Examining the position of black South African accents in English in Drama Departments within institutions in the Western Cape Province: a case study
- Authors: Seekoe, Leanetse Thato
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: English language
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16397 , vital:40716
- Description: This dissertation examines the treatment and perceptions of black South African accents in English in the drama departments of specific institutions of higher learning in the Western Cape Province. The researcher is concerned with the handling of African native cultural identities in the curriculum policy of Drama Departments in higher education institutions in the Western Cape Province. Although the focus of the research is on the institutions that are based in the Western Cape Province, the subjects that are being discussed are representatives of black people in South Africa as a whole. To portray the issue of accents appropriately, the examination does often refer to language as a relatable concept. In the literature of this dissertation, there is ample support for the claim that language differences and disagreements in South Africa are due to the historical and socio-political stance of the European native. After examining the topic of power and social control, the study points out that the native is rarely in control of the interests of the European descendent. Thus, the relationship between the two is immediately assumed before it has even been established. For the purpose of this discussion, ambiguity is appreciated when intimacy between cultures evolves for the greater good. However, it is disregarded when individual voices are diluted into neutral or standard representations of a language. And so the act of reducing black South African accents in English to mirror that of the Euro-American culture robs the natives of their individuality and imprisons them into cultural assimilation. Ultimately, this study intends to identify different groups of black South Africans who speak English with accents. For clarity has divided into two separate groups namely privileged and unprivileged. Accents that are appreciated by white South African English speakers are considered to be privileged, while accents that carry the undertones of any mother-tongue language are recognised in this research study as unprivileged. The study wishes to present this phenomenon as a social issue that will negatively affect the growth of indigenous participation in performance spaces in the Western Cape which the study assumes as the context for the research. The implication of the study is to potentially eliminate issues of inferiority to those black South African accents that have been regarded as less valuable to dramatic performances in the Western Cape, to the extent that platforms of dramatic performances will broaden in order for black South African accents to be prioritised with relevant usage
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- Date Issued: 2019
Educators and learners perceptions on english first additional language speakers use of english as medium of instruction
- Authors: Nqoma, Lungiswa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching , English language
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24934 , vital:63678
- Description: This study investigates Educators‟ and learners‟ perceptions on English first additional language speakers‟ use of English as medium of instruction in two primary schools in the East London District. The study made use of a qualitative research method which includes interviews, observation and document analysis (learners‟ books). The uncovered data is analyzed against the background of the socio-economic and historical factors that led to this medium of instruction using content analysis (CA). After the apartheid regime in 1994 and the formation of a new government in 1996, the South African Constitution declared 11 languages in an attempt to encourage multilingualism in the country with each province having its provincial language policy. In the Eastern Cape where the study is conducted the language policy recognizes Xhosa, English, and Afrikaans as the official languages with English as the medium of instruction especially at the intermediate phase. The theoretical and conceptual framework for the study is provided by studies on language policy and planning, English as an international language, and Language as a mediating tool. The findings of the study indicate the crucial role that language of instruction plays in teaching and learning. However, challenges arise when the language of instruction is not the mother tongue. The study indicates dissatisfaction in the use of EMOI as a result of inadequate proficiency in the language of instruction, school environment, lack of resources; and lack of parental support. As a result of the above, some educators resorted to code switching when teaching. Hence, the study sheds light on EFAL learner‟s perspective on both comprehension and the level of educator‟s English skills and whether there is a connection between these two aspects. This resulted to conceivable methods that could be used to improve learner performance, teaching and learning methods and the efficiency of East London District support system. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, 2015
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- Date Issued: 2015