African
Journals Online
Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1 (2002)
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 1–12
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The sequential organisation of South
African business-news interview openings
Susan I Brokensha
Department of English, University of
the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: The principal aim of
this research article is to explore whether the discourse
features of news interview openings identified by Clayman (1991)
are replicated in opening segments of South African business-news
interview talk. An important justification for this
discourse-based study derives from the fact that there is at
present little information available about the formal
organisation of South African news interview openings. Moreover,
it is shown that the study of news interview openings is
regarded, not as an end in itself, but as a means of enabling
language practitioners to pinpoint the knowledge and skills news
interviewer trainees need to initiate news interview interaction.
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 13–23
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South African news interview talk:
The interviewer's maintenance of a position of neutrality
Susan I Brokensha
Department of English, University of
the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: One of the aspects
Heritage and Greatbatch (1991) highlight in their Conversation
Analytic (CA) study of the sequential organisation of British
news interview discourse is the maintenance of interviewer (IR)
neutrality. This aspect of news interview talk is also the focus
of a CA study conducted by an American analyst, Clayman (1992).
Both Heritage and Greatbatch (1991) and Clayman (1992) argue that
the news interview turn-taking system is geared towards the
maintenance of a neutralistic stance in a number of ways. That
is, news IRs employ a variety of procedures to disaffiliate
themselves from the assertions or opinions they make. Adopting
the principles of qualitative research, the descriptive aim of
this article is to conduct an analysis of a corpus of South
African news interview interaction in terms of the models devised
by Heritage and Greatbatch (1991) and Clayman (1992). It is shown
that the procedures news IRs employ to maintain a neutralistic
position are replicated in the corpus of South African data. A
secondary, applied linguistic aim involves considering the
practical applications of a discourse-based study of IR
neutrality to ESP (English for Specific Purposes). Specifically,
the researcher examines how the findings of an analysis of IR
neutrality may be translated into teaching materials for
prospective news IR trainees. It is shown that the language
practitioner may design (i) communicative activities aimed at
simulating news interview talk in which the “IR” is
required to maintain a neutralistic stance, and (ii)
consciousness-raising activities aimed at fostering critical
awareness of the notion of neutrality.
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 25–35
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Towards a Corpus of Black South
African English
Vivian de Klerk
Department of English Language & Linguistics, Rhodes
University, Grahamstown, South Africa
e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: This paper describes
the proposed structure and design for a corpus of Xhosa English,
which should ultimately form part of a larger corpus of Black
South African English (BSAE). The planned corpus (which already
comprises 100 000 transcribed words) is exclusively based on
spoken spontaneous Xhosa English, and full justification for this
decision is provided in the paper. In order that this corpus will
be mutually compatible with similar corpora elsewhere, the
guidelines of the Wellington corpus of spoken New Zealand English
(based in the International Corpus of English (ICE)) have been
closely followed, both in terms of transcription and mark-up
conventions and in the referencing system used. Where there are
differences, these have been carefully motivated. It is hoped
that researchers in other parts of South Africa will collaborate
in creating additional corpora of other "indigenous"
varieties of Black English, following the guidelines provided
here, so that ultimately all such corpora will be compatible and
can be combined to form a large and comprehensive corpus of BSAE.
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 37–46
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Standaardafrikaans: daar's 'n vlieg
in die salf
HP Grebe
Departement Afrikaans, Universiteit van Pretoria, Pretoria
0003, Suid-Afrika
e-pos: [email protected]
Abstract: Standard Afrikaans:
there is a a fly in the ointment. This article discusses the
central question as to whether a term such as `Oosgrensafrikaans'
(Eastern Cape Afrikaans) interpreted in terms of how it is
defined in the relevant literature truly reflects the linguistic
reality of the time. Can the hypothesis that Afrikaans was
standardised on the basis of Eastern Cape Afrikaans –
without taking account of the Afrikaans of the inhabitants
elsewhere in the Cape Colony at the time – be empirically
underpinned?
In order to answer this question it was
necessary to investigate the linguistic uniqueness of Eastern
Cape Afrikaans. This article reports on a small empirical
investigation in this regard. Another possibility other than the
claim that Standard Afrikaans stems from Eastern Cape Afrikaans
as defined presently, remains open. Standard Afrikaans could
quite conceivably have sprouted from a relatively homogenous but
variable variety spoken in the regions inhabited by the Trekboers
of old – the Overberg and areas immediately north and west
of the Boland up to the farthest eastern boundaries of the
Colony. The uncertainty surrounding the status of Eastern Cape
Afrikaans as a historically unique variety of Afrikaans and
especially in relationship to modern Standard Afrikaans once
again highlights important issues.
Abstrak: Die sentrale vraag wat
in hierdie artikel onder die loep kom, is in hoe 'n mate 'n term
soos `Oosgrensafrikaans' asook die definisie van hierdie begrip
in die literatuur die werklike aard van die destydse taalopset
weerspieėl. Berus die hipotese dat Oosgrensafrikaans die
grondslag vorm van Standaardafrikaans – sonder dat die
Afrikaans van die bewoners elders in die destydse Kaapkolonie dus
vermeld word – op stewige empiriese gronde?
Ten einde antwoorde op hierdie vraag te
verskaf, was dit dus noodsaaklik om groter helderheid te verkry
oor die linguistiese uniekheid van Oosgrensafrikaans. In hierdie
artikel word verslag gedoen van 'n klein empiriese ondersoek in
hierdie verband. 'n Ander moontlikheid as dié dat
Standaardafrikaans gebaseer is op Oosgrensafrikaans soos wat dit
tans in die literatuur gedefinieer word, bestaan egter steeds.
Dit is naamlik moontlik dat Standaardafrikaans kon gegroei het
uit 'n betreklik homogene, maar veranderlike variėteit wat
gepraat is in die destydse Trekboergebiede van die Overberg en
die gebiede onmiddellik noord en wes van die Boland tot aan die
grense van die Kolonie in die ooste. Die onsekerhede rondom die
status van Oosgrensafrikaans as onderskeie historiese variėteit
van Afrikaans, en veral ten opsigte van sy posisie in verhouding
tot moderne Standaardafrikaans, bring belangrike vraagstukke na
vore.
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 47–63
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Voice onset time of Afrikaans
speaking children aged four to seven years
Isabella Johanna Grobler1,
Anita van der Merwe2* and Emily
Groenewald2
1 1175 Town and
Four Parkway, Creve Coeur, MO 63141, USA
2 Department of
Communication Pathology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002,
South Africa
* Corresponding author, e-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: The scarcity of
developmental voice onset time (VOT) data for pre-school children
of different languages, limits deductions regarding the influence
of linguistic and age factors on VOT. Expanded developmental
VOT-data are of diagnostic value in comparing normal and
disordered speech and language in various populations. The
purpose of this study was to obtain normative, acoustic
information regarding the nature of VOT of voiced and voiceless
Afrikaans stops in ten children, ranging in age from 4.0–7.0
years. VOT-measurements were made from wide-band spectrograms,
using the Kay digital signal processing sonagraph, model 5500. A
multi-subject case study design was used and results are
described both qualitatively and quantitatively. Individual mean
VOT's for voiced stop contexts ranged from -97 – +12ms.
Four-year-olds displayed voicing lead in 27% of their mean
VOT-values, five-year-olds 4% and six-year-olds 80%. Individual
mean VOT-values for voiceless stop contexts ranged from +11
– +37ms with very similar performance across age groups. All
age groups showed overlapping VOT-values for voiced and voiceless
stops (i.e. in the short lag voicing category). Results indicated
possible differences between the developmental patterns of VOT in
Afrikaans and English.
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 65–90
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Die aard van bydraes van Taalfasette
en Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Taalkunde, 1965 tot en met
Desember 1999
Johan Lubbe
Eenheid vir Taalfasilitering en Taalbemagtiging,
Universiteit van die Vrystaat, Bloemfontein 9300, Suid-Afrika
e-pos: [email protected]
Abstract: The nature of contributions in Taalfasette
and South African Journal of Linguistics, 1965 to December 1999.
The mouthpiece of the Linguistic Society of Southern Africa, the South
African Journal of Linguistics, amalgamated with the South
African Journal of Applied Language Studies in 2000. The
origin of the first mentioned journal can be traced back to 1965
when a linguistic conference was held in Pretoria, and a volume, Taalfasette
1 (language facets), was published. Since then, to the end of
1999, 520 contributions appeared. The nature of these
contributions are discussed. Besides some tendencies which are
pointed out the significance of the contributions regarding the
core sections of linguistics, are treated.
Abstrak: In 2000 het die mondstuk van die
Linguistevereniging van Suider-Afrika, die Suid-Afrikaanse
Tydskrif vir Taalkunde en die Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir
Toegepaste Taalstudies saamgesmelt. Die oorsprong van die
e.g. tydskrif kan teruggevoer word na 1965 toe `n
linguistekongres in Pretoria gehou is en die referate in `n
bundel Taalfasette 1 gepubliseer is. Sedert daardie beskeie begin
tot aan die einde van 1999 het 520 bydraes verskyn. Die aard van
hierdie bydraes word bespreek. Behalwe enkele tendense wat
uitgelig word, word die belang van bydraes in die kerngebiede van
die taalkunde bespreek.
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 91–103
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Reading and applied linguistics
— a deafening silence?
Elizabeth J Pretorius
Department of Linguistics, Unisa, PO Box 392, Pretoria
0003, South Africa
e-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: In light of the fact
that 2001 has been declared the Year of the Reader, this article
presents some findings concerning reading levels within the
learning context, from primary to tertiary level, and then
briefly examines the relationship between reading ability and
academic performance. It is argued that the ability to construct
meaning during reading, to access written information
independently, to acquire, consolidate and utilise knowledge from
print information is a strong determinant of academic success.
Skill in reading becomes more demanding as students move up the
education ladder, while the gap between skilled and unskilled
readers widens. Unless the reading problems of our students are
addressed, present failure rates will continue. In the light of
these findings, the state of reading research within the South
African context is surveyed. In conclusion, questions concerning
a socially responsible applied linguistics are raised, and the
implications for teaching and research are explored.
Southern African Linguistics and
Applied language Studies 2002, 20: 105–118
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Dear Reader: A textual analysis of
magazine editorials
Sharon Thompson and Vivian de Klerk*
Department of English Language & Linguistics, Rhodes
University, Grahamstown, South Africa
* Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: This research aimed to
investigate the conventions and differences that exist across the
genre of the editorial column in magazines, which included
investigating how the form of editorials is related to their
functions and how ideology is conveyed implicitly and explicitly.
The research draws on various levels of discourse analysis
advocated by different theorists, ranging from the surface
grammatical level to the deeper, more socio-cultural
perspectives, which is what Bhatia (1993) recommends as part of
his “thicker description”. Through an analysis of
selected magazine editorials, it was evident that while there
were similarities in the form of the editorials, certain
linguistic choices played a significant role in increasing
solidarity between editor and reader and in transmitting implicit
ideologies.
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