Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37994
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Item Femicide in South Africa: Ideal Victims, Visible Bodies, and Invisible Perpetrators(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-05) Nyathi, Tebogo; Falkof, NickySouth 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.Item Proximalisation in the acquisition of sign language by hearing adult learners(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-07) Chambers, Dana Jade; Kaneko, MichikoThis research study explores whether or not proximalisation is present in the acquisition of South African Sign Language (SASL) by hearing adult learners. This research will specifically be looking at the extent of proximalisation, as well as the details of how and when proximalisation occurs. This research is motivated by the fact that while both the study and the use of sign language by hearing people is growing on a global scale there is very little research done on their production using the necessary joints. I have used a quantitative descriptive study in order to investigate the presence of proximalisation in the signs produced by hearing learners. I have used the study done by Mirus, Rathmann and Meier (2001) who looked at the proximalisation and distalisation of German Sign Language and American Sign Language as a basis for this research study. This study focused on the proximalisation in the production of signs by hearing adult first year SASL learners with no prior knowledge of sign language. I have also used a study by Napoli et al (2014) to identify additional features regarding joint usage and joint manipulation in regards to ease of articulation. Based on the findings by Mirus, Rathmann and Meier (2001) in their study the findings of this study show a significantly lower than expected presence of proximalisation. It was found that participants joint manipulation rather favoured that of distalisation, joint omission (the complete lack of the joint in the production) and joint addition. These were unexpected and all resulted in an ease of articulation and overall, less energy and effort production.Item The ‘madness account’: An examination of madness and writing within the fictional and autobiographical works of Bessie Head and Janet Frame(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Hovelmeier, Sinéad Katherine; Van Schalkwyk, SimonBessie Head and Janet Frame are two writers who have not been read comparatively. Despite this, both authors engage in writing about ‘madness’. Bessie Head presents madness in her fictional work A Question of Power (1973) as well as in her various life-writings (letters). Janet Frame presents madness in her fictional work Faces in the Water (1961) and her autobiography An Autobiography (1982). The current field labels these fictional works as ‘autobiographical’, and it pays close attention to madness as one area where the supposed commonalities between life experiences and fictional accounts justify this labelling. Current research on autobiography is divided along the individualist tradition of ‘male’ autobiography and the newer forms of autobiography, which not only employ the ‘autobiographical pact’ but stretch the conventions of autobiography into a whole host of emerging subcategories (autofiction, confessional literature, faction etc.). The current field does not consider that equating a ‘mad’ author with a ‘mad’ character in fiction is a limited approach to representations of madness. Focusing on ‘scriptotherapy’ and the ‘madness account’, my research addresses this gap in the literature. Reading the texts comparatively produced varied results for ‘madness’; Frame’s account of madness is richest in the fiction she decidedly claimed as not autobiographical, while Head’s life-writings reveal her fictional account of ‘madness’ as autobiographical but dissatisfying, it fails to express her real-life experiences accurately. Reading all four texts together and applying ‘scriptotherapy’ to each provides insights into the role of ‘madness’ within each text and its impact on each author. This research fills a gap in the current research by revealing a broader view of ‘madness’ in the works of both Frame and Head.Item 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, MartaMotivation 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.Item The Value of Translation Theory for Translation Practice(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-07) Mitchell, Ruben Isaac; Leal, AliceDespite the fact that many translation practitioners acknowledge the importance of translation theory for shaping and delivering functional translations and helping translators reflect on their work, there is still a common perception that translation theory is of little or no value for the practice of translation. With the backing of a survey among professional translators, this study attempts to show trends in the development of translation theory. Many practitioners feel the theory is irrelevant to their work but believe it does not need to be so. Not enough is being done to show practitioners, both in the field and in the classroom, that the value of theory is, for example, in giving them conceptual tools with which to reflect on their work and solve translation problems. The tension between descriptive translation studies and prescriptive translation studies is examined. After decades of research, debate and writing, there is still much disagreement among scholars about meaning, equivalence, translation as a science and as a viable activity at all, and fidelity vs. freedom in translation. Risks that are real in modern theorising about translation include becoming prescriptive while advocating for descriptive translation studies, and perpetrating cultural subversion against the source language while advocating for cultural transfer to the target language. It is possible for theorists to guide and suggest while allowing the translator to have the final choice in the translation act. Theory should be based on a wider variety of examples, genres and cultures. Finally, assessment criteria both for the classroom and the workplace need to be clearer. Recommendations are supplied for remedying the perception of theory, improving classroom practice and improving conditions for translators.Item She’s Not a Bad Girl, Brenda Fassie: Past, Present and Future, A Canon for the Construction of Post Colonial Feminist Consciousness(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-07) Qwesha, Qhama; Mupotsa, Danai S.In this research report, I examine the ways that icon Brenda Fassie operates as an important archive for the articulation of quotidian feminist consciousness. In paying close attention to the present re-emergence of Fassie in South African intimate publics that include idioms, modes, praxes, aesthetics, and consumptive forms that she currently figuratively circulates. I approach the question of an archive from two central sensibilities: first, with regards to authoritative narrative accounts related to her memorialization; and second, in the ways that her figure (re)appears in these intimate publics to reconfigure the meanings we attach to African femme/womanhood and sexualities. Looking to multiple archives is a methodological gesture at assembling a range of cultural objects that include her body of work, including the aural, visual, and aesthetic performance of her work; along with the archive of work produced with or about her that often situates itself around accounts of her biography. With this understanding of her archive, the approach is to see how Fassie figuratively operates, presenting contesting identities through which she can move in and out of multiple temporalities that are often contradictory. Fassie’s ability to transgress while equally forming a part of national historic discourse allows us to inquire into the ways that she complicates notions of gender and sexuality – and how these continue to shape current articulations of feminism in post-apartheid South Africa.Item Towards the Development of a Monolingual Sesotho Learner’s Dictionary(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-01) Mahloane, Malefu Justina; Setshedi, Quinn Thelma MalakabaneSesotho 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.Item 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, MartaThis 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.Item Socio-technical factors impacting youth perspectives on digital transformation in resource-constrained environments: A study of Diepsloot youth(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-06) Matanda, Lorraine; Ochara, Nixon Muganda; Abrahams, LucienneThere has been a proliferation of tech hubs in Africa, with more than 80 in South Africa, forming a foundation for more inclusive digital innovation. However, we do not sufficiently understand the relationships between tech hubs, digital inclusiveness and poverty. This study explores the sociotechnical factors influencing access and use of the Internet to achieve social inclusion in resource-constrained environments. The literature reviewed focused on social influences on digital adoption, tech hub infrastructure, digital skills, and trends in Information Communication Technologies (ICT) policies. The study’s findings are categorised into themes using the sociotechnical systems (STS) theoretical framework. Each of the seven STS theoretical components (goals, culture, people, processes, infrastructure, technology and environment) were used as a lens to explore the social and technical factors that influence the perspectives of the youth on digital transformation. These themes were then mapped to the four dimensions of the research questions (social influence of digital adoption, institutional infrastructure for access, digital skills, and ICT policies for digital enablement) to highlight key findings and interpretations of the study. Under social influences, the youth demonstrated resilience driven by a need to improve their standard of living in a challenging environment. The institutional infrastructure, designed to support youth to access digital technologies, is constrained by a lack of resources. Tech hubs are using creative ways with the limited resources to cater to all their patrons, although there is room for improvement. In terms of digital skills, four youth profiles are highlighted to demonstrate a solid existence of digital skills and pursuit of tangible outcomes among the youth. In addition, the youth want to pursue entrepreneurship, meaning that tech hubs can potentially become mass training centres for digital entrepreneurship. Finally, a review of ICT policies revealed a chasm between the ICT policy objectives and activities on the ground, pointing to a lack of implementation and monitoring of ICT policies. Acting as a platform for digital foundations, tech hubs in marginalised environments must engage policymakers and reinforce their role in digital empowerment to influence policy development. This research is located in the qualitative interpretivist paradigm. A total of 21 in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 youth, with an equal representation of male and female, and three tech hub managers. Based on the researcher's analysis, access to the Internet offers the resilient youth a view into "a new world" that make them feel they can achieve anything they want. The high literacy level among the youth puts them in good stead for digital upskilling, and they are motivated to participate in the digital economy. However, ICT policy objectives concerning universal access look good on paper, but in reality, poor people are still offline. They are still excluded.Item Literary and visual representations of queer ecologies in South Africa’s maritime and terrestrial environments(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-09) Dimond, Harvey Lewis; Hofmeyr, IsabelNot Available