Magister Artium - MA (Linguistics, Language and Communication)

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Entertainment and pandemic: a semiotic remediation discourse analysis on selected pop culture and consumption in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Meloyer, Jaimy-Lee
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the crucial role of mass media in disseminating information about potential dangers, often through sensationalised framing. The tremendous additions and growth of communication channels are apparent in our society, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in South Africa. Mass media plays a key role in the dissemination (communication) of potential danger, framing it in a sensationalised way (Joffe, 2003), which has been observed globally during the pandemic. The development and growth of media have brought about so many contributions and positivity to society in a multifarious way. The existence of traditional and modern communication media has made it possible to create platforms that produce, disseminate, and circulate information about any pandemic like COVID-19. A review of media studies literature shows that the media is a platform through which communication messages are created and shared with different audiences. While this literature is applicable, there have been several changes in the media during the national pandemic. With the advent and development of modern communication media, media's role in society has been redefined, reshaped, and reinvigorated due to the multiple capabilities attached to modern media, unlike traditional media. There have been several developments in the media during the pandemic. New media has been immersed in disseminating and circulating pandemic-related information during this period and has significantly influenced societal dynamics. It has influenced the rise of alternative media in which netizens become both producers and consumers. However, there is a literature gap in the fields of language and communication and media on the pandemic-related discourses and their circulation in media and consumption as both parts of COVID-19-related information and pop culture semiotics. This study, therefore, investigates how South African citizens repurposed governmental speeches into pop culture semiotics during the COVID-19 lockdown by analysing selected texts from government officials' discourses; this research uncovers the remediation processes through a unique theoretical framework, Critical Semiotic Remediation Discourse Analysis (CSRDA). This study employs a qualitative research methodology to collect data from new media platforms using purposeful sampling and document analysis. The study demonstrates how South African pop culture and social media transformed these texts into various social and entertainment genres, highlighting the implications of this interaction in promoting media text production and consumption in a multicultural and diverse society and making a significant contribution to the ongoing study of alternative media.
The salience and visibility of toponymic changes in Makhanda & Gqeberha: A social semiotic perspective
(Univeristy of the Western Cape, 2023) Maduna, Nokuthula
Due to South Africa’s colonial history, an excessive number of colonial toponyms (place names) can be found across the country. The democratic government of South Africa has taken the somewhat controversial step of correcting these colonial names through the process of renaming places and street names. In this study, I explore name changes in the Eastern Cape Province, previously known as Port Elizabeth (now renamed Gqeberha), and the city of Grahamstown (now renamed Makhanda). Drawing on social semiotics theory, these name changes are examined through an analysis of how they are made visible on billboards, shopfronts, and road signs, as well as through interviews with residents living in these areas. This study draws on Van Leeuwen (2005) and the concepts of salience and visibility as key building blocks to understanding the changing linguistic landscapes of these two sites. Fundamentally, this thesis explores the material effects of the new place names and the ways they are made salient or invisible in the semiotic landscapes of Gqeberha and Makhanda.
Fast foodscapes, brand identity positioning strategies and consumption: A multisemiotic discourse analysis of selected Nando’s stores in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Magugu, Mandilive
Nando’s is one of the fastest-growing fast foodscapes in South Africa and Zimbabwe. It competes with other fast foods as a business. Whilst literature in Language and Communication, and Food Studies has concentrated on exploring many topics ranging from semiotics related to food in cuisines, recipe books, pop culture, unhealthy consumptions, food typologies and systems to mention a few, there has been little on trying to understand the semiotics of foodscapes. Precisely, how fast foodscapes position themselves including the semiotic resources and discourses they draw upon to sell products including consumers’ consumption discourses. In Africa, many prominent fast foodscapes are originally Western brands. However, Nando’s is one of the growing fast foodscape brands that originated from South Africa. This study therefore investigates the semiotic resources and brand identity positioning strategies employed by Nando’s fast food restaurants in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Through a comparative analysis, the research examines how Nando’s positions itself as a foodscape in Africa, specifically in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The researcher investigated the branding and consumption discourses and marketing strategies Nando’s uses to craft a distinctive identity within the fast-food industry, including looking at the customer perceptions of Nando’s in response to its engagement and consumption discourses. The researcher collected data using a qualitative-interpretive approach, such as document analysis and virtual ethnography. The researcher applied Critical Multi-semiotic Discourse Analysis (CMDA) framework to showcase how Nando’s uses language and other semiotic elements to present particular ideologies and negotiate meaning in its branding strategies in South Africa and Zimbabwe. This thesis therefore presents analyses of the linguistic and non linguistic material from a sample of Nando’s restaurants in both countries, with an emphasis on signage, which represents all the semiotic resources found in Nando’s restaurants that are part of the customer dining experience. The study’s findings suggest that themes of Afro-Portuguese heritage, local cultural adaptation, multiculturalism, local language use, collaboration with local creatives and addressing serious issues using humour are evident in Nando’s branding identity and positioning strategies. Nando’s repurposes semiotic resources such as Barcelos Cockerel, the African Bird’s Eye Chilli, Nando’s Hand’s, peri-red just to name a few. The results show evidence of how these unique semiotic resources and branding discourses create favourable ideologies about the brand. When creating selling discourses, Nando’s borrows from different discourses that fit the advertising style of its African environment whilst acknowledging the identity of the businessmen who started it. Nando’s selling discourses in South Africa draw from social, economic, and political discourse, and issues of diversity to make meaning humorously. It takes serious issues the country is grappling with and repurposes such discourses as meaning-making resources for selling its food. Whereas Nando’s selling discourses in Zimbabwe are created using family discourses, the Zimbabwe farming landscape, activities and produce, local identity, and social media text. The findings also show that the perceptions of customers about Nando’s services, branding and consumption discourses vary depending on the place of operation. Nando’s customers in South Africa mostly focus on the intertextually borrowed text which relates to the social, economic, political and diversity-charged commentary. While Nando’s customers in Zimbabwe focus on the primary message which relates to food, services, and the environment in which the foodscape is positioned. Nando’s is able to capture the attention of its customers through its branding and consumption discourses in South Africa. Using social, economic, and political issues, while this can be entertaining it may cause irreversible harm. In contrast, branding and consumption discourses in Zimbabwe entertain and focus on growing the local economy. The study has therefore contributed to the gap in the fields of Linguistics, Business, Marketing and Food Studies by concentrating on Nando’s branding and positioning of semiotics and discourses as a foodscape.
Investigating Kaaps multimodal literacy interactions at a township primary school in Cape Town, South Africa.
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Williams, Veronique Sasha
This study explores learners’ use of Kaaps multimodal resources in the classroom. This investigation draws on the work of Kaaps researchers who have advocated for the inclusion of this language in the primary school curriculum and the requirements needed to teach Kaaps effectively to Kaaps-speaking learners. With the development of the first Kaaps dictionary, it has become important to prepare instruction and curriculum content for Kaaps-speaking learners. This study proposed a qualitative investigation of multimodal Kaaps reading and writing practices of Kaaps-speaking learners in a primary school classroom. The methods used to collected interactional data through adio recordings, participant-observation and fieldwork reflections. Multimodal materials were translated from Standard English into Kaaps and used to gather feedback from learners in a focus group setting to explore the potential use of multimodal Kaaps literacies in multilingual classrooms. By applying the multimodal literacy framework developed by Walsh (2010), this study analysed how Kaaps-speaking learners responded to multimodal learning materials, by drawing on their linguistic repertoires, and engaging in translanguaging practices during the tasks. The conclusions of the findings follow that there is a greater need and urgency to transform the basic education system to include learners in the curriculum.
Multilingualism as social relationalities: A linguistic citizenship approach
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Jansen Keshia R.
Multilingualism as a social phenomenon is particularly significant in South Africa, a country in which citizens pride themselves on its 12 official languages. Rethinking and deepening our understanding of multilingualism, and how this can help us work towards a more cohesive sense of belonging and social justice, has become the focus of research in recent times. In this paper, I deconstruct the dominant notions of multilingualism as named, separate languages by exploring how multilingualism functions as social relationalities. I draw on the experiences of a member of an internationally acclaimed choir which creates and performs original, multilingual songs. I argue that multilingualism and relationality are intrinsically linked by exploring the ways in which multilingualism functions, in the experiences of the participant, to build and shape relationships with others. Using a linguistic citizenship approach (Stroud, 2015), I look at how the participant repeatedly cares for the other and connects with the other across difference. Linguistic citizenship is understood as the “emergent and sensitive process of disinhabiting, stepping out of, imposed and linguistically mediated and entangled subjectivities” (Stroud, 2018, p. 5). Rethinking multilingualism as social relationality through linguistic citizenship presents an opportunity for learning how to engage with and coexist with different subjectivities, thereby stepping out of the colonial binaries that separate people.
Food consumption practices and social identity construction in South African soapies: a semiotic remediation discourse analysis of skeem saam
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Ndlovu, Nokukhanya Prisca
Soap operas are multifunctional media discourses which serve as entertainment and representation of society and they can educate and influence society. Through the soap operas, the lived experiences of people are told. However, they also enhance or influence and somehow challenge the perspectives of the audience in relation to ways of life and identity performance. As storytelling involves telling or rather portraying the lived experiences of people, soap operas are common representational discourses of society. In other words, lived experiences are reenacted and repurposed to mirror reality. South Africa is a rainbow nation, and it embraces multiculturalism. In this post-apartheid era, multiculturalism is evident in South African soapies, ranging from actors and actresses from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, languages, ways of life, different fashion trends and food consumption practices. As such, different semiotics signal ways of life and identity performances. Food is one of the common semiotics that are used to construct food discourses, practices, and identities in the South African soapies. Whilst there are several studies that have been conducted in relation to media discourse influences in identity performance related to fashion trends, ethnic language backgrounds and monetary status, there are very few that focus on food as a meaning making resource. Thus, this study focuses on Skeem Saam, a South African soap opera aiming to reveal the kind of food related semiotics that are compiled in recreating the social meaning, identities and life of South African society and the implications of such performances to the broader society and food consumption practices. It applies a qualitative method for an interpretive analysis and the semiotic remediation discourse analysis as the theoretical framework to make sense of the data. The significance of this study is to understand how identity is constructed through food related semiotics in a democratic South Africa through a soap opera and the implications of such identity performances in building a diverse and equitable society.
Semiotics and strategies of property marketing in a post-apartheid South Africa: a case of three selected areas in Cape Town.
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Fredricks, Kaylin
The property marketing landscape in post-apartheid South Africa is continuously evolving and is shaped by technological advancements, changing buyer preferences, and societal trends. Understanding demographic patterns and preferences helps stakeholders tailor marketing efforts to specific target markets. Property agents are continuously competitive in branding and positioning themselves, and marketing houses to a diverse and democratic society. The diversity of the population, fast urban growth, and changed living patterns shape the property marketing landscape. The real estate industry should be able to respond to the challenges of marketing properties across different communities regarding socio-economic background and reflecting the nation's transformation. Due to this, property agents make use of language, visuals, and branding that aligns with South Africa's multicultural society while keeping in mind the legacy of apartheid-era inequalities. This study focuses on how semiotics is used in the different advertisements presented on Property24 by the marketing agents. This research examines ways in which real estate companies create their brand identity, make use of devise differential messages, and refine their messages for specific target audiences in a post-apartheid South Africa through focusing on three different areas within Cape Town: Durbanville, Mitchells Plain, and Khayelitsha.
Extraposition and optionality: an investigation of information packaging in Paarl-Kaaps
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Smith, Lawren Hayley
Presently, (Paarl-) Kaaps is an under-documented linguistic system. This applies to all levels of language, including syntax, which is the focus of this study. In particular, this dissertation aims to investigate the phenomenon of extraposition, which is the displacement of constituents from their canonical position in the middle of the clause, to the right of the verb. Importantly, extraposition represents one area in which grammar seems to permit some optionality, as both extraposed and non-extraposed structures are frequently grammatical. Grammatical and information packaging properties are considered as factors conditioning extraposition. A major strength of this dissertation is that it considers actual cases of extraposition in a spoken corpus of Paarl-Kaaps, as well as cases where extraposition was (im-)possible. In other words, a three-way distinction is made between actual cases of extraposition, cases in which extraposition would still yield a grammatical expression, and cases in which extraposition would have resulted in ungrammaticality. Viewing the data in this way highlights the optionality in grammar. Furthermore, this dissertation also aims to determine how extraposition can be used by speakers as a variable to construct their identity depending on the nature of their relationship with the interlocutor.
Re-imagining pedagogy in higher education: facilitating epistemic access and student success
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Witbooi, Bronwyn
This research project responds to the contemporary calls for broadened epistemic access, decolonized curricula, and transformation within higher education institutions. Recent scholarship indicates that affective factors, such as emotion and the awareness and stimulation of engagement, assist students in establishing a sense of connection with each other and the higher education institution and are important factors in their success. Situated within a decolonial perspective, this project is framed by theories of academic/social literacies, social semiotics, embodied learning, multimodal pedagogies, and student emotions, to explore the transformative potential of including unconventional pedagogical and assessment approaches that enable a more comprehensive expression of students within the higher education context. Through an action research design, it explores how a module design that permits different modes of meaning-making enables a more creative affective response, which taps into students' motivation, creativity, and imagination, enabling access to knowledge and knowledge building that could facilitate greater access to academic knowledge and student success.
Foodscapes and positioning of staple food in Africa: a case of youth perceptions on maize consumption discourses in Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Mhlongo, Nandi Hlengiwe ; Mafofo, Lynn
Staple food has been a part of food consumption discourses for a long time. They make up the dominant part of the world’s diet as they are eaten regularly and even daily in some places. As a result of globalisation, some of the staple foods have become popular in global markets and foodscapes such as restaurants and other eateries. These include staple foods such as potatoes, rice and flour products dominating both restaurants and supermarket delicatessens. However, maize products are scarce in South African foodscapes and in particular, the restaurants and supermarket delicatessens This is an interesting gap to look at because maize is a common staple food throughout Africa and has been consumed by most Africans as their main starch since the colonial era. The subject of food consumption is of interest to many scholars and has been widely studied within different fields. A review of the literature reveals that most of the research relating to food consumption discourses has largely focused on healthy consumption, food security, fast-food consumption and eating practices relating to lifestyle choices. While this literature is significant, there is a gap in research concerning the staple food consumption discourses. The study therefore investigates how maize meals and products are positioned in a few selected foodscapes.
The material culture of Muay Thai within the linguistic landscapes of selected South African and Thailand gyms.
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Clarke, Kristin Joy; Peck, Amiena
This thesis explores the representation of Muay Thai within vastly different sporting spaces of South Africa and Thailand under the lens of material culture. Muay Thai is Thailand’s national sport, which has been practiced for centuries. It is gaining popularity worldwide as a martial art, a system of self-defence and a method of fitness. Although it has been around for an extended period of time, Muay Thai has arguably been subjected to constant evolution contingent on the space in which it is found. The linguistic landscape (LL) comes into play here, as signs in Thailand and South Africa index different cultures. Hence, the representation of Muay Thai in these different spaces is of sociolinguistic interest in this study. The study takes a qualitative approach in terms of data collection. I conduct three semi-structured interviews with two Krus (Thai word for coaches) and one fighter. I also reflect on field notes recorded while visiting Thailand. The subject matter pertaining to the Krus involves their position in the martial arts, their views on how the sport differs in South Africa and Thailand, and their views on femininity within the sport itself. The subject matter explores the fighter’s views on femininity within the sport and how she observes Muay Thai practised in South Africa and Thailand.
Exploring user-generated multilingualism on 7de laan’s Instagram page: a multisemiotic analysis
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Stevens, Danielle Farryn; Peck, Amiena
This study investigates South Africa’ Afrikaans-dominant soapie known as 7de laan or 7th Avenue. This soapie’s presence is also visible on social media known as “real7delaan’’. This study is interested in the manner in which multilingualism emerges online by ostensibly heterogenous users. This study also explores unscripted user-generated multilingualism amongst diverse fans of the multilingual South African soapie. It could be said that virtual spaces such as Instagram, is often construed as a monolingual environment, as the majority of the content found online is in one language, which is English (Leu & Mohamoud, 2021). This may allow for lesser accessibility of information among diverse users with different linguistic profiles on the internet. This study investigates whether this is case objectively on the “real7delaan” Instagram page. This study primarily looks at code-meshing and translanguaging as it emerges in the unmonitored comments section as well as within the video data, this is then discussed concerning the notion of translingual practice. The data used for the study was collected using purposeful sampling to select 3-5 highly multilingual posts on the “real7delaan’’ Instagram page, of which there was an in-depth analysis of the comments using discourse analysis. The video data in the selected posts were analysed through a multi-semiotic analysis. The study concluded that the comments that were made under select posts on the “real7delaan” Instagram page had resulted in a discovery of code-meshing and translanguaging among users on the page, as well as the emergence of a consistent mix of formal and informal language styles amongst 7de laan users on the Instagram page.
Place-making in the linguistic landscape of Europe, Eyadini and Marikana
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Ndude, Asisithi; Mokwena, Lorato
Informal settlements are undeniably a part of the South African semiotic landscape and can be established instantly. As most informal settlements are ‘initiated’ by citizens, residents of informal settlements assume the responsibility of naming their place of residence and crafting a system for navigation purposes. Studies in Linguistic Landscapes have greatly concentrated on established and well-developed urban spaces and little attention has been devoted to less developed areas such as informal settlements in South Africa. Therefore, using qualitative research methods to collect the data, this study explores the place-making strategies of three informal settlements in Cape Town, Eyadini, Marikana and Europe. The study makes use of pictorial data as well as interviews conducted with purposively selected participants in the area. The study investigates spatial navigation, linguistic choices and practices, written and non-scripted signage and place-making strategies including ideological meanings. It draws on the Multimodal Discourse Analysis as a theoretical framework to interpret the assemblage of semiotic resources residents of informal settlements draw upon and attach meaning to their physical environments during spatial navigation.
The emergence and role of the Influencer in online marketing campaigns: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Gunkel ,Sian Theresa; Peck, Amiena
Since the advancement of social media came the birth of influencer marketing. Within this digital setting, this paper explores the emergence and evolution of the influencer within social media marketing, i.e1, the rise of individual users with the power to influence consumer buying behaviour, create vast brand awareness, and increase distribution rates for businesses due to their online presence. This type of marketing is known worldwide today as influencer marketing, an individual or group of individuals who leverage their online presence to influence consumer markets. Investigating the impact of influencers on commercial companies and potential buyer behaviour is increasingly required to better understand the correlation between influencer(s) (whether authentic or not) and consumers and the direct impact on consumer markets and buying behaviour. This research paper investigates two distinct case studies that use influencer marketing to appeal to the greater public to gain sales and grow their businesses. The first case study focuses on the international e-commerce retail giant Revolve Clothing and a particularly controversial incident regarding its chosen influencers for marketing campaigns in 2018. The second case study centres on the failed luxury music event known as the Fyre Festival. These two case studies are used as a backdrop to solicit responses from online users concerning their perception of the events and the influencers. This solicitation was conducted through an online questionnaire from approximately 30-50 individuals around the world through the means of snowball sampling. The questionnaire covers consumer behaviour on Twitter and Instagram, investigating its impact on commercial companies. The study employs a multisemiotic discourse analysis as the chief analytical framework for this study to explore participants’ responses to the influencer culture of these two case studies.
Globalisation and food positioning semiotics: Halaal food access and perceptions among Muslims in Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Seboa, Ammaarah; Mafofo, Lynn
Foodscapes are overflowing with food products from different countries, as globalisation and marketisation promote the mobility of humans and goods. To ensure food security for the nation, globalisation encourages transnational branding and the rebranding of food products during distribution to wider consumers. However, accessing food in such foodscapes can be challenging to Muslims who are obligated to only eat halaal food according to Islamic religious beliefs. The Islamic dietary laws define food products that are halaal as lawfully acceptable for consumption and the food products to avoid are termed haram. The term halaal is complex, as it does not just pertain to the condition of food products, but also the way of life for Muslims. As such, Muslims have to be literate to read the semiotics of food in instances where not all foods are labeled to determine whether it is halaal or haram.
An analysis of linguistic errors in translations of complainants� sworn statements
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Flusk, Shinaed Tyler; Ralarala, Monwabisi
English remains the official language of record in South Africa and is used in most, if not all, aspects of the justice system (Ralarala, 2014). As a result, sworn statements made by complainants in any of the other official languages are translated by police officers into English to be used as evidence in a court of law. Police personnel are not sworn translators or interpreters and are not required to be. This has major implications for the legal process as well as for the complainant. When evidence is presented in court in South Africa, a sworn statement supersedes any oral story, and therefore inaccuracies in the translated version have profound consequences. Linguistic errors which creep into written translations made by police officers alter the authenticity of the sworn statement and result in discrepancies between oral testimony and written testimony.
An analysis of linguistic errors in translations of complainants� sworn statements
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) Flusk, Shinaed Tyler; Ralarala, Monwabisi K
English remains the official language of record in South Africa and is used in most, if not all, aspects of the justice system (Ralarala, 2014). As a result, sworn statements made by complainants in any of the other official languages are translated by police officers into English to be used as evidence in a court of law. Police personnel are not sworn translators or interpreters and are not required to be. This has major implications for the legal process as well as for the complainant. When evidence is presented in court in South Africa, a sworn statement supersedes any oral story, and therefore inaccuracies in the translated version have profound consequences. Linguistic errors which creep into written translations made by police officers alter the authenticity of the sworn statement and result in discrepancies between oral testimony and written testimony. These discrepancies have serious legal implications and could constitute a miscarriage of justice, impeding complainants� access to justice. The study of linguistic errors is usually found in research related to language learning and teaching; to the best of my knowledge, such research is sparse in relation to Forensic Linguistics.
�I felt like the words became a part of me�: South African feminist live poetry and the affective encounter
(University of the Western Cape, 2023) McKenzie, Jenah E; Bock, Zannie
Live poetry exists as a powerful channel through which to protest against oppressive mechanisms prevalent in society. The platform � a safe space for the voices that are often silenced in other discursive spaces � has grown in popularity as a powerful avenue for feminists to share personal narratives, provoke discussions on gender-based violence (GBV), discursively resist against dominating patriarchal power, and empower women through the sense of community that is created during, and following, a live poetry event. By sharing deeply personal narratives of lived-experiences, a poet has the power to connect with an audience in profound ways. Therefore, live poetry, due to the compelling discursive mechanisms and embodiment used, has the ability to bring about powerful instances of affect, where audience members feel connected with the poets� narratives. Over time, these affective encounters could result in deeper empathic abilities for understanding the stories of others and could lead to changes in attitudes, with positive implications for the fight for women empowerment.
Semiotic remediation as discourse practice in three Woolworths branded spaces
(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Small, Zoe; Banda, Felix
Woolworths is known as one of South Africa�s largest retailers with over 400 retail chains across South Africa, while also expanding into other African countries and the Middle East. This study aims to analyse the dialogicality of the different Woolworths texts and semiotic objects across the different sites of advertising through the use of three spaces: the physical space, virtual space and textual space (brochures) to ascertain differences and similarities in the semiotic design features and meaning making across the spaces in the advertising process. Methodologically, the study adopts a three pronged approach to data collection. Firstly, collecting data in the physical space of one Woolworths store in particular, located in Tyger Valley shopping mall using the walking approach. Secondly, while in the physical space, brochures as products of the textual space, were collected as data for the study. Thirdly, in the virtual space materials were collected via means of the screenshot function on a smartphone and laptop.
Metaphorical extensions as a basis for grammaticalization with special reference to Zulu auxiliary verbs
(University of the Western Cape, 1991) Mkhatshwa, S; Hendrikse, A
In this thesis certain notions such as grammaticalization metaphors, semantic field analysis, categorization, proto-type theory and topology are used in order to explore the nature and the development of the auxiliaries in Zulu. The view that Zulu auxiliaries derive from full verbs is specifically and systematically examined.

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