Exploring the dynamics of technological advancement: Impact on language use, thematic shifts and narrative structures in selected isiXhosa novels.

Abstract

The intersection of language use and technology innovation opens prospects for new creative narrative approaches. Improvements in technology make possible new channels and media for storytelling. This study will explore the variables that drive thematic shifts and dynamics of language use in isiXhosa novels. The study will take a close look at the change in language use in the age of technology through linguistic features, narrative strategies, and thematic patterns that cut across many historical eras. More specifically, the study aims to shed light on the formation of complex interrelationship between language use, advances in technology, and narrative structures by exploring how these dynamics have influenced reader engagement, the process of cultural transmission, and the aesthetics of appreciation. The study will unravel the effects of technology on the domain of storytelling through an in-depth analysis of factors affecting language use and narrative structures. The chosen books written in isiXhosa will include texts written as early as the beginning of the 20th century, such as Ityala Lamawele by Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi (1914) and other chosen texts which will include A.C. Jordan's Ingqumbo Yeminyanya (1940) and Thembelihle Sokapase’s (2020) novel Yapatyalaka ibhobhile. The research will take cognizance of how technological innovation interacts with language evolution to set frameworks of narratives. This study will examine the complex interplay between language evolution, technological advancement, and societal alterations, reflected in the texts, using a multidisciplinary method that brings together knowledge from literary theory, linguistics, and technology studies. The study will further consider how these findings affect modern ways of communication and the emerging nature of language in a digital era and how these impact narrative techniques. Lastly, the study seeks to tease out the trans-formative processes that have influenced communication practices and cultural heritage throughout history.