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In the book of the prophet Ezekiel, indications are found of the interaction between the prophet and his audience. Prophecy always had the aim to convince its audience of something and are therefore always of a rhetorical nature. It happens frequently that the rhetorical aim and situation of a prophetic book receives attention. This article attempts to reconstruct the possible original rhetorical situation of those instances where the prophet uses quotations and react on them. Before discussing the different cases, three theoretical issues receive attention, namely the rhetorical approach used in this article, the use of quotations in the Bible and so-called disputations. In the book, quotations occur in two contexts, namely before and after the fall of Jerusalem. The refutation of the quotations aims to address the despondency of the exiles and exhorting them with the message that God will bring deliverance in the future. Keywords: Ezekiel, rhetoric, quotations

The interaction between prophet and audience is one of the important elements of the prophetic process. This interaction is closely related to the audience's acceptance or rejection of the prophetic message. The reaction of the prophet could either be to adapt his message to the expectations of the audience or to affirm his message. This paper explores this interaction in the Book of Ezekiel. The interaction is clear in the quotation of popular proverbs and the words of the exiles, the people in Jerusalem and the enemies of the people, in symbolic actions that evoked questions from the prophet's audience and in the interpretation of certain oracles against the background of certain expectations of the prophet's audience. In some instances the interaction may be purely rhetorical, but in other instances it reflects events in the time of the prophet.

In the Bible the words blind and deaf occur nine times in the same sentence. An accumulation of such sentences is found in Isaiah 42 and 43, where it occurs three times (Is 42:18, 19; 43:8). Blindness is also mentioned in two further sentences in these chapters. Not only is it stated that the people of God is blind, but Israel also accuses Yahweh that their way is hidden from him (Is 40:27). It is because of this accusation, pertaining to an alleged blindness on Yahweh’s side, that the question of hearing is raised. He answers to this accusation in the heavenly court with the questions ‘Do you not know? Have you not heard?’ From there on God makes it clear that seeing is dependent on hearing. In a heavenly court of law, the wrong perception that God’s people had about the exile was put straight and a new beginning for the exiles was subsequently made. The theme of blind- and deafness is thereby continued from Isaiah 1 and 6 in the verdict in the heavenly court in Isaiah 43, where it became clear that the cure for the spiritual blindness of God’s people is not related to their eyes, but to their ears. In die Bybel kom die woorde blind en doof nege keer saam in dieselfde sin voor. ’n Opeenhoping van hierdie sinne word in Jesaja 42 en 43 aangetref waar dit drie maal voorkom (Jes 42:18, 19; 43:8). Blindheid word ook in twee verdere sinne in hierdie hoofstukke genoem. Nie alleen word dit gestel dat die volk van God blind is nie, maar die volk beskuldig God dat Hy nie raaksien wat van hulle word nie (Jes 40:27). In die hemelse hof antwoord God op hierdie beskuldiging met die vrae ‘Weet julle nie? Het julle nie gehoor nie?’ Van daardie punt af maak God dit duidelik dat sien van hoor afhanklik is. Hierdie verkeerde persepsie van die volk oor God se sogenaamde blindheid vir hulle welstand tydens die ballingskap, word reggestel en ’n nuwe begin word gemaak. Die tema van blind- en doofheid word sodoende uit Jesaja 1 en 6 voortgesit in die uitspraak wat in die hemelse hof gemaak word (Jes 43). Daar word dit duidelik dat die oplossing vir die geestelike blindheid van die volk nie verband hou met hulle sig nie, maar met hulle gehoor.

Schultze and Müller were two well-known cartoon figures who commented on German (Prussian) society and politics in the satirical magazine Kladderadatsch, from 1848 onwards. Their petty bourgeois mindset allowed them to criticize the absurdity of everyday life. Kladderadatsch and its main characters were imitated in Dutch satirical magazines: in Uilenspiegel, Kwik and Kwak engaged in similar dialogues as Schultze and Müller, whereas Humoristisch Album published the travel story of Koen Verklat, who just as Schultze and Müller travelled abroad to marvel at anything that was different from life back home. The Dutch imitations can be studied as cases of Kulturtransfer, the methodology of which can be refined by using the concept of scenography, as introduced by Dominique Maingueneau in his discourse analysis. The help of imagology is needed to understand Dutch reactions to the booklet Schultze und Müller in Holland, which depicted the Netherlands and its inhabitants in a horribly negative way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die germanistische Literaturwissenschaft betrachtet Elfriede Jelineks Sprache oft als gefühls- oder subjektlos. Der Zynismus der Autorin soll in ihren Texten enthalten sein und regt zur Suche nach dessen psychologischen oder gar pathologischen Ursachen an. Im Gegensatz dazu werfen wir einen neuen Blick auf die Sprache im Drama Ulrike Maria Stuart. Die Figuren, zwei tote Königinnen, verwenden eine neurodiverse 'Gegensprache', die zu einer Neuinterpretation von Jelineks sogenannter Antipsychologie führt. Die tote Frau kämpft mit ihrer Verletzlichkeit gegen die ideologischen Konventionen der Sprache und ihr sprachlicher Kontrollverlust führt zu einer alternativen, neurodiversen Kommunikation, die auf intensiver Sensitivität beruht. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anno 2020: een patiënt meldt zich aan met zijn elektronische identiteitskaart in een ziekenhuis. Onbewust activeert hij een ach-terliggend technisch systeem dat bestaat uit onderling verbonden technische componenten die één groot netwerk vormen. Deze bijdrage beschrijft het ontstaan van dit technisch systeem in het stelsel van de sociale zekerheid en gaat na hoe de technologie, in het bijzonder de IT en de voorloper daarvan - de mecano-grafie - heeft bijgedragen tot de evolutie van het stelsel. Met als afgeleide vragen: wanneer werd de technologie geïntroduceerd, wat bepaalde de verdere evolutie? Hoe heeft het Belgische stelsel zich aangepast aan een technologie of was het een wederzijds aanpassingsproces ? Was technologie louter een instrument dat sociale en politieke machten gebruikten om een sociaal stelsel te bouwen of moeten we de technische component beschouwen als een van de bepalende actoren ? De beschrijving van de technisch basis van het huidige systeem kan meer inzicht verschaffen in de wisselwerking tussen technologie en maatschappij. Dit is nuttig, zeker in de actuele context waarin informaticatechnologie doordringt in alle domeinen van het dagelijks leven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hermanus Noordkerk was a famous barrister in eighteenth-century Amsterdam. After his death multiple necrologies were written in which the general tone was laudatory. This article investigates the reliability of the necrologies by answering the question why Noordkerk became such a famous barrister. What qualities did he have that made him so memorable? It becomes clear that together with his virtuous character Noordkerk was considered to be an inventive lawyer as well as an outstanding pleader and that, by combining these three characteristics, he embodied for contemporaries the ideal barrister. But besides, Noordkerk had another quality: he had the ability to exploit the public interest of a court case for the benefit of his client. Due to the political dynamics within an early modern city this might have been important for Noordkerk's fame. The case study of Noordkerk thus sheds light on the qualities that a barrister should have in an early modern city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Belgium, the administration of justice with regard to labour law is in the hands of specialised courts, staffed by a combination of professional and lay judges. This has historical roots. An important step in the evolution of these courts is the establishment of the 'werkrechtersraden van beroep' ('conseils de prud'hommes d'appel'). From their creation in 1913 until their reform in 1967, these councils were the highest authority in Belgium to settle disputes on the work floor and consequently the highest interpreter of labour legislation. The institution constantly balanced on the remarkable interface between law and labour. In this contribution, a fact check is carried out to see how this balance worked in practice. An exceptional episode are the periods in which this system was placed under tension. Therefore, this contribution pays special attention to the case law pronounced by the werkrechtersraad van beroep of Ghent in the crisis-ridden period 1935-1950. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article questions the traditional view on Dutch urban emergency homes after World War II. The small-scale, detailed analysis of emergency housing programs in the cities of Arnhem and Venlo exposes a multidimensional history of the phenomenon as it includes the perspectives of planners and local government officials. In general, the discourse on post-war reconstruction presents post-war emergency homes as a logical step in the breakthrough of the modern city with standardised, mass-produced dwellings. However, in Arnhem and Venlo a different reality existed: planners were initially not in favour of it and for local governments practicing with prefabrication was not important. Thereby the article discusses the problems that arise from the teleological tendencies in the historiography on post-war reconstruction and hopes to contribute to recent debates on new reconstruction perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die artikel is ’n poging om Paulus se retoriese strategie uit die teks self te rekonstrueer, eerder as om ’n klassieke of moderne retoriese model op die teks toe te pas. ’n Voorstel virso ’n teksgesentreerde benadering word kortliks opgesom, gevolg deur ’n beskrywing van die retoriese situasie wat Paulus in die brief wil ondersoek. Daar word geargumenteer dat Romeine 9:1–10:4 ’n integrale deel van Paulus se retoriese strategie vorm met die doel om sy gehoor te oortuig om sy siening van God se verlossingsplan, asook sy beoogde sending na Spanje te steun. In die proses van oorreding gebruik hy verskillende soorte argumente en retoriese tegnieke om die trefkrag van sy kommunikasie te verhoog. Die gevolgtrekkingis dat ’n teksgesentreerde benadering (met fokus op die funksionele aspekte van die teks) ’n beter alternatief as die bestaande benaderings (met fokus op die formele aspekte van die teks) bied. A rhetorical analysis of Romans 9:1-10:4. This article is an attempt to reconstruct Paul’s rhetorical strategy from the text itself, rather than applying ancient or modern rhetorical models to his letters. A proposal for such a text-centred approach is briefly summarised, followed by a discussion of the rhetorical situation that Paul wants to address in this letter. It is argued that Romans 9:1–10:4 forms an integral part of his rhetorical strategy, aimed at persuading his audience in Rome to support his view on God’s plan of salvationas well as his forthcoming mission to Spain. In the process of persuasion Paul uses various types of argument and rhetorical techniques to enhance the impact of his communication.The conclusion is that a text-centred approach (with its focus on the functional aspects of the text) provides a better alternative to existing approaches (which focus on the formal aspects of the text).

Die argument word gehoor dat kerkregeringstelsels soos dié van die Rooms-Katolieke, Lutherse en gereformeerde kerke van ’n transendentale aard was en is. Daardeur word geïmpliseer dat hierdie stelsels een transendentale, unieke vaste beginsel gebruik om ’n hele stelsel van kerkregering van buite af te bepaal. Volgens Leo Koffeman, ’n voorstander van ’n ekumeniese kerkreg, plaas hierdie stelsels hulself hiermee buite die diskoers oor kerkreg en kerkregering en die beweging van die Heilige Gees. ’n Ekumeniese kerkreg, daarenteen, is ten gunste van ’n gemeenskaplike kerkreg tussen kerke. Omdat dit verskillende tradisies bymekaar bring, is dit ’n kritiese en daarom beter benadering. Die skrywer oorweeg hierdie argumente krities in die lig van ’n gereformeerde benadering tot kerkreg. The argument is used that church political systems like that of the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and reformed churches were of a transcendental character. By that it is implied that it used one transcendental and unique ‘hard principle’ from outside to direct a system of church government. Such uniqueness, according to Leo Koffeman who advocates an ecumenical church polity, places it outside the church political discourse and the way of the Holy Spirit. An ecumenical church polity seeks a combined polity between churches and is, by bringing different traditions together, a critical and therefore better undertaking. The author examines these arguments critically in the light of a reformed church polity.

This play looks at a summary in Matthew 1:18−19.1 The summary discloses that Joseph learns of Mary’s pregnancy and chooses to divorce her. The play, based on this summary, investigates how he may have learned of her pregnancy, that is, from Mary herself.2 The play combines scholarship and the standard literary features of a drama-character, conflict, plot, setting, point of view, tone and dialogue.3 It includes material from Luke 1, Deuteronomy 22:21–29 and Numbers 30:6–8. The play encourages and engages the imagination of the cast and the audience.4 Hierdie toneelstuk handel oor die gedeelte in Matteus 1:18−19, waar Josef uitvind van Maria se swangerskap en besluit om van haar te skei. Die toneelstuk ondersoek die manier waarop hy van haar swangerskap te hore kom, naamlik van Maria self. In die drama word vakkundigheid gekombineer met die tipiese literêre elemente van ‘n karakterspel, naamlik konflik, intrige, uitgangspunte, stemming en dialoog. Dele uit Lukas 1, Deuteronomium 22:21−29 en Numeri 30:6-8 word ook ingesluit. Die verbeelding en betrokkenheid van die rolspelers en die gehoor word deur die toneelstuk aangewakker.

Prediking is intensioneel en wil verandering bewerk. Onder die prediking vind interaksie en kommunikasie tussen prediker en hoorder plaas. Die oomblik wanneer die prediker skryf of praat, maak hy of sy van styl gebruik. Styl is vir die prediker soos die kleur wat ’n kunstenaar gebruik. Die navorsingshipotese in die artikel is dat gebrekkige styl daartoe bydra dat God nie reg gehoor word in die prediking nie. In hierdie artikel word van ’n driedeling gebruik gemaak waarin ’n analiserende beskrywing van die prakties-teologiese situasie gebied word. Aan die hand van basisteoretiese perspektiewe word die normatiewe gesigspunte gestel, waarna veranderingstrategieë voorgestel word. Vanuit die Jakobusbrief word perspektiewe na vore gebring wat die noodsaak van goeie styl in die prediking benadruk. In die metateoretiese besinning word die kontoere van die Kunsgeskiedenis asook Kommunikasiekunde verken. In die praktykteoretiese perspektiewe wat bespreek word, word die ruimte wat stylvolle prediking moet skep, aangestip. Sodoende word dit benadruk dat enige styl nie noodwendig die korrekte styl is nie. ’n Goeie styl wend die regte woorde op die regte plekke in die preek aan en daarom is goeie styl eenvoudig en verstaanbaar. Comprehensible preaching is simple preaching: A practical-theological reflection on preaching style. There is interdependence between preaching and transformation in the lives of hearers. There is a relationship of interaction and communication between preacher and hearers, exists in the act of preaching. When preachers open their mouths, style is used. Artists use colour in their paintings, but preachers use words to colour the content of their message. The research question for this investigation is therefore: What is the effect of an unclear style in sermons? The hypothesis for this research is that an unclear style in sermons does not change lives and fails to bring hearers into the presence of God. The research field is explored by coming to grips with the current practical theological situation. This article investigates certain meta-theoretical perspectives from the fields of Art History and Communication Skills. Basic-theoretical perspectives will be derived from the letter of James and normative vantage points will unfold. The researcher reaches the conclusion that good style creates a space in which hearers can communicate with God. A specific style of preaching is not necessarily the best style to use. Good style uses the correct words in the right places. Good style in a sermon makes preaching clear and comprehensible.

Om oor ’n onderwerp soos die taalgebruik by die bediening van die Woord van God te gesels is moeiliker as wat dit by die eerste ja-sê gelyk het. Moeiliker nog as jy so voortvarend is om voor te gee dat jy iets van godsdiensuitsending weet. Aan die ander kant; ek het gemeen dit gaan tog maar net oor kommunikasie, en oor die feit dat taal die duidelikste en die voor die hand liggendste manier van kommunikasie is. Dit is egter as ’n mens jou gedagtes oor die onderwerp wil begin orden dat jy agterkom in watter wildernis jy jou bevind. Jy loop in die eerste plek die gevaar dat jy aardse uitsprake kan maak in aardse woorde oor ’n saak wat juis hoër as die aarde lê; jy loop die verdere gevaar dat jy as onopgeleide vir die teologies opgeleides wil kom sê hoe hulle iets moet kommunikeer wat veel, veel meer is as ’n blote stuk vakinhoud. Dus moet jy jouself die reg, en die wete, aanmatig dat jy weet hoe om dit wat jy self maar net op die geloof af hoop, aan ander te verduidelik. Dit gaan daarom nie net om kom­ munikasie nie, dit gaan juis om die soort kommunikasie wat groter is as woorde, dit gaan om die oopmaak van die diepste binnekant van ons menswees hier op aarde. En dan uiteindelik om hierdie oopmaak oor ’n medium waar die gehoor onweetbaar groot en divers is.

Wheelchair bound learners often experience low self-worth, feelings of inferiority and other negative emotions. This study investigates whether wheelchair dances can contribute to the emotional development of the wheelchair bound learner. Emotional and social development is construed as emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence consists of intrapersonal intelligence, and social intelligence consists of interpersonal intelligence. The research question aimed to answer whether learners who participate in wheelchair dancing develop their intrapersonal capacities with specific regard to self-esteem, emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, independence and self-actualisation. A case study design with a mixed methods approach was followed in the study, including a qualitative enquiry and pre- and post-testing. The three participants were between the ages of 10 and 14 years. They participated in a minimum of 20 wheelchair dance classes over a period of nine months. The results showed that although wheelchair dancing contributed to the emotional development of the participants, further development was evident in two of the participants with regard to their intrapersonal capacities. Participant 1 obtained positive post-test results in all five sub-components, while Participant 2 obtained positive post-test results in four sub-components and Participant 3 in two subcomponents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author deals with the final phase of a mission project, that of handing over, or the phasing out of the work. Although the issue is addressed in general, and an overview is given of the theories that missiologists held since the 19th century, the questions are focused on the situation in the mission work of the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa (NG Kerk). he thinks that much of the present relational problems between this church and its South African sister churches has to do with the fact that their "mission relations" were not really terminated. The article ends with some proposals to end the impasse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congregations of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa are facing various challenges which they cannot meet on their own. The classis or presbytery was born in the sixteenth century when reformed congregations also went through very dificult times. Its aim was to help congregations fulfil their needs. Neighbouring congregations that are close enough to understand each other's needs and able to meet as often as needed, constitute this governing body. It has its roots in the sense of unity and concern that existed between the congregations of the first century. Throughout the history of the classis in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, this same sense of unity and concern about the welfare of the congregations constituted the presbytery. Today it is still an integral part of the church's organization and can help congregations to fulil their God-given calling in their own context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistics around the phenomenon of self-injurious behaviour show a rise in numbers. Self-injury has been described as the anorexia and bulimia of the new millennium. The church must be equipped to guide and counsel young people affected by this problem. It is not a 'teenage problem' that people simply 'outgrow'. We can therefore no longer pretend that this is a fringe issue that occurs in only the most extreme cases. This article, in the irst instance, focuses on reasons for the increase in cases as well as on a number of misconceptions regarding this theme. Secondly, the focus shifts to the important role of emotions, the dynamics of the process, as well as a treatment programme. In conclusion, a number of pastoral perspectives are highlighted and guidelines provided to prevent possible slips and setbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses three key issues of ageing: 1) the question of intergenerational solidarity 2) the way people arrange the 'third phase of life' (between 60 and 75 years of age) and 3) the problem of care for the elderly. Concerning intergenerational solidarity, two approaches seem to dominate the debate. The first is a 'Tiresias approach' which argues that funding of ageing by the various generations need not to be a problem, on the condition that a series of requirements are fulfilled, which each seem to be a precondition for the others to be realized. The 'Cassandra approach on the other hand, sketches a doom scenario of fundamental generational cleavages in society. However, it is argued that the societal costs of ageing cannot be accounted to any generation in particular. Therefore, all generations are equally responsible for the solution of this long-term collective problem. Long-term policy arrangements are required such as the rise of the labor participation (particularly by people of 55 to 65 years of age), a rise and/or flexibility with regard to the age of retirement. Crucial is whether people will spend their third phase of life productively or not (e.g. by participating on the labor market, or by providing care). The value of sociological knowledge in this and other societal debates, is to point out how the plurality of meanings and visions are linked to conflicting interests of groups and generations, and to provide clarity by showing the similarities and differences between these conflicting interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author presents four cases, where he analyses the role of chance. (1) An accident of chronology caused a dynamic king, interested in legal matters, to rule in England in the second half of the twelfth century. Consequently a modernized English common law was established before the neo-Roman law of the Schools and the officialities could intervene. (2) Finding the complete Corpus iuris civilis in northern Italy in the second half of the eleventh century, was the result of a chance discovery and not due to a search party sent to Greece in order to obtain a copy of Justinian's lawbook. (3) The 'reception' of Roman law in late fifteenth-century Germany was caused, inter alia, by the circumstance that Emperor Maximilian happened to be surrounded by an 'Academy' of humanists and to have Roman-imperial ambitions. (4) The formation of the Seventeen Provinces of Emperor Charles V was the result of a conscious Burgundian and Habsburg policy. But their sixteenth-century separation into present-day Belgium and Holland was the result of their Spanish ruler, King Philip II. He himself had come to rule over the Low Countries because of a fortuitous series of infant deaths in the Spanish dynasty in 1497–1499, which led to the accession of a Habsburg prince to the Spanish throne and eventually to a Spanish king ruling over the Low countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The aesthetic nature of food and cooking is a neglected field in philosophical aesthetics. This neglect is due, among others, to the intellectual perspective on art and the anthropological dualism characteristic of modernism. In this essay the aesthetics of food and the art of cooking are explored. The system of food in philosophy firstly examined. In the second part, a distinction is made between natural and culinary gastronomical beauty. Attention is given to the development of some philosophical terminology applicable to the field of study, and the art of cooking analysed in contrast to other forms of artistic expression. In the last section, some cultural and political implications of the aesthetics of food and the art of cooking are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, the constitutional status of the former kaiserlich freie Reichsstift Thorn in the present Dutch province of Limburg was disputed. After the Emperor Charles VI had established its constitutional position as a member of the Holy Roman Empire in 1718, a Court of Appeal was established to symbolise Thorn's sovereignty and serve as an intermediary court between the local lower jurisdictions and the Reichskammergericht and the Reichshofrat. The organisation and jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal were laid down in ordinances by the sovereign abbess Francisca Christina of Paltz-Sulzbach (1717–1776). Since the Court's judges did not reside in Thorn – they lived predominantly in the free imperial town of Aachen – complaints about undue delay in civil proceedings and the high cost involved urged the sovereign abbess to directly intervene in the Court's jurisdiction. The ensuing conflicts negatively affected the Court's credibility, as is evidenced by the number of revision petitions and appeals lodged with the Reichskammergericht from ca. 1775 onwards. Reform efforts undertaken by the sovereign abbess Maria Cunegonda of Saxony (1776–1795) arrived too late to restore the credibility and authority of the Court of Appeal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article discusses the case of Willem Van de Nesse, a parish priest, and archbishop Precipiano, his canonical superior. Precipiano had suspended Van de Nesse, however without following due canonical procedure. The Council of Brabant took jurisdiction of the case. It decided that Precipiano had violated Van de Nesses rights of peaceful possession because he had not respected the requirements of canonical procedure. The Council maintained Van de Nesse in the possession of his parish. This case serves as a starting point for a description of the evolution of the recursus ad principem in the Netherlands, and for a comparison with similar procedures in France (the appel comme d'abus) and in Spain (the recurso de fuerza). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The writer, Karel Schoeman, is especially well known for his historiographical repre- sentations of the past, both in fiction and non-fiction, characteristically with the intention of presenting the past in an ideological perspective. Commentators have singled out his manner of narration in Verliesfontein (one of a trilogy) for particular scrutiny, concentrating on the authenticity or lack of authenticity of the narration. The trilogy clearly tries to recapture the past and present it with objective verisimilitude. In doing so, the three works give voice, almost exclusively, to persons previously marginalized, intending to redress a historical silence. Critics on the whole clearly interpret Verliesfontein politically and see the clear intention of the author to involve the reader politically as a prominent motivation of this type of literature. For this reason, one appropriate context for evaluating such works is that of language pragmatics: does the work fulfil the intention to involve through effective communication? Bluntly - does the work convincingly get its message across'? In view of the selection of speakers and the nature of the diologue, consideration of Verliesfontein in this context seems wholly appropriate. Verliesfontein has much of the typical quality that multiple first-person novels have of producing in the reader a notable sense of intimacy with the many `I' characters. The bulk of the text is filled with these promoted `minor' voices telling largely of the same events, but each from their personal perspective. However, because the first-person narrators share locutionary traits and ideology, they are not really distinguishable as individual characters in their own right: in effect, the characters are less distinguished by any individual qualities than they are by the purpose Schoeman has for each of them. The preceding comments provide the context from which the article is written. The authors' intention was to determine how Schoeman utilizes speech strategies and the extent to which these speech strategies strengthen or undermine the ostensible over-arching voice of the novel. The main purpose of the article is to examine both the macro-structure of the novel, in particular the aspects of meta-fictional commentary and ideological utterance, and the micro-structural characteristics, in particular the inter-action markers, language accumulations and repetitions and lexicographical aspects of diction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1579 peace negotiations took place in Cologne between representatives of the States General of the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands and those of the Spanish king Philip II. Although scepticism ruled in both camps, parties strove to make an end to the Revolt in the Netherlands. Main issues were the religious controversies and questions concerning the limits of power of a legitimate king. We are well informed about the proceedings of the negotiations, thanks to the day-to-day reports composed by Aggaeus van Albada. His annotated edition of the Acts of the Peace Negotiations Which Took Place in Cologne (1580) is considered to be one of the highlights of political literature of the Dutch Revolt. Albada's intention was to justify the policy of the States General. For that purpose he used the works of writers such as Plato, Aristotle and Bartolus, as well as many contemporary authors. The author cited most frequently is the Spanish jurist Fernando Vazquez(1512-1569). Nonetheless, it has been said that Vazquez is cited mainly to support some common, and therefore harmless, views, whereas Albada referred to the Monarchomachs for more specific ideas of the rights of the people. A close reading of the Acts and of Vazquez's texts referred to by Albada, shows that there are some good grounds for challenging that view. Vazquez's Controversiae illustres are used by Albada in order to substantiate the views of the States General regarding the king's authority. Moreover, the limits of the king's powers, sharply drawn by Vazquez, are used by Albada when he defends specific actions of the States General, such as their call for armed support by a foreign sovereign, or the rights of the lower magistrates to take up arms in order to defend the lives and goods of others. Even Vazquez'0s view on the king's submission to a contract entered into with his subjects (which in my opinion was not meant by him to fulfill any constitutional role) is used by Albada to... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]