scholarly journals Even we are important: Sexuality and the degenderisation of people with disabilities in the linguistic landscapes of two South African universities in the Western Cape province

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Temitope O. Adekunle ◽  
Gift Mheta ◽  
Maleshoane Rapeane-Mathonsi
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Western Cape Province ◽  
Public Places ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Higher Institutions

Background: This study focuses on the positioning of gender, sexual orientation and people with disabilities in the linguistic landscapes of two selected South African universities, which are located in the Western Cape province.Objectives: This study aims to answer the question: How are power relations depicted through linguistic landscaping in the universities?Methods: Given that there is minimal empirical data in this field, the researcher approached this question by exploring the way in which sexual orientation and people with disabilities are perceived, via the modal resources used in the categorisation of toilet users at the institutions. Specifically, toilet signage was observed as there were only a few other signage or forms of support (such as ramps and lifts – some of which may seem disability-unfriendly in terms of space) and acknowledgement in other places at the institutions for people with disabilities. Data (signs, images, texts, billboards and posters) were collected by means of photography. The interpretive paradigm was used to determine the choice of methodology: critical discourse analysis and multimodality. These were also used to thematically analyse the collected data.Results: Findings revealed that sexuality, as well as subtle inequality, unfortunately remain unravelled areas in South Africa’s higher institutions of learning. In addition, the degenderisation of people with disabilities appears to be prevalent at the institutions, although this may not necessarily be reflective of practices at all higher education institutions in South Africa.Conclusion: Nonetheless, the examined results are stimulating indicators of hegemonic and preferred practices in public places. They also depict the obtainable dissimilar scales and imbalances in society, which are not addressed may impede other authentic and ongoing measures of social integration and advancement.

scholarly journals Linguistic landscaping in selected South African universities : case studies of University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of the Western Cape (UWC)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Temitope Oluwakemi Adekunle
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Language Practices ◽  
Language Practice ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
University Of Cape Town

"Language is, then, positively a distinctly human opening of an opening to the world: Not just a distinguishable or instrumental but a constitutive faculty." Williams (1977: 23) The dissertation explored the linguistic landscaping (LL) of University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of the Western Cape (UWC). The study’s purpose was to analyse language forms or modes as they are utilised in disseminating information in the public places of the Main Campus (UWC) and the Upper Campus (UCT), since Kress (2012: 205) asserts that modes are interactive channels of communication. The study was guided by five objectives (the usage of modes as forms of communication in the selected universities, the modes used to represent signs in the selected universities, the influence of cultural overtones on language use and choice, the historical and current significant semiotic symbols and signs used in the selected South African universities, and the depiction of power relations in the LL of the selected universities), which ultimately guided data collection and analysis. The interpretive paradigm was employed and it informed the researcher’s choice of Multimodality (MDA - Pienaar and Becker 2007) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA - Kress 2003b) as theoretical frameworks and methods of analysis. They enhanced the structuring, collection, analyses and interpretation of data (written, drawn, images, among others), while also providing several means of interpreting and detecting hidden patterns in modes. An in- depth qualitative study was conducted using an explorative case study design and data were collected by means of visual-photography. A digital camera and a phone camera were used to take photographs of signs/texts inside the campuses. A total of 400 data were initially, purposively collected, however, 200 were finally selected for analysis (100 from each university), as they were deemed suitable for the study’s scope, aim, objectives and questions. The research revealed the services, and schools of thought that exist on both campuses, which may also be true reflectors of ‘the norm’ at the universities. There were inconsistencies in the linguistic structures, with regard to language practice and policy, as well as the observed political, social, and religious dynamics on the campuses. This raised curiosity regarding the effectiveness of language policy (the nation/institution), in relation to the language practices of the institutions. Furthermore, the researcher determined the influence of language as a door that opens other doors, due to the utilised modal resources. Authors seem to deliberately select texts envisioned to attract a specific audience. A few texts were resemiotised, while others were modified ideas/concepts - adopted from foreign or different texts, and languages (intertextuality). The researcher additionally identified elements of discursive silence, which facilitated a broader analysis of some identified power dynamics, relevance of time and space, as well as their impact on the LLs of the universities. Degenderisation of the disabled was also one of the key findings and it was examined from the perspective of the services (for instance, toilet spaces) rendered, as opposed to the beneficiaries of those services. Recommendations focused on the definitive promotion of genuine language practices in accordance with the language policy of the country and province in which both universities are located. Emphasis was placed on the reformation of language practice at the universities, which could impact the observed power dynamics, authorship autonomy, and unbiased and accurate historical/political information. This move can possibly promote inclusivity, racial integration, international recognition, and global marketing for the universities and South Africa (SA) as a whole. The findings provide enlightenment about the current LLs at the universities and contribute to knowledge on language practice in multicultural/ multilingual settings. A framework for LL was created based on the study’s findings, which could be relevant to the South African multicultural and multilingual context. It accentuates the need for a conscious production of texts (to accommodate a broad readership) and an adequate examination of modes (to determine both the existing and hidden elements of discourse and/or discursive practices) in the LLs of SA’s public and private establishments.

scholarly journals Legitimation of Poverty in School Economics Textbooks in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jugathambal Ramdhani ◽  
Suriamurthee Maistry
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Value Systems ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Analytical Tools ◽  
Selection Of

In South Africa, the school textbook remains a powerful source of content knowledge to both teachers and learners. Such knowledge is often engaged uncritically by textbook users. As such, the worldviews and value systems in the knowledge selected for consumption remain embedded and are likely to do powerful ideological work. In this article, we present an account of the ideological orientations of knowledge in a corpus of school economics textbooks. We engage the tenets of critical discourse analysis to examine the representations of the construct “poverty” as a taught topic in the Further Education and Training Economics curriculum. Using Thompson’s legitimation as a strategy and form-function analysis as specific analytical tools, we unearth the subtext of curriculum content in a selection of Grade 12 Economics textbooks. The study reveals how power and domination are normalised through a strategy of economic legitimation, thereby offering a “legitimate” rationale for the existence of poverty in the world. The article concludes with implications for curriculum and a humanising pedagogy, and a call for embracing critical knowledge on poverty in the South African curriculum.

The Changing State of the South African Nation

2014 ◽  
pp. 1400-1418
Author(s):  
Irina Turner
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Reception ◽  
Countries In Transition ◽  
One Year

The colonization of discourses (Chilton & Schäffner, 2002) is a wide-spread phenomenon of globalization and naturally affects politics. The power of business-speak over politics and the media seems to be steadily increasing. Most vulnerable to that development, which the author calls businification, seem to be countries in transition that have to assert themselves rhetorically on a global scale while keeping traditional voters content at home. In an application of critical discourse analysis, the chapter seeks to trace this businification by comparing three presidential state-of-the-nation-addresses (SoNA) of three South African presidents after one year in office (1995, 2000, and 2010). Through contextualizing these texts with their media reception from a corpus of 15 newspaper articles reporting on the speeches, the outer influences on the core text become transparent. The findings suggest a parallelism between a growing professionalism in politics and the businification of political rhetoric whose development cannot be viewed as exclusively negative.

scholarly journals Dangerous Shortcuts: Representations of Sexual Minority Refugees in the Post-9/11 Canadian Press

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ainsley Jenicek ◽  
Alan D. Wong ◽  
Edward Ou Jin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
English Language ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Canadian English ◽  
News Sources ◽  
Principal Source ◽  
Analyse De Discours ◽  
Source Of Information

Abstract: Canadian newspapers are a principal source of information on refugees claiming asylum in Canada on the basis of persecution for their sexual orientation. Many articles rely on culturally racist and classist stereotypes of sexual minorities to demonstrate claimants’ legitimacy. Refugees’ stories are further deployed as “mediating agents” to confirm Canada’s “superiority” over other regions, particularly those identified as Islamic. To determine what thematic constructions are most prevalent among Canadian news sources, the authors conducted a critical discourse analysis (CDA) and secondary textual analysis of articles culled from five Canadian English-language newspapers, employing critical race and queer theories as framing devices.Résumé : La presse canadienne est une source importante d’informations sur les réfugiés cherchant asile au Canada parce qu’ils ont subi des persécutions pour leur orientation sexuelle dans leurs pays d’origine. Cependant, de nombreux articles, en voulant démontrer la légitimité des demandes d’asile provenant de minorités sexuelles, ont recours à des stéréotypes de race et de classe. Les histoires de tels réfugiés servent en outre d’agents médiateurs pour confirmer la supériorité du Canada par rapport à d’autres régions, particulièrement celles qualifiées d’islamiques. Afin d’identifier les constructions thématiques prédominantes portant sur les réfugiés appartenant à des minorités sexuelles, les auteurs ont mené une analyse de discours critique et une analyse textuelle secondaire sur des articles provenant de cinq quotidiens canadiens de langue anglaise, avec comme cadre analytique des théories sur la race et sur l’orientation sexuelle.

scholarly journals Characterisation of Metarhizium majus (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) isolated from the Western Cape province, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letodi L. Mathulwe ◽  
Karin Jacobs ◽  
Antoinette P. Malan ◽  
Klaus Birkhofer ◽  
Matthew F. Addison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Soil Environment ◽  
Western Cape Province ◽  
Susceptible Host ◽  
Organic Farm ◽  
Orchard Soil ◽  
African Soil ◽  
South African Soil

AbstractEntomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are important soil-dwelling entomopathogens, which can be used as biocontrol agents against pest insects. During a survey of the orchard soil at an organic farm, the EPF were identified to species level, using both morphological and molecular techniques. The EPF were trapped from soil samples, taken from an apricot orchard, which were baited in the laboratory, using susceptible host insects. The identification of Metarhizium majus from South African soil, using both morphological and molecular techniques, is verified. The occurrence of M. majus in the South African soil environment had not previously been reported.

Exploring Higher Education Students’ Technological Identities using Critical Discourse Analysis

2013 ◽  
pp. 181-198
Author(s):  
Cheryl Brown ◽  
Mike Hart
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Analytical Device

This chapter applies a critical theory lens to understanding how South African university students construct meaning about the role of ICTs in their lives. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) has been used as a theoretical and analytical device drawing on theorists Fairclough and Gee to examine the key concepts of meaning, identity, context, and power. The specific concepts that inform this study are Fairclough’s three-level framework that enables the situating of texts within the socio-historical conditions and context that govern their process, and Gee’s notion of D(d)iscourses and conceptualization of grand societal “Big C” Conversations. This approach provides insights into students’ educational and social identities and the position of globalisation and the information society in both facilitating and constraining students’ participation and future opportunities. The research confirms that the majority of students regard ICTs as necessary, important, and valuable to life. However, it reveals that some students perceive themselves as not being able to participate in the opportunities technology could offer them. In contrast to government rhetoric, ICTs are not the answer but should be viewed as part of the problem. Drawing on Foucault’s understanding of power as a choice under constraint, this methodological approach also enables examination of how students are empowered or disempowered through their Discourses about ICTs.

“We Eat Sushi Now”: Targeting Hungry Students at South African Universities

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hames ◽  
Desiree Lewis
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Student Support Services ◽  
Food System ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Public University ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The University

Media reports, research, and student support services are paying an increasing amount of attention to the hunger experienced by students at South African universities. This article demonstrates that most of this attention is rooted in a food security paradigm, or in approaches that mitigate the effects of student hunger. It avoids addressing the causes of hunger, which lie in oppressive systems such as the neoliberal world food system and the operation of the entrepreneurial public university. Our discussion of trends at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) takes two trajectories: We explore the ways in which universities’ practical and research priorities reinforce hegemonic responses to hunger, and we reflect on explicitly politicised currents of critical work around students and hunger. What certain scholars and activists have termed “critical food system literacy” signals how transformative strategies and knowledge production are being developed at some universities—sometimes beyond the parameters of what is conventionally seen as food-centred advocacy, activism, or research.

A revision of the southern African katydid genus Griffiniana Karny (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Mecopodinae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3218 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
PIOTR NASKRECKI ◽  
CORINNA S. BAZELET
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Junior Synonym ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Acoustic Behavior ◽  
Key To Species ◽  
The South ◽  
Western Cape Province ◽  
African Genus

The South African genus Griffiniana Karny of squamipterous to macropterous katydids (Tettigoniidae: Mecopodinae:Aprosphylini) is revised and a key to species is provided; G. duplessisae sp. n. from the Western Cape Province is de-scribed; acoustic behavior of G. capensis Karny, G. duplessisae, and G. longipes (Naskrecki) is described. The genusEwanella Naskrecki is considered a junior synonym of Griffiniana, and E. breviuscula Gorochov is synonymized with G. longipes.

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