Head of Department
Position: Associate Professor
Email: apeck@uwc.ac.za
Amiena Peck is the Chairperson of the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape. She is a National Research Foundation C-rated internationally recognized researcher whose interests are at the intersection of social semiotics, multimodality and Linguistic Landscapes. She has co-authored an edited collection of cutting-edge linguistic landscape research that explicitly foregrounds the importance of the human in research. Her volume entitled “Making sense of people and place in linguistic landscapes”, Bloomsbury Press (2018), in tandem with a special issue in Sociolinguistic Studies entitled “Visceral landscapes” (2019) has gone a long way in sensitizing the field to the importance of embodiment, affect, bodies and space. Her interest in discourse, semiotics and identity management are also present in her contribution to teaching and learning, supervision and more recent publications on the importance of decolonizing the academic Self for more grounded sociocultural research (Peck, 2021). Bringing together new voices to the field, Amiena Peck consistently advocates for the use of autoethnography as a decolonial learning and teaching tool (cf. Tufi and Peck, forthcoming). Currently, she is co-editing the first Oxford University Press Linguistic Landscape Handbook which will showcase diverse entrypoints to Linguistic Landscapes. Prof Peck is also on the editorial board of Multilingual Margins, Language and Gender and is an associate editor of Linguistics Landscapes International Journal. Prof Peck is also the Chairperson of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Member: 2018 -2021; Chair: 2022-2024; 2025 – 2029). In her capacity of Chair of HSSREC she has worked towards reconfiguring the committee to maximize communication across key campus stakeholders, specifically faculty officers, supervisors and students. Envisioning an ethical landscape that is responsive to institutional and community stakeholders is at the forefront of her work at HSSREC. In September 2024 she worked closely with UWC’s Biomedical Research Ethics Committee and Animal Research Ethics Committee to host the 8th Annual Western Cape Regional Ethics Workshop. This workshop brought together ethicists from sister universities and allowed for new networks to be gained and a re-reading of the new NDoH guidelines to be discussed. Additionally, Prof Peck works as an emotional intelligence trainer and has engaged with over 1000 undergraduates and postgraduates. In 2019 Prof Peck completed an advanced diploma in Neuroscience in Mentoring and Coaching which is accredited by Institute of Leadership and Management, the largest coaching federation. In 2021 she completed the Certificate in Women in Leadership, University of the Western Cape, Said Business School Oxford. In 2022 she successfully completed UWC’s Programme for Academic and Professional Leaders (P4APL) as well as the Resilient Leadership from Stellenbosch Business School. Prof Peck believes in self-improvement to better assist her leadership and supervision capabilities. Indicative of leading with Emotional Intelligence is evident in the vast number of Honours and Masters students who complete their studies with distinction. She encourages her students to publish and many have received noteworthy scholarships and exchanges through her networks. Above all else, her students’ mental health is the most important factor in their success with many of them regular attendees at my monthly Emotional Intelligence workshops. Prof Peck believes in the innate potential of every student in the Department of Linguistics and works tirelessly to bring her vision of an emotionally intelligent alumni to fruition.
Email: apeck@uwc.ac.za
Amiena Peck is the Chairperson of the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape. She is a National Research Foundation C-rated internationally recognized researcher whose interests are at the intersection of social semiotics, multimodality and Linguistic Landscapes. She has co-authored an edited collection of cutting-edge linguistic landscape research that explicitly foregrounds the importance of the human in research. Her volume entitled “Making sense of people and place in linguistic landscapes”, Bloomsbury Press (2018), in tandem with a special issue in Sociolinguistic Studies entitled “Visceral landscapes” (2019) has gone a long way in sensitizing the field to the importance of embodiment, affect, bodies and space. Her interest in discourse, semiotics and identity management are also present in her contribution to teaching and learning, supervision and more recent publications on the importance of decolonizing the academic Self for more grounded sociocultural research (Peck, 2021). Bringing together new voices to the field, Amiena Peck consistently advocates for the use of autoethnography as a decolonial learning and teaching tool (cf. Tufi and Peck, forthcoming). Currently, she is co-editing the first Oxford University Press Linguistic Landscape Handbook which will showcase diverse entrypoints to Linguistic Landscapes. Prof Peck is also on the editorial board of Multilingual Margins, Language and Gender and is an associate editor of Linguistics Landscapes International Journal. Prof Peck is also the Chairperson of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Member: 2018 -2021; Chair: 2022-2024; 2025 – 2029). In her capacity of Chair of HSSREC she has worked towards reconfiguring the committee to maximize communication across key campus stakeholders, specifically faculty officers, supervisors and students. Envisioning an ethical landscape that is responsive to institutional and community stakeholders is at the forefront of her work at HSSREC. In September 2024 she worked closely with UWC’s Biomedical Research Ethics Committee and Animal Research Ethics Committee to host the 8th Annual Western Cape Regional Ethics Workshop. This workshop brought together ethicists from sister universities and allowed for new networks to be gained and a re-reading of the new NDoH guidelines to be discussed. Additionally, Prof Peck works as an emotional intelligence trainer and has engaged with over 1000 undergraduates and postgraduates. In 2019 Prof Peck completed an advanced diploma in Neuroscience in Mentoring and Coaching which is accredited by Institute of Leadership and Management, the largest coaching federation. In 2021 she completed the Certificate in Women in Leadership, University of the Western Cape, Said Business School Oxford. In 2022 she successfully completed UWC’s Programme for Academic and Professional Leaders (P4APL) as well as the Resilient Leadership from Stellenbosch Business School. Prof Peck believes in self-improvement to better assist her leadership and supervision capabilities. Indicative of leading with Emotional Intelligence is evident in the vast number of Honours and Masters students who complete their studies with distinction. She encourages her students to publish and many have received noteworthy scholarships and exchanges through her networks. Above all else, her students’ mental health is the most important factor in their success with many of them regular attendees at my monthly Emotional Intelligence workshops. Prof Peck believes in the innate potential of every student in the Department of Linguistics and works tirelessly to bring her vision of an emotionally intelligent alumni to fruition.
Professors
Position: Senior Professor
Email: fbanda@uwc.ac.za
Felix Banda (PhD, Free University Brussels) is a senior professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape. He is a National Research Foundation B-rated internationally recognised researcher whose interests are at the intersect of social semiotics, multimodality, multilingualism and identities in society and education; urban and rural linguistic and cultural practices, popular music, critical pedagogies and the educational implications of the morpho-phonology of African languages for Pan African orthography design. He has more than 150 published works in these areas [See Google Scholar, for examples]. His recent publications include Sociolinguistics and modes of class signalling: African perspectives. Journal of sociolinguistics, 2020; Disrupting and levelling of linguistic hierarchies of power. Language and Decolonisation. Routledge, 2024; Tattoos as multimodal semiotic assemblages. Multimodal Communication 2024 [with SD Roux, A Peck]; Names of public memory spaces as sites of coloniality, cultural erasure, and downscaling in linguistic landscapes of Northern Zambia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2025 [with G Simungala]. He has also published monographs and volumes, such as Languages Across Borders 2002; Theoretical and Applied Aspects of African Languages and Culture 2019; and An Orthography and Short Grammar of Lungu, Mambwe and Namwanga, 2024 [Pethias Siame]. He has received numerous awards, including The Vrije Universiteit Award for Outstanding Students, The Bilingualism and Educator Burnout Fellowship (Flemish Government, Brussels) and the NRF’s high impact Human and Institutional Capacity Development research grants: Multilingualism Niche Area Research Grant; The Human and Social Dynamics Award and the coveted Competitive Programme for Rated Researchers. At the UWC Research and Recognition Awards ceremony in August 2019, he was conferred two coveted awards: Best Established Researcher in the Arts & Humanities Faculty and One of Top 3 Researchers at UWC for 2018. He is on several national and international journal editorial boards.
Email: fbanda@uwc.ac.za
Felix Banda (PhD, Free University Brussels) is a senior professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape. He is a National Research Foundation B-rated internationally recognised researcher whose interests are at the intersect of social semiotics, multimodality, multilingualism and identities in society and education; urban and rural linguistic and cultural practices, popular music, critical pedagogies and the educational implications of the morpho-phonology of African languages for Pan African orthography design. He has more than 150 published works in these areas [See Google Scholar, for examples]. His recent publications include Sociolinguistics and modes of class signalling: African perspectives. Journal of sociolinguistics, 2020; Disrupting and levelling of linguistic hierarchies of power. Language and Decolonisation. Routledge, 2024; Tattoos as multimodal semiotic assemblages. Multimodal Communication 2024 [with SD Roux, A Peck]; Names of public memory spaces as sites of coloniality, cultural erasure, and downscaling in linguistic landscapes of Northern Zambia. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2025 [with G Simungala]. He has also published monographs and volumes, such as Languages Across Borders 2002; Theoretical and Applied Aspects of African Languages and Culture 2019; and An Orthography and Short Grammar of Lungu, Mambwe and Namwanga, 2024 [Pethias Siame]. He has received numerous awards, including The Vrije Universiteit Award for Outstanding Students, The Bilingualism and Educator Burnout Fellowship (Flemish Government, Brussels) and the NRF’s high impact Human and Institutional Capacity Development research grants: Multilingualism Niche Area Research Grant; The Human and Social Dynamics Award and the coveted Competitive Programme for Rated Researchers. At the UWC Research and Recognition Awards ceremony in August 2019, he was conferred two coveted awards: Best Established Researcher in the Arts & Humanities Faculty and One of Top 3 Researchers at UWC for 2018. He is on several national and international journal editorial boards.
Position: Professor
Email: zbock@uwc.ac.za
Zannie Bock is Professor of Linguistics with focus on applied linguistics and sociolinguistics. Her PhD research – which was also completed at UWC - is a discourse analysis of testimonies given before South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her more recent publications are in decolonial pedagogies, and narrative and discourse analysis, with a focus on racialising discourses among university students. Prof Bock has a long-standing interest in literacy and adult education, and is the project co-ordinator and co-editor of the first southern African textbook in Linguistics: Language, Society and Communication: An Introduction (2014, 2019). She is also co-editor, with Christopher Stroud, of the Bloomsbury edited volume: Language and Decoloniality in Higher Education: Reclaiming Voices from the South (2021). Her work on decolonial pedagogies includes various publications, including a Special Issue of the journal, Multilingual Margins 6:1 (2019), titled, The Cat’s Cradle of Multilingualism, which she produced with a student editorial team. Prof Bock has worked at UWC for more than twenty-five years, and during this time, has lectured undergraduate and postgraduate classes, supervised numerous MA and PhD students, and served the Faculty of Arts and Humanities as Deputy Dean of Learning and Teaching for five and a half years (2019-2024). She has also acted as a postgraduate examiner for many universities both in South Africa and abroad.
Email: zbock@uwc.ac.za
Zannie Bock is Professor of Linguistics with focus on applied linguistics and sociolinguistics. Her PhD research – which was also completed at UWC - is a discourse analysis of testimonies given before South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her more recent publications are in decolonial pedagogies, and narrative and discourse analysis, with a focus on racialising discourses among university students. Prof Bock has a long-standing interest in literacy and adult education, and is the project co-ordinator and co-editor of the first southern African textbook in Linguistics: Language, Society and Communication: An Introduction (2014, 2019). She is also co-editor, with Christopher Stroud, of the Bloomsbury edited volume: Language and Decoloniality in Higher Education: Reclaiming Voices from the South (2021). Her work on decolonial pedagogies includes various publications, including a Special Issue of the journal, Multilingual Margins 6:1 (2019), titled, The Cat’s Cradle of Multilingualism, which she produced with a student editorial team. Prof Bock has worked at UWC for more than twenty-five years, and during this time, has lectured undergraduate and postgraduate classes, supervised numerous MA and PhD students, and served the Faculty of Arts and Humanities as Deputy Dean of Learning and Teaching for five and a half years (2019-2024). She has also acted as a postgraduate examiner for many universities both in South Africa and abroad.
Position: Professor
Email: bantia@uwc.ac.za
Bassey E. Antia is Professor of Applied Linguistics. An alumnus of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he holds a PhD from the University of Bielefeld, Germany. His teaching, research and publications span across a number of areas, including language policy and multilingualism, the cultural politics of language and knowledge production in the Global South, and terminology theory and applications. He is also involved in national and international initiatives in higher education management. A B1 rated researcher of the National Research Foundation, he has authored, edited, or co-edited several volumes, among them Multilingual Assessment (2024), Southernizing Sociolinguistics (2023), Decolonial Voices (2022), Managing Change at Universities (2019), Indeterminacy in Terminology (2007), and Terminology and Language Planning (2000). In recognition of his scholarship, he received the Eugen Wüster prize for outstanding achievement in research and teaching in terminology and multilingualism (2016); the award for excellence in teaching and learning of the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa/Centre on Higher Education (2017); the institutional teaching excellence award of the University of the Western Cape (2017); and the teaching excellence award of the Faculty of Arts, University of the Western Cape (2017).
Email: bantia@uwc.ac.za
Bassey E. Antia is Professor of Applied Linguistics. An alumnus of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, he holds a PhD from the University of Bielefeld, Germany. His teaching, research and publications span across a number of areas, including language policy and multilingualism, the cultural politics of language and knowledge production in the Global South, and terminology theory and applications. He is also involved in national and international initiatives in higher education management. A B1 rated researcher of the National Research Foundation, he has authored, edited, or co-edited several volumes, among them Multilingual Assessment (2024), Southernizing Sociolinguistics (2023), Decolonial Voices (2022), Managing Change at Universities (2019), Indeterminacy in Terminology (2007), and Terminology and Language Planning (2000). In recognition of his scholarship, he received the Eugen Wüster prize for outstanding achievement in research and teaching in terminology and multilingualism (2016); the award for excellence in teaching and learning of the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa/Centre on Higher Education (2017); the institutional teaching excellence award of the University of the Western Cape (2017); and the teaching excellence award of the Faculty of Arts, University of the Western Cape (2017).
Position: Professor
Email: qwilliams@uwc.ac.za
Quentin Williams is Director of the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR) and Full Professor of Linguistics in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He was previously the Ghent Chair Professor (Leerstoel Houer) at the Centre for Afrikaans and the study of South Africa at Ghent University (Belgium) (2022). He is Co-Editor of the journal Multilingual Margins: a journal of Multilingualism from the periphery, founder and chairperson of the Society for the Advancement of Kaaps (SAK), and co-founder of the Heal the Hood Hip Hop Lecture Series, a forum for the African Hip Hop Indaba. His research interests include but are not limited to multilingualism, linguistic citizenship, popular culture (specifically Hip Hop language and culture), youth multilingualism, marginal multilingual practices in markets, the intellectualisation of Kaaps (also known as Afrikaaps), language activism and public sociolinguistics, Kaaps (Afrikaaps) gospel music. He has published in high impact sociolinguistic and applied linguistic journals, including the journals of Applied Linguistics, Applied Linguistics Reviews and Sociolinguistic Studies. His most recent book are Global Hiphopography, with Jaspal Singh (Palgrave, 2023) and Struggles for Multilingualism and Linguistic Citizenship with Tommaso Milani and Ana Deumert (Multilingual Matters, 2022). Previously, he authored Remix Multilingualism (Bloomsbury Press, 2017), and co-edited Neva Again: Hip Hop Art, Activism and Education in post-apartheid South Africa (HSRC Press, 2019, with Adam Haupt, H Samy Alim and Emile YX?), and Making Sense of People and Place in Linguistic Landscapes (Bloomsbury, 2018, with Amiena Peck and Christopher Stroud). He leads the Trilingual Dictionary of Kaaps (TWK) project that will develop the first dictionary of Kaaps (Afrikaaps) (see here: www.dwkaaps.co.za).
Email: qwilliams@uwc.ac.za
Quentin Williams is Director of the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR) and Full Professor of Linguistics in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He was previously the Ghent Chair Professor (Leerstoel Houer) at the Centre for Afrikaans and the study of South Africa at Ghent University (Belgium) (2022). He is Co-Editor of the journal Multilingual Margins: a journal of Multilingualism from the periphery, founder and chairperson of the Society for the Advancement of Kaaps (SAK), and co-founder of the Heal the Hood Hip Hop Lecture Series, a forum for the African Hip Hop Indaba. His research interests include but are not limited to multilingualism, linguistic citizenship, popular culture (specifically Hip Hop language and culture), youth multilingualism, marginal multilingual practices in markets, the intellectualisation of Kaaps (also known as Afrikaaps), language activism and public sociolinguistics, Kaaps (Afrikaaps) gospel music. He has published in high impact sociolinguistic and applied linguistic journals, including the journals of Applied Linguistics, Applied Linguistics Reviews and Sociolinguistic Studies. His most recent book are Global Hiphopography, with Jaspal Singh (Palgrave, 2023) and Struggles for Multilingualism and Linguistic Citizenship with Tommaso Milani and Ana Deumert (Multilingual Matters, 2022). Previously, he authored Remix Multilingualism (Bloomsbury Press, 2017), and co-edited Neva Again: Hip Hop Art, Activism and Education in post-apartheid South Africa (HSRC Press, 2019, with Adam Haupt, H Samy Alim and Emile YX?), and Making Sense of People and Place in Linguistic Landscapes (Bloomsbury, 2018, with Amiena Peck and Christopher Stroud). He leads the Trilingual Dictionary of Kaaps (TWK) project that will develop the first dictionary of Kaaps (Afrikaaps) (see here: www.dwkaaps.co.za).
Position: Associate Professor
Email: mmotinyane@uwc.ac.za
Professor Motinyane is the Deputy Dean of Learning and Teaching in the Arts and Humanities Faculty. She was the Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS) during 2022-2024. She holds a PhD and an MA in Formal Linguistics from the University of Florida, USA and a BA (Hons) in African Languages and Linguistics, from the University of Cape Town. Her primary area of research is psycholinguistics where she looks at language and speech development in relation to psychological processes, in particular how children produce and comprehend language. Prof Motinyane is involved in a number of international and interdisciplinary projects. She is the lead local investigator of an European Research Council Funded Project titled Realizing Leibniz’s Dream: Child Languages as a Mirror of the Mind. She is part of a project titled Overcoming language barriers to fostering pre-clinical assessment of ageing in multilingual contexts, a collaboration between UWC and University of Salamanca in Spain. Prof Motinyane recently joined hands with VUB, Brussels and SAY IT Labs on a project that utilises AI powered games as an intervention tool for stuttering. Prof Motinyane has published journal articles, book chapters, edited books in the areas of psycholinguistics, morpho-syntax, critical discourse analysis and workplace multilingualism.
Email: mmotinyane@uwc.ac.za
Professor Motinyane is the Deputy Dean of Learning and Teaching in the Arts and Humanities Faculty. She was the Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS) during 2022-2024. She holds a PhD and an MA in Formal Linguistics from the University of Florida, USA and a BA (Hons) in African Languages and Linguistics, from the University of Cape Town. Her primary area of research is psycholinguistics where she looks at language and speech development in relation to psychological processes, in particular how children produce and comprehend language. Prof Motinyane is involved in a number of international and interdisciplinary projects. She is the lead local investigator of an European Research Council Funded Project titled Realizing Leibniz’s Dream: Child Languages as a Mirror of the Mind. She is part of a project titled Overcoming language barriers to fostering pre-clinical assessment of ageing in multilingual contexts, a collaboration between UWC and University of Salamanca in Spain. Prof Motinyane recently joined hands with VUB, Brussels and SAY IT Labs on a project that utilises AI powered games as an intervention tool for stuttering. Prof Motinyane has published journal articles, book chapters, edited books in the areas of psycholinguistics, morpho-syntax, critical discourse analysis and workplace multilingualism.
Position: Associate Professor
Email: snkoala@uwc.ac.za
Sisanda Nkoala is a former award-winning journalist turned NRF-rated and award-winning Associate Professor in the University of the Western Cape’s Linguistics Department. She is the joint holder of the UWC Media Inclusion and Diversity Chair. She has a PhD in Rhetoric Studies. She researches media, rhetoric and multilingualism, and has published widely in these areas. She serves in the leadership structures of several international and national academic associations, including the African Journalism Educators Network (AJEN) the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF). Her recent awards include: The 2024 South African Women in Science: Distinguished Young Women Researchers Award - 1st Runner-up. The 2024 NRF Early Career/ Emerging Researcher Excellence Award, as well as the 2023 National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences: Digital Humanities - Best Visualisation and/or Infographic Award winner. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sisanda-nkoala-phd-00265210/
Email: snkoala@uwc.ac.za
Sisanda Nkoala is a former award-winning journalist turned NRF-rated and award-winning Associate Professor in the University of the Western Cape’s Linguistics Department. She is the joint holder of the UWC Media Inclusion and Diversity Chair. She has a PhD in Rhetoric Studies. She researches media, rhetoric and multilingualism, and has published widely in these areas. She serves in the leadership structures of several international and national academic associations, including the African Journalism Educators Network (AJEN) the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF). Her recent awards include: The 2024 South African Women in Science: Distinguished Young Women Researchers Award - 1st Runner-up. The 2024 NRF Early Career/ Emerging Researcher Excellence Award, as well as the 2023 National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences: Digital Humanities - Best Visualisation and/or Infographic Award winner. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sisanda-nkoala-phd-00265210/
Doctorates
Position: Senior Lecturer
Email: lmafofo@uwc.ac.za
Dr Lynn Mafofo is a senior lecturer and postgraduate coordinator in the department. She is dedicated to teaching and learning that fosters a dialogical environment, empowering all learners with ample opportunities to engage in knowledge production and decision-making processes within the curriculum, thus establishing a robust and meaningful dynamic educational system. She is a researcher who encourages collaborative disciplinary and transdisciplinary research. She is eager to apply various tools from critical multi-semiotic discourse analysis frameworks to interpret linguistic choices, alongside other semiotic social constructions of identities and branding practices in multicultural societies and higher education contexts. This includes examining ideological discursive strategies associated with food positioning and consumption discourses and their implications within the African context, as well as media studies—specifically investigating ideological representations of societal issues, such as natural disasters in media reporting, and their relevance to sustainable development goals, alongside aspects of gender, politics, and the economy. She teaches 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate Critical Media studies and Functional grammar (Systemic functional linguistic approach). Additionally, she instructs Discourse Analysis at honours level, which includes supervising postgraduate students both within and outside the department.
Email: lmafofo@uwc.ac.za
Dr Lynn Mafofo is a senior lecturer and postgraduate coordinator in the department. She is dedicated to teaching and learning that fosters a dialogical environment, empowering all learners with ample opportunities to engage in knowledge production and decision-making processes within the curriculum, thus establishing a robust and meaningful dynamic educational system. She is a researcher who encourages collaborative disciplinary and transdisciplinary research. She is eager to apply various tools from critical multi-semiotic discourse analysis frameworks to interpret linguistic choices, alongside other semiotic social constructions of identities and branding practices in multicultural societies and higher education contexts. This includes examining ideological discursive strategies associated with food positioning and consumption discourses and their implications within the African context, as well as media studies—specifically investigating ideological representations of societal issues, such as natural disasters in media reporting, and their relevance to sustainable development goals, alongside aspects of gender, politics, and the economy. She teaches 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate Critical Media studies and Functional grammar (Systemic functional linguistic approach). Additionally, she instructs Discourse Analysis at honours level, which includes supervising postgraduate students both within and outside the department.
Position: Senior Lecturer
Email: epretorius@uwc.ac.za
Erin is a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics. Her background is in Theoretical Syntax, and she holds a joint PhD (Utrecht, the Netherlands & Stellenbosch, South Africa). Since 2019, Erin has been working on the syntax and morphology of Kaaps (sometimes called Afrikaaps). This work took shape in a project called the Syntactic Ecology of Kaaps (SEcoKa), and has included collecting spontaneous data from around the Cape Peninsula, describing a range of possible grammatical variation, investigating how grammatical patterns in Kaaps differ (or not) from those in other West Germanic languages (comparative syntax), understanding the role of language contact in the patterns of Kaaps, and the role of social factors during live interaction in conditioning grammatical variation in spoken language (socio-syntax). Erin's early work focused on the micro-structure of spatial language in Afrikaans and how this fits into the theoretical picture that has emerged from cross-linguistic studies about the domain of spatial expressions in human language. This research also aimed at contributing to Generative theories of categorisation more generally. Erin teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and supervises postgraduate students who are interested in the grammar of Kaaps at all levels of study. She is a member of the Re-examining Dialect Syntax (REEDS) network, and currently serves as Treasurer of the Society for the Advancement of Kaaps (SAK).
Email: epretorius@uwc.ac.za
Erin is a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics. Her background is in Theoretical Syntax, and she holds a joint PhD (Utrecht, the Netherlands & Stellenbosch, South Africa). Since 2019, Erin has been working on the syntax and morphology of Kaaps (sometimes called Afrikaaps). This work took shape in a project called the Syntactic Ecology of Kaaps (SEcoKa), and has included collecting spontaneous data from around the Cape Peninsula, describing a range of possible grammatical variation, investigating how grammatical patterns in Kaaps differ (or not) from those in other West Germanic languages (comparative syntax), understanding the role of language contact in the patterns of Kaaps, and the role of social factors during live interaction in conditioning grammatical variation in spoken language (socio-syntax). Erin's early work focused on the micro-structure of spatial language in Afrikaans and how this fits into the theoretical picture that has emerged from cross-linguistic studies about the domain of spatial expressions in human language. This research also aimed at contributing to Generative theories of categorisation more generally. Erin teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and supervises postgraduate students who are interested in the grammar of Kaaps at all levels of study. She is a member of the Re-examining Dialect Syntax (REEDS) network, and currently serves as Treasurer of the Society for the Advancement of Kaaps (SAK).
Position: Senior Lecturer
Email: nkbinza@uwc.ac.za
Dr Hugues Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza (BA, MA, DLitt) is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics where he teaches research methodology. He is simultaneously Senior Researcher at the Centre for Advanced Studies in African Society (CASAS), University of the Western Cape (UWC). Previously, he was Senior Lecturer, postgraduate studies coordinator and Deputy Head of Department of Language Education in the UWC Faculty of Education. Before UWC, he was successively as postdoctoral fellow, researcher and senior researcher in the Centre for Text Technology, North-West University (Potchefstroom), from 2010 to 2016, and part-time lecturer of French and of phonology in the School of Languages (2014-2016). At Stellenbosch University, from 2002 to 2009, he was as researcher in the Centre for Language and Speech Technology (SU-CLaST) and part-time lecturer of French and of sociolinguistics. He edited volumes 27 and 30 of Lexikos. He is currently the Associate Editor of Lexikos and Chief Editor of Tinabantu – Journal of Advanced Studies of African Society , the journal he helped to resuscitate within CASAS. He has over 50 publications in the fields of phonetics & phonology, lexicography, sociolinguistics, language education and ethnohistory with interest on African languages & culture, English, Afrikaans or French. With his experience and research interests, Dr Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza describes himself as a linguist and phonetician by training, a lexicographer by accident, a historian by necessity, and an educator by virtue of duty.
Email: nkbinza@uwc.ac.za
Dr Hugues Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza (BA, MA, DLitt) is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics where he teaches research methodology. He is simultaneously Senior Researcher at the Centre for Advanced Studies in African Society (CASAS), University of the Western Cape (UWC). Previously, he was Senior Lecturer, postgraduate studies coordinator and Deputy Head of Department of Language Education in the UWC Faculty of Education. Before UWC, he was successively as postdoctoral fellow, researcher and senior researcher in the Centre for Text Technology, North-West University (Potchefstroom), from 2010 to 2016, and part-time lecturer of French and of phonology in the School of Languages (2014-2016). At Stellenbosch University, from 2002 to 2009, he was as researcher in the Centre for Language and Speech Technology (SU-CLaST) and part-time lecturer of French and of sociolinguistics. He edited volumes 27 and 30 of Lexikos. He is currently the Associate Editor of Lexikos and Chief Editor of Tinabantu – Journal of Advanced Studies of African Society , the journal he helped to resuscitate within CASAS. He has over 50 publications in the fields of phonetics & phonology, lexicography, sociolinguistics, language education and ethnohistory with interest on African languages & culture, English, Afrikaans or French. With his experience and research interests, Dr Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza describes himself as a linguist and phonetician by training, a lexicographer by accident, a historian by necessity, and an educator by virtue of duty.
Position: Lectuer
Email: mshaikjee@uwc.ac.za
Dr Mooniq Shaikjee is a lecturer and researcher in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape. Her undergraduate teaching includes the first year introductory course LCS111 - Introduction to Language, Communication and Society, as well as the third year course LCS321 - Critical Analysis of Texts. She also teaches an Honours course called Discourse Analysis. Her research interests lie at the intersection between language, gender and sexuality, with a focus on Critical Discourse Analysis and multimodality. Her recently-completed PhD research is located in the field of Linguistic Landscape Studies and is focused on the body in space, and visceral experiences of the linguistic/semiotic landscape – in particular, Muslim women's experiences of women's spaces in the mosque and how these link to their perceptions of their bodies. The project contributes to the "embodied" turn and phenomenological approach that the latest research in the field is adopting. She has also written on the topic of South African drag kings and the semiotics of theatrical performances of masculinity by women, as well as depictions of masculinity in the media through the multimodal analysis of a television advertisement for Carling Black label beer. She hopes to bring more of a focus on gender and sexuality to the department of Linguistics at UWC, as well as to highlight the South and Southern perspectives in the field of sociolinguistics.
Email: mshaikjee@uwc.ac.za
Dr Mooniq Shaikjee is a lecturer and researcher in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape. Her undergraduate teaching includes the first year introductory course LCS111 - Introduction to Language, Communication and Society, as well as the third year course LCS321 - Critical Analysis of Texts. She also teaches an Honours course called Discourse Analysis. Her research interests lie at the intersection between language, gender and sexuality, with a focus on Critical Discourse Analysis and multimodality. Her recently-completed PhD research is located in the field of Linguistic Landscape Studies and is focused on the body in space, and visceral experiences of the linguistic/semiotic landscape – in particular, Muslim women's experiences of women's spaces in the mosque and how these link to their perceptions of their bodies. The project contributes to the "embodied" turn and phenomenological approach that the latest research in the field is adopting. She has also written on the topic of South African drag kings and the semiotics of theatrical performances of masculinity by women, as well as depictions of masculinity in the media through the multimodal analysis of a television advertisement for Carling Black label beer. She hopes to bring more of a focus on gender and sexuality to the department of Linguistics at UWC, as well as to highlight the South and Southern perspectives in the field of sociolinguistics.
Position: Lecturer
Email: llesch@uwc.ac.za
Dr Laurian T. Lesch is a lecturer in the Linguistics Department in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of the Western Cape. She holds a BA (Hons) and MA in African Languages from Stellenbosch University. Her field of research is forensic linguistics (language and the law) where she explores how sworn complainant statements are co-constructed and translated interlingually and intralingually by the police officer. She has completed her PhD in Linguistics focusing on forensic linguistics with an emphasis on police record construction. Her PhD research falls in the areas of both forensic linguistics and translation studies. Currently, she also serves as a member of the Western Cape Language Committee- which is an advisory body promoting multilingualism and monitoring the use of the official languages of the province.
Email: llesch@uwc.ac.za
Dr Laurian T. Lesch is a lecturer in the Linguistics Department in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of the Western Cape. She holds a BA (Hons) and MA in African Languages from Stellenbosch University. Her field of research is forensic linguistics (language and the law) where she explores how sworn complainant statements are co-constructed and translated interlingually and intralingually by the police officer. She has completed her PhD in Linguistics focusing on forensic linguistics with an emphasis on police record construction. Her PhD research falls in the areas of both forensic linguistics and translation studies. Currently, she also serves as a member of the Western Cape Language Committee- which is an advisory body promoting multilingualism and monitoring the use of the official languages of the province.
Position: Lecturer
Email: kmwandajonas@uwc.ac.za
Dr. Mwanda-Jonas is currently a Linguistics lecturer at the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape. Her lecturing focuses on Psycholinguistics, Language Acquisition, Syntax and Research Methods. For her PhD, she examined how language structure influences cognitive processes in adults and children. For her MA (Cum Laude), she looked at the effects of noun classes on isiXhosa speakers' object perceptions. With her research, she wishes to play a role in the advancement of empirical and theoretical research on isiXhosa (and other related Bantu languages). Her other research area of interest is language disorders (or disorders that affect language production and comprehension) in both children and adults.
Email: kmwandajonas@uwc.ac.za
Dr. Mwanda-Jonas is currently a Linguistics lecturer at the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape. Her lecturing focuses on Psycholinguistics, Language Acquisition, Syntax and Research Methods. For her PhD, she examined how language structure influences cognitive processes in adults and children. For her MA (Cum Laude), she looked at the effects of noun classes on isiXhosa speakers' object perceptions. With her research, she wishes to play a role in the advancement of empirical and theoretical research on isiXhosa (and other related Bantu languages). Her other research area of interest is language disorders (or disorders that affect language production and comprehension) in both children and adults.
Talent Stewards
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: cvanrooi@uwc.ac.za
Chevãn Van Rooi has been an associate lecturer in the Department of Linguistics since 2024, where he teaches the Research module to third-year BA students and Design Features to first-year BA students. He completed his BA degree in 2018 (Cum Laude) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), graduating with a double major in Linguistics and Politics. In 2019, he obtained his Honours degree (Cum Laude) in Linguistics. His mini thesis, supervised by Dr Erin Pretorius, focused on a novel case of Preposition-drop (P-drop) in Kaaps expressions of accompaniment. In July 2022, he completed his MA in Linguistics (Summa Cum Laude) under the supervision of Dr Erin Pretorius and Professor Theresa Biberauer. This research examined verb-second and verb-third placement in Manenberg Kaaps and won the 2024 Zuid-Afrikahuis (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) thesis prize for Best Master’s Thesis. During his master’s studies, Chevãn wrote and produced the short film Êrens innie Toekoms which was shortlisted for the Rome Indie Film Festival (Italy) in 2023 and received a nomination for the Best Actor award. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of the Western Cape, where his research focuses on discourse particles in Kaaps.
Email: cvanrooi@uwc.ac.za
Chevãn Van Rooi has been an associate lecturer in the Department of Linguistics since 2024, where he teaches the Research module to third-year BA students and Design Features to first-year BA students. He completed his BA degree in 2018 (Cum Laude) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), graduating with a double major in Linguistics and Politics. In 2019, he obtained his Honours degree (Cum Laude) in Linguistics. His mini thesis, supervised by Dr Erin Pretorius, focused on a novel case of Preposition-drop (P-drop) in Kaaps expressions of accompaniment. In July 2022, he completed his MA in Linguistics (Summa Cum Laude) under the supervision of Dr Erin Pretorius and Professor Theresa Biberauer. This research examined verb-second and verb-third placement in Manenberg Kaaps and won the 2024 Zuid-Afrikahuis (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) thesis prize for Best Master’s Thesis. During his master’s studies, Chevãn wrote and produced the short film Êrens innie Toekoms which was shortlisted for the Rome Indie Film Festival (Italy) in 2023 and received a nomination for the Best Actor award. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of the Western Cape, where his research focuses on discourse particles in Kaaps.
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: zsmall@uwc.ac.za
Zoe Small is a PhD candidate in Linguistics. She was awarded the Mellon Talent Stewardship in the second year of her PhD journey. Her research interests lie in sociolinguistics, particularly that of linguistic landscapes and virtualscapes. In her current position as an associate lecturer, she lectures to second- and third-year undergraduate students (LCS213 and LCS313), as well as to honours (postgraduate) students (LIN731 and LIN741). Prior to her employment, she had a student mobility agreement with the University of Limerick in Ireland, where she resided for two months with the full support of the Erasmus+ Project. Zoe and her Inspired Linguistics team members advocate for the relevance of the field of linguistics in society through the various social media accounts named Inspired Linguistics. She co-authored a book chapter with her team members for the international academic publisher in social sciences, Peter Lang, for a special issue: Educational Agency and Activism in Linguistics Landscape Studies. The chapter is titled “Linguistics or Logistics? Actively Changing a Harmful Narrative through Collaborative Autoethnography on TikTok”.
Email: zsmall@uwc.ac.za
Zoe Small is a PhD candidate in Linguistics. She was awarded the Mellon Talent Stewardship in the second year of her PhD journey. Her research interests lie in sociolinguistics, particularly that of linguistic landscapes and virtualscapes. In her current position as an associate lecturer, she lectures to second- and third-year undergraduate students (LCS213 and LCS313), as well as to honours (postgraduate) students (LIN731 and LIN741). Prior to her employment, she had a student mobility agreement with the University of Limerick in Ireland, where she resided for two months with the full support of the Erasmus+ Project. Zoe and her Inspired Linguistics team members advocate for the relevance of the field of linguistics in society through the various social media accounts named Inspired Linguistics. She co-authored a book chapter with her team members for the international academic publisher in social sciences, Peter Lang, for a special issue: Educational Agency and Activism in Linguistics Landscape Studies. The chapter is titled “Linguistics or Logistics? Actively Changing a Harmful Narrative through Collaborative Autoethnography on TikTok”.
Administrative Officers
Email: bfebruary@uwc.ac.za
Qualifications: HCert (Forensic Examination), ADPA (UWC)
Qualifications: HCert (Forensic Examination), ADPA (UWC)
Email: nhattingh@uwc.ac.za
Qualifications: BA (Hons), MA (UWC)
Qualifications: BA (Hons), MA (UWC)
Contracted Lecturers
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: ahiss@uwc.ac.za
Amy Hiss is a final year PhD student in the department. Her role in the department began when she embarked on her postgraduate studies, from humble beginnings as tutor, to a GLA in 2022 and for the past four years has been a lecturer on numerous modules. Her current research focuses on the visibility and raised status of isiXhosa in an elite school using anglonormativity and decoloniality as a perspective to frame her study. She has presented at numerous international conferences such as: InTpart Summer School (University of Oslo, Norway 2018, Cape Town 2022), Language in the Media (LiM19, Rio de Janero Brazil in 2019), Linguistic Landscape Conference (LL13, Hamburg, Germany, 2022). Her research interests lies within Decoloniality, Linguistic Landscapes and Semiotics/Multimodality. She holds two publications and one book review that can be viewed by following the orcid link.
Email: ahiss@uwc.ac.za
Amy Hiss is a final year PhD student in the department. Her role in the department began when she embarked on her postgraduate studies, from humble beginnings as tutor, to a GLA in 2022 and for the past four years has been a lecturer on numerous modules. Her current research focuses on the visibility and raised status of isiXhosa in an elite school using anglonormativity and decoloniality as a perspective to frame her study. She has presented at numerous international conferences such as: InTpart Summer School (University of Oslo, Norway 2018, Cape Town 2022), Language in the Media (LiM19, Rio de Janero Brazil in 2019), Linguistic Landscape Conference (LL13, Hamburg, Germany, 2022). Her research interests lies within Decoloniality, Linguistic Landscapes and Semiotics/Multimodality. She holds two publications and one book review that can be viewed by following the orcid link.
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: smetula@uwc.ac.za
PhD candidate in Linguistics with a focus on sociolinguistics. He presented quite a number of papers at different conferences. These include Xhosa as a LOLT (language of learning and teaching) in innovative classroom practices in selected township black schools-an SFL approach. Paper presented at the ICCLING, Stellenbosch and SAALA/LSSA conference, UKZN. Recently presented a paper on Branding and Multicultural Identities in Semiotics Landscapes of spaza shops in Langa. Paper presented at ALASA conference, Stellenbosch. These also include a publication in accredited journal - An analysis of what has been “lost” in the interpretation and transcription process of selected TRC testimonies. Spil plus 33, 1-23 (with Z. Bock, N. Mazwi, N. Zantsi). He also participated in a student exchange program with University of Tromso, Norway.
Email: smetula@uwc.ac.za
PhD candidate in Linguistics with a focus on sociolinguistics. He presented quite a number of papers at different conferences. These include Xhosa as a LOLT (language of learning and teaching) in innovative classroom practices in selected township black schools-an SFL approach. Paper presented at the ICCLING, Stellenbosch and SAALA/LSSA conference, UKZN. Recently presented a paper on Branding and Multicultural Identities in Semiotics Landscapes of spaza shops in Langa. Paper presented at ALASA conference, Stellenbosch. These also include a publication in accredited journal - An analysis of what has been “lost” in the interpretation and transcription process of selected TRC testimonies. Spil plus 33, 1-23 (with Z. Bock, N. Mazwi, N. Zantsi). He also participated in a student exchange program with University of Tromso, Norway.
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: aseboa@uwc.ac.za
I am an Associate Lecturer and PhD candidate in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa. After applying for my Honours in Linguistics at UWC for the year 2019, I was awarded as the Most Promising Presenter in Transdisciplinary Research at a Critical Food Studies Conference in November of that same year. Having remained with my alma mater throughout the course of my postgraduate career, I now co-teach the Functional Grammar modules at second- and third-year level with Dr. Lynn Mafofo. I am starting to make strides as an emerging researcher in the fields of semiotic and systemic functional linguistics with my research concentrating on foodscapes and halaal discourses. As a fellow member of the Inspired Linguistics team, I aim to bridge the gap between students and the world of academia. I have recently published two book chapters: Linguistics or Logistics? Actively Changing a Harmful Narrative through Collaborative Autoethnography on TikTok, as well as Halaal Food Positioning Practices in Haram Dominant Foodscapes in Cape Town.
Email: aseboa@uwc.ac.za
I am an Associate Lecturer and PhD candidate in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa. After applying for my Honours in Linguistics at UWC for the year 2019, I was awarded as the Most Promising Presenter in Transdisciplinary Research at a Critical Food Studies Conference in November of that same year. Having remained with my alma mater throughout the course of my postgraduate career, I now co-teach the Functional Grammar modules at second- and third-year level with Dr. Lynn Mafofo. I am starting to make strides as an emerging researcher in the fields of semiotic and systemic functional linguistics with my research concentrating on foodscapes and halaal discourses. As a fellow member of the Inspired Linguistics team, I aim to bridge the gap between students and the world of academia. I have recently published two book chapters: Linguistics or Logistics? Actively Changing a Harmful Narrative through Collaborative Autoethnography on TikTok, as well as Halaal Food Positioning Practices in Haram Dominant Foodscapes in Cape Town.
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: nanmhlongo@uwc.ac.za
Nandi Hlengiwe Mhlongo is an associate lecturer and a PhD candidate in the department of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape. She holds a BA, BA Honours and an MA from UWC. Her MA research focused on semiotics and consumption discourses of staple food and the impact the politics of globalization on staple food choices available on the market in Africa. Nandi’s title for the MA thesis is: Foodscapes and positioning of staple food in Africa: A case of youth perceptions on maize products and meals consumptions discourses in Cape Town. Her passion lies fostering a deeper understanding of how discourse shapes society and is committed to contributing to knowledge in this evolving field.
Email: nanmhlongo@uwc.ac.za
Nandi Hlengiwe Mhlongo is an associate lecturer and a PhD candidate in the department of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape. She holds a BA, BA Honours and an MA from UWC. Her MA research focused on semiotics and consumption discourses of staple food and the impact the politics of globalization on staple food choices available on the market in Africa. Nandi’s title for the MA thesis is: Foodscapes and positioning of staple food in Africa: A case of youth perceptions on maize products and meals consumptions discourses in Cape Town. Her passion lies fostering a deeper understanding of how discourse shapes society and is committed to contributing to knowledge in this evolving field.
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: kkalidheen@uwc.ac.za
Kãmilah Kalidheen is an Associate Lecturer and postgraduate student in the Linguistics Department. She is also a Research Fellow of the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR). Her main areas of interest in research are sociolinguistics, language ideologies, attitudes, and perceptions, particularly as they apply to the AfriKaaps. Kãmilah serves as one the executive committee members and Webmaster for the Society for the Advancement of Kaaps (SAK), which promotes the language's value and acknowledgement in linguistics, society, and other fields. She is also the social media manager for Inspired Linguistics (IL), the unofficial social media brand of the linguistics department, where she and the other members work to bridge the divide between students and the academic community.
Email: kkalidheen@uwc.ac.za
Kãmilah Kalidheen is an Associate Lecturer and postgraduate student in the Linguistics Department. She is also a Research Fellow of the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR). Her main areas of interest in research are sociolinguistics, language ideologies, attitudes, and perceptions, particularly as they apply to the AfriKaaps. Kãmilah serves as one the executive committee members and Webmaster for the Society for the Advancement of Kaaps (SAK), which promotes the language's value and acknowledgement in linguistics, society, and other fields. She is also the social media manager for Inspired Linguistics (IL), the unofficial social media brand of the linguistics department, where she and the other members work to bridge the divide between students and the academic community.
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: bwitbooi@uwc.ac.za
Ms. Bronwyn Witbooi is a Contract Lecturer with an academic background in Language and Communication Studies. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Humanities degree at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) before advancing to the Linguistics postgraduate programme, where she completed both her Honours and Master’s degrees. Her research interests lie in Academic Literacies, with a particular focus on enhancing student access to academic knowledge in higher education. In her recent research project, she explores innovative, multimodal, and unconventional approaches to support students' academic success at UWC.
Email: bwitbooi@uwc.ac.za
Ms. Bronwyn Witbooi is a Contract Lecturer with an academic background in Language and Communication Studies. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Humanities degree at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) before advancing to the Linguistics postgraduate programme, where she completed both her Honours and Master’s degrees. Her research interests lie in Academic Literacies, with a particular focus on enhancing student access to academic knowledge in higher education. In her recent research project, she explores innovative, multimodal, and unconventional approaches to support students' academic success at UWC.
Position: Associate Lecturer
Email: jaengel@uwc.ac.za
Jade Engel is an Associate Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape. She has been a student in the Department of Linguistics at UWC since 2019 and has gradually grown an interest in the field as an undergraduate student and a passion for teaching as a postgraduate student. Her current research focuses on refugees as a marginalised and diasporic group in the South African landscape, because she is dedicated to transformative change. Her research interests include, but is not limited to, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, linguistic citizenship, ethnography and more recently, skinscapes.
Email: jaengel@uwc.ac.za
Jade Engel is an Associate Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape. She has been a student in the Department of Linguistics at UWC since 2019 and has gradually grown an interest in the field as an undergraduate student and a passion for teaching as a postgraduate student. Her current research focuses on refugees as a marginalised and diasporic group in the South African landscape, because she is dedicated to transformative change. Her research interests include, but is not limited to, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, linguistic citizenship, ethnography and more recently, skinscapes.
