Magister Artium - MA (Linguistics, Language and Communication)
http://hdl.handle.net/11394/78
2024-03-29T13:07:33ZInvestigating a proposed standardised method for authorship attribution in l1/2 english texts
http://hdl.handle.net/11394/10650
Investigating a proposed standardised method for authorship attribution in l1/2 english texts
Kotzé, Zahn-Mari
Authorship attribution is a method of revealing the obscure or unknown individuals who may have played a part in the creation of texts (Kotze, 2007). The purpose of authorship attribution is both to test claims of authorship and to detect secret or anonymous authors. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, there is no standardised method for authorship attribution. The literature reveals a need for such a method to be devised and ratified by the courts so that forensic linguists may act as expert witnesses. Such a method needs to be both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The dearth of such a method led to a mixed-method investigation into existing frames and methods of authorship attribution, with a view to proposing a method of enquiry that would uncover the unseen authors or contributors to texts. A detailed and systematic literature review led to the identification of writing-style features and a classification technique for the proposed method. The research therefore set out to discover whether authorship attribution could include a consideration of T-units and cohesion markers, in addition to Chaski’s (2007: 133–146) existing language indicators of authorship, which are (i) end-of-sentence punctuation, (ii) internal structure of sentences, and (iii) average sentence length. Ultimately, the investigation sought to uncover whether the additional two markers could be used for authorship profiling among selected first language (L1) and second language (L2) English speakers. These markers constituted the specific writing-style features of the various authors and were manually tagged in the chosen texts. The classification technique was assisted by the software, WordSmith Tools. The investigation analysed the linguistic evidence of eight L1/L2 English texts – four L2 texts and four L1 texts – to test whether the methodology actually worked. The markers were identified in the texts, and graphs and tables were calculated to present the quantitative data. From this data, linguistic deductions were made about the authors. The study found that a method for hidden authorship attribution is possible, but its success depends on the combination of writing-style features selected and the nature of the text analysed. The study found that average sentence length, average T-unit length and cohesion markers are good indicators of authorship, but that a more reliable classification technique is still needed. However, the current method may be used successfully in the analysis of texts of various lengths found online, as long as there is more than one text by the same author to serve as a basis for identifying these features.
Magister Artium - MA
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZGlobalisation and food positioning semiotics: Halaal food access and perceptions among Muslims in Cape Town
http://hdl.handle.net/11394/10540
Globalisation and food positioning semiotics: Halaal food access and perceptions among Muslims in Cape Town
Seboa, Ammaarah
Foodscapes are overflowing with food products from different countries, as globalisation and marketisation promote the mobility of humans and goods. To ensure food security for the nation, globalisation encourages transnational branding and the rebranding of food products during distribution to wider consumers. However, accessing food in such foodscapes can be challenging to Muslims who are obligated to only eat halaal food according to Islamic religious beliefs. The Islamic dietary laws define food products that are halaal as lawfully acceptable for
consumption and the food products to avoid are termed haram. The term halaal is complex, as it does not just pertain to the condition of food products, but also the way of life for Muslims. As such, Muslims have to be literate to read the semiotics of food in instances where not all foods are labeled to determine whether it is halaal or haram.
Magister Artium - MA
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAn analysis of linguistic errors in translations of complainants’ sworn statements
http://hdl.handle.net/11394/10436
An analysis of linguistic errors in translations of complainants’ sworn statements
Flusk, Shinaed Tyler
English remains the official language of record in South Africa and is used in most, if not all,
aspects of the justice system (Ralarala, 2014). As a result, sworn statements made by
complainants in any of the other official languages are translated by police officers into English
to be used as evidence in a court of law. Police personnel are not sworn translators or
interpreters and are not required to be. This has major implications for the legal process as well
as for the complainant. When evidence is presented in court in South Africa, a sworn statement
supersedes any oral story, and therefore inaccuracies in the translated version have profound
consequences. Linguistic errors which creep into written translations made by police officers
alter the authenticity of the sworn statement and result in discrepancies between oral testimony
and written testimony.
Masters of Art
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAn analysis of linguistic errors in translations of complainants’ sworn statements
http://hdl.handle.net/11394/10435
An analysis of linguistic errors in translations of complainants’ sworn statements
Flusk, Shinaed Tyler
English remains the official language of record in South Africa and is used in most, if not all, aspects of the justice system (Ralarala, 2014). As a result, sworn statements made by complainants in any of the other official languages are translated by police officers into English to be used as evidence in a court of law. Police personnel are not sworn translators or interpreters and are not required to be. This has major implications for the legal process as well as for the complainant. When evidence is presented in court in South Africa, a sworn statement supersedes any oral story, and therefore inaccuracies in the translated version have profound consequences. Linguistic errors which creep into written translations made by police officers alter the authenticity of the sworn statement and result in discrepancies between oral testimony and written testimony. These discrepancies have serious legal implications and could constitute a miscarriage of justice, impeding complainants’ access to justice. The study of linguistic errors is usually found in research related to language learning and teaching; to the best of my knowledge, such research is sparse in relation to Forensic Linguistics.
Magister Artium - MA
2023-01-01T00:00:00Z