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Skinder as gespreksgenre
Literator | Vol 26, No 1 | a222 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/lit.v26i1.222
| © 2005 G.S. van der Merwe
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 31 July 2005 | Published: 31 July 2005
Submitted: 31 July 2005 | Published: 31 July 2005
About the author(s)
G.S. van der Merwe, Departement Afrikaans en Nederlands, Universiteit van Stellenbosch, South AfricaFull Text:
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Gossip as a discourse genre
Gossip is one of the wide range of sub-categories of discourse genres in story-telling. It is one of the most common interactive forms of discourse in informal conversation, because it has its origin in the general inclination of man to show an intense interest in other people’s activities. Although the development of gossip differs with regard to the subject of discussion, the context and situation in which it is produced as well as the persons participating, it is possible to distinguish definite universal features of gossip. This article deals with the most prominent characteristics of gossip. The focus falls on the structure, the gossiping process, the content, the pejorative, evaluating nature of it and the social aspects involved in gossiping. Special attention is paid to non-verbal elements, which are frequently used when people gossip. In spite of the negative connotations gossip has, it is very important in the establishment of social identities and relations. It should therefore not be neglected in the study of language.
Gossip is one of the wide range of sub-categories of discourse genres in story-telling. It is one of the most common interactive forms of discourse in informal conversation, because it has its origin in the general inclination of man to show an intense interest in other people’s activities. Although the development of gossip differs with regard to the subject of discussion, the context and situation in which it is produced as well as the persons participating, it is possible to distinguish definite universal features of gossip. This article deals with the most prominent characteristics of gossip. The focus falls on the structure, the gossiping process, the content, the pejorative, evaluating nature of it and the social aspects involved in gossiping. Special attention is paid to non-verbal elements, which are frequently used when people gossip. In spite of the negative connotations gossip has, it is very important in the establishment of social identities and relations. It should therefore not be neglected in the study of language.
Keywords
Gossip As Discourse Genre; Implicit Social Standards; Non-Verbal Communicative Elements; Evaluating Nature Pejorative
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