School of Literature, Language and Media (ETDs)

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Translating terms of affection and abuse from German to English with special reference to animal metaphors
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 1987) Conze, Ingola; Taylor, Oakshott
An analysis of coverage of gender-based violence, sourcing patterns and representation of victims in Sowetan, January-March 2008
(2014-10-22) Ndlovu, Sikhonzile
Despite its pervasiveness, gender-based violence is one of the least talked about violations of women’s rights as most of it takes place within the private domain and is never reported (Gender Links 2002). Gender-based violence is mostly common at family and community level and mostly affects women (Omarjee, 2006). Family attitudes and pressures ensure that this remains hidden from the outside world (IPS, 2009). People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA South Africa) estimates that only one in nine gender-based violence incidences are reported. Violence against women continues partly because women do not seem to acknowledge violence perpetrated against them and are unlikely to seek help when it occurs (Rasool, 2002). The Noord taxi rank ‘miniskirt’ incident, as it came to be known, exposed the sad realities of gender-based violence in contemporary South Africa. In February 2008, a 25 year old woman was sexually harassed for wearing a miniskirt at the Noord Taxi Rank. This incident, described by Nyar (2008) as degrading and shocking, is part of the fabric of South African life. The way that media represents gender-based violence has a significant role to play in curbing this social ill. Sadly, media often emphasise the need for women to be extra vigilant when moving around at night. This in essence is saying that women should take responsibility for the fact that they may be attacked at any time (Gqola, 1997). This scrutiny is also reflected in the way that media have also questioned the morals of victims of gender-based violence especially rape (Carter and Weaver, 2003). This study analysed Sowetan’s daily media output for the months of January to March 2008 to establish patterns in coverage of gender-based violence, sourcing and representation of victims. Key words Gender, gender-based violence, victims, feminist theory, patriarchy, power, media, representation, sourcing
Media coverage of South Africa reserve bank monetary policy commitee work: a case study of CNBC Africa 2014-2017
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2019) Segawa, Arnold
This thesis examines how the media, particularly CNBC Africa covers the work of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). The thesis takes a two-pronged approach to explore this with one arm inspecting the sociological and psychological aspects of engaging guests in the CNBC Africa Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) panel discussions and the other, looking at what CNBC Africa holds salient when covering the MPC panel discussions. By examining MPC panel discussion data from 2014 to 2017, the thesis contrasts both quantitative and qualitative methods to arrive at a quantitative dataset that shows what CNBC Africa holds salient during their coverage posing questions on whether this aligns with the SARB mandate. On the other hand, the thesis explores the sociological and psychological aspects of news and debate production, particularly how MPC panelists for the special broadcast are selected. The thesis aims to contribute to the scarce literature on monetary policy communication and media engagement as the adoption of inflation targeting has fast-fostered transparency in central banks in the past three decades. The thesis applies theories of Agenda Setting by McCombs and Shaw (1972) to examine the salient aspects of the CNBC Africa MPC panel discussion. In addition, it explores Tversky and Kahneman’s (1992) revolutionary work on dual process theory to inspect the psychological aspects of inviting panelists. The thesis finds that during the CNBC Africa MPC discussion, ‘interest rates’ as a key word in context dominates the conversation over and above any other topic and a closer examination of the data reveals a strong frequency of interest rates in a ‘global context’ further asserting South Africa’s exposure to global headwinds and external shocks. Furthermore, this shows a deviation between SARB’s mandate and CNBC Africa’s MPC panel discussions in regards to salience. This is because SARB pushes to achieve and maintain price stability in the interest of balanced and sustainable economic growth in South Africa through achieving price stability by setting an inflation target that serves as a yardstick against which price stability is measured. With this mandate, price stability and, therefore, inflation are the core focus of the SARB with interest rates being a mere tool to achieve price stability. The deviation of CNBC Africa’s and SARB’s frames is further illustrated in the data as ‘interest rates’ dominate the conversation during the CNBC Africa MPC panel discussion at the expense of ‘inflation.’ The thesis submits that in order to merge the SARB’s and CNBC Africa’s frames, the latter need cover the MPC announcement in a three-pronged approach that encloses SARB’s economic outlook with emphasis on the forward-looking stance, path of future policy rates and cover policy decisions in their entirety
Using mixed-method approaches to provide new insights into media coverage of femicide
(2019) Brodie, Nechama R.
South Africa has a femicide rate that is six times the world average. Over 2,500 women aged 14 years or older are murdered every year, the majority of these women killed by an intimate partner. Despite the prevalence of femicide, less than 20% of these murders are ever reported in South African news media. Studies on news-media coverage of femicide reveal a subjective and obscure process of media selection and exclusion, which contribute to an archive of crime reporting that is not reflective of actual crime rates and which actively distort the nature and frequency of certain types of crime. This influences public perceptions and fear of violent crime, including notions of who is a suspect and who is most at risk. This study uses mixed-method approaches to document and analyse the content and extent of commercial news media coverage of femicides that took place in South Africa during the 2012/2013 crime reporting year, through an original media database listing 408 femicide victims associated with 5,778 press articles. Victim and incident information is compared with epidemiological and statistical data, including mortuary-based studies and police crime statistics. Media data is explored through various media effects models, including a mixedmethods framing analysis, and is also examined by title, and by language. These analyses reveal how media constructs and depicts particular notions of gender, violence, race, and crime in South Africa.
Bolemogi jwa diponagalo tsa ditumisapuo mo tokafatsong ya dipuiso tsa Setswana
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Pule, Violet Maphefo Sefolaro
This study aimed at addressing the impact of prosodic features in reading because of its contribution to meaning in language - Setswana. The study is responding to the literacy report by Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) of 2016 which reported that more than 80% of grade 4 learners who were tested in an African language could not read for meaning. Reading in African languages appears to be problematic in the Intermediate Phase specially to comprehend the meaning intend. The main aim of the study was to investigate the impact of prosodic features in comprehending Setswana readings. The research study noted the lack of prosodic feature awareness in enhancing and supporting learner’s literacy and culture of reading, because of its valuable significance when dealing with reading fluency with regards to speech sounds, tonology and syllable. This research was based on the semiotic theoretical framework, as it is concerned with how signs are used for interpretation. The focus of the study is on the Intermediate Phase of eight schools where Setswana is taught as a Home and/or as a First Additional Language. The mixed method approaches (qualitative and quantitative methods) were used to collect and analysed data. Random sampling was used to select participants. Descriptive method was used to analysed both methods. The study is of the idea that new ways of stressing prosodic markings (such as tones, accent, stress, and rhythm) must be accorded special attention in the education system in South Africa in such a manner that learners are able to extract meaning and comprehend what they read. The study found that there is a lot of confusion when words are not marked, as learners cannot know which meaning is intended. As mentioned, the problem in reading Setswana books is not in reading, but in comprehending. The study of prosodic features came as a best study that plays an important role in extracting the meaning from words, reading fluency and enhancing reading culture. Comprehending is a very important elements in the four skills that are focused on in the teaching of reading, and it has only been listed as sub-skill, not as a main skill that needed to be acquired throughout because no skill will be successfully achieved without the skill of comprehending.
Language accessibility in academic publishing: the role of the editor in bridging the linguistic gap
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Tabata, Phindile
Accessibility to academic text has often been understood to refer to factors other than language, such as physically being able to access the text, which has led to discussions on open access systems. In this research, the question of accessibility refers to the editor’s understanding of the reader’s ability to comprehend academic text. The purpose of this research was to understand how editors of academic books consider the varying language backgrounds of South African academics. The research used the concept of the linguistic gap to identify the role of the editor in navigating the gap that exists between academic authors and their audience. The investigation made use of a qualitative research method, which included primary and secondary data collection. This was made up of literature that was consulted to build the literature review, along with the discussions with the participants. The data collection method of the research included the information gathered in the literature review, along with the interviews conducted with the research participants. This method was relevant to understanding the role of the editor in making academic text accessible, because it equipped the researcher to investigate the experiences of academic editors and publishers in ensuring that the text that is published is accessible to the reader. The study showed that there is definitely a gap that exists between the academic author and the reader. The cause of this gap was identified as being two-fold, the first cause being the miscommunication between first language and second language speakers of English. The second reason is the varying levels of education between the author and the reader. The research findings have shown that the role of the editor is to ensure that the message communicated by the author is seamlessly received by the reader. The editor exists within a balance of ensuring that they meet the editing brief that has been specified by the publisher, along with making sure that the author is satisfied with the edit conducted on the text and, lastly, ensuring that the reader is able to understand what is being communicated. Recommendations for further research include, picking up where this research left off, by including academic authors and readers of different levels in the study. This would provide a holistic view on the question of language accessibility in academic publishing.
Disinformation: exploring the nexus between politics and technology in Nigeria
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Olaniran, Samuel; Gagaliardone, Iginio
Over the past decade, disinformation and social media hoaxes have evolved from a nuisance into a high-stake information war, exploiting weaknesses in our online information ecosystem. Although social media has the potential to strengthen democratic processes, there is increasing evidence of malicious actors polluting Nigeria’s information ecosystem during elections. Misleading narratives targeting candidates and political parties were picked up, liked, shared, and retweeted by thousands of other users during the 2019 presidential election campaign. Rooted in the theoretical lens of centre/periphery dynamics and equalizing and normalizing hypothesis, this study examines the networked nature of disinformation by identifying instigators, techniques, and motivations for spreading manipulated information around elections. While providing valuable data-driven insights drawn from a computational analysis of over 3 million tweets and a critical blend of qualitative framework, this study analyses the human agency and motivations behind online disinformation. The spread of falsities is coordinated in a way that “ordinary users” unknowingly become “unwitting agents” as “sincere activists” of concerted influence operations, a participatory culture that amplifies disinformation and propaganda. Agents’ participation in the “nairainfluenzer” industry is motivated by factors such ethnic and religious sentiments, poor economy, and low trust in news media. These findings broaden the perspective for examining top-down, orchestrated work as well as other types of coordination that stress how election-related disinformation heightens centre/periphery power dynamics. It further emphasizes that the systematic production and amplification of disinformation on Twitter represents a universal online behaviour not common “emotional-periphery” states.
Precarious spaces: intersections of gendered identity and violence in Zimbabwean literature
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-12) Chando, Aaron; Nyanda, Josiah; Muponde, Robert
This thesis examines ways in which selected Zimbabwean literary works expand understandings of the cultural production and deconstruction of precarity. It seeks to advance the claim that a cross-section of Zimbabwean writers espouses a ‘precarious aesthetic’ to reimagine the nation by deconstructing cultural practices that produce and sustain precarity. I postulate that precarity is ideologically produced at the intersections of gendered identities and institutionalised forms of violence, such as ethnonationalism, heteropatriarchal policing, ableism, homophobia, and misogyny, where notional understandings of masculinity and femininity become central to the politics of (un)belonging. I draw on premises from precarity, gendered identities, and intersectionality studies to make a case for a space-bound understanding of precarity that recognises Zimbabwean textual nuances and environmental specificities. By deploying Western-based theorisations of precarity to address dynamics of disempowerment in a Zimbabwean context, I seek to demonstrate that precarity discourses are in a constant process of becoming and to expand discursive space on a subject that has been predominantly approached through tropes of drought and hunger. A cross-cutting premise in precarity studies is that the experience of marginalisation promotes radical thinking, which enables victims to weaponise their condition. This underwrites my assumption that all marginalising impulses leave spaces for pushback, strategic surrender, and self-affirmation. Therefore, throughout the five core chapters of the thesis, I adopt a close reading strategy to offer context-specific evaluations of refusal politics undertaken by precarious subjects in different sites of displacement. I propose that exploring overlaps among marginalising ideologies and pushback mechanisms can unravel new insights about the political function of vulnerability and bring forth a new grammar with which to talk about precarity. Overall, I argue that the literary front constitutes a site of reinvention where precarious subjects are radically written into existence and where diversity and difference are recast as indices of social hygiene.
A comparative study of how four selected newspapers framed the coverage of the death of mthokozisi ntumba
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) MAGOMANI, AMUKELANI; Balliah, Dinesh
For years, traditional media such as newspapers have played a pivotal role in circulating news and information for public consumption. South Africa has recently experienced an increase in news on police brutality cases against protesters on various platforms covered by the newspapers. This study analyses the framing of media coverage by Daily Maverick, Daily Sun, Mail & Guardian, and Sowetan newspapers of the pre-and post-trial of the law enforcement officers charged with the killing of Mthokozisi Ntumba. This case was centred on forceful actions by police officials to disperse a crowd during a student protest. Although Ntumba was not amongst the protesting crowds, he was shot and killed by police officers. The study aims to discover the ways in which Ntumba’s case was reported by the four selected newspapers. The nature, aim, objectives and contextual significance of this study dictates that a qualitative research approach be used. The study was underpinned by the framing theory. Qualitative data was collected using the content analysis method, with purposive sampling used to select all textual units that contributed towards answering the study’s research questions. A sample of 83 articles was selected on the basis that the articles reported the news of the killing of Ntumba and the follow up court trial of the police officers. Qualitative framing analysis was used to study the media coverage of the killing of a bystander and police brutality in South Africa. From the study’s findings, it was revealed that different frames were used by the four selected newspapers in the coverage of Ntumba’s case. The frames used by the selected newspapers highlighted the extent to which the issue of police brutalityin the country has led to the death of people and other underlying issues that exist due to police brutality during protests.
(Re)composing: A study of the musical documentary in reimagining the historical archive through song
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Roberts, Daniel Ronald Newland; Kaplan, Kenneth
This thesis investigates conventional documentary reenactments and proposes a different approach by examining the role of purpose-composed songs as a medium for historical reenactment in the music documentary. It scrutinizes this approach as an alternative to traditional notions of reenactment often associated with Hollywood-style documentaries where the convention is to restage historical events. Instead, the argument made is for the transformative and imaginative of poetic verse and musical expression to embody historical texts. The research explores the profound connection between the performer and the historical subjects through ancestral bonds, examining how this relationship enhances the performance's potency. In addition, it delves into the collaborative process between musicians and documentarians in creating purpose-composed songs, especially when performances are situated within locations deeply connected to the historical context, assessing how this impacts audience engagement. Reflecting on the evolution of the music documentary genre since the 1960s, the thesis critically examines Bill Nichols’s enduring analysis of documentary modes. It investigates the continued reliance on the vérité style in music documentaries while using selected case studies to map more diverse documentary forms extending beyond Nichols's purely observational mode. The artistic component of this research is an essay film, which offers a contemplative view of the symbiotic relationship between cinematographer and musician. It probes into the nuances of creating poignant artistic expressions that address historical traumas while simultaneously managing the complex interplay of the subjectivities inherent in filmmaker and musician. This dual-focused inquiry seeks to illuminate the capacity of music documentaries to convey historical narratives in a manner that resonates with contemporary audiences, marrying historical accuracy with emotional depth.
Towards the Development of a Monolingual Sesotho Learner’s Dictionary
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-01) Mahloane, Malefu Justina; Setshedi, Quinn Thelma Malakabane
Sesotho practical lexicography commenced over 160 years ago and up to the time when this research was initiated, there had not been a single monolingual or online learner’s dictionary produced for the language. As a result, this research aimed to develop a Sesotho monolingual learner’s dictionary with the ultimate goal being to make the dictionary available online. To achieve this, the research investigated the different factors to consider when developing a dictionary with these characteristics. The objective of this research was to use Corpus Linguistics methodology to develop the dictionary. The methods used are both qualitative and quantitative. The contents of the dictionary are extracted from a c.a. 100 000-word corpus that was compiled specially for this research – as a corpus is the object of study or a tool in Corpus Linguistics. The corpus was processed using various language processing methods and tools, the main being the TshwaneLex Suite. The study managed to develop a prototype of the Sesotho monolingual learner’s dictionary and it is attached as Annexure 1, and the dictionary will continue to be developed beyond this research. It is anticipated that, the developed prototype dictionary presented here, will serve as evidence that there are effective means that Sesotho Lexicographers can adapt to produce other types of dictionaries beyond the usual bilingual/translation and paperback dictionaries that are the norm in Sesotho lexicography.
Students’ motivation on learning Portuguese as a Foreign Language Course: A case study on the University of the Witwatersrand and University of Mpumalanga
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-02) Adão, Roberto; Campos, Marta
Motivation is one of the most significant and determining factors in language learning, therefore it is important to study the different ways in which motivation influences students in their foreign language studies. This dissertation investigates university students’ motivation for learning Portuguese as a foreign language course at two South African universities. This study aimed to identify the principal factors which motivate students to study Portuguese as a foreign language at two universities: along with determining the possible similarities and differences between the students’ sources of motivation for learning Portuguese at each respective university as a foreign language. The study took place at two universities namely, the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and the University of Mpumalanga. Both universities currently offer Portuguese as a language course within their respective Bachelor of Arts degrees. Through the application of a questionnaire and obtaining quantitative data from the student’s responses, in addition to the use of the Likert scale and descriptive statistics (mode, mean and standard deviation), students’ sources of motivation were possible to assess and interpret in a numerical form, as regards their learning of Portuguese with the objective of expanding their proficiency in the Portuguese language.
An analysis of domain-specific terminology for pedagogical lexicographic resources: towards a comprehensive english isizulu life sciences dictionary
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-02) Dladla, Celimpilo Piety; Zungu, E.B.
This thesis examined the structure of published dictionaries as a foundation for creating guidelines for developing a domain-specific lexicographic resource in an African language. The resource developed in the study is directed at Grade 10 to 12 learners as a remedy for the absence of domain-specific lexicographic resources for senior phase learners whose mother tongue was previously marginalised. Subjects are taught in a second language despite the language policy of the Department of Basic Education stating that learners and their guardians are at liberty to choose their language of education (Diko, 2018). The unavailability of these resources deprives potential users of the opportunity of having a choice to use reference material in their home language to understand crucial educational material. This limits their ability to achieve the results they would have had if they had the opportunity of learning in their mother tongue (Osborne & Collins, 2001; Mji & Makgato, 2006). Dictionaries have been identified as assistive resources in increasing learners’ understanding of educational concepts (Ranalli & Nurmukhamedov, 2014; Charamba, 2017). Subsequently, this thesis employed the theory of lexicographic functions to develop guidelines for the development of a bilingualised Life Sciences dictionary in isiZulu with English serving as the source language, as users need the information in English in class and in their examinations. This qualitative study garnered data by means of content analysis of existing English-Zulu bilingual dictionaries by examining their structure and function, as a foundation for developing guidelines for the new resource and the ultimate compilation of the resource. Further, the study interrogated the Life Sciences glossary from prescribed Grade 10 to 12 Life Sciences books from the Department of Basic Education and extracted terminology from these resources. Terminology was then translated into isiZulu employing translation strategies applicable in lexicography as this was not a translation exercise but a lexicographic exercise. Nkomo (2019) asserts that most lexicographic practices had been mistaken for a translation exercise because lexicographic theories are often not employed. For this reason, the study employed the theory of lexicographic functions – studying the needs of users, the user situation and the function of a dictionary (Tarp, 2004; 2008; 2012) to create a dictionary development guideline and additionally, produce a digital dictionary to be made available in a freely downloadable form for use and availability to all users. The dictionary developed was analysed according to guidelines set by Ball and Bothma (2018) for analysing digital dictionaries.
Media Voices and Power: A decolonial analysis of black voices in the post-apartheid South African media landscape using City Press newspaper as an analytical focus
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Mgibisa, Mbuyisi; Menon, Dilip; Daniels, Glenda
This study conducts a decolonial analysis of black voices in the post-apartheid South African media landscape using City Press newspaper as an analytical focus. For the purposes of this study, I have analysed four case studies linked to the mediation and meditation of black voices in the media and public sphere. First, this study explores the subjection of black voices inside the newsroom using the black-oriented newspaper, City Press, as an example. It assesses the structure of whiteness in that newspaper and interrogate whether it provided its black journalists with a room to write from the standpoint of “black perspective”. The second theme is an exploration and personal account of my lived experience in the typical South African neoliberal newsroom and an attempt to bring theory in order to figure out my lived experience. Third, this thesis focuses on forms of gendered and racialised forms of subjection posed by the silencing of voices of black women journalists in the South African mainstream media, including social media. And the fourth theme looks at the importance and significance of voice or speech in doing politics in the post-apartheid South Africa and interrogates how the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) has deployed its “radical black voice” through the concept of Black rage. The study utilises decolonial theory and Steve Biko’s Black Consciousness philosophy as a lens as it seeks to investigate how essentialised, racialised, politicised, gendered and lived are black voices in post 1994 South Africa media landscape and public sphere. This study, then, involves the critical analysis of four themes, all of which are integrally related. The main argument advanced in this thesis is that black voices continue to be subjected through the concept and function of coloniality. For this reason, the study not only historizes black voices as producers, users and custodians of knowledge but also situates their lived experiences. This study finds that even in the face of debilitating coloniality in our everyday lives, black voices persist through those politicised, gendered, racialised and lived negative forms of invisibility and marginalisation and think and speak from the perspective of blackness. Therefore, this thesis posits that black voices are a communicative plane on which blackness performs and articulate itself, for itself. Moreover, this study is a form of epistemic protest against systematic and systemic silencing of black voices and an attempt to counter efforts of rendering black people, in particular black women, speechless. The transdisciplinary methodological approach deployed here is, first and foremost, embedded in the theoretical framework and various methods and concepts will be operationalised to bring to light the complex and complicated nature of how black voices are mediated in the post-apartheid South African media landscape and public sphere. The interview method, which comprises a reflective commentary, and autoethnography are important components of this study. Additionally, the empirical findings through interview material, newspaper articles and tweeter feeds have been examined through discourse analysis and through the prism of the conceptual analytical tools deployed here.
Transferring Culture: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of the Translation of uMongo KaZulu into The Marrow of the Zulu NationMziz
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Mzizi, Asanda; Hlengwa-Selepe, Bongeka B.
This study adopts a theory of Descriptive Translation Studies to execute a comparative analysis of transferring culture in the translation of Prince Bhekizizwe Zulu’s uMongo KaZulu (2005) into The Marrow of the Zulu Nation (2005). It investigates and examines the transfer of culture by evaluating the different translation strategies employed by Zulu to transmit these diverse phenomena. This includes the investigation and examination of the book cover, the title, terms of address, idiomatic and proverbial expressions, customs, proper names, and figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, and personification. The study found that Zulu utilised literal translation, transliteration or adoption, adaptation, explicitation, implicitation, and translation by paraphrasing using related words, exotism, cultural transplantation, addition, and omission as translation strategies. The findings also revealed that in resorting to these translation strategies, literary translation often involves shifts in text function. A text from a foreign culture invariably takes on an informative function. Yet, if the informative function is overly accentuated in the target text, it may compromise the source text's cultural identity and intended purposes. Consequently, the negotiation between the source-oriented and target-oriented functions may be considered a translation process.
Diasporic Landscape: A Geosemiotic Analysis of Greekness in Johannesburg
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Vratsanos, Alyssa Vida Castrillon; Baro, Gilles
After a number of waves of immigration of Greeks from Greece, Cyprus, and the established Greek diaspora in Egypt, South Africa is home to a sizable Greek community – concentrated in Johannesburg – that has established its own cultural identity in the country and left indelible traces of Greekness in the semiotic landscape of the city. In this dissertation, I explore the discursive, multimodal processes employed to inscribe Greekness – the quality of being of Greek heritage – in the city of Johannesburg. The overarching aim of this study was to analyse how members of the Greek diaspora in Johannesburg negotiate and perform their Greek identity and how Greekness is inscribed in various spaces in the city. In particular, it aimed to answer the following research questions: (i) How are certain spaces in the city of Johannesburg materially constructed as Greek spaces?; (ii) How is Greekness semiotically constructed?; and (iii) How is this constructed Greekness experienced by social actors, in the context of a European diasporic community in Johannesburg, a city in the Global South?. Empirically, this linguistic/semiotic landscape study made use of multimodal data, in the form of ethnographic field notes, photographs of signs, interviews, and newspaper articles, which were analysed within Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) geosemiotics framework. Previous works by McDuling (2014) and McDuling and Barnes (2012) have examined the Greek diaspora in Johannesburg from a sociolinguistic perspective, with a focus on language shift and maintenance. This study differs significantly in approach, shifting the focus from language use to an analysis of the signs used to assert and inscribe Greekness in Johannesburg, thereby drawing this subject matter into a linguistic landscape study of the diaspora In the empirical chapters of the dissertation, I used geosemiotics as a methodological toolkit to analyse several themes that arose from my data. First, I analysed the role food plays in inscribing Greekness in Johannesburg through an analysis of the Greek foodscapes in the city, such as Greek restaurants and supermarkets, as well as the food-centric elements used in other Greek spaces to communicate Greekness. I then introduced the concept of syncretism as a term that can be applied in a semiotic sense, to describe the ways in which signs and symbols from various, sometimes incompatible, aspects of Greek history and identity are deliberately displayed side-by-side in a space and operate in aggregate to communicate homogeneous and ‘authentic’ Greekness. Finally, I took a ‘semiotic approach’ (Van Leeuwen, 2001) to authenticity and analysed how authenticity in the Greek diaspora is semiotically constructed both visually and aurally in Greek spaces in Johannesburg. This study argues that the Greek diaspora in Johannesburg seeks to construct spaces in the city as recognisably and undeniably Greek, deliberately distinguishing themselves from the rest of the city, including other South Africans and other diasporas, by using a constellation of multimodal and multisensorial signs to convey a sense of homogeneous Greekness. The types of signs that are used to inscribe Greekness are all linked to the desirability – and by extension superiority – of Greek culture, heritage, and history. Thus, the ways in which Greekness is inscribed by the diaspora in Johannesburg rely on a process of self-exoticism (cf. Iwabuchi, 1994).
Just Me and You, Ms W
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Hoffman, Alexandra Laurel; Law-Viljoen, Bronwyn
Igeza lensizwa as fashioned by ILanga le Theku
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03-15) Ngwane, Simphiwe Blessing Mthokozelwa; Mupotsa, Danai S.
The objective of this study is to explore, analyse and interpret igeza lensizwa fashion inspired photographs on the back page of the first isiZulu-language lifestyle supplement called ILanga le Theku. These were photographs of street-casted young black men from around eThekwini that were being foregrounded as public scripts of youthful Zulu masculinities. Through a discursive approach to Critical Masculinities Studies, I interrogate how young Zulu men made situated decisions in the fashioning of their masculinities. The study engages other interlocutors that were involved in the fashioning of igeza lensizwa. These were the female-led editorial team, the mostly male photographers that street-casted and photographed young men, the young men that agreed and those that did not agree to be street-casted, and the female readers, as represented by the female persona. All these interlocutors had a hand in shaping the form of igeza lensizwa. The archive of the fashion inspired photographs of amageza ezinsizwa and their accompanying captions were approached as key sites where masculine representations were being articulated and contested. The study demonstrates how ILanga le Theku devised various literary techniques to cater for its two implied readers/audiences of igeza lensizwa. Through analysing these literary techniques, the study crafted two concepts to offer more context-based readings of Zulu masculinities as represented in ILanga le Theku. The study foregrounds a concept of igeza lensizwa as being comprised of ukuzithemba [self confidence] and ukuzizwa [self-regard]. The other concept is, thirst-trap which is achieved if the image of igeza lensizwa complies with ukuheha [to entice] and ukuchaza [to have an affect], in relation to the implied female audience. The study demonstrates how these two concepts offer insights on Zulu masculinities by engaging how young people eThekwini were changing dual gender systems norms and matters of desire. Moreover, the study shows how the section was also a site that challenged the myopic limits of homosocial desire with its limitation of masculine desire only incorporating interpersonal attractions. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that through shifts in spectatorship, facilitated by an auto-ethnographic queer lens as method, I inferred looking relations that, inter alia, explored how young men were asked to introspect, and confront masculine beauty.
Vera Duarte and Paulina Chiziane: The Notion of Womanhood and Post-Colonialism
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-05) de Oliveira, Monica Ester Monteiro Batista; Campos, Marta
This dissertation intends to present a comparison of the notion of womanhood in the post-colonial context presented by Paulina Chiziane’s novels, namely Niketche: Uma História de Poligamia (2012) and Ventos do Apocalipse (2003) and Vera Duarte’s novels (poetry anthologies) De Risos e Lágrimas (2018) and A Reinvenção do Mar (2018). This research will be done by conducting a comparative study on the works of the African writers Vera Duarte and Paulina Chiziane, using thematic and narrative analysis. This dissertation will contribute to and complement existing research related to both authors and both countries. However, this study is novel in that it compares the works of two female Lusophone writers, from two different Lusophone countries and compares two different styles of literature, poetry and novel.
Femicide in South Africa: Ideal Victims, Visible Bodies, and Invisible Perpetrators
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-05) Nyathi, Tebogo; Falkof, Nicky
South Africa’s femicide rate is five times the global average (Statistics South Africa 2018). In recent years, we have seen increased scholarly attention examining media reporting of femicide. These studies have been critical the way South African media have and continue to cover femicide. This study seeks to add to this existing knowledge by exploring the media coverage of three sexual violence murders. This study explores the online news media coverage of three case studies. These case studies are the rape and murder of University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana, the rape and murder of Lynette Volschenk, and the rape and murder of grade 7 pupil Janika Mallo. All these murders happened in Cape Town in August 2019 and received prominent media coverage. This study utilizes thematic analytic tools to explore dominant patterns in the data through the framework of representation and intersectionality. The study aims to do a close reading and identify discourses embedded in news media texts to highlight their functions, effects, and social and ideological implications for society. The findings reveal an increased focus on the visible bodily injuries of victims and media used spectacular language to present this. The focus on the bodily injuries resulted in making perpetrators invisible. The analysis confirmed that certain victims matter to media more than others. Furthermore, media represented femicide as a current crisis and ignored the historical structures that enable the prevalence of sexual violence. Although, this study is not comparative media analysis and does not provide media to show that some murders are under reported, because it is only looking at three cases the analysis does demonstrate that other murders matter more than others. The study concludes that the way media cover femicide does not present the ‘true reality’ of sexual violence in South Africa and we are still far from finding long lasting solutions to the rampant violence.

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