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Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613902427127808 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Ngamlana, Lukhanyo |
| author2 | Visser, Marianna |
| author_browse | Ngamlana, Lukhanyo Visser, Marianna |
| author_facet | Visser, Marianna Ngamlana, Lukhanyo |
| author_sort | Ngamlana, Lukhanyo |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136097 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:31.605Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136097 Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners Ngamlana, Lukhanyo Visser, Marianna Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages. Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Ngamlana, L. 2026. Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/630597a4-a79f-4bca-89a6-421f5585a96a This study, conducted within the framework of Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning (TBLT), investigates issues related to task and syllabus design for the teaching of isiXhosa as a second language to legal scholars and practitioners for legal aid consultation purposes. The study contributes to this knowledge field through: (i) advancing research in the understudied research field of task and syllabus design for specialised language instruction of legal language in African languages, as morphologically complex languages, in particular isiXhosa, in South Africa, and (ii) proposing refinements to Task-based theory and research. The research contributes to second language acquisition pedagogy to advance the implementation of national language planning and policy, advancing linguistic justice and the parity and esteem of African languages. Assuming a Task-based informed syllabus design, the study examines key language functions and notions evidenced in isiXhosa legal language in selected simulated real-world communication tasks in the legal aid consultation domain. The study demonstrates how the cognitive complexity of the task description specification for the six originally designed legal-domain tasks serves as the basis for the grading and sequencing tasks in the isiXhosa syllabus. The study additionally examines the correlation between the cognitive complexity of the selected tasks and the linguistic complexity realised in the simulated semi-authentic dialogue content between attorneys and clients. The research design and methodology of the study include an analysis of key research studies in the field of instructed second language acquisition, Task-based theory, syllabus design, research, and related teaching practice. The discourse-relevance of the isiXhosa task descriptions and associated simulated dialogue content is informed by my knowledge from my previous law qualification and informal input from legal aid experts, practitioners, and professors. The analysis of the cognitive complexity features of the task descriptions and the simulated dialogue content exemplifying real-world discourse, analysed the resource-directing features of the task, and the morphosyntactic encodings of these features in the simulated dialogue content. The analysis illustrates how task content naturally manifests task-essential lexico-grammatical structures for focus-onform instruction. The study’s key findings illustrate that Robinson’s instructional design theory proposals, while conceptually appealing, lack the key features required for specific purpose legal aid consultation and syllabus design. The study proposes sequencing and grading task segment units comprising the holistic task from less complex to more complex, rather than simplifying the holistic task as Robinson proposes. The study identifies three new resource-directing variables, expanding on Robinson‘s identified variables—Inferential, Conditional, and Concessive reasoning. The study provides strong evidence of a direct correlation between the cognitive complexity features of Perspectivetaking, Conditional, Causal, Concessive, and Intentional reasoning, and their corresponding morphosyntactic encodings in the dialogue content. The study further proposes an interrelated, interconnected, and intersecting taskbased syllabus, illustrated through a Mobius-motif, in contrast to Ellis’ proposals for a modular syllabus and an options-based approach to TBLT. The attached appendices of language notions and functions and morphosyntactic encodings serve as addenda to the task-based syllabus, for learners and teachers to refer to for frequently occurring structures across tasks, during learner-initiated language-related episodes, and focus-onform instruction. Masters 2026-04-22T09:37:24Z 2026-04-22T09:37:24Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136097 en Stellenbosch University 272 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Ngamlana, Lukhanyo Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners |
| title | Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners |
| title_full | Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners |
| title_fullStr | Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners |
| title_full_unstemmed | Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners |
| title_short | Communicating Linguistic Justice: Designing a specific-purpose Task-based syllabus for isiXhosa as L2 for legal scholars and practitioners |
| title_sort | communicating linguistic justice designing a specific purpose task based syllabus for isixhosa as l2 for legal scholars and practitioners |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136097 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ngamlanalukhanyo communicatinglinguisticjusticedesigningaspecificpurposetaskbasedsyllabusforisixhosaasl2forlegalscholarsandpractitioners |