Language change in post independence Namibian poetry in English
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Date
2019-06
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Abstract
Language change has become a matter of concern for many countries and educational institutions but this subject still remains largely under-investigated in literary studies, particularly in Namibia. In this study, structuralism was used in the analysis of the selected post-independence Namibian poetry in English, representing three different generations of poets from 1990 up to 2018. The study aimed to explore the causes of language change, how Namibian poets link poetic language and poetic meaning, and ways they structure language change in post-independence Namibian poetry in English. Structuralism holds that all human activity and its products, even perception and thought itself, are constructed and not natural, and in particular that everything has meaning because of the language (Smithson, 2012). From the findings of this exploratory study, it appears that the rate of change may vary considerably due to both internal and external factors. The analysis also revealed that English in the post-independence Namibian poetry is slightly experienced as every word, grammatical element, sound and accent is a slowly changing configuration that is moulded by the invisible and impersonal. Moreover, the study recognises that language change is largely regular and it can be recognised in the types of change which the poetic language undergoes and cannot be predicted. The study concludes that the post-independence poetry-induced changes are generally defined as dynamic and multiple, involving internal change and external change as well as cultural, economical, political and social circumstances. The findings of this study revealed that language change is a concept that can be explored in post-independence Namibian poetry just as it is in other genres of the Namibian literature in English.
Description
Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of English and Applied Linguistics at the Namibian University of Science and Technology
Supervisor: Prof. Haileleul Zeleke Woldemariam
Keywords
Thesis - Namibia, Language change, Post-independence Namibian poetry, Poetic language, Poetic meaning, Structure, Structuralism
Citation
Nafuka, F. I. Language change in post independence Namibian poetry in English. [Master's thesis, Namibia University of Science and Technology]. Ounongo Repository.