75 research outputs found
The Realisation of syntactic principles in non-standard Afrikaans: the correspondence of Jan Jonker Afrikaner (1820-1889)
This study compares the syntax of nineteenth-century Orange River Afrikaans with Dutch and synchronic Afrikaans varieties, with particular attention to Griqua Afrikaans. It provides an account of the differences that are found between the earliest attestations of an extraterritorial variety of the Dutch language on southern African soil (the so-called Cape Dutch Vernacular) with the present-day outcome. The data collected for this study originate chiefly from an hitherto undisclosed corpus of letters kept in the Namibian State Archives by the so-called Oorlam-Nama, people of mixed descent who lived on the periphery of the nineteenth- century Cape colonial society. This thesis argues that nineteenth-century Orange River Afrikaans is a representative continuation of the earliest developments in the linguistic contact situation that existed at the Cape. The thesis advances that literacy and social class are important factors in the assessment of the written record from the Dutch colony at the Cape. The thesis centers around the letters by one author, Jan Jonker Afrikaner, written over a period of nearly twenty years in the second half of the nineteenth century. This legacy is a unique contribution to the diachronic data concerning the development of Afrikaans. From the data it is shown that this author had the command over different registers, fluctuating between a near perfect metropolitan Dutch and a Hollands that is classified as basilectal Afrikaans. The comparison of the data is set in a framework inspired by the concepts put forward in Generative Grammar. This has precipitated an exciting linguistic comparison of contemporary Afrikaans grammar with the diachronic material. This dissertation challenges the idea that the Khoesan Languages were of no or little influence in the development of Afrikaans. The linguistic analysis of the nineteenth-century data reveal that the developments which took place cannot be attributed to one single origin. It is demonstrated that the innovations and change that can be identified run parallel to regular patterns that are found in other languages generally classified as creole languages. It is argued that the syntax of the Khoesan languages is a major reinforcing factor in the development of the syntactic idiosyncrasies that are identified as un-Germanic characteristics of Afrikaans. Limited to nonstandard varieties of Afrikaans, in the concluding sections the question is raised how these findings are to be addressed in the larger context of language change
Forced Displacement and Racialization: The Colombian Experience
This thesis compares the differential processes of racialization from a Colombian perspective experienced by three groups of displaced migrants in the global North and South. First, internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been forced to move to the Coffee Region in Colombia after leaving their homes in rural regions between 2000 and 2015. Second, Colombian refugees who had similarly sought asylum in Toronto, Canada, and who migrated between 1997 and 2004. Third, Venezuelan migrants who arrived in the Coffee Region in Colombia between 2014 and 2018 due to the deteriorating living conditions and crisis in Venezuela. This research contributes to further theoretical debates on critical geographies of race, postcolonial geography, and urban geography in relation to forced migration. The objective of this research is to question understandings of race and racism, particularly how space and mobility affect the dynamics of racialization through such diverse experiences of forced displacement. The main argument of this research is that the process of forced displacement (as experienced by the Colombian IDPs and Venezuelan migrants to the Coffee Region in Colombia, and for the Colombian refugees to Toronto), results in spatialities of racialization. While escaping violence and economic hardship, forced migrants are subjected to oppressive and exclusionary processes that make them vulnerable to systemic racism and microaggressions. This comparative research uses a combination of qualitative methodologies, including in-depth semi-structured interviews, participant observation, field diary, and policy and document reviews. The research reveals that despite different experiences of internal displacement or transnational migration, spatial processes of racialization present similar dynamics of white supremacy as the dominant racial ideology
The Realisation of syntactic principles in non-standard Afrikaans: the correspondence of Jan Jonker Afrikaner (1820-1889)
This study compares the syntax of nineteenth-century Orange River Afrikaans with Dutch and synchronic Afrikaans varieties, with particular attention to Griqua Afrikaans. It provides an account of the differences that are found between the earliest attestations of an extraterritorial variety of the Dutch language on southern African soil (the so-called Cape Dutch Vernacular) with the present-day outcome. The data collected for this study originate chiefly from an hitherto undisclosed corpus of letters kept in the Namibian State Archives by the so-called Oorlam-Nama, people of mixed descent who lived on the periphery of the nineteenth- century Cape colonial society. This thesis argues that nineteenth-century Orange River Afrikaans is a representative continuation of the earliest developments in the linguistic contact situation that existed at the Cape. The thesis advances that literacy and social class are important factors in the assessment of the written record from the Dutch colony at the Cape. The thesis centers around the letters by one author, Jan Jonker Afrikaner, written over a period of nearly twenty years in the second half of the nineteenth century. This legacy is a unique contribution to the diachronic data concerning the development of Afrikaans. From the data it is shown that this author had the command over different registers, fluctuating between a near perfect metropolitan Dutch and a Hollands that is classified as basilectal Afrikaans. The comparison of the data is set in a framework inspired by the concepts put forward in Generative Grammar. This has precipitated an exciting linguistic comparison of contemporary Afrikaans grammar with the diachronic material. This dissertation challenges the idea that the Khoesan Languages were of no or little influence in the development of Afrikaans. The linguistic analysis of the nineteenth-century data reveal that the developments which took place cannot be attributed to one single origin. It is demonstrated that the innovations and change that can be identified run parallel to regular patterns that are found in other languages generally classified as creole languages. It is argued that the syntax of the Khoesan languages is a major reinforcing factor in the development of the syntactic idiosyncrasies that are identified as un-Germanic characteristics of Afrikaans. Limited to nonstandard varieties of Afrikaans, in the concluding sections the question is raised how these findings are to be addressed in the larger context of language change
The Realisation of syntactic principles in non-standard Afrikaans: the correspondence of Jan Jonker Afrikaner (1820-1889)
This study compares the syntax of nineteenth-century Orange River Afrikaans with Dutch and synchronic Afrikaans varieties, with particular attention to Griqua Afrikaans. It provides an account of the differences that are found between the earliest attestations of an extraterritorial variety of the Dutch language on southern African soil (the so-called Cape Dutch Vernacular) with the present-day outcome. The data collected for this study originate chiefly from an hitherto undisclosed corpus of letters kept in the Namibian State Archives by the so-called Oorlam-Nama, people of mixed descent who lived on the periphery of the nineteenth- century Cape colonial society. This thesis argues that nineteenth-century Orange River Afrikaans is a representative continuation of the earliest developments in the linguistic contact situation that existed at the Cape. The thesis advances that literacy and social class are important factors in the assessment of the written record from the Dutch colony at the Cape. The thesis centers around the letters by one author, Jan Jonker Afrikaner, written over a period of nearly twenty years in the second half of the nineteenth century. This legacy is a unique contribution to the diachronic data concerning the development of Afrikaans. From the data it is shown that this author had the command over different registers, fluctuating between a near perfect metropolitan Dutch and a Hollands that is classified as basilectal Afrikaans. The comparison of the data is set in a framework inspired by the concepts put forward in Generative Grammar. This has precipitated an exciting linguistic comparison of contemporary Afrikaans grammar with the diachronic material. This dissertation challenges the idea that the Khoesan Languages were of no or little influence in the development of Afrikaans. The linguistic analysis of the nineteenth-century data reveal that the developments which took place cannot be attributed to one single origin. It is demonstrated that the innovations and change that can be identified run parallel to regular patterns that are found in other languages generally classified as creole languages. It is argued that the syntax of the Khoesan languages is a major reinforcing factor in the development of the syntactic idiosyncrasies that are identified as un-Germanic characteristics of Afrikaans. Limited to nonstandard varieties of Afrikaans, in the concluding sections the question is raised how these findings are to be addressed in the larger context of language change
African transnational student mobility : a case study of Malawian students at selected South African universities
Dissertation (MSocSci (Development Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2022.This study focused on understanding the contemporary migration of Malawian transnational students to South Africa and their economic and sociocultural experiences in selected South African universities. It was motivated by the paucity of scholarly literature about the migration of Malawian transnational migrants to South Africa for educational purposes. To interrogate this, the study used the Transnationalism, Aspiration, and Agency conceptual lens to examine the lived experiences of Malawian transnational students living in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Using a qualitative research methodology and case study design, the empirical data for this study was collected through semi-structured individual interviews with ten (10) Malawian transnational students. The data was thematically analysed in line with the objectives of the study.Anthropology and ArchaeologyMSocSci (Development Studies)Unrestricte
Expanding Horizons. Settlement Patterns and Outfield Land Use in the Norse North Atlantic
publishedVersio
HapticHead - Augmenting Reality via Tactile Cues
Information overload is increasingly becoming a challenge in today's world. Humans have only a limited amount of attention to allocate between sensory channels and tend to miss or misjudge critical sensory information when multiple activities are going on at the same time. For example, people may miss the sound of an approaching car when walking across the street while looking at their smartphones. Some sensory channels may also be impaired due to congenital or acquired conditions. Among sensory channels, touch is often experienced as obtrusive, especially when it occurs unexpectedly. Since tactile actuators can simulate touch, targeted tactile stimuli can provide users of virtual reality and augmented reality environments with important information for navigation, guidance, alerts, and notifications.
In this dissertation, a tactile user interface around the head is presented to relieve or replace a potentially impaired visual channel, called \emph{HapticHead}. It is a high-resolution, omnidirectional, vibrotactile display that presents general, 3D directional, and distance information through dynamic tactile patterns. The head is well suited for tactile feedback because it is sensitive to mechanical stimuli and provides a large spherical surface area that enables the display of precise 3D information and allows the user to intuitively rotate the head in the direction of a stimulus based on natural mapping.
Basic research on tactile perception on the head and studies on various use cases of head-based tactile feedback are presented in this thesis. Several investigations and user studies have been conducted on (a) the funneling illusion and localization accuracy of tactile stimuli around the head, (b) the ability of people to discriminate between different tactile patterns on the head, (c) approaches to designing tactile patterns for complex arrays of actuators, (d) increasing the immersion and presence level of virtual reality applications, and (e) assisting people with visual impairments in guidance and micro-navigation.
In summary, tactile feedback around the head was found to be highly valuable as an additional information channel in various application scenarios. Most notable is the navigation of visually impaired individuals through a micro-navigation obstacle course, which is an order of magnitude more accurate than the previous state-of-the-art, which used a tactile belt as a feedback modality. The HapticHead tactile user interface's ability to safely navigate people with visual impairments around obstacles and on stairs with a mean deviation from the optimal path of less than 6~cm may ultimately improve the quality of life for many people with visual impairments.Die InformationsĂŒberlastung wird in der heutigen Welt zunehmend zu einer Herausforderung. Der Mensch hat nur eine begrenzte Menge an Aufmerksamkeit, die er zwischen den SinneskanĂ€len aufteilen kann, und neigt dazu, kritische Sinnesinformationen zu verpassen oder falsch einzuschĂ€tzen, wenn mehrere AktivitĂ€ten gleichzeitig ablaufen. Zum Beispiel können Menschen das GerĂ€usch eines herannahenden Autos ĂŒberhören, wenn sie ĂŒber die StraĂe gehen und dabei auf ihr Smartphone schauen. Einige SinneskanĂ€le können auch aufgrund von angeborenen oder erworbenen Erkrankungen beeintrĂ€chtigt sein. Unter den SinneskanĂ€len wird BerĂŒhrung oft als aufdringlich empfunden, besonders wenn sie unerwartet auftritt. Da taktile Aktoren BerĂŒhrungen simulieren können, können gezielte taktile Reize den Benutzern von Virtual- und Augmented Reality Anwendungen wichtige Informationen fĂŒr die Navigation, FĂŒhrung, Warnungen und Benachrichtigungen liefern.
In dieser Dissertation wird eine taktile BenutzeroberflĂ€che um den Kopf herum prĂ€sentiert, um einen möglicherweise beeintrĂ€chtigten visuellen Kanal zu entlasten oder zu ersetzen, genannt \emph{HapticHead}. Es handelt sich um ein hochauflösendes, omnidirektionales, vibrotaktiles Display, das allgemeine, 3D-Richtungs- und Entfernungsinformationen durch dynamische taktile Muster darstellt. Der Kopf eignet sich gut fĂŒr taktiles Feedback, da er empfindlich auf mechanische Reize reagiert und eine groĂe sphĂ€rische OberflĂ€che bietet, die die Darstellung prĂ€ziser 3D-Informationen ermöglicht und es dem Benutzer erlaubt, den Kopf aufgrund der natĂŒrlichen Zuordnung intuitiv in die Richtung eines Reizes zu drehen.
Grundlagenforschung zur taktilen Wahrnehmung am Kopf und Studien zu verschiedenen AnwendungsfĂ€llen von kopfbasiertem taktilem Feedback werden in dieser Arbeit vorgestellt. Mehrere Untersuchungen und Nutzerstudien wurden durchgefĂŒhrt zu (a) der Funneling Illusion und der Lokalisierungsgenauigkeit von taktilen Reizen am Kopf, (b) der FĂ€higkeit von Menschen, zwischen verschiedenen taktilen Mustern am Kopf zu unterscheiden, (c) AnsĂ€tzen zur Gestaltung taktiler Muster fĂŒr komplexe Arrays von Aktoren, (d) der Erhöhung des Immersions- und PrĂ€senzgrades von Virtual-Reality-Anwendungen und (e) der UnterstĂŒtzung von Menschen mit Sehbehinderungen bei der FĂŒhrung und Mikronavigation.
Zusammenfassend wurde festgestellt, dass taktiles Feedback um den Kopf herum als zusĂ€tzlicher Informationskanal in verschiedenen Anwendungsszenarien sehr wertvoll ist. Am interessantesten ist die Navigation von sehbehinderten Personen durch einen Mikronavigations-Hindernisparcours, welche um eine GröĂenordnung prĂ€ziser ist als der bisherige Stand der Technik, der einen taktilen GĂŒrtel als Feedback-ModalitĂ€t verwendete. Die FĂ€higkeit der taktilen Benutzerschnittstelle HapticHead, Menschen mit Sehbehinderungen mit einer mittleren Abweichung vom optimalen Pfad von weniger als 6~cm sicher um Hindernisse und auf Treppen zu navigieren, kann letztendlich die LebensqualitĂ€t vieler Menschen mit Sehbehinderungen verbessern
Mechanisms of Security: Locks, keys, and ordered life in Iron Age Norway (c. 0â1050 AD)
This thesis examines the technological and social parameters for, and the social impact of, the introduction and implementation of locking into Norway in the Iron Age, based on analyses of locks and keys. The functional properties of locking devices and their practical applications as security mechanisms constitute the focal point of the study, and the basis for discussing how locking contributed to the ordering and organisation of life and society in the course of the first millennium AD.
The main aims are to establish an empirical foundation for the study of locking devices and to understand locks and keys as a technological and social phenomenon which was affected by and had effects on the societies that created and used them. The archaeological material is approached from a conceptual framework centred on perspectives of entanglement and social boundaries, in which locking is considered a social practice. As material agents locks and keys are seen as involved in the physical protection of things and spaces, regulation of access, and manifestation of ownership rights, as well as the creation and negotiation of values and norms as part of social order.
The analytical material is comprised by more than eight hundred locks and keys dated from the Roman Period to the Viking Age, deriving from burials, depositions, and settlements, as well as single finds. The finds are used in the construction of renewed classifications for Scandinavian locks and keys, which is based on their functional designs and their correlation to lockable containers, doors, and fetters. Through temporal, spatial, and contextual analyses of types the thesis outlines a complex picture of production, innovation, distribution, and application of locking devices. The results illustrate that locks and keys were introduced and developed in stages in Norway, and that their use expanded and diversified practically as well as socially. The analytical patterns are further discussed in terms of security, ownership, and order, arguing that locking from its introduction became gradually embedded into society during the Iron Age. This is suggested to result from the success of locks and keys in achieving order, and their close relationship with processes of hierarchisation, social differentiation, and social complexity.
The thesis provides new insights into the practical functions and applications of diverse locking mechanisms, technological development, craft specialisation, exchange and contact networks, and the social impact of locking in terms of physical and social order. It also contributes to current debates concerning social organisation and transformations within Norway and wider Scandinavia and Northern Europe in the first millennium AD.Doktorgradsavhandlin
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