Language

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Dual Readership

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Dual Readership refers to the process of constructing a work or text, also called crossover literature, which can play to two different levels of understanding for various audiences. This practice is most commonly employed in children’s literature.

Multimodality

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Multimodality is frequently characterized as either the interaction among semiotic modes or the integration of semiotic modes or resources (Poulsen, 2014). It approaches comprehending communication and representation to be more than about language.

Metaphor

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A metaphor is a trope, or a figure of speech, that directly refers to one thing by mentioning features of another one; an object, or an idea, is viewed as a metaphor which offers people new ways of examining ideas and viewing the world.

Comics

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Comics (generally referring to comic books and comic strips) are a popular form of visual storytelling that combines still images and text.

Overlexicalization

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Overlexicalization refers to the repetitions of words in order to emphasise a certain concept or definition. It is a process where words are used to persuade and accentuate something within discourse. Often, these words are quasi-synonymous - referring to the same thing in a slightly different tone - and give a sense of overcompleteness. Overlexicalization can be recognised when words are placed within a discourse which aims to persuade and cause to believe in something.

Junk News

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Junk news is news that is consumed and goes viral not because it is relevant or appreciated, but because it is addictive (Venturini, 2019).

Intertextuality

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Intertextuality occurs whenever we observe material from one text occur in other texts, explicitly as well as implicitly.

Indexicality

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Meaning that emerges out of text-context relations. Apart from (often) having a denotational meaning, linguistic and other signs are indexical in that they suggest metapragmatic, metalinguistic, metadiscursive features of meaning. Thus, an utterance may indexically invoke social norms, roles, identities.

Frame

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A frame is a set of meaningful signs connected to specific types of social action. Together they create a 'logic' of action and make the action understandable for those involved in it.

Formats

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Formats are recognizably patterned forms of behavior, subject to norms and judged accordingly by others.

Ethnography

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Ethnography can be defined as the small-scale study of human behavior through "clinical" observation and intersubjective participation.

Linguicism

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Linguicism is language discrimination or language racism, the discrimination of speakers of a certain language.

Discourse

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Discourse can be seen as language-in-action, something that is effectively used in communication.

Fansubbers in China: A “Promethean community” in a gray zone

Paper
Chen Li
19/02/2021
15 minutes to read

The community of fansubbers in China induces both admiration and criticism from the public. This article explores the identity-making and controversies induced by fansubbers in today's globalization and digital world.

Joe Biden wins 2020 presidential elections with the help of black voters

Joe Biden, George Floyd and #BLM: how Biden won the race for presidency.

Article
Nikki Lavrijssen
21/01/2021
20 minutes to read

This article demonstrates how presidential candidate Joe Biden profited from George Floyd's death and the consequent rise of the #BLM movement by using the situation to win over Black voters.  An analysis of his tweets reveals how he did this.

jan blommaert, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, in memorium, tribute

Farewell, Jan Blommaert

Article
Tom Van Hout
09/01/2021
2 minutes to read

Tom Van Hout says farewell to Jan Blommaert. He praises not only the academic, but also the man who normalized vulnerability

Stellenbosch University Language Policy changes for the Afrikaans Language

Paper
Nastassja Wessels
11/12/2020
27 minutes to read

An array of historical issues surrounding the Afrikaans Language has led to a final stand-off between the Open Stellenbosch movement and the Stellenbosch University, which resulted in a change in Language Policy. Was the LP process democratic? 

Localising Japanese Games for a Global Market: a review of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Article
Juliette Berndsen
20/11/2023
9 minutes to read

The article explores cultural interpretations and substitutions which were achieved with localisation of settings, characters and other cultural references in the Western re-release of Japanese Nintendo game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Chinese restaurant storefront

How Semiotic Signs Can Be Both Helpful and Misleading

Article
Jenny de Kleijn
23/06/2023
10 minutes to read

This article presents a linguistic landscape analysis of two stores in the Netherlands to see if semiotic signs always reach the goal they were originally intended for.

A dangerous translation: A case study of the Japanese periphery

Article
Catalina Amengual Ripoll
17/11/2020
11 minutes to read

Even though international exchange has increased enormously over the past years, mistranslations are still not uncommon - but what if a mistranslation might actually lead to danger? Like being attacked by a wild bear in the middle of Japan?