Dynamics of media convergence in translingual expert interviews — An example from isiXhosa radio in South Africa

Abstract

Radio remains the most important information and entertainment medium in translingual South Africa. Subject to digitalization, it underwent major technical and structural transformation processes known as media convergence to maintain and to broaden audiences. These transformations have significant effects on the pragmatic realization of interactive talk and knowledge transfer. The study is based on an empirical multimodal discourse analysis of a Facebook video by the isiXhosa radio station Umhlobo Wenene. It observes dynamics of media convergence on the communicative situation. The example from a multilingual and mediated setting highlights impacts of conversation conventions externally imposed by promotional obligations. Furthermore, it examines how material affordances affect the conversation. The analysis shows that radio convergence has some enabling as well as some restrictive effects for realizing translingual knowledge transfer in mediated expert interviews.