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Advertising industry secrets revealed in inaugural lecture

14 August 2025 | Story Gerda Marié van Rooyen | Photo Stephen Collett

In her inaugural lecture on 5 August 2025, Prof Angelique van Niekerk emphasised that linguistic choices in persuasive communication, specifically advertising communication, carry ideological implications. This is referred to as ‘linguistic capital’, which includes all the language instruments available to a competent language practitioner and/or copywriter.

The inaugural lecture, titled ’n Kulturele en psigolinguistiese perspektief op hoe 'n wêreldbeskouing beïnvloed word aan die hand van advertensiekommunikasie: 1995-2025 (A cultural and psycholinguistic perspective on how a worldview is influenced based on advertising communication: 1995-2025), offered an overview of some of her published research concerning the use of different linguistic instruments within the disciplines, such as syntax, sociolinguistics, morphology, semantics, pragmatics, etc.

Prof Van Niekerk, a lecturer in the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French at the University of the Free State (UFS), also elaborated on aspects such as nostalgia, controversy, intertextuality, identity, etc., from her research within applied linguistics, based on Afrikaans and English print advertisements.

The lecture concluded with examples from Afrikaans magazines and archives of the Loerie and Pendoring advertisements from 2020 onwards. These examples illustrated the importance of cultural congruence and intellectual challenge (play) in an effective (good) advertisement.

“Recent examples (data) emphasise the importance of social issues as a point of reference; that with which the speaker (marketer) and audience (target market) identify – their good cause,” said Prof Van Niekerk. She referred to significant patterns from recent South African print advertising, stating that South African advertisements involve inclusivity, interactivity through the use of web addresses, QR codes, etc., acknowledgement of the market’s heritage/roots, cultural norms, etc., social consciousness, and a world without pretentiousness.

Prestigious attendees

In attendance was Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, who welcomed the attendees in Afrikaans. He described the event not only as a ceremonial right, but also as the celebration of a milestone, the sharing of knowledge, a goal, and setting the course for the future. “This (the inaugural lecture) is a joyous occasion, especially because it coincides with the official centenary of Afrikaans.”

Prof Marlize Rabe, acting Dean of The Humanities and Vice-Dean: Teaching and Learning, introduced the star of the evening and highlighted some of Prof Van Niekerk's academic achievements, including a PhD in Afrikaans and Dutch and a master’s degree in Communication Sciences (cum laude), as well as a C rating from the National Research Foundation, underlining her contribution to academic research.

The final word of the evening belonged to Head of Department, Dr Francois Smith. “It is significant how you have proved how applied linguistics can get a grip on who and what we are and how we shape our world through language. Science allows us to take a step back and contemplate how language gives us the leverage to take hold of our world. This lecture underscores that our work is of value and has something to offer the world, because language can widen borders and gives us a way to look at the future.”

Vakmanskap van advertensiewese in intreerede bespreek

Prof Angelique van Niekerk, dosent in die Departement Afrikaans en Nederlands, Duits en Frans, het gedurende haar intreerede op 5 Augustus 2025 beklemtoon dat taalpraktyk, oftewel taalkeuse, in oorredende en spesifiek advertensiekommunikasie ideologiese implikasie inhou. Daar word hierna verwys as ‘linguistiese kapitaal’ en sluit in al die taalverwante instrumente in die hand van ŉ vaardige taalpraktisyn (kopieskrywer).

Prof Van Niekerk het in haar intreerede, getitel ’n Kulturele en psigolinguistiese perspektief op hoe 'n wêreldbeskouing beïnvloed word aan die hand van advertensiekommunikasie: 1995-2025, eerstens ’n oorsig gebied van die navorsing wat sy reeds gedoen het oor die funksionele aanwending van die verskillende taalinstrumente binne die teoretiese dissiplines soos sintaksis, sosiolinguistiek, morfologie, semantiek, pragmatiek, ens.

Daarna het sy ’n oorsig gebied uit die toegepaste linguistiek (in Afrikaans en Engels) op grond van Suid-Afrikaanse advertensiekommunikasie. Die gebruik van aspekte soos nostalgie, kontroversie, intertekstualiteit, identiteit, ens. in die advertensiewese is juis om hierdie rede op data van 1995-2025 geskoei. Prof Van Niekerk het haar intreerede afgesluit met voorlopige insigte oor die aard van gedrukte advertensiekommunikasie uit datastelle sedert veral 2020 (Afrikaanse tydskrifte, advertensies uit die Pendoring- en Loerie-argief).

Die belangrikheid van kulturele kongruensie en intellektuele uitdaging (spel) in ŉ goeie/ doeltreffende advertensie – soos ook aangedui deur Gevorgyana en Manucharovab (2015) – is ook uitgelig. Onlangse advertensies (datastelle) blyk die belangrikheid te toon van sosiale kwessies as verwysingspunt; dit waarmee die spreker en ontvanger identifiseer (jou good cause).

Die patroonmatigheid en opvallendhede uit meer onlangse Suid-Afrikaanse advertensies is uitgelig. Plaaslike advertensies behels multi-identiteite en ŉ (ras)-inklusiewe samelewing waarin tale saam gebruik en afgewissel word binne een teks/konteks; verhoogde interaktiwiteit deur webadresse, QR-kodes, ens.; erkenning van die teikenmark se herkoms, sosiale bewustheid (bv. genderregte en omgewingsbewaring) en ’n wêreld gestroop van valse skyn.

Vooraanstaande gaste

Prof Vasu Reddy, Adjunk-Visekanselier: Navorsing en Internasionalisering, het die gehoor in Afrikaans verwelkom. Hy het die geleentheid nie bloot as ŉ seremoniële reg beskryf nie, maar ook as die viering van ’n mylpaal, die deel van kennis, ŉ doelwit en as padkaart vir die toekoms. “Dit (die intreerede) is ’n vreugdevolle gebeurtenis, veral omdat dit saamval met die amptelike eeufeesviering van Afrikaans.”

Prof Marlize Rabe, waarnemende Dekaan van die Fakulteit Geesteswetenskappe en Visedekaan: Onderrig en Leer, het die ster van die aand aan die gehoor bekendgestel en sommige van haar akademiese prestasies uitgelig. Dit sluit in ŉ PhD in Afrikaans en Nederlands en ’n meestersgraad (cum laude) in Kommunikasiewetenskap, sowel as ‘n C-gradering van die Nasionale Navorsingstigting wat prof Van Niekerk se bydrae tot akademiese navorsing staaf.

Die laaste woord van die aand het aan die Departementshoof, dr Francois Smith, behoort. “Dit is besonders hoe jy gewys het hoe toegepaste linguistiek ons ’n greep kan gee op wie en wat ons is en ons wêrelde skep deur taal, hoe ons verlei en verlok word. Wetenskap laat ons terugtree en sien hoe taal gebruik word en ons ’n vashouplek gee. Dis ’n bevestiging dat ons wetenskap en loopbane iets bied aan die wêreld waarin ons is. Taal is ’n manier om ons wêreld te verbreed, grense oop te maak en ’n manier te gee om na die toekoms te kyk.”

News Archive

SA cannot sustain momentum - Boesak

2010-09-02

Photo: Stephen Collett

South Africa finds it increasingly difficult to live up to the challenges facing it as a nation because of its failure to meet its democratic ideals and possibilities, peace and lack of self-belief.

This was according to renowned cleric and former political activist, Dr Allan Boesak, who recently delivered the CR Swart Memorial Lecture, the oldest memorial lecture at the University of the Free State (UFS). His lecture was on the topic Creating moments, sustaining momentum.

He said South Africa had plenty of opportunities to show the whole world what was possible if all the people of this country joined hands and worked together to build a truly united society. However, he said, the country somehow invariably contrived to find its way out of these wonderful possibilities.

He cited events of historical significance like Codesa, the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as the first democratic president of South Africa, the assassination of South African Communist Party leader, Chris Hani; and the rugby and soccer world cups.
To drive his point home about this dismal failure of the country to “sustain momentum”, he alluded to the current public servants’ strike that is gradually crippling public service.

“The public servants’ strike was neither unexpected nor is it completely unjustifiable. Most of us have understanding for the frustration of teachers and health workers. Their demands resonate with most of us, and I think that it is scandalous of SACP fat cats to tell workers to “stop crying like babies,” he said.

He also added to the criticism of the much-maligned decision of the government to spend billions of taxpayers’ money to purchase weapons when there was “no discernible military threat” to the country. He said the greatest threat to the security of the country was poverty, inequality and social cohesion.

“As for the argument that arms sales bring in foreign exchange – how can we be instrumental in killing the poor elsewhere with the intention of feeding our poor, and then our ill-gained profits feed only the already well-fed?” he asked.
“Can we see the hopeless contradiction, the total impossibility of being both the apostle of peace and a merchant of death?”

He also lambasted the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy of the government which he said benefited only those connected to the political aristocracy.

“It couples with the unashamed, in-your-face display of wealth by the privileged elite in this country, the crass materialism of the so-called “bling generation”, and the casual carelessness with which promises to the poor are given and treated. It is only the public symptom of the deep-seated scorn our political elites feel for the poor,” he said.

He said the government’s disdain to the poor was “setting fire to our future”.

“The anger of people on the ground can no longer be denied or ignored, and little by little, the leadership articulating and directing this anger is being estranged from politically elected leadership, and even more disturbing, from our democratic processes,” he said.

He concluded that the country’s difficulty in dealing with race and racism was putting the reconciliation process kick-started by Mandela just over a decade ago, under a threat.

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