Dissertationen zum Thema „English language – political aspects – asia“

The present paper discusses the cultural and stylistic issues in the translation of a part of the 2004 Republican Party Platform. Political text in American English and Swedish is in focus, and translation examples are accounted for and categorised according to Vinay & Darbelnet’s (1995) system theory of translation procedures. The conclusion is that cultural issues caused fewer problems than stylistic ones when the Republican Party Platform 2004 was translated.

This thesis evaluates the first three years of the Canadian Farmworkers Union ESL Crusade and the Freire-based philosophy which inspired it. Based on the author's three years of participant-observation, it pursues the following question: In the context of the union, is it possible to operate an ESL program which will both teach basic ESL and further the union's goal of organizing Punjabi farmworkers? The thesis begins by summarizing Freire's educational/ political philosophy, and continues by examining the program's context: conditions of farmwork in British Columbia, the role of CFU in improving them, and the dynamics of the Punjabi community which affect this process. This is followed by a detailed description and evaluation of the Crusade: its objectives, recruiting and training of volunteer tutors, teaching methods and materials, curriculum topics, organizing strategies, results in terms of both teaching ESL and organizing, and finally analysis of the program's limitations. The following section re-evaluates Freire's philosophy in view of three years experience in a North American setting. Key issues include the relationship between students' concerns and the union's agenda, dialogue versus banking, the complex nature of oppression for North American immigrants, the distinction between a realistic and idealistic frame of reference in operating and evaluating a program, and the importance of organizers reflecting on their own vested interests. All these issues proved salient to the daily operation of the program and have ramifications for other programs. In the course of three years, the Crusade was able to develop methods and materials which had good potential both for ESL instruction and organizing, and which approached the Freirian ideal. However, a number of limitations prevented the program from fulfilling this potential. Some of these could be overcome with changes in the Crusade's format, such as using full-time Punjabi tutors rather than Anglo volunteers. The study concludes by outlining these changes plus directions for further research.
Education, Faculty of
Graduate

Orientador: Kanavillil Rajagopalan
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
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Resumo: Nesta tese, discute-se a difusão mundial do inglês, apresenta-se uma crítica da base conceitual sobre a qual se constitui o discurso a respeito deste fenômeno, bem como uma proposta de conceituação articulada entre a Nova Pragmática (RAJAGOPALAN, 2010) e a filosofia da linguagem. O objeto deste estudo é o World English (WE, RAJAGOPALAN, 2004), utilizado por falantes de línguas nativas diversas. Com o objetivo de apontar a insuficiência da base epistemológica para o WE, volta-se primeiramente para a sociolinguística (JENKINS, 2003, SCHNEIDER, 2007) que, embora reconheça a inerente variabilidade da língua, produz discursos comprometidos com o universalismo ao insistir na busca de padrões constantes no uso e ao furtar-se a tratar a língua como categoria política e não ontológica. Na Linguística, o falante nativo idealizado e a língua como estrutura (BLOOMFIELD, 1933; CHOMSKY, 1965) também produzem um WE que fortalece o fundacionismo, mantendo as práticas linguageiras (uso, descrição e ensino) atreladas aos padrões anglo-americanos. Na Linguística Aplicada, apesar das contribuições de Kachru (1985), com a proposição dos Círculos Concêntricos; de Phillipson (1992), com a crítica ao 'imperialismo linguístico', e de Jenkins (2003), com o estudo da variação do WE, mantém-se o centramento, privilegiando supostas essências. Valorações de desempenho linguístico, segregação de profissionais, políticas de publicação restritivas - todas referendadas pelo eurocentrismo - são discutidas como efeitos materiais das invenções naturalizadas por este regime metadiscursivo (MAKONI & PENNYCOOK, 2007) criticado nesta investigação em face da demografia do inglês, que hoje inclui apenas um falante nativo entre quatro não nativos. Ilustra-se este estudo com dados do International Corpus of English, e com as regularidades detectadas por Seidlhofer (2004) no Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English e aquelas propostas por Jenkins (op.cit.) através do Common Core. A partir do conceito de literatura menor (DELEUZE & GUATTARI, 1977), ancoramos a tese de um inglês menor no postulado da Nova Pragmática, segundo o qual a linguagem e a ação humana pressupõem-se reciprocamente (AUSTIN, 1962), o que expõe i- a indissociabilidade entre a linguagem e a metalinguagem e, portanto, a intervenção da teorização na ontologia que a tradição platônica fez crer como existente a priori; e ii- a natureza ético-política da teorização, uma vez que este exame do WE assume sua inscrição no social. Tem-se, pois, que o inglês menor, ao invés de apontar para um quantitativo reduzido de usuários, indica um uso não amparado pelo poder das instituições, um uso que se detecta como potência de variação e não como poder das constantes; um uso que não opera como raiz de árvore, mas por rizoma, a desterritorializar-se em seu devir, escapando à palavra de ordem ratificadora de fundacionismos e universais. Como micropolítica linguística, propõem-se os seguintes princípios para uma pedagogia menor do WE: privilegiar o híbrido, o repertório de línguas - incluída a língua mãe - e de estratégias; rejeitar toda sorte de prescrição metodológica; fomentar a consciência metalinguística, a noção de opacidade do texto e de gramática como epifenômeno, o pertencimento provisório a comunidades de prática, o uso da língua como ação política e a negociação interacional
Abstract: This thesis discusses the spread of English worldwide and presents both, a critique of the conceptual framework on which the discourse about this phenomenon rests, and an alternative theoretical proposal grounded on New Pragmatics (RAJAGOPALAN, 2010) and on the philosophy of language. Our object of study is, thus, the English used by speakers of distinct native languages, i.e., World English (WE, RAJAGOPALAN, 2004). Sociolinguistic accounts of WE are revised (JENKINS, 200, SCHNEIDER, 2007) and presented as evidence of a resilient universalist orientation reflected on the insistent quest for and reification of patterns of use. Both, the idealized native speaker and the construct 'language', as defined by Linguistics (BLOOMFIELD, 1933; CHOMSKY, 1965) are examined as part and parcel of the foundationism which keeps language practices (use, description and pedagogy) still attached to angloamerican standards. As for Applied Linguistics, even though contributions from several studies (KACHRU, 1985; PHILLIPSON, 1992; and JENKINS, 2003) have shed light on the phenomenon, thus providing a more pluralistic view of the spread and an increasing political awareness in its study, centralization and the pervasive essentialism in the field are still strong, as the analysis shows. Value judgments of linguistic performance, restrictive publishing policies and the segregation of professionals are, it is argued, the material effects of the naturalized inventions perpetrated by the metadiscursive regimes (MAKONI & PENNYCOOK, 2007) criticized in this research. This enterprise is undertaken mainly in view of the demography of English in the contemporary scenario, which displays native speakers and nonnative speakers in a ratio of 1 to 4, respectively. Data from The International Corpus of English, as well as from the patterns identified by Seidlhofer (2004) in the Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English, and by Jenkins (op.cit.) in the Common Core are used as a resource for the investigation we set out to pursue. The precept of New Pragmatics (Cf. AUSTIN, 1962), namely that language and human action are mutually inclusive, is understood as implying that i- since language and metalanguage cannot be set apart, theory-building is but neutral in affecting ontology, which contradicts the platonic tradition; ii- theory-building is ethical-political by nature, thus compelling us to acknowledge the study of WE as inscribed in social reality. Our proposal of minor English is based on the concept of minor literature, as put forward by Deleuze and Guattari (1977). Minor does not refer to the quantity of users, but to the use they make of language. In other words, by distancing itself from the rigid standards of institutionalized power, a minor English escapes from the constraints of supposedly permanent regularities and induces an imbalance in its components, taking advantage of its rhizomatic design to deterritorialize the major uses of language through its ongoing process of becoming. Not subject to an arborescent structure, a minor English is rid of the order word that ractifies universalism and purism, thus calling for a minor pedagogy for WE, which involves: privileging hybridity and the repertoire of strategies/languages - including the mother tongue; rejecting methodological prescriptivism; raising metalinguistic awareness; fostering interactional negotiation, an understanding of texts as opaque, of grammar as epiphenomenal, of language use as political action, and of communities as practice
Doutorado
Linguistica
Doutora em Linguística

This thesis will study identity in Malaysia and Singapore as a performative construct, and will analyse the role of the theatre in the deconstruction and reconstruction of these identities. Identity is constituted by the authorities in both countries, most importantly along racial lines, for particular social, political and nation building strategies; these · authoritative constitutions are increasingly disrupted and challenged at the individual level. In studying the construction of identity, my focus will be on the post-independence English-language theatres of Singapore and Malaysia, and how they are used to challenge, question, and negotiate with authority-constituted identities. The question of identity-constitution will be approached through a reading of Judith Butler's theory of performativity. This theory suggests that gender identities are performative, that is, that they are (usually at an unconscious or subconscious level) created and acted out. While Butler's focus is on gender identity, my reading will expand that focus to also include national, racial, and transnational identities. If an identity is acted out, then it can also be re-acted differently, or reacted against. In Malaysia and Singapore, the theatre functions as a public but nonetheless unofficial space in which such re-acting or reacting can occur, where state-constructed identities can be countered by individual constitutions of identity. In both countries, the theatre is a particularly vibrant, lively and rapidly developing site of expression which provides fertile and compelling ground from which to study the constitution of identities. This thesis will comprise five chapters, an introduction and a conclusion. Chapters one and two will examine changing attitudes towards national identity. Chapters three and four will narrow the focus from wider public issues to more private issues such as an individual's construction as a racialised or gendered being. Chapter five widens the focus again, to look at conceptions of national identity within an increasingly transnational world. Overall, this thesis will look at the slow growth of overarching Malaysian and Singaporean identities which, while they grapple with the inescapable question of race, also reconfigure that question into new and thought provoking forms, challenging the essentialising hegemony of the state.

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and beliefs of students, lecturers and graduates towards English-medium instruction (EMI) in the Turkish tertiary education system from sociological and political perspectives. As a basis for this, the study explored the diverse factors that have affected the use of EMI in Turkey. The research study combined quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis procedures. A questionnaire was conducted at six Turkish universities (three private and three public), obtaining data from 246 students, 72 lecturers and 45 graduates. Interviews were conducted with 18 students, 12 lecturers and six graduates, equal numbers from each university. Quantitative data results were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, while qualitative data was subjected to content analysis based on the principles set out by Gibson and Brown (2009). Findings suggest that while respondents expressed reservations about the use of EMI in the Turkish higher education system, there was unanimous acknowledgement of the importance of English as a linguistic asset due to the positive impact it might have on the social and economic lives of the respondents. Across all categories they generally agreed that English proficiency is beneficial for their future career and academic studies locally and internationally. Reservations about EMI were related to content comprehension issues arising from a lack of general English proficiency and competency. Students and lecturers complained about each other’s proficiency level when using English in the classroom, as it can lead to a lack of understanding. Students tended to be more positive towards the use of EMI when compared with lecturers and graduates. However, although lecturers had reservations towards EMI, they were slightly more inclined to favour the use of EMI in contrast with graduates. Graduates had the most reservations in regard to the implementation of EMI in the Turkish higher education system. The results further revealed that respondents across all categories were generally of the opinion that learning and teaching in English will have little or no impact on their Turkish culture, tradition and lifestyle, contradicting some previous studies and opinions. The differences between the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions towards EMI across the three respondent categories indicate there is scope for further research.

The aim of this study was to explore language censorship in Zimbabwean films in Shona and English. The study concentrated on the themes of politics, culture and economic in the genre of the documentary, feature and short film genres. It was demonstrated that the Zimbabwean laws enabled authorities to impose censorship strategies that ranged from banning, restriction, persecution of filmmakers, withdrawal of films from circulation, and threats of withdrawal of permits of film retailers. These visible, direct and banal forms of censorship have forced some filmmakers to flee the country. Most of the filmmakers who have remained in the country have been forced to deal with themes that appear harmless to the state. This state induced form of self-censorship on the filmmakers has resulted in the production of uncritical, and unreflective films whose staple diet were embedded in cultural stereotypes. The study argued that language is a signifying practice that cannot be interpreted in a single direction. Thus, despite these realities of film censorship some filmmakers deliberately encoded or used verbal and visual film language that generated surplus meanings with which the films could be re-read in ways that reveal new linguistic strategies to evade and challenge both the restrictive censorship laws as well as criticise the undemocratic political culture that has taken root in Zimbabwe. The study used eclectic theories such as Marxism, audience-reception approach, critical legal theories and language theories to analyse the films. The explanatory capacity of these theories helped to reveal the contradictory ways in which the desire to impose restrictions on film meanings was constantly undermined in the innovative language of the films.
African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

Metaphors constitute a key element of political discourse in just about any language. That being said, little has been done to investigate the use of metaphors in political-feature articles translated from English into Arabic. Therefore, with the aim of analysing how metaphors are employed in such political-feature articles, a set of three feature articles: (1) authentic Arabic feature articles, (2) authentic English feature articles, (3) and the translations of the English feature articles into Arabic, was examined to investigate how writers employ metaphors in each of those datasets. The authentic texts, written in both Arabic and English, involve Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) in which texts are analysed in order to examine how writers in both languages employ metaphors in the original texts. The translated texts from English into Arabic involve CDA and Contrastive Analysis (CA) wherein texts are analysed before being compared and contrasted with the authentic texts. The results of the study show a significant level of reliance on metaphors for communicating political messages with the target audiences in the STs. This, in turn, requires an adequate translation from English into Arabic so as to preserve the intended messages. In other words, the present study shows the critical importance of accurately translating political metaphors from English into Arabic, which could be further justified from the perspective of conveying the most appropriate and accurate message to the target audience.

South Africa has undergone many political changes since the apartheid era. A recent one has included the adoption of a new language-in-education policy recommending, among other things, the use of African indigenous languages as languages of learning and teaching (LOLT). The country has moved into a system in which learners and schools are entitled to choose their preferred LOLT. However, there have been few concrete changes to accommodate this choice. In particular, the above language-in-education policy has not yet been adequately implemented in schools. This study investigates learners', educators' and parents' attitudes towards the use of English or /and isiZulu as the medium of learning and teaching in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province. I ascertain if there are similarities and differences, if any, in the responses of the three groups of stakeholders from two secondary schools. I also demonstrate the implications of the attitudes of these stakeholders for the implementation of the current language-in-education policy. Lastly, I make recommendations that will assist language policy makers regarding the current language-in-education policy. The study shows that there are mixed feelings regarding the LOLT issue. It was found that the respondents largely favour the use of English as the medium of instruction, yet some of the responses are self-contradictory, in that they simultaneously want isiZulu to be used as early as grade 1 as LOLT. Most respondents still envisage a future where English will continue to have political, educational, social and economic power over isiZulu. There is thus an urgent need for the Department of Education to review the current language-in-education policy and address issues that might be hindering its implementation. The policy is likely to fail unless some intervention strategies are taken to address these problems. It is hoped that this study will help to highlight issues that can be further investigated in this area.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

The focus of this study is an investigation of the language policy and language policy implementation in the Department of Correctional Services of South Africa. Language usage is a right of all the citizens of South Africa as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) which is the supreme law of the country. It is imperative that language policy makers in the Department of Correctional Services should adhere to the provisions of the constitution. It also aims at establishing whether the Department of Correctional Services’ policy is aligned to the national language policy framework as well as provincial language policy framework that provide for the use of the eleven (11) official languages in general and in particular. In this research study, background information serves to give an overview of how language policy of South Africa since 1994 has been perceived by various scholars and the historical overview of the language policies during the apartheid era. The African languages were given a low status as the language diversity of South Africa was not acknowledged by the government of that day. The evaluation of the contents of language policies that were used previously and currently in the Department of Correctional Services shed light to the issues of language attitude, language choice and language use in this department. During the apartheid era there were working languages set for prisoners as well as staff regarding communication either verbally or in writing in the Department of Correctional Services. The official languages were English and Afrikaans of which the latter was dominant. The question of whose language, for what purpose and how was it received was also investigated.
African Languages
D.Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

In a world replete with many views of education, it is perhaps easier to notice the differences amongst educational perspectives rather than the interconnections. The role of this thesis is to bring together some of these perspectives through a conceptual analysis of place and its links to education, self, and ESL. Place is a term used in environmental philosophy to refer to a particular space or region as experienced by a person, and to the relationships and responsibilities which connect that person to the world in which he or she lives. Environmental philosophers argue that the relationships bound up in place intimately shape who we are as individuals and the life choices that we make. I will differentiate further between four aspects of place, and address what it could mean to allow a sense of place to influence my life more deeply: what it means to be placeful. Investigation of the politics of place and the impact of race, class, power, and global inequalities on place experiences — areas I cannot explore deeply here - are important areas of research to continue to expand this conversation. The role of place in education is dynamic. I come to the classroom as an educator with two main passions: concern for the learners and concern for the environment. Through an understanding and awareness of place, environmental education and cornmunity/experience-based pedagogy can come together to develop an educational system which will address the needs of the learners, help them develop their understanding of self and place, and encourage care for and awareness of the environment. Jane McRae and Winnie Tarn, two educators of the Association for the Advancement and Promotion of Science Education (APASE), shared with me in a set of interviews their perspectives on place in ESL education. The discussion of APASE's Community Mapping Project which concludes the thesis is presented as an example of how one association has done this: a place-centred curriculum which incorporates feminist pedagogy, understanding and awareness of place, and the importance of addressing environmental issues.