A Discursive Analysis of Begging Discourse by the Visually Impaired in Zimbabwe
Keywords:
Society, Perceptions, Interpretations, Begging Discourse, Visually Impaired, Zimbabwe, Critical Discourse Analysis
Abstract
The article seeks to explore the societal perceptions and interpretations of the discourse used by the visually impaired people when begging in Zimbabwe. The paper analyses the expression of words in speech and songs during the begging process. The study emerges out of the realisation that there is a high rate of people with visual impairment begging in streets and buses. These people use spoken discourse through singing and chanting when begging from the society. Despite the economic hardships in Zimbabwe, the visually impaired are always begging and highly active on a daily basis. It is against this realisation that the article focuses on how this discourse is perceived and interpreted by different people in Zimbabwean societies. The paper provides a socio linguistic analysis of the language used during begging by the visually impaired. The main focus is on the societal perceptions and interpretations of the discourse used by the visually impaired people when begging. The article uses a qualitative research methodology with purposive sampling technique employed to gather data from the passengers in buses, the visually impaired and their guides and from bus drivers and conductors. Random selection of some people was also done to get their perceptions and interpretations on the discourse by the visually impaired people in the streets. Guided by the critical discourse analysis theory, the paper argues that the discourse used by the visually impaired is largely ‘politicised’ so as to appeal to people’s minds and get the assistance they need.References
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2. Allen, G. (2000). Intertextuality. London: Routledge.
3. Bleiker, R. (2000). Popular Dissent, Human Agency and Global Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4. Bose, R., and Hwang, L. (2002). Disability Issues: Trends and Recommendations for the World Bank.
5. Brown, G., and Yule, G. (1983). Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6. Collins, D., and Bloomley, N. (2003). Private Needs and Public Space: Politics, Poverty and Anti-pan Handling By-laws in Canadian Cities, in Law Commission of Canada (ed.) New Perspectives on the Public – Private Divide. University of British Columbia Press, 40–67.
7. Fairclough, N. (ed.) (1992a). Critical Language Awareness. London: Longman.
8. Fairclough, N. (1992b). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press.
9. Hall, S. (1996). The Meaning of New Times, in Morley, D., and Chen, K. (eds.) Stuart Hall: Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies. London: Routledge.
10. Hanchao, L. (1999). Becoming Urban: Mendicancy and Vagrants in Modern Shanghai. www.shanghaicentre.com.
11. Harrison, J. (1993). Spirituality and Nursing Practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing, Vol. 2, Issue 4, 211–217.
12. Katsande, R. (2014). Begging for a Title: An Ethnographic Report on Zimbabwean Blind Beggar. Unpublished Thesis: University of Witswatersrand.
13. Kennedy, C., and Fitzpatrick, S. (2011). Begging, Rough Sleeping and Social Exclusion: Implications for Social Policy. Journal of Urban Studies, Vol. 38 No. 11, 2001–2016.
14. Khan, J.H. (2013). Problem of Beggars: A Case Study. International Journal of Management and Social Sciences Research, Vol. 2, 120–174.
15. Muromo, B. (2004). The Place of the Visually Challenged in Mainstream Media: The Zimbabwean Case. Midlands State University: Unpublished Research Paper.
16. Thomas, L. et al. (eds.) (2004). Language, Society and Power: An Introduction. London: Routledge.
17. Van Dijk, T.A. (2003). Critical Discourse Analysis, in Tannen, D., Schiffrin, D., and Hamilton, H.E. (eds.) The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 352–371.
Published
2020-09-30
How to Cite
Matiza, V. (2020) “A Discursive Analysis of Begging Discourse by the Visually Impaired in Zimbabwe”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 3(1), pp. 40-51. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.3.1.449.
Section
Social Sciences