M.A. (Afrikaans) / The idea of what a concept is and how concepts change is currently a hot topic of discussion within the cognitive semantics. The term concept has changed significantly from Plato's Idee up until De Saussure's theory early in the twentieth century that the word and its meaning are connected in an arbitrary manner. From there onwards the meaning of the term concept has changed drastically. Linguists like Ogden & Richards and Lyons initially referred to the concept as the mental image one recalls when reference to a certain word is made. But, since the development of the cognitive semantics in the late nineteen eighties, it has developed as a term consisting of image-schemata in the form of gestalts, categories and category models as well as semantic networks. Reinhart Koselleck (2004:84),a historian who focussed on concepts and the change in meaning thereof recommended that any concept is a conglomeration of all the linguistic and semantic networks bedded into the concept but the socio-political factors are especially important when studying a specific concept. Koselleck also focused on the prevalence of key concepts in any society. According to Koselleck key-concepts are those concepts that fulfil a key role in society. Society is depending on these concepts and any change in society will also have a huge impact on the concept. The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in one key-concept namely the concept marriage in the Afrikaner community due to significant changes that has taken place in this concept over the last century. The investigation to what a concept is and how concepts change, take place within the field of the cognitive semantics and this study commences with a theoretical discussion on concepts. After a theoretical discussion on concepts, the historical development and changes of the Western marriage is on the foreground. Seeing that the Afrikaner community developed within the framework of the broader Western civilization, it is necessary to also focus on the broad socio-political and semantic changes. Koselleck stressed the importance of the social changes when any concept is investigated and therefore this study also gives attention accordingly. Focus is placed on the statutory and religious components and changes in the Afrikaans marriage but other socio-politicalfactors impacting on the changes in marriage in the Afrikaner community are also investigated and discussed. The concept marriage and synonyms 'trou (getting married) and "eg' (matrimony) as portrayed in the Afrikaans language system, are also investigated. Syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationships to the concept marriage are mentioned and all the dictionary definitions are stated. This discussion ends with a demonstration of a prototypical framework of the concept marriage with special reference to changes that have occurred, but also to emphasize pressure that marriage in the Afrikaans community is currently undergoing to change its form and presentation again. To demonstrate how any linguistic change occurs firstly in the social realm before it is transfered to the linguistic system- this study applies cognitive semantic methods in the form of image-schematic structures and force schemas to the novel Agaat by Marlene van Niekerk. The novel Agaat is chosen as example material because of its setting in a pastoral environment before extensive urbanisation took place. The story is also set against the backdrop of the golden era of marriage and the marriage of Milia and Jak de Wet is investigated accordingly. Koselleck (2004:70) states that a concept changes firstly in the social realm before it gets widely accepted in the documented language systems and practice of a community. The language community and practice need to internalize and document any changes before its gets widely accepted as the prototype sample. This study demonstrates how changes commence firstly in the socio-political practice preparatory to these changes getting accepted into the wider language community and semantic networks.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:7912 |
| Date | 14 January 2014 |
| Creators | Erasmus, Cecilia |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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