OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Dowling, Tessa"

Browsing by Author "Dowling, Tessa"

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'Akuchanywa apha please' No peeing here please: The language of signage in Cape Town
(2010) Dowling, Tessa
This article examines the language used on both formal and informal signage in Cape Town. Using the theory of geosemiotics with examples of actual signage, I discuss the semantic vulnerability of language when a sign is used outside its intended context; the sociolinguistic implications of poor translations; the phenomenon of monolingual and bilingual signage as opposed to trilingual signage; the symbolic hegemony of English and Afrikaans over Xhosa; and the lessons that can be learnt from language used on informal township signs and advertisements.
Open Access
An analysis of loanwords in selected isiXhosa texts
(2023) Futuse,Liziwe; Dowling, Tessa
Loanwords are well researched in many of the world's languages, but there is a dearth of research into their occurrence and significance in isiXhosa. Previous research on isiXhosa borrowed words concentrates on contemporary speech, but this study focuses on written texts, drawing on sources from the 1800s to the present time. The words in this corpus are analysed in terms of their domains (including religion, politics, and lifestyle) in order to establish what prompted the borrowing. The preoccupations, political tensions, practicalities, motivations of prestige and novelties involved in isiXhosa contact with missionaries and settlers dominate the corpus domains, and this allows for an argument that places historical events as a key motivator for lexical innovation. It is clear from the corpus that while Afrikaans was the source language for many of the early borrowings, these were soon overtaken by English loanwords, while words from other indigenous languages hardly feature. This finding could support the argument that South Africa's Bantu languages were originally one language, and thus shared a common lexicon. In line with research findings on loanwords in other languages, I established that nouns made up the majority of borrowed words. This study provides the first extensive treatment of phonological equivalences in loanwords between the language pairs of Afrikaans and isiXhosa and English and isiXhosa. The changing phonetics of loanwords, as represented in the different orthographic representations, suggests subtle changes in their isiXhosa pronunciation: early writers assiduously adapted the borrowed words to the phonology of isiXhosa, which is evident in how they are spelled, while contemporary writers increasingly spell the borrowed words as written in the source language. It is instructive that the paucity of loanwords in the domain of nature would suggest that there is nothing in their natural universe that isiXhosa-speakers had not already discovered, identified and named long before they made contact with missionaries and settlers. Finally, the fact that today's isiXhosa-speakers might be borrowing more words from English does not mean that the language is getting weaker, but rather that its speakers are expanding their linguistic repertoires to encompass subtle differences in meaning
Open Access
An analysis of the lyrics of the top 10 African language pop songs on Umhlobo Wenene in 2016
(2019) Gobodwana, Anele; Dowling, Tessa; Deyi, Somikazi
In this dissertation I critically analyse the lyrics of the top 10 songs (sung in an indigenous African language) aired on uMhlobo weNene (the national broadcast station for the Xhosa language) during 2016. Before the analysis of the songs I discuss various academic works on pop lyrics generally – ranging from a discussion of the production of aesthetic difference, lyrics in global and local settings, the changing lexicon of pop lyrics over the years, the purpose of lyrics to teenagers and the issue of translation and code switching in the lyrics of bilingual popular songs. In the main body of the thesis I apply a thematic and detailed linguistic analysis of the top 10 songs after which I provide an analysis of interviews conducted with Xhosa-speaking teenagers with regard to their linguistic preferences as applicable to contemporary lyrics. The conclusion includes a summary of the dominant themes of the lyrics studied and a focus on what the grammar of the songs (e.g. the predominance of the first person pronoun in all of the lyrics) can tell us about the increasingly individualistic nature of contemporary lyrics sung in African languages.
Open Access
An examination of how loanwords in a corpus of spoken and written contemporary isiXhosa are incorporated into the noun class system of isiXhosa
(2019) Futuse, Liziwe; Dowling, Tessa; Deyi, Somikazi
Lexical change is a natural phenomenon for all of the world’s languages. This change can be viewed in terms of language contact, technological innovation and the adoption of new lifestyles. Whereas in the past isiXhosa, a Nguni language spoken in South Africa, borrowed words from both English and Afrikaans, contemporary speakers rely more on the English lexicon, with some previous adoptions from Afrikaans being replaced by those from English. This study focusses specifically on contemporary borrowed, or loanword nouns in isiXhosa which are brought into the noun class system of the language via a number of different noun class prefixes. The focus of this study is to understand whether there are any features or properties, whether morphological or semantic, that predispose loanword nouns to fall into a particular noun class. In this thesis I therefore analyse a corpus of new data from conversations and interviews I conducted with contemporary isiXhosa-speakers, as well as from written translation activities. After providing a general background to the semantic content of isiXhosa noun classes, I analyse the new data and try to make some conclusions as to which noun class prefix is the most productive for loanwords, as well as to argue the existence of a significant amount of variation in terms of prefixes used. The study concludes that most loanword nouns are assigned to Noun Class 9, but some speakers also use Noun Classes 1a, 5 and 7 as alternatives for Class 9 under certain morphological and semantic conditions. Even Noun Class 3 was found to contain a number of loanword nouns, suggesting that speakers are able to manipulate the grammar of isiXhosa, and particularly its noun class system, to accommodate words from other languages.
Open Access
Country and city: a study of autobiographical tropes in Ncumisa Vapi's novel Litshona limpume
(2012) Macabela, Monwabisi Victor; Dowling, Tessa
The title of this thesis, Country and City - Autobiographical tropes in Ncumisa Vapi's Litshona Liphume arises out of a complex understanding of the author's narrative and literary intentions. Country refers to the fact that the story is set in a specifically named rural area in the Eastern Cape in the late 1960s and early 1970s. City on the other hand does not refer to any particular city, but is rather a symbol of changed and challenge, of opportunity and wealth but also of a world view deficient in tradition and spiritual connection with the land and the ancestors.
Open Access
Decolonising the media : the use of indigenous African languages in South African television advertisements
(2015) Grier, Lara Anne; Dowling, Tessa; Smouse, Mantoa
Advertisements in African languages are generally confined to radio, and in that medium are factual, dialogic and direct. When used in television advertising, however, South Africa’s indigenous languages play a less informative role, being employed rather to index a concretised African essence, African identity, urban style, or a particular reified postapartheid togetherness and cultural mobility. In this dissertation I analyse six television advertisements, all using African languages or language varieties, broadcast over the years starting 2010 through to 2014. I reflect on how and why the African language is used and to what extent African languages are no longer seen by television advertisers as carriers of information but as exploitable symbols of trustworthiness, multiculturalism, belonging and innovation. Methodology includes interviews with agencies, sociolinguistic analyses of the varieties used, detail on brands and products represented by the language and a small pilot study with viewers to ascertain their responses to the six selected advertisements.
Open Access
Eish - when to use -ish-: a study in the verbalization of English lexical items in spoken Xhosa
Madubela, Ndumiso S; Dowling, Tessa
This study examines how Xhosa speakers incorporate verbs of English origin into their lexicons with a specific focus on the -ish- suffix. The study deals with historical treatments of this phenomenon and debates its relevance and applicability to current scholarship on lexical borrowing. To ensure a wide range of data sources I used a corpus derived from interviews with 30 Xhosa speakers in Cape Town, as well as from three media sources: the first is a 1-hour long talk radio programme transcribed from the national Xhosa broadcaster, UMhlobo weNene, the second an interview with a Xhosa-speaking patient on the television programme, Siyayinqoba Beat It. The third is from social media, (Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp). The demographics of participants in this study are predominantly urban dwellers. The youngest participant (from the surveys) was 16 years old and the oldest participant was 45 years old. I say “predominantly” as it was not possible to obtain specific background data to the two Xhosa speakers on radio and television. Very little work has been done on the way in which African languages speakers grammaticalize verbs of English origin – why, for example, do some adopted words like suffix -a (e.g. Ndiyamotivate-a – ‘I am motivating') while others suffix -ish-a (e.g. Ndiyastudy-ish-a – ‘I am studying'). The main finding of the study is that speakers incorporated verbs of English origin by suffixing -a and -ish- in their speech, they were not consciously code mixing: rather, they used these suffixes as just another resource available to them to make their communication more strategic. This could indicate that in certain urban settings the -ish- verbalizing suffix might become even more popular as people need to negotiate lifestyles that require new lexicons. It is hoped that this research will shed more light on this growing phenomenon and provide a framework for discussion of verbalizers within the greater canon of language change scholarship in South Africa as a whole. A primary function of this study was to formulate rules for the adoption of -ish- and -a and to provide statistical data as to which one is preferred by speakers.
Open Access
The forms, functions and techniques of Xhosa humour
(1996) Dowling, Tessa; Satyo, S C; Gowlett, Derek F
In this thesis I examine the way in which Xhosa speakers create humour, what forms (e.g. satire, irony, punning, parody) they favour in both oral and textual literature, and the genres in which these forms are delivered and executed. The functions of Xhosa humour, both during and after apartheid, are examined, as is its role in challenging, contesting and reaffirming traditional notions of society and culture. The particular techniques Xhosa comedians and comic writers use in order to elicit humour are explored with specific reference to the way in which the phonological complexity of this language is exploited for humorous effect. Oral literature sources include collections of praise poems, folktales and proverbs, while anecdotal humour is drawn from recent interviews conducted with domestic workers. My analysis of humour in literary texts initially focuses on the classic works of G.B. Sinxo and S.M. Burns-Ncamashe, and then goes on to refer to contemporary works such as those of P.T. Mtuze. The study on the techniques of Xhosa humour uses as its theoretical base Walter Nash's The language of humour (1985), while that on the functions of Xhosa humour owes much to the work of sociologists such as Michael Mulkay and Chris Powell and George E.C. Paton. The study reveals the fact that Xhosa oral humour is personal and playful - at times obscene - but can also be critical. In texts it explores the comedy of characters as well as the irony of socio-political realities. In both oral and textual discourses the phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics of Xhosa are exploited to create a humour which is richly patterned and finely crafted. In South Africa humour often served to liberate people from the oppressive atmosphere of apartheid. At the same time humour has always had a stabilizing role in Xhosa cultural life, providing a means of controlling deviants and misfits.
Open Access
The impact of Siswati L1 on the acquisition of academic english by tertiary students in Swaziland
(2014) Dlamini, Phindile Alice; Dowling, Tessa
Research has pointed to the influence of the first language (L1) in the acquisition of the second (L2). In this study I investigate the interface between siSwati as an L1 and the acquisition of Academic English by students of the tertiary institutions of Swaziland. I examine five theoretical frameworks which are germane to L2 acquisition – error analysis, interdependency, transfer, interlanguage and fossilization. I discuss how these frameworks can help explain the low levels of proficiency in Academic English among learners in tertiary institution in Swaziland. In my research I employ qualitative research methods – questionnaires with both students and lecturers on initial and subsequent encounters with reading and writing both in the L1 (siSwati) and the L2 (English) – as well as quantitative research methods including statistical analyses of demographic and biographic data. In addition, in order to gauge the impact of the L1 on the L2 I analyse written texts of first and final year students at a number of tertiary institutions in Swaziland. Findings reveal that the students' L1 does, to some extent, interfere with their ability to properly acquire Academic English but cannot entirely explain the students' failure to acquire competency or near native proficiency in Academic English. Other militating factors include early educational environments which were not conducive to stimulating bilingualism, poor supply of text resources in both the L1 and the L2, the lack of a culture of reading in either the L1 or L2, the remoteness of English mother-tongue contexts, peripheral normativity practices in the institutions and indeed the emergence and development of a new variety of English in Swaziland. My own assessment criteria were critiqued during the course of this study and suggestions were made as to the validity of some of my assumptions about what constitutes "correct English". This insight should necessitate a new study on how English competency is assessed in Swaziland and to what it extent it is in line with contemporary views of what constitutes Standard English. It is hoped that the findings of this study will inform current debates on language teaching and assessment in tertiary institutions in Swaziland and also highlight areas of concern for academic programmes that focus on developing language and writing skills. Finally, I recommend that it is literacy in the L1 that needs to be addressed at the grass-roots route level in order for transfer to the L2 to occur successfully. Ultimately I conclude that efficient acquisition of Academic English can only be achieved when cognitive abilities have been properly developed in the L1.
Open Access
Isihlonipho sabafazi : the Xhosa women's language of respect : a sociolinguistic exploration
(1988) Dowling, Tessa
Isihlonipho Sabafazi (the Xhosa women's language of respect) is a language in which syllables occurring in the names of menfolk are avoided by women. Thie thesis attempts to place the practice in it social context by applying both descriptive and analytical methodologies. The thesis include a literature survey and a critique on the dynamics of gender and language. The results of interviews conducted in three areas, one urban and two rural, are analysed and tabulated. A glossary of substitute words is included.
Open Access
Language in South Africa's higher education transformation : a study of language policies at four universities
(2015) Nudelman, Craig; Dowling, Tessa; Du Toit, André
The advancement of African languages following South Africa’s transition to a constitutional democracy was important not only for societal transformation but also to enable previously disadvantaged South Africans proper access to education. In order to achieve this end policies had to be developed by government and by the institutions involved. In this dissertation I provide an analysis of the language policies developed by four South African universities1 (the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Cape Town, Rhodes University and North- West University) in order to provide insight into, and a critique of, how the role of African languages in education and in societal transformation is interpreted and implemented. The analysis of the language policies is preceded by an overview of the link between conflict and language in South Africa and a discussion on the manner in which the post-conflict South African state has attempted use language as a key player in transformation, particularly with regard to education. The dissertation draws on data collected from the policies to qualitatively determine a number of issues relating to transformation, being: the rationale for becoming a multilingual university; their choice for their languages of instruction; how universities try to achieve academic development through language interventions; how they attempt to develop their staff and students; and how actual implementation is achieved or projected.
Open Access
Relanguaging language in English(ing) classrooms in Khayelitsha South Africa
(2019) Krause, Lara-Stephanie; Dowling, Tessa; Beck, Rose Marie
Institutional language teaching is built on the assumption that languages exist as homogeneous entities and is aimed at the mastery of standardised codes. In this view, English teaching in South African township schools is failing. Learners (and teachers) underperform in standardised English tests and are repeatedly described – by stakeholders in schooling and by scholars of language in education – as ‘ cut off’ from standard linguistic norms needed for success beyond the township. But is linguistic deficit all we can find in township English classrooms, given that the day-to-day language practices in these settings are known to be heterogeneous, flexible and creative? I begin here by taking this local linguistic heterogeneity seriously, asking: What does language education in Khayelitsha look like through a lens that is not a priori structured by separate, homogenised languages? In the first part of this thesis I develop such an analytical lens. I begin by committing not to use some key linguistic terms that imply a view of languages as discrete, homogeneous entities. I then engage with (trans)languaging literature and the inchoative sociolinguistic notion of ‘spatial repertoires’, conceptualising ‘languaging’ for my purposes as a spatial practice, with which speakers draw on and transform elements of spatial repertoires. This spatial perspective doesn’t allow for surface-level categorisation of linguistic phenomena. It demands instead fine-grained, situated analyses that I conduct with tools from Bantu linguistics, conversation analysis and ethnography, on data from participant observation, recorded classroom talk, a learners’ writing task and teacher interviews. Rather than training the spotlight on the alleged lack of Standard English, I show the Khayelitshan English classroom to be a space of specific linguistic possibilities, ordered by teachers through a linguistic sorting practice I call relanguaging. This practice instantiates teachers’ negotiations of Khayelitshan heterogeneous linguistic realities, and the demands of a centralised curriculum and testing system, in the classroom. Learners are also shown to be ‘relanguagers’, who display complex linguistic sorting processes in their writing, juggling what I find to be an oversupply rather than an undersupply of standard linguistic norms. My empirical findings and my conceptualisation of relanguaging, which develops and complexifies throughout this thesis, allow me to systematically unsettle a construction of linguistic hetero- and homogeneity as mutually exclusive. This comes with a theoretical critique of ‘translanguaging’ as a linguistic descriptor that, in my view, reifies a dichotomy between fluid languaging and fixed standard languages. As a result, it makes us overlook the relationality in practice regarding these two dimensions of language and the complexities that result therefrom. With the dichotomy between languaging and languages dissolved, I end by proposing ways of testing for Standard English beyond its own confines, i.e. to test for increasingly sophisticated linguistic sorting skills instantiated in emergent englishing.
Open Access
Seeing the world as an African language speaker
(2014-09-29) Dowling, Tessa
This lecture will be of interest to anyone who wishes to know more about the relationship between language and culture. Go to Seeing the world as an African language speaker Is the way we see the world influenced by our language, or is it the other way around: is our language influenced by the way we see the world? You’ve all heard (the rather faulty) example of the Inuit having many words for snow – and maybe even have heard of the South American language called Yagan with a word Mamihlapinatapei which refers to the desirous look two people give each other when they want to start something but are too hesitant to do so (what a wistful, romantic culture, you might think!) But what about here in South Africa? What is it about African languages that makes them uniquely different and astonishingly original in the way they are put together? This lecture will introduce you to some of the key features (both structural and metaphorical) of our languages, features essential to understanding their cultures.
Open Access
The use of translation as a teaching method in second language teaching: a case study with second language learners of isiXhosa at the University of Cape Town
(2016) Ngwendu, Amandla; Motinyane-Masoko, Mantoa; Dowling, Tessa
This research topic came about during my honours research project. The honours project studied strategies that are used by second language learners in acquiring vocabulary. One of the strategies that were used was direct translation. Upon further research into the subject, it was we discovered that no work has been done on the use of translation as a teaching method in isiXhosa. This study attempts to bridge the information gap in the area of second language learning and teaching in African languages. The current study followed two classes at University of Cape Town where isiXhosa literature is taught as a second language. Given that the students do not speak any isiXhosa at entry level, they rely heavily on their first language for making sense of the second language. In the case of literature, where terminology is not carefully selected to accommodate second language learners, students rely heavily on translation. This study therefore investigates the role and process of translation as a teaching method. The lack of research in this area made it very difficult to follow a particular theoretical framework, therefore the study followed a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Students were given activities that would require translation in order for the task to be completed. This forms part of their normal learning process. These activities were analysed. The second part consisted of a questionnaire that surveyed the student's views regarding the use of translation. Findings based on the qualitative data analysis revealed heavy relianace on translation as a learning strategy. Students also indicated that prior knowledge of vocabulary as well as an understanding of morphology were both very beneficial.
Open Access
Xhosa in 45 minutes
(2014-08-22) Dowling, Tessa
For anyone interested in taking their first steps towards learning the Xhosa language. This was a free lunch-time event at UCT Summer School, offering participants a chance to learn the basics of the Xhosa phonology and grammar. At the end of the lecture you will be able to: * click with ease * talk about present, future and past events in Xhosa * ask questions * reply to questions. The method is simple. You will be given the grammatical building blocks and told where they go; in Xhosa it is extremely regular and predictable. You can learn vocabulary on your own but in this lecture you will learn some English and Afrikaans words that have been absorbed into Xhosa. Here are just a few to whet your appetite: redi (ready), rayithi (right), rongo (wrong), snaaks (funny), swit (sweet), jimisha (do gym), stak-ile (stuck) and depresed-ek-ile (depressed). As we progress from one concept to another you will be given small translation exercises to do in class. You will be hugely impressed with your ability to construct meaningful, fairly complex sentences in Xhosa in such a short time. The link to this resource includes a podcast, PowerPoint slides and a link to a video of the lecture on YouTube.

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