How to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplace

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dc.contributor.advisorMcCormick, Kayen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorMesthrie, Rajen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorDippenaar, Carinen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-01-12T11:17:07Z
dc.date.available2016-01-12T11:17:07Z
dc.date.issued1999en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: pages [184]-191.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThe aim of this study was to investigate intercultural communication in a South African business setting. After initial observations at various companies, a Cape Town construction firm was chosen as the subject of study. It was hypothesised that the communication at the firm was successful. Successful communication includes various aspects: messages are communicated effectively and accurately, members of the company are made to feel secure, valued and motivated and there is no sense of discrimination or disrespect. Data was gathered (a) at meetings of the labour committee which represents the workers and (b) at site visits. All recordings but one were made using a tape-recorder with a large microphone designed for group recordings. The final meeting was video-recorded so that communicative cues such as eye gaze, facial expressions and gestures could be analysed. Data gathered was in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa with regular code-switching and mixing. English was the language used most frequently in meetings and communication in English was the main focus of this research. Interesting uses and common functions of Xhosa and Afrikaans are also discussed. Additional information about the company studied was obtained from interviews, company documents and Webber's (1997) MBA thesis which looks closely at the company's partcipative processes. Data was analysed in keeping with the concerns and methods of interactional sociolinguistics, a field which focuses on interaction between individuals. Brown & Levinson (1987) and Scollon & Scollon' s (1995) models of politeness and face theory and Myers-Scotton's social functions of code-switching were also particularly useful. Other theories which were of value were Fairclough's (1989) notions of language and power and Giles (1975. 1981) and his colleagues in social psychology's speech accommodation theon A background to business terms and concepts is provided for readers from other disciplines. Organisational structures, management styles and corporate culture, including the philosophy of Ubuntu (community spirit) are discussed. These terms and concepts are used to evaluate the success of the company and the role played by communication in this success.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationDippenaar, C. (1999). <i>How to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplace</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Sociology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16341en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationDippenaar, Carin. <i>"How to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplace."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Sociology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16341en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDippenaar, C. 1999. How to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplace. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Dippenaar, Carin AB - The aim of this study was to investigate intercultural communication in a South African business setting. After initial observations at various companies, a Cape Town construction firm was chosen as the subject of study. It was hypothesised that the communication at the firm was successful. Successful communication includes various aspects: messages are communicated effectively and accurately, members of the company are made to feel secure, valued and motivated and there is no sense of discrimination or disrespect. Data was gathered (a) at meetings of the labour committee which represents the workers and (b) at site visits. All recordings but one were made using a tape-recorder with a large microphone designed for group recordings. The final meeting was video-recorded so that communicative cues such as eye gaze, facial expressions and gestures could be analysed. Data gathered was in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa with regular code-switching and mixing. English was the language used most frequently in meetings and communication in English was the main focus of this research. Interesting uses and common functions of Xhosa and Afrikaans are also discussed. Additional information about the company studied was obtained from interviews, company documents and Webber's (1997) MBA thesis which looks closely at the company's partcipative processes. Data was analysed in keeping with the concerns and methods of interactional sociolinguistics, a field which focuses on interaction between individuals. Brown & Levinson (1987) and Scollon & Scollon' s (1995) models of politeness and face theory and Myers-Scotton's social functions of code-switching were also particularly useful. Other theories which were of value were Fairclough's (1989) notions of language and power and Giles (1975. 1981) and his colleagues in social psychology's speech accommodation theon A background to business terms and concepts is provided for readers from other disciplines. Organisational structures, management styles and corporate culture, including the philosophy of Ubuntu (community spirit) are discussed. These terms and concepts are used to evaluate the success of the company and the role played by communication in this success. DA - 1999 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1999 T1 - How to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplace TI - How to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplace UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16341 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/16341
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationDippenaar C. How to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplace. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Sociology, 1999 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16341en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Sociologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherSociologyen_ZA
dc.titleHow to keep the potjie boiling : a sociolinguistic study of intercultural communication in a Cape Town workplaceen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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