President's Speech and Terminology Used During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This chapter investigates the interpretation of the South African President's terminologies during family meetings in a linguistic and situational context. During the COVID-19 pandemic, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation to communicate important information and updates about the virus and the measures taken by the government to curb the spread of the virus. The authors argue that most South African people do not know how to write and speak English; however, the information was delivered through the medium of English, excluding those who do not know the English language, with special reference to Setswana speakers. Hence, the chapter focuses on the South African President's speeches during the COVID-19 pandemic era. A theory of Afrocentricity will be employed in a qualitative approach to address the research questions and objectives of this chapter. At the end of this chapter, communication strategies are addressed in line with language use and cultural appropriateness.