Abstract
Language and speech are relationship, context, and culture based. Venerative speech code theory, illuminates a communication system where the speaker uses language, words, terms, or descriptions toward the other, that not only serves to identify or draw attention, but also symbolizes the worth, dignity, and esteem associated with speaker’s evaluation of the addressee and relationship. Using a geo-cultural perspective of African communalism, it posits that the way people communicate is a marker of their psycho-social environment. It extends speech codes theory from a grand theory to a grounded theory. It elaborates on how communication functions in time and place, and how it underpins the priorities and values of a cultural group. Venerative speech codes theory focuses on how African communalism informs relationships, interaction, and speech.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achebe, C. (1992). Things Falls Apart. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Barz, G. (2004). Music in East Africa: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. New York: Oxford University Press.
Berg, A., & Rosen, D. H. (2012). Connecting with South Africa. College Staton, TX: Texas A& M University Press.
Ephirim-Donkor, A. (2011). African Spirituality: On Becoming Ancestors. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Flamenbaum, R. (2014). The Pragmatics of Codeswitching on Ghanaian Talk Radio. International Journal of Bilingualism, 18(4), 346–362.
Gannon, M., & Pillai, R. (2016). Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys Through 34 Nations, Clusters of Nations, Continents, & Diversity. Los Angeles: Sage.
Gidley, C. B. G. (1985). The Victory of Ali, Son of Abdu—A Hausa Praise Poem. From “Mantafas”: A Study in Oral Tradition. African Language Studies, VI, 32–51. Retrieved July 5, 2017, from http://www.africanpoems.net/tag/hausa/.
Griffin, E., Ledbetter, A., & Sparks, G. (2015). A First Look at Communication Theory (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Imhotep, A. (n.d.). The Power of Greeting. Imhotep Asar Blog. Retrieved July 4, 2017, from http://www.asarimhotep.com/index.php/blog/8-articles/13-the-power-of-greeting.
Malini, R. (1999). Understanding Zulu-English Code-Switching: A Psycho-Social Perspective. South African Journal of Linguistics, 17(2/3), 161.
Mashiri, P. (2002). Shona-English Code-Mixing in the Speech of Students at the University of Zimbabwe. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 20(4), 245–252.
McCarthy, S. (1994). Africa: The Challenge of Transformation. London: Tauris.
Meyrowitz, J. (1985). No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic Media on Social Behavior. New York: Oxford Press.
Millar, D. (1999). Traditional African Worldvies: From a Cosmovision Perspective. In B. Haverkort & W. Hiemstra (Eds.), Food for Thought: Ancient Visions and the New Experiments of Rural People (pp. 131–138). London: Zed Books.
Moemeka, A. A. (1998). Communalism as a Fundamental Dimension of Culture. Journal of Communication, 48(4), 118–140.
Musa, B. A. (2005). Talking Drums and the Conspiracy of Meaning in African Political Speech: A Cultural Analysis of Sonny Okosun’s African Soldier. Journal of African Social Sciences & Humanities Studies, 1(1), 17–43.
Musa, B. A. (2011). Dialogic Communication Theory, African Worldview, and Human Rights. In B. A. Musa & J. K. Domatob (Eds.), Communication, Culture, and Human Rights in Africa (pp. 3–17). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Musa, B. A. (2017, May). Voicing Communal Wisdom in Communication Studies: Theorizing African Noesis in Research and Practice. Panel Paper presented at the 67th Annual International Communication Association Conference, San Diego Hilton Bayfront Hotel, San Diego, CA.
Pearson, G. (2011). African Famine: I See You. The BLOG. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/glen-pearson/africa-famine_b_922063.html.
Philipsen, G. (2008). Speech Codes Theory: Traces of Culture in Interpersonal Communication. In L. A. Baxter & D. O. Braithwaite (Eds.), Emerging Theories of Interpersonal Communication (pp. 269–280). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Psalms. (n.d.). The Holy Bible, New International Version. Nashville, TN: Zondervan Pub.
Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDonald, R. E., & Roy, C. S. (2013). Communication Between Cultures (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
Ting-Toomey, S., & Chung, L. C. (2012). Understanding Intercultural Communication (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford Press.
Tutu, D. (2005). God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time. London: Rider.
Waisbord, S., & Mellano, C. (2014). De-Westernizing Communication Studies. Communication Theory, 24(4), 361–372.
Wang, G. (2014). Culture, Paradigm, and Communication Theory: A Matter of Boundary or Commensurability? Communication Theory, 24(4), 373–393.
West, R., & Turner, L. T. (2009). Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Musa, B.A. (2018). Venerative Speech Theory and African Communalism: A Geo-Cultural Perspective. In: Langmia, K. (eds) Black/Africana Communication Theory. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75447-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75447-5_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-75446-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-75447-5
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)