Appraising the appraisal framework: evidence from Grahamstown property advertisements
- Authors: Beangstrom, Tracy
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54744 , vital:26608
- Description: This thesis considers how interpersonal meaning choices in property advertisements are best reflected in a context of constraint in Grahamstown, South Africa, using and appraising Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework. The study is comparative in two senses since the data is analysed using Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework and a revision to it, and property advertisements from two competing estate agencies are analysed: Remax Frontier Properties and Pam Golding Properties. An initial strict application of Martin & White’s (2005) framework is followed by a second, based on analyst difficulties and framework limitations experienced in the first analysis, as well as those experienced by other researchers. Revisions to the original framework include added ‘local’, context-driven features and sub-categories: Exclusivity and Convenience in Attitude, a Scale of Intensity in Graduation, and a category ‘Invite’ in Engagement. These enable a richer, more detailed account of the alignment strategies and interpersonal micro-politics at play in the property advertisements than is possible using the original framework. Findings from the analyses reveal four facts of note. Firstly, that while the original Martin & White (2005) APPRAISAL Framework captures a general level of interpersonal meaning in the data, it does so more fully when it includes contextual and contextually-driven categories that are informed by local knowledge. Secondly, two levels of meaning are expressed in the data. One is aimed at an ‘external’ audience; the other, truer, fuller and more contentious, is aimed at what appears to be the intended audience only. Thirdly, and relatedly, specific contextual and cultural knowledge is needed by the intended audience to access the intended meaning. Fourthly, both estate agencies promote values of high prestige, exclusivity, elitism and wealth as their intended meaning to align a like-minded audience, although Remax Frontier Properties attribute these values to location and features of the home to a greater extent than Pam Golding Properties, who place greater emphasis on the size of the home. The thesis suggests further avenues for research into the discourse of property advertising, as well as into overcoming certain context-specific limitations of the APPRAISAL Framework.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Beangstrom, Tracy
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54744 , vital:26608
- Description: This thesis considers how interpersonal meaning choices in property advertisements are best reflected in a context of constraint in Grahamstown, South Africa, using and appraising Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework. The study is comparative in two senses since the data is analysed using Martin & White’s (2005) APPRAISAL Framework and a revision to it, and property advertisements from two competing estate agencies are analysed: Remax Frontier Properties and Pam Golding Properties. An initial strict application of Martin & White’s (2005) framework is followed by a second, based on analyst difficulties and framework limitations experienced in the first analysis, as well as those experienced by other researchers. Revisions to the original framework include added ‘local’, context-driven features and sub-categories: Exclusivity and Convenience in Attitude, a Scale of Intensity in Graduation, and a category ‘Invite’ in Engagement. These enable a richer, more detailed account of the alignment strategies and interpersonal micro-politics at play in the property advertisements than is possible using the original framework. Findings from the analyses reveal four facts of note. Firstly, that while the original Martin & White (2005) APPRAISAL Framework captures a general level of interpersonal meaning in the data, it does so more fully when it includes contextual and contextually-driven categories that are informed by local knowledge. Secondly, two levels of meaning are expressed in the data. One is aimed at an ‘external’ audience; the other, truer, fuller and more contentious, is aimed at what appears to be the intended audience only. Thirdly, and relatedly, specific contextual and cultural knowledge is needed by the intended audience to access the intended meaning. Fourthly, both estate agencies promote values of high prestige, exclusivity, elitism and wealth as their intended meaning to align a like-minded audience, although Remax Frontier Properties attribute these values to location and features of the home to a greater extent than Pam Golding Properties, who place greater emphasis on the size of the home. The thesis suggests further avenues for research into the discourse of property advertising, as well as into overcoming certain context-specific limitations of the APPRAISAL Framework.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Error analysis in a learner corpus : a study of errors amongst Grade 12 Oshiwambo speaking learners of English in northern Namibia
- Nghikembua, Annelie Ndapanda
- Authors: Nghikembua, Annelie Ndapanda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Corpora (Linguistics) , Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Error analysis , English language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Oshana , Second language acquisition , Contrastive linguistics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2386 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018911
- Description: High failure rates in English as a second language at secondary school level have become a concern in the Namibian education sector. From 2005 until 2013, the overall performance of the grade 12 learners in English as a second language on Ordinary level in the Oshana region was unsatisfactory. In fact, only a minority (18.52 percent) of the grade 12 learners obtained a grading in the range of A to D in comparison to the majority (81.48 percent) of learners who obtained a grading of E to U. The poor performance was attributed to: poor sentence structure, syllabification and spelling (Directorate of National Examination and Assessment, 2007-2010). The causes of these low performance rates however, were not scientifically explored in this region. Therefore this study embarked on an investigation in order to identify the reasons behind the low performance rates of the grade 12 Oshiwambo speaking learners of English and to determine whether the impressionistic results from the Directorate’s report correlate with the present study’s findings. In order to understand the dynamic linguistic system of the learners, a contrastive analysis of Oshiwambo and English was done in order to investigate the potential origins of some of the errors. An error analysis approach was also used to identify, classify and interpret the non-standard forms produced by the learners in their written work. Based on the results obtained from this study, a more comprehensible assessment rubric was devised to help identify learners’ written errors. A group of 100 learners from five different schools in the Oshana region was asked to write an essay of 150 to 200 words in English. The essays were analysed using Corder’s (1967) conceptual framework which outlines the steps that a researcher uses when undertaking an error analysis study. The errors were categorised according to Keshavarz’s (2006) linguistic error taxonomy. Based on this taxonomy, the results revealed that learners largely made errors in the following categories: phonology/orthography, morpho-syntax, lexico-semantics, discourse and techniquepunctuation. The study concluded that these errors were most likely due to: first language interference, overgeneralisation, ignorance of rule restriction and carelessness. Other proposed probable causes were context of learning and lack of knowledge of English grammar. The study makes a significant contribution, in that the findings can be used as a guide for the Namibian Ministry of Education in improving the status quo at schools and informing the line Ministry on various methods of dealing with language difficulties faced by learners. The findings can also empower teachers to help learners with difficulties in English language learning, thereby enabling learners to improve their English language proficiency. The study has proposed methods of intervention in order to facilitate the teaching of English as a second language in the Oshana region. In addition, the study has devised an easily applied assessment rubric that will assist in identifying non-standard forms of language used by learners. The reason for designing a new rubric is because the rubric which is currently being used is believed to be subjective, inconsistent and lacks transparency. , Name in Graduation Programme as: Nghikembua, Anneli Ndapanda
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Nghikembua, Annelie Ndapanda
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Corpora (Linguistics) , Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Error analysis , English language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia -- Oshana , Second language acquisition , Contrastive linguistics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2386 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018911
- Description: High failure rates in English as a second language at secondary school level have become a concern in the Namibian education sector. From 2005 until 2013, the overall performance of the grade 12 learners in English as a second language on Ordinary level in the Oshana region was unsatisfactory. In fact, only a minority (18.52 percent) of the grade 12 learners obtained a grading in the range of A to D in comparison to the majority (81.48 percent) of learners who obtained a grading of E to U. The poor performance was attributed to: poor sentence structure, syllabification and spelling (Directorate of National Examination and Assessment, 2007-2010). The causes of these low performance rates however, were not scientifically explored in this region. Therefore this study embarked on an investigation in order to identify the reasons behind the low performance rates of the grade 12 Oshiwambo speaking learners of English and to determine whether the impressionistic results from the Directorate’s report correlate with the present study’s findings. In order to understand the dynamic linguistic system of the learners, a contrastive analysis of Oshiwambo and English was done in order to investigate the potential origins of some of the errors. An error analysis approach was also used to identify, classify and interpret the non-standard forms produced by the learners in their written work. Based on the results obtained from this study, a more comprehensible assessment rubric was devised to help identify learners’ written errors. A group of 100 learners from five different schools in the Oshana region was asked to write an essay of 150 to 200 words in English. The essays were analysed using Corder’s (1967) conceptual framework which outlines the steps that a researcher uses when undertaking an error analysis study. The errors were categorised according to Keshavarz’s (2006) linguistic error taxonomy. Based on this taxonomy, the results revealed that learners largely made errors in the following categories: phonology/orthography, morpho-syntax, lexico-semantics, discourse and techniquepunctuation. The study concluded that these errors were most likely due to: first language interference, overgeneralisation, ignorance of rule restriction and carelessness. Other proposed probable causes were context of learning and lack of knowledge of English grammar. The study makes a significant contribution, in that the findings can be used as a guide for the Namibian Ministry of Education in improving the status quo at schools and informing the line Ministry on various methods of dealing with language difficulties faced by learners. The findings can also empower teachers to help learners with difficulties in English language learning, thereby enabling learners to improve their English language proficiency. The study has proposed methods of intervention in order to facilitate the teaching of English as a second language in the Oshana region. In addition, the study has devised an easily applied assessment rubric that will assist in identifying non-standard forms of language used by learners. The reason for designing a new rubric is because the rubric which is currently being used is believed to be subjective, inconsistent and lacks transparency. , Name in Graduation Programme as: Nghikembua, Anneli Ndapanda
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
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