The Language of Ethnic Contempt: Malawian-Zimbabwean-Shona Rivalry

The contact between the Shona and immigrants from Malawi dates back to more than six decades ago. Throughout this period, the ethnic relations of the two groups have been represented in fiction, drama and popular music as antagonistic. However, very little has been said about how these two ethnic groups express their attitudes towards each other through language, in particular, the names or labels that they use. This paper argues that the relations of the two groups have been largely antagonistic and are covertly or overtly reflected in the language that members of the groups use to refer or to name or label each other. This article demonstrates that names or labels both groups use to contemptuously refer to or name (insult) each other derive from the socio-cultural and historical context. These names or labels reflect the groups’ disapproval of and stereotypical attitudes towards each other

Full-size testing to determine stress concentration factors of dragline tubular joints

This paper describes the determination of stress concentration factors (SCFs) of dragline tubular joints through laboratory testing of four full-size dragline tubular joints. Strip gauges are installed both outside and inside the footprint of the joints to measure stress distribution at the weld toe and weld root. Measurements for SCF are carried out for two load cases, i.e. tension or compression forces in the main chord alone and tension or compression forces in the vertical bracings alone with reaction forces in the inclined braces. The relationship of the SCF between the corresponding weld toes and weld roots are presented in the paper. The weld profile and weld root gaps that have been measured using the silicon imprint technique and feeler gauges, provide valuable information for future FE simulation and weld root failure study using the effective notch stress approach