37.1245, Diss: Afrikaans, English, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Xhosa; General Linguistics: Chrismi-Rinda Loth: "The Linguistic Landscape as Construct of the Public Space: A Case Study of Post-Apartheid Rural South Africa"

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LINGUIST List: Vol-37-1245. Fri Mar 27 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.1245, Diss: Afrikaans, English, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Xhosa; General Linguistics: Chrismi-Rinda Loth: "The Linguistic Landscape as Construct of the Public Space: A Case Study of Post-Apartheid Rural South Africa"

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Date: 27-Mar-2026
From: Chrismi-Rinda Loth [LothC at ufs.ac.za]
Subject: The Linguistic Landscape as Construct of the Public Space: A Case Study of Post-Apartheid Rural South Africa

Institution: University of the Free State (Bloemfontein, South Africa)
| Doctoral Degree (Linguistics and Language Practice)
Degree Date: 2016

Dissertation Title: The Linguistic Landscape as Construct of the
Public Space: A Case Study of Post-Apartheid Rural South Africa

Dissertation URL: http://hdl.handle.net/11660/4775

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics

Subject Language(s): Afrikaans (afr)
                     English (eng)
                     Southern Sotho (sot)
                     Tswana (tsn)
                     Xhosa (xho)

Dissertation Director(s): Theodorus du Plessis

Dissertation Abstract:

English: The linguistic landscape (LL), comprised of items displaying
written language in the public space, is the product of linguistic
choices that are executed by a myriad of actors who are guided by
numerous pragmatic or symbolic motivations. Written language in the
public space has unique semiotic properties that extend beyond its
communicative function. It indexes power relations and identities,
and, as such, is utilised to impose or negotiate these. The LL is thus
a symbolic construct finding itself in a continuous dialectic with
society. This dialectic is especially interesting in a society
undergoing socio-political transformation, since revised language
policies and ideologies are at play. While the changes influence
choices made in the LL, the LL simultaneously serves to index change.
In the South African context, the shift from apartheid to democracy in
1994 heralded a new language regime. The high level of societal
multilingualism in the country is now supported on an official level.
The present study asks questions about the nature of the LL
constructed in post-apartheid South Africa. Since peripheral LLs are
generally neglected in LL research, this investigation aims to address
the gap by conducting an empirical case study of the linguistic
profile of a rural area in South Africa.
LL research focuses on the patterns of language choice in the public
space. However, the field has not yet developed a coherent
methodological and theoretical framework that allows for an extensive
yet systematic exploration of LL patterns. Therefore, the present
study proposes a model based on concepts from the field of language
policy and planning (LPP).
Based on the premise that the validity of communicative actions is
determined by space (as context), a model of LPP space is developed.
This LPP space is constituted by a physical and a semiotic aspect. The
latter is further divided into three centres, namely the regulatory,
the legitimising and the implementational. These four facets of the
LPP space each adhere to an internal logic, but they are interactive
and compete for dominance. The prevailing LPP facet governs the rules
for valid communicative actions that require or prohibit the use of
certain linguistic competencies. Based on which competencies are
allowed, the multilingual capacities of actors are rendered either
valid or invalid.
The LPP space model is applied to the LL by determining the
spatio-temporal characteristics of the research site (physical
aspect), analysing official directives regarding the LL (regulatory
centre), exploring language attitudes in the community (legitimising
centre), and documenting the language choices executed in the LL
(implementational centre). How multilingualism is evaluated by each
LPP facet is also considered.
The implementational centre is explored by means of a complete LL
survey of the nine towns in the Kopanong Local Municipality in the
southern Free State province of South Africa. The dataset, comprising
5,773 signs, was compiled between 20 May 2008 and 18 August 2010.
Given the extensiveness of the data, several methodological advances
are developed in order to systematically codify and analyse the
dataset. The combined qualitative/quantitative approach allows
thorough cross-referencing of the results, where patterns of language
choice are compared to the three LL variables (locality, agency and
functionality) as well as the other LPP facets.
For this specific context, the study concludes that all facets of the
LPP space place the onus to enact multilingual competencies on the LL
actors themselves. The LL resulting from their choices is constituted
by a high volume of monolingual signage. In addition, English
dominates at the expense of African language visibility, and, to a
lesser degree, Afrikaans. However, this outcome is considered the
result of lacking critical awareness about the LL rather than a
negative evaluation of a multilingual LL.
Afrikaans: Die linguistiese landskap (LL), bestaande uit items wat
geskrewe taal in die openbare ruimte vertoon, is die produk van
linguistiese keuses wat gemaak word deur ŉ groot aantal rolspelers,
dié gelei deur verskeie pragmatiese of simboliese motiverings.
Geskrewe taal in die openbare ruimte het unieke semiotiese eienskappe
wat ver verby die kommunikatiewe funksie daarvan strek. Dit indekseer
magsverhoudinge en identiteite en word, as sodanig, aangewend om
hierdie af te dwing of te onderhandel. Die LL is gevolglik ŉ
simboliese konstruk wat sigself in ŉ voortdurende dialektiek met die
samelewing verkeer. Hierdie dialektiek is veral interessant in ŉ
samelewing wat besig is om sosio-politiese transformasie te ondergaan,
aangesien hersiene taalbeleide en -ideologieë aan die bod is. Terwyl
hierdie veranderinge keuses in die LL beïnvloed, dien die LL
terselfdertyd as medium om verandering te indekseer. In die
Suid-Afrikaanse konteks het die verandering in 1994 van apartheid na
demokrasie ŉ nuwe taalregime ingelui. Die hoë vlak van veeltaligheid
in hierdie samelewing geniet nou amptelike ondersteuning. Die huidige
studie doen ondersoek oor die aard van die LL wat in postapartheid
Suid-Afrika gekonstrueer word. Aangesien daar gewoonlik nie aandag
geskenk word aan periferale LL’s in LL-navorsing nie, poog hierdie
ondersoek om die gaping aan te spreek deur die uitvoer van ŉ empiriese
gevallestudie van die linguistiese profiel van ŉ landelike gebied in
Suid-Afrika.
LL-navorsing fokus op die tendense rondom taalkeuses in die openbare
ruimte. Die veld het egter nog nie ŉ koherente metodologiese en
teoretiese raamwerk ontwikkel wat ŉ omvattende, dog sistematiese
ondersoek van LL-tendense toelaat nie. Gevolglik stel die huidige
studie ŉ model voor, gebaseer op konsepte uit die veld van taalbeleid
en taalbeplanning (LPP).
Gebaseer op die veronderstelling dat die geldigheid van kommunikatiewe
handelinge deur ruimte (as konteks) bepaal word, is ŉ model vir
LPP-ruimte ontwikkel. Hierdie LPP-ruimte bestaan uit ŉ fisiese en ŉ
semiotiese aspek. Laasgenoemde word verder onderverdeel in drie kerne,
naamlik die regulatoriese, die legitimiserende en die implementerende.
Hierdie vier fasette van die LPP-ruimte is elk onderworpe aan ŉ
interne logika, maar hulle is interaktief en ding mee om dominansie.
Die heersende LPP-faset bepaal die reëls vir geldige kommunikatiewe
aksies, wat die gebruik van sekere linguistiese vaardighede vereis of
verbied. Gebaseer op welke vaardighede toegelaat word, word die
veeltalige vermoëns van rolspelers geldig of ongeldig verklaar.
Die LPP-ruimtemodel word op die LL toegepas deur die
ruimtelik-temporale eienskappe van die navorsingsterrein (fisiese
aspek) te bepaal, amptelike riglyne rakende die LL te analiseer
(regulatoriese kern), taalhoudinge in die gemeenskap te ondersoek
(legitimiserende kern), en die dokumentering van die taalkeuses wat in
die LL toegepas word (implementerende kern). Oorweging word ook
geskenk aan hoe veeltaligheid deur elke LPP-faset geëvalueer word.
Die implementerende kern is ondersoek by wyse van ŉ omvattende opname
van die LL van die nege dorpe in die Kopanong Plaaslike Munisipaliteit
in die suidelike Vrystaat-provinsie in Suid-Afrika. Die datastel,
bestaande uit 5,773 tekens, is tussen 20 Mei 2008 en 18 Augustus 2010
ingesamel. Gegewe die omvattende aard van die data is verskeie
metodologiese tegnieke ontwikkel ten einde die datastel sistematies te
kodifiseer en te ontleed. Die gekombineerde kwalitatiewe/kwantitatiewe
benadering laat ruimte vir die kruis-verwysing van die resultate, waar
tendense van taalkeuse vergelyk word met die drie LL-veranderlikes
(ligging, agentskap en funksionaliteit), asook die ander LPP-fasette.
Vir hierdie spesifieke konteks kom die studie tot die gevolgtrekking
dat alle fasette van die LPP-ruimte die onus om veeltalige vaardighede
uit te voer, op die LL-rolspelers self plaas. Die LL wat voortspruit
uit hulle keuses bestaan uit ŉ hoë volume eentalige tekens. Verder
oorheers Engels ten koste van die sigbaarheid van Afrikatale en, tot ŉ
mindere mate, Afrikaans. Hierdie uitkoms word egter beskou as die
resultaat van ŉ gebrek aan kritiese bewustheid omtrent die LL, eerder
as ŉ negatiewe evaluering van ŉ veeltalige LL.
Keywords
Kopanong, Local municipality, Language attitudes, Language
legislation, Language policy and planning, Language practices,
Linguistic landscape, Multilingualism, Public space, Rural research

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