Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies | National Inquiry Services Centre

Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies

ISSN: 1607-3614 (Print)
            1727-9461 (Online)
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

0.6 (2023) Impact Factor
0.6 (2023) 5-year IF

0.9 (2023) CiteScore

Accredited with the DHET (SAPSE)

Official Publication of the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics SocietyCo-published with RoutledgeClick here for Open Access options on this journal

Aims & Scope

Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies publishes articles on a wide range of linguistic topics and acts as a forum for research into ALL the languages of southern Africa. Original contributions are welcomed on any of the core areas of linguistics, applied linguistics, and language practice, particularly regarding matters that are relevant for the (southern) African context. Review articles and short research reports are also welcomed. Book reviews are solicited by the reviews editor. Articles in languages other than English are accompanied by an extended English summary.

Editors

EDITOR- IN- CHIEF

Prof. Johanita Kirsten
UPSET Research Focus Area, North-West University, (Vanderbijlpark), South Africa

e-mail: Johanita.Kirsten@nwu.ac.za

DEPUTY EDITORS 

Dr Amanda Lourens, Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, Stellenbosch University, South Africa 
Dr Jacqui Lück, Department of Applied Language Studies, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa 

Associate editors 

Dr Dumisile Mkhize, School of Languages for Education, North-West University (Potchefstroom), South Africa 
Dr Mats’itso Morato-Maleke, Department of English, National University of Lesotho, Lesotho 
Prof. CK Moropa, Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, University of South Africa, South Africa 
Dr Karien Redelinghuys, School of Languages, North-West University, South Africa 
Dr Kristina Riedel, Department of Linguistics, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

editorial board 

A. Chebanne, University of Botswana, Bostwana 
A. Deumert, University of Cape Town, South Africa 
N. Kula, University of Essex, UK 
T. Milani, University of Gothenburg, Sweden  
A. Pennycook, University of Technology, Australia 
R. Simango, Rhodes University, South Africa

PUBLISHING MANAGER 

Contact regarding all aspects relating to the production of the journal, including scheduling and copyright issues:

Dr. Kelly-Anne Frith 
NISC (Pty) Ltd
4 Speke Street
PO Box 377
Makhanda 6140
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)46 622 9698
Fax: +27 (0)46 622 9550
e-mail: publishing@nisc.co.za

Published in association with the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society.

Latest Issue

Volume 43, Issue 2, 2025

Research Article

Mapping the knowledge structure of pragmatics (1977–2022): A bibliometric analysis
Author(s): Qingrong Liu English Department of Wuhan University, China , Jing Liu School of Foreign Languages, Hubei University of Economics, China , Jinhua Li Electronic Business College, Wuhan Technology and Business University, China
Pages: 151–167
Phrase frames in rhetorical moves of economic research article discussions
Author(s): Jun Chen Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, China , Pengfei Zhang Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, China
Pages: 168–182
Artist’s cognitive level and the style and form trails in graffiti: an analysis of graffiti from selected Bikita-Matsai secondary schools
Author(s): Nyasha C. Zimuto University of South Africa, South Africa , Mampaka L. Mojapelo University of South Africa, South Africa , Davie E. Mutasa University of South Africa, South Africa
Pages: 183–194
The affects of elitism in three-tiered semioscapes: Mountain View’s ‘secret of happiness’
Author(s): Nashwa Elyamany College of Language & Communication, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Egypt , Abeer Aly El Attar Ain Shams University, Egypt
Pages: 195–217
The link between English language proficiency and academic performance among NC(V) first-year engineering students at a South African TVET college
Author(s): Belinda du Plooy Nelson Mandela University, South Africa , Liandi Stander Nelson Mandela University, South Africa , Eileen Scheckle Nelson Mandela University, South Africa
Pages: 218–229
What makes poetic language different? An experiment in genre recognition using word co-occurrence networks in Afrikaans
Author(s): Burgert Senekal University of the Free State, South Africa , Eduan Kotzé University of the Free State, South Africa
Pages: 230–242
The isiZulu translation of biblical weights and measures
Author(s): Manqoba Victor Ndlovu University of South Africa, South Africa
Pages: 243–250

Book Review

Directions for Pedagogical Construction Grammar: Learning and Teaching (with) Constructions
Author(s): Deming Xiao Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, People’s Republic of China
Pages: 287–290
Construction Grammar: The Structure of English
Author(s): Zhong Yuanyuan Sichuan International Studies University, China , Liu Yumei Sichuan International Studies University, China
Pages: 291–294
Multilingualism in Southern Africa: Issues and Perspectives
Author(s): Putri Beny Mawarsih Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia , Novita Dyah Pitaloka Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia , Fahlulia Rahma Shofiana Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia , Ika Emirulliah Hidayati Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia , Muhammad Deriel Ari Pranata Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia
Pages: 295–297

Contents

Instructions for Authors

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Author FAQ

 

Instructions for Authors

Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (SALALS) publishes contributions from any of the disciplines in linguistics, both theoretical and applied. SALALS will publish research articles of 5 000–8 000 words and short communications of 2 000 words. Review papers will be considered only if they make an original conceptual or theoretical contribution to the field. Invited book reviews are also published.

Editorial policy: Submission of the manuscript implies that the material has not previously been published, nor it is being submitted elsewhere for publication. Contributions are accepted with the understanding that the authors have the authority for publication. Submission will be taken to imply transfer of copyright of the material to the publishers, NISC (Pty) Ltd. Contributions must conform to the principles outlined in Ethical considerations in research publication available for download below.

Papers submitted to SALALS will be viewed by at least two appropriately qualified and experienced referees to ensure that all articles accepted for publication are methodologically and conceptually sound and make an original contribution to the field. The journal adheres strictly to a double anonymized review process. The decision to accept a manuscript rests with the Editor-in Chief. Queries regarding manuscripts can be addressed to the Editorial Office. Contributions may be in any of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Articles in languages other than English must be accompanied by an abstract in English and an extended English summary (500–1 000 words). However, for authors who prefer to translate their entire article into English, we will make the original African language manuscript also available online, as supplementary information, linked to the published English-language version.

Submission: Articles should be submitted via the Taylor & Francis Submissions Portal. New users should first create an account. Manuscripts should adhere to the format criteria described below, and papers failing to do so will be returned to the authors to be corrected before being reviewed. Files should be submitted in MS Word format.

Manuscript presentation: Submitted manuscripts should contain the following sections:
Title page: The title (max. 20 words) should be concise description of the article content. List the author’s name(s), institutional address(es) and the e-mail address of the designated corresponding author.

Abstract: This should include the title of the paper and an abstract. The abstract is a concise statement of the scope of the work, the principal findings, and the conclusions and should not exceed 200 words.

Main text: All papers should include Introduction and Conclusion sections, but given the diverse range of papers that might be published in SALALS, we do not prescribe a standard format for the middle section.

Format – Manuscripts should be prepared in MSWord. The heading and the texts should be presented in 12-point Arial or Calibri font. The text should use 1.5 line spacing, with no extra line spacing, and should not include text columns, creative formatting or additional fonts. IPA characters should be in the Doulos SIL Unicode font or Charis DIL, which is available for download here. Headings should be formatted in sentence case – primary headings should be presented in bold, secondary headings in bold and italics, and tertiary headings in italics. Avoid footnotes, although endnotes may be used sparingly. Tables and graphs should not be part of the text but be prepared as separate files.

Editorial style – Manuscripts written in English should follow the UK spelling. For general style conventions consult a recent issue of the journal – free sample available here.

Referencing – Multiple citations in text must be separated by semicolons and cited chronologically in the form (Janks & Makalela 2013; Kadenge, 2012; Marais 2013; Milani, 2014). If previously published work is quoted directly, the citation must include the author, year of publication and page number as in (Nkadimeng 2013, p. 85). If more than two authors are cited in a reference, use only the name of the first author followed by ‘et al.’ For presenting the full reference list of references at the end of the manuscript, please consult our guide Reference Exemplars for Authors available for download below.The reference list should be in alphabetical order by first author, and include all authors of a given reference (do not use ‘et. al’ in the list),  likewise use full journal titles. URLs should be given only for references that are not available in print (such as a webpage) or ones that link to hard-to-find sources (e.g. municipal documents) and these URLs must be up-to-date at the time of submission and include an access date. 

Example reference list:

Makoni S, Mashiri P. 2007. Critical historiography: Does language planning in Africa need a construct of language as part of its theoretical apparatus? In: Makoni S and Pennycook A (eds), Disinventing and reconstituting languages. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. pp 362–394.

Rampton B. 2006. Language in late modernity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Makalela L. 2013. Translanguaging in Kasi-taal: Rethinking old language boundaries for new language planning. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus 42: 111–125.

Tables and figures – Tables and figures should contain only information directly relevant to the content of the paper. Each table and figure must include a full, stand-alone caption, and each must be sequentially mentioned in the text. Highly stylised formatting should be avoided. Tables may include thin, horizontal lines but should not include cells with shading. Figures must conform to the journals style. Pay particular attention to line thickness, font and figure proportions, taking into account the journal’s printed page size. Costs of redrawing figures may be charged. Please refer to Figure Guidelines for Authors: format, style and technical considerations available for download below. For digital photographs or scanned images the resolution should be at least 300 dpi for colour or greyscale artwork and a minimum of 600 dpi for black line drawings. These can be saved (in order of preference) in PSD, PDF or JPEG format. Graphs, charts or maps can be saved in AI, PDF or EPS format. MS Office files (Word, Powerpoint, Excel) are also acceptable but DO NOT EMBED Excel graphs or Powerpoint slides in a MS Word document. More detailed technical information is given in Figure Guidelines for Authors.

Other information:
Page charges: A page charge of ZAR175 per page (for African contributors – excl. VAT, where applicable) or USD15 (for other contributors) is levied by NISC. Authors who do not receive subsidies from their institutions may apply to the Editor to have the page charges waived.

Open access: Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies is a hybrid journal which allows authors the option of publishing their article Open Access for a set fee. Further details are given on the Open Access at NISC page. 

Special Issues: Proposals for special issues should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief. 

Downloads

Figure Guidelines for Authors

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Figure FAQs

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