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Assignment heading and number: Final Portfolio 217031

Your name and surname: Latrisha Lawrence
Student Number: 19111134
Group Number: 173T
Name of department and University (Department of African Languages, Unisa)
Course code and name (AFL1501: Language through an African Lens)
Name of Instructor: Dr. Nene
Name of TA: Marilize Burger
Due Date: 22 May 2022
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CONTENTS PAGE

PAGE NAME PAGE NUMBER

Cover page 1
Contents page 2
Introduction 3
First portfolio activity 4
Second portfolio activity 5
Family tree 6
Fourth portfolio activity 8
Final reflection 9
Reference list 10
Plagiarism declaration 11
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INTRODUCTION

In this assessment I will assess and explain the linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The
assessment will contain knowledge of my own cultural background and how to co-exist
and interact with other cultures respectfully. I will identify the different liguistic
backgrounds within my own family.
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FIRST PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

My name is Latrisha, and I was born on a farm and moved to the city at 12 years old. I
grew up in a bilingual household with my mother speaking mainly Afrikaans. As a result,
I have always had difficulties with certain nuances and pronunciations when switching
languages because Afrikaans is my first language and English is my second language. I
can speak a little isiZulu through what I have learnt from friends in school. Both my
idiolect and ecolect have had minor changes because I have always thought more in
afrikaans and had to translate when speaking English. As a child I frequently confused
grammar rules and with the two languages whilst speaking and would often use “did” in
sentences when explaining because in Afrikaans you use “het”. For example, I would
say “I did told her" Because in Afrikaans its “Ek het haar vertel”
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SECOND PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

1) instead of storming out of the classroom, I think it would have been better if I had
waited for the teacher to calm down and after the lesson, I should have approached her
and explained what was wrong. I now realize my emotions and the language barrier led
to me overreacting. I could have seemed disrespectful to the teacher because I was so
defensive and arguing with her and as a result the situation escalated really fast. I think
if I had a note to give to the teacher signed by my parent or the principal explained what
was wrong or told the teacher about the language barrier before class, I could have
avoided the confrontation.

2) I think it has impacted me positively because before I felt very protective of my

identity and rejected many cultural views because I am an atheist. But I have learnt that
understanding and learning more about not just yours, but also other people's cultures
as well does not mean rejecting your individuality, and that you can find a balance
between being respectful whilst also embracing modern opinions. in terms of language,
I have always shied away from learning new languages because I have felt my accent is
strong but now, I feel comfortable in learning new languages so that I can converse with
new people and expand my thinking.
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FAMILY TREE
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2. My family is not large, and I have very little contact with my father's family and so I
was very shocked to see the mixture of languages and different religions throughout the
family and how each was passed on. My grandmother's side of the family was Afrikaans
speaking and that was passed down all the way to me and my siblings and knowing that
makes me feel more connected to her. This process led to me asking questions about
my family history I never felt the need to know and has created a sense of identity. The
various languages and the integration is beautiful to acknowledge. I never knew that I
had family members who spoke isizulu as a home language.
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FOURTH PORTFOLIO ACTIVITY

1. I prefer to have a traditional wedding because they are more intimate, and I can invite
my entire family and have all our close friends there to celebrate our union. A traditional
wedding will focus more on expressing our love as a couple and less on the outward
image. Modern weddings can be extremely expensive and structured, the trends often
wear off in a couple of years. I want to partake in all the ceremonies that have been
practiced by my family for generations. These ceremonies are unique and will always be
relevant because of how personal they are. Having a traditional wedding will make me
feel connected to my ancestors, celebrating my own cultural background.

2) I'm not neglecting my culture; I just find more comfort in going to church because it's
more communal and I personally feel more comfortable than i did when communicating
with my ancestors.

3) Sports have no gender and I do not like playing rugby. I do not think what sport you
play defines weather or not you are a man, that is defined by who you are as a person,
manly is not a bunch of boys on a field trying to kill each other. Ballet and rugby are
both physically strenuous and most might say ballet is harder because of all the
stretching your muscles are forced into. Saying that you are not a man if you do not play
rugby perpetuates harmful stereotypes that can lead to a lot of self-esteem issues
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FINAL REFLECTION

There is a large variety of cultural and linguistic differences all of which are viable and
not one is more important than the other. Poor knowledge about both linguistic and
cultural differences can often lead to miscommunication because what may be
considered okay in one culture could be considered taboo in another. for example, in
western societies it is normal for a male and female to hug as a form of greeting but in
most African cultures its considered taboo for a girl to hug a boy she is not married to.
People often gravitate towards people who share the same or similar linguistic or
cultural backgrounds because it creates a sense of familiarity and comfort. It is much
easier to interact with somebody who you have a lot in common with you.

I have never cared much about language and culture and felt it was insignificant
because I am an atheist but through this module, I have learnt not only how to be more
sensitive to cultural differences but also to appreciate my own linguistic and cultural
background. I always felt language is simply learnt but I now know that the way you
speak and the inflictions or words you use can impact someone negatively because our
understanding of certain concepts may be different. The diversity within my own family
is amazing to witness and how my family integrated is a display of Ubuntu. Ubuntu
means “I am, because you are” and I am the person I am because of my ancestors and
their heritage, and this is shown in the fact that Afrikaans is my home language despite
Afrikaans not being a popular language anymore. My maternal great-grandmother
spoke Afrikaans and I carry that with me every day. Even though I do not speak isiZulu I
now think it is important for me to learn so that I can feel more connected to my paternal
family's heritage
We all need to know more about our cultures to understand where we come from and
where we are going. I have learnt a lot about the different types of languages people
speak and cultural nuances that we all have learnt from our families. How you speak is
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an integral part of how people perceive you and your family. If your language is vulgar
many people would consider you disrespectful and will question if that’s how your family
has raised, you. If you learn more about other cultures and languages it gives you the
ability to interact with different types of people and opens, you up to new experiences.
The more we learn about different cultures the easier it is to appreciate our differences
and communicate successfully. If we all take small steps in learning to accommodate
different communication styles and language preferences there is less chance of you
offending somebody.

Reference list

. Writer, D.P.C. (2018). Here Is The Major Difference Between Traditional Vs Modern
Weddings. [online] Wedding Clan. Available at: https://weddingclan.com/here-is-the-
major-difference-between-traditional-vs-modern-weddings.html [Accessed 20 May
2023].

Sunika Magazine. (n.d.). The Traditional Wedding Ceremony. [online] Available at:
https://sunika.co.za/the-traditional-wedding-ceremony [Accessed 19 May 2023].

www.ipl.org. (n.d.). Gender Stereotypes In Ballet - 1720 Words | Internet Public Library.
[online] Available at: https://www.ipl.org/essay/Gender-Stereotypes-In-Ballet-
PCJXTSRTYT.[Accessed 19 May 2023].

Supernova (2021). The meaning of Ubuntu: I am because you are. [online] Supernova.
Available at: https://www.supernovamagazine.co.za/the-meaning-of-ubuntu-i-am-
because-you-are/.[Accessed 21 May 2023].

soeonline.american.edu. (2020). Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

| American University. [online] Available at:
https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/culturally-and-linguistically-diverse-
students/.[Accessed 21 May 2023].
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