Department of English Language and Linguistics
What we do:
Linguistics is the study of language: how it is structured and how it is used. It includes many different areas of study, ranging from those that explore the “nuts and bolts” of how speech sounds, words and sentences work, to those that discover how language interacts with society, affecting and reflecting all kinds of social issues. We pride ourselves on teaching and research which presents a broad view of both these sides of linguistics.
Doing business in many languages
At a Departmental Research Seminar on Tuesday 15 May, Rhodes Linguistics Master’s student Sanne Lauriks talked about her plans to compare the ways in which languages are used in two small businesses: one in Grahamstown and one in Amsterdam....read more
Being multilingual in Ghana
Dr Mercy Akrofi Ansah, a visiting scholar from the University of Ghana, took the Rhodes Linguistics department on a virtual tour of a small town in her country as she spoke about language choice in a multilingual community in a Departmental Research Seminar on Tuesday 8 May 2012....read more
Linguistics graduates shine
The Department of English Language and Linguistics recently celebrated the graduation of its class of 2011. This year's crop of graduands, although relatively small, included some sparkling achievers....read more
Putting words together in ciNsenga
Rhodes linguist Ron Simango presented a brief look at the grammar of ciNsenga at a Departmental Research Seminar on Tuesday 22 February. He showed how this language, from the border of Malawi and Zambia, handles subject marking, coordination and noun classes....read more
Endangered languages can be saved and strengthened
Associate Professor Ron Simango from Rhodes Linguistics spoke on SAFM on Sunday 19 February about the threat of language endangerment: the possibility that languages may die out and be replaced by more 'powerful' languages. Fortunately, he said, our languages can be preserved and strengthened if people use them in more domains of society....read more
Ian Siebörger submits his MA thesis... and speaks on SAFM again
Rhodes Linguistics lecturer Ian Siebörger handed in his Master's thesis on language in Parliament on Monday 16 January, and has been asked to give another interview for SAFM's Word of Mouth programme on Sunday 22 January....read more
Mark de Vos speaks on Talk Radio 702 and 567 CapeTalk
Dr Mark de Vos was interviewed on Talk Radio 702 and 567 CapeTalk on Tuesday 23 November, on the topic of the meanings of words, especially taboo words.
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Ian Siebörger to speak on SAFM again
Rhodes linguist Ian Siebörger has been asked to give an interview on SAFM again on Sunday 27 November from 1:30 to 2:00pm....read more
Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
Dr Mark de Vos from Rhodes Linguistics gave a paper at an EDUCATION DIALOGUES panel discussion on plagiarism held at the Rhodes University Environmental Education Learning Resource Centre on Wednesday 19 October. A full copy of his paper is available below:
I broached the issue of plagiarism with a philosophically inclined friend of mine a few weeks ago. His response was quite blunt: it’s a legal issue; let the lawyers sort it out. I’d like to argue against this view, that leaving it to others (especially lawyers) is an abdication of the defence of academic freedom and that we (and Rhodes as an institution) should be taking the high ground before others do.
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Ian Siebörger to speak on SAFM
Rhodes Linguistics junior lecturer Ian Siebörger will be interviewed on SAFM's "Word of Mouth" feature on language on Sunday 6 November from 1:30 to 2:00pm....read more
