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14 August 2025 | Story Gerda Marié van Rooyen | Photo Stephen Collett
Prof Angelique van Niekerk
The Top Management of the UFS was represented by Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, who welcomed the guests in Afrikaans. With him is Prof Angelique van Niekerk, who delivered her inaugural lecture; Dr Francois Smith, Head of the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French; and Prof Marlize Rabe, acting Dean of The Humanities.

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

nGAP lecturers welcomed by the UFS academic community
2016-06-30

Description: nGAP lecturers group photo Tags: nGAP lecturers group photo

University of the Free State’s newly-appointed nGAP
lecturers. From the left, Neo Mathinya,
Phumudzo Tharaga, and Kelebogile Boleu.

The University of the Free State (UFS) was allocated six positions as part of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP). Four candidates have filled positions in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of the Humanities and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences – with two positions still vacant.

According to Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, nGAP is part of the Staffing South Africa's Universities Framework, which focuses on the expansion of the size and compilation of academic staff at South African universities, especially with regard to transformation. The focus of the programme is the appointment of black and coloured candidates as well as women.

The Department of Soil, Crop, and Climate Sciences in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences welcomed two nGAP lecturers, Phumudzo Tharaga and Neo Mathinya. The Faculty was allocated four positions. Two positions are filled, while two positions in the Department of Animal and Wildlife Sciences are almost ready to be filled with exceptional candidates.

Agrometeorologist with his feet on the ground
Phumudzo Tharaga holds an MSc from the UFS, and is currently pursuing a PhD. Tharaga’s research focuses on quantifying the water use efficiency of sweet cherry orchards under different climate conditions in the Eastern Free State. Tharaga will offer his students a wealth of practical experience, which he began accumulating while working at ABSA as an agro-meteorologist, before moving on to become a senior scientist at the South African Weather Service. In 2015, Tharaga became a research technologist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and then returned to the UFS as an nGAP candidate at the beginning of 2016.  

Description: Beynon Abrahams, nGap lecturer  Tags: Beynon Abrahams, nGap lecturer

Beynon Abrahams, nGap lecturer
at the Faculty of Heath Sciences
Department of Basic medicine

Motivated scholar turned academic
Neo Mathinya, who hails from Taung in the North West, has made the UFS her home. She received both her undergraduate and honours degrees from the university. Apart from joining the department as a lecturer under the nGAP initiative, she is currently studying for her MSc in Soil Physics. She will continue with this research when she comes to her PhD. Mathinya’s research focuses on soil salinity - the process of increasing salt content - which affects the ability of plants to take up water, a process, known as osmotic stress. She will investigate the effects of irrigation water salinity on the grain yield and quality of malt barley.

Researcher with a passion for crime prevention
Kelebogile Boleu joined the Department of Criminology in the Faculty of Humanities, with a fresh take on diversion and crime prevention. Boleu holds a BA Criminology (Hons) and is now pursuing her Master’s degree. She worked for NICRO a non-profit organisation specialising in social crime prevention and offender reintegration, with programmes that prevent young and first-time offenders from re-offending, thus reducing crime. Boleu said that her practical experience makes her lectures to third-year criminology students exciting. Boleu’s research focuses on analysing the value of pre-sentencing reports in assisting adjudicators to make well-balanced judgments in cases.   

Research with a winning plan for fight against breast cancer
Beynon Abrahams joined the Department of Basic Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Abrahams holds a BSc, BSc (Hons), and MSc in Medical Biosciences from the University of the Western Cape. Abrahams’ Master’s research focused on breast cancer, research on which he is building in his PhD. This doctoral research involves the exploration of P-glycoprotein, a protein expressed on cancer cell and responsible for multi-drug resistance in cancer treatment. The aim of this research is to develop a therapeutic drug treatment strategy that will improve breast cancer patient survival outcomes. Abrahams’s greater vision is to look at conventional cancer therapeutic regimens, to find ways in which they can be improved.

The nGAP initiative offers these young lecturers an opportunity for growth and development as academics, while providing them with opportunities they would have not have been exposed to otherwise.

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