Die Vertaalberoep En Taalbeplanning

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“We don't want to stand out, yet some of us do": The experience and responses of gender counter-normative students at Stellenbosch University

In 2016, The trans* Collective student activist group brought to light the erasure of gender counter-normative students’ contributions to the success of the #RhodesMustFall movement in 2015. Equally important, the Trans University Forum released a report in 2017 that compiled the experiences of gender counter-normative individuals at seven South African higher education institutions. The report evinced that universities are sites that marginalise and alienate gender counter-normative staff, students and workers. Employing life history research, the present article explores the experiences and responses of three gender counter-normative Stellenbosch University students as they navigate the university environment. Drawing on queer theory, the article highlights their challenges while at the same time it emphasises their agency and strategies of resistance to tackling cis-heteronormativity. The article concludes by highlighting how gender counter-normative students acknowledge and incorporate their relationships with others, allies and their communities as a collective response and action – collective agency – to challenge the normative, and sometimes adverse, university space

Some factors influencing the use of simultaneous interpreting as an alternative to parallel-medium teaching in tertiary education

Currently, a number of historical Afrikaans universities (i.e. North-West University, the University of the Free State and the University of  Johannesburg) are experimenting with the use of simultaneous interpreting (using the whispered mode) as an alternative to parallel-medium teaching. Simultaneous interpreting is discussed as a useful language policy management mechanism against the backdrop of a  changing linguistic context at tertiary institutions. In the case of the University of Johannesburg's Kingsway Campus, a dramatic shift has taken place in the linguistic profile of learners over the past nine years. This shifthas not only led to a need to reformulate the institution's language policy, but also poses challenges to the relevance of the languages of learning and teaching traditionally used, namely English and Afrikaans. It was therefore decided to experiment with the use of simultaneous interpreting to provide teaching and thus additional linguistic support in the four languages prescribed by the University's language policy, namely English, Afrikaans, Sesotho sa Leboa and isiZulu. The project aimed at establishing how a multilingual context would impact on learners' language attitudes and what the repercussions of such attitudes would be on interpreting in the classroom. This article reports on some of the factors found to  influence the use of simultaneous interpreting at the University of  Johannesburg, namely the hegemony of English, the extent of the linguistic diversity that has become characteristic of tertiary classrooms,and the impact of language attitudes.Keywords: simultaneous interpreting, classroom interpreting, language policy, hegemony, language attitudes, language diversit

Challenges encountered in the home-neighbourhood-community and school domain: An analysis of Tonga revitalisation through the eyes of Fishman’s (1991) Reversing Language Shift

Abstract : Minority language groups in Zimbabwe face many challenges as they strive for space and recognition for their languages. This study focuses particularly on the Tonga language spoken in the Binga District, Zimbabwe. It aims to explore the language planning goals for the revitalisation of Tonga, as well as the challenges encountered in realising these goals in two domains, i.e. the home-neighbourhood-community and the school domain. Data was gathered through interviews, as well as the use of secondary sources. For interviews, social actors involved in the revitalisation of Tonga were used as informants. These included Binga chiefs and their communities, non-governmental organisations, publishing houses and universities. Broadly speaking, the study reveals that the goals of Tonga revitalisation fall under language maintenance goals with an orientation towards community language maintenance (CLM), as well as language spread (acquisition) and standardisation for the home-neighbourhood- community (HNC) and school domains respectively. Within the HNC domain, the Tonga community faced great challenges in garnering ideological consensus within the community itself mainly due to a lack of advocacy and lobbying skills. They also faced challenges in gaining entry into domains outside the home, particularly the school domain. Following an analysis of the challenges encountered, this study therefore argues that minority language groups cannot do it without support and collaboration with other stakeholders, including central government. The insights drawn from this study’s findings might be applicable to other minority language groups in Zimbabwe and elsewhere, for example, in respect of offering feasible alternatives to the challenges of micro-level language revitalisation

Sense of humour and adolescents’ cognitive flexibility

Objective: There is a lack of research on humour among adolescents in South Africa. This article examines cognitive flexibility and humour. The objective was to investigate the roles of gender and language as possible moderating variables in the relationship between adolescents’ cognitive flexibility and sense of humour. Design: A correlational research design was used in which pupils were asked to complete the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale to assess their sense of humour. In order to determine the cognitive flexibility of the sample group, Martin and Rubin’s Cognitive Flexibility Scale was applied. Setting and subjects: The initial sample comprised 1 203 adolescents (Grade 11 and 12 pupils) randomly selected from the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. Of these, a final 392 adolescents qualified after eliminating criteria had been applied.Results: No significant correlations were found between the total group or for the two genders. Significant positive correlations were found between cognitive flexibility and two of the scores for humour (creating and expressing humour), as well as for the total score for Afrikaans-speaking participants. Significant negative correlations were found between cognitive flexibility and all five of the scores for humour for the Nguni language speakers. Conclusion: This study recommends that culturally sensitive measuring instruments should be developed.Keywords: sense of humour, cognitive flexibility, adolescents, psychological well-being, language, gende

Paleomagnetism of a lateritic paleoweathering horizon and overlying Paleoproterozoic red beds from South Africa: Implications for the Kaapvaal apparent polar wander path and a confirmation of atmospheric oxygen enrichment

The Olifantshoek Group in southern Africa contains Paleoproterozoic red beds that are exceptionally well preserved, lying unconformably atop a regionally extensive lateritic paleoweathering profile. We studied the basal unit of this succession, known as the Gamagara or Mapedi Formation, and the lateritized substrate (so-called “Drakenstein” or “Wolhaarkop” paleosol) on which it developed. Two ancient magnetic components are observed. One (INT), usually with a distributed unblocking spectrum between 300° and 600°C but occasionally persisting to >675°C, is directed shallowly southward or northward. A mesoscale fold test at South Sishen Mine indicates that this component was acquired during deformation; similarity of the direction to previous results suggests that it was acquired at ∼1240 Ma, during early Namaqua orogenesis. Combining our INT results with existing data from the Namaqua eastern zone (NEZ), we calculate the NEZ pole at (44.9°N, 021.5°E, K = 23.2, A_95 = 12.8°, Q = 5). The most stable component from our data set (HIG), always persisting as a nonzero endpoint to demagnetization at >665°–680°C, is observed in 32 samples from South Sishen and Beeshoek Mines. Directed moderately east-downward (Sishen) or west-upward (Beeshoek), this component predates the mesoscale fold at Sishen. More importantly, a conglomerate test at Beeshoek indicates that HIG was acquired prior to Paleoproterozoic deposition of the Gamagara/Mapedi Formation. The concordance between directions from the paleoweathering zone and immediately overlying red beds indicates that HIG is a primary magnetic remanence for the basal Gamagara/Mapedi (BGM) Formation. The dual-polarity BGM paleomagnetic pole (02.2°N, 081.9°E, dp = 7.2°, dm = 11.5°, Q = 6) lies neatly between previous Kaapvaal poles with ages of ∼2220 (Ongeluk lavas) and 2060 Ma (Bushveld complex). Our data thus support recent correlations of the Gamagara/Mapedi Formation with pre-Bushveld sediments of the Pretoria Group. A pre-Bushveld age for BGM is also consistent with its substantial distance from a new, albeit less reliable, paleomagnetic pole from the ∼1930-Ma Hartley lavas, higher within the Olifantshoek succession (12.5°N, 332.8°E, K = 18.6, A95 = 16.0°, Q = 3). Our conglomerate test at Beeshoek confirms previous allegations that the intense hematitization observed in the Drakenstein-Wolhaarkop paleosol occurred during Paleoproterozoic weathering under a highly oxygenated atmosphere

Dismantling Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Tinnitus. The Contribution of Applied Relaxation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) for tinnitus is an evidence-based intervention. The components of ICBT for tinnitus have, however, not been dismantled and thus the effectiveness of the different therapeutic components is unknown. It is, furthermore, not known if heterogeneous tinnitus subgroups respond differently to ICBT. Aims: This dismantling study aimed to explore the contribution of applied relaxation within ICBT for reducing tinnitus distress and comorbidities associated with tinnitus. A secondary aim was to assess whether outcomes varied for three tinnitus subgroups, namely those with significant tinnitus severity, those with low tinnitus severity, and those with significant depression. Methods: A parallel randomized controlled trial design (n = 126) was used to compare audiologist-guided applied relaxation with the full ICBT intervention. Recruitment was online and via the intervention platform. Assessments were completed at four-time points including a 2-month follow-up period. The primary outcome was tinnitus severity as measured by the Tinnitus Functional Index. Secondary outcomes were included for anxiety, depression, insomnia, negative tinnitus cognitions, health-related quality of life, hearing disability, and hyperacusis. Treatment engagement variables including the number of logins, number of modules opened, and the number of messages sent. Both an intention-to-treat analysis and completer\u27s only analysis were undertaken. Results: Engagement was low which compromised results as the full intervention was undertaken by few participants. Both the ICBT and applied relaxation resulted in large reduction of tinnitus severity (within-group effect sizes d = 0.87 and 0.68, respectively for completers only analysis), which were maintained, or further improved at follow-up. These reductions in tinnitus distress were greater for the ICBT group, with a small effect size differences (between-group d = 0.15 in favor of ICBT for completers only analysis). Tinnitus distress decreased the most at post-intervention for those with significant depression at baseline. Both ICBT and applied relaxation contributed to significant reductions on most secondary outcome measures, with no group differences, except for a greater reduction of hyperacusis in the ICBT group. Conclusion: Due to poor compliance partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic results were compromised. Further studies employing strategies to improve compliance and engagement are required. The intervention\u27s effectiveness increased with initial level of tinnitus distress; those with the highest scores at intake experienced the most substantial changes on the outcome measures. This may suggest tailoring of interventions according to tinnitus severity. Larger samples are needed to confirm this

Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Bryopsis pennata and Chaetomorpha antennina against Multidrug Resistant Morganella morganii and Salmonella species Isolated from Healthy Individuals

The problem of antibiotic resistance is fast becoming a pandemic which has necessitated the need for new drugs discovery. This study was carried out to screen two green algal species- Bryopsis pennata and Chaetomorpha anteninna for antibacterial activity against multidrug resistant pathogenic enteric organisms (Morganella morganii and Salmonella species) obtained from healthy individuals. Algal samples were obtained and processed. Crude extraction was carried out with dichloromethane/methanol (2:1) while the antibacterial screening was done by agar-well diffusion method. Results revealed that M. morganii was 3.37% of the total isolates recovered while Salmonella species was 6.74%. Result also showed that C. antennina was active against all the strains of Salmonella species with inhibitory zones ranging from 10 mm to 17 mm and the M. morganii with inhibitory zone of 11 mm while B. pennata showed inhibitory activities against only S. pullorum and S. enterica subspecies diarizonae with inhibitory zones of 12 mm and 7 mm respectively as well as the M. morganii strain with 14 mm. The antibacterial activities observed from these green algae showed that Bryopsis pennata and Chaetomorpha antennina from the West African coast are promising in the quest for new drugs with potentials against multidrug resistant strains of bacteria and therefore should be intensely researched int

Lime pretreatment of sugar beet pulp and evaluation of synergy between ArfA, ManA and XynA from Clostridium cellulovorans on the pretreated substrate

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is a waste product from the sugar beet industry and could be used as a potential biomass feedstock for second generation biofuel technology. Pretreatment of SBP with ‘slake lime’ (calcium hydroxide) was investigated using a 23 factorial design and the factors examined included lime loading, temperature and time. The pretreatment was evaluated for its ability to enhance enzymatic degradation using a combination of three hemicellulases, namely ArfA (an arabinofuranosidase), ManA (an endo-mannanase) and XynA (an endo-xylanase) from C. cellulovorans to determine the conditions under which optimal activity was facilitated. Optimal pretreatment conditions were found to be 0.4 g lime/g SBP, with 36 h digestion at 40 °C. The synergistic interactions between ArfA, ManA and XynA from C. cellulovorans were subsequently investigated on the pretreated SBP. The highest degree of synergy was observed at a protein ratio of 75% ArfA to 25% ManA, with a specific activity of 2.9 U/g protein. However, the highest activity was observed at 4.2 U/g protein at 100% ArfA. This study demonstrated that lime treatment enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of SBP. The ArfA was the most effective hemicellulase for release of sugars from pretreated SBP, but the synergy with the ManA indicated that low levels of mannan in SBP were probably masking the access of the ArfA to its substrate. XynA displayed no synergy with the other two hemicellulases, indicating that the xylan in the SBP was not hampering the access of ArfA or ManA to their substrates and was not closely associated with the mannan and arabinan in the SBP