one. Both aspects form part of the theological theory of preaching. This theoretical survey investigates one of the various literary forms through which the biblical writers attempted to communicate the intention of the biblical text in the most effective way. Each of these forms possesses a distinctive communicative character. The development of modern literary theory since the eighties of the twentieth century was a propulsive force leading to the conviction that the Bible was also a collection of religious literature. This conviction implied that the intention of the biblical text could be more clearly understood in a theological justified manner within the historical context by using insights gained from other literature. Acknowledged literary art forms adhering to the emotive as well as the logic-analytical are embraced as such. In this study the sermon as an art form is limited to narrative preaching, developed as a concept; theoretically described and placed within the modern homiletical theory as a suitable component. Results are obtained by means of a comparative study of mutual features that are distinctive to acknowledged art forms in the modern theory of art; narrative art forms in modern literature theory specifically in the modern Afrikaans novel, as well as the narrative form of preaching in the modern homiletical theory. The modern homiletical theory is orientated within the communicative acts theory as meta-theory focusing on dialogical communication which promotes meaning through the involvement of the observer. The conclusions reached indicate that the sermon as an art form can be evaluated and justified within the modem homiletical theory. Taken up in this theory, it can prove significant in communicating the Christian message to the listeners in a convincing rather than compulsive manner. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Practical theology)

No description available.