‘One $ Dollar Saved My Life’ A Case of Kombi Text Inscriptions on Zimbabwean Roads

Abstract

Language is used in various contexts to achieve various communicative goals some of which are very much subtle. Textual inscriptions as discourse surround us in various environments for readers to decode volumes of meanings which by and large reflect people’s struggles, identities and wishes. Office text inscriptions have been studied and were found reflecting the emotions and struggles of office manners and their respective trades. This article reports an investigation on text inscriptions on selected Harare and Gweru commuter omnibuses and how far they go in reflecting commuter and operators’ identities, emotions, relations and nature of their daily lives. The article employs discourse analysis as texts are found here as discourse rather than isolated units of language. The article analyzes kombi texts written in English and Shona.