Sociolinguistics

Sociolinguistics in Gesture: How about the Mano a Borsa?

by Nicla Rossini

Intercultural Communication Studies, XIII, 3: 144-154. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Cross-Cultural Communication (CSF 2003).

Sociolinguistica: language and Religion

by Gabriele Iannaccaro

Estudis Romanics: PER UNA TIPOLOGIA DEI SISTEMI DI SCRITTURA SPONTANEI IN AREA ROMANZA

by Gabriele Iannaccaro

IJSL: Italian minorities

by Gabriele Iannaccaro

Bellinzona Paper: Linguistic Vitality

by Gabriele Iannaccaro

Pavia Paper: PATTERNS OF LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE: A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH

by Gabriele Iannaccaro

Dialetto, italiano regionale, italiano neo-standard. Un confronto sullo stadio di grammaticalizzazione di perifrasi verbali consimili

by Massimo Cerruti

In press in: "Coesistenze linguistiche nell’Italia pre- e postunitaria". Atti del XLV Congresso internazionale della SLI-Società di Linguistica Italiana (Aosta, Bard, Torino, 26-27-28 settembre 2011), Bulzoni, Roma. [DRAFT VERSION]

Sociolinguistics of language endangerment

by David Bradley

Introduction to special issue of Anthropological Linguisitcs vol. 52: 2 (2010) pp.119-122

‘A town between dialects: accent levelling, psycho-social orientation and identity in Merseyside, UK’

by Helen Faye West

'I'm not Geordie! I'm not actually anything!'Convergent and divergent trends: Dialect levelling and the struggle for identity in a South Durham New-Town.

by Helen Faye West

A Discussion on the Techniques to Elicit the Vernacular in Sociolinguistic Studies - Maritza Ortega

by Maritza Ortega

One of the most challenging aspects in investigating the vernacular is the collection of raw data through interviews... more One of the most challenging aspects in investigating the vernacular is the collection of raw data through interviews (Crystal, 2003:539). By their very nature interviews can result in an artificial and often uncomfortable interaction with a subject, which will invariably impact on the quality of their responses and the extent to which they offer a true reflection of the vernacular. In this essay I will look at the most effective techniques to overcome this challenge and elicit the vernacular according to Labov’s axioms of sociolinguistic investigation. I will begin first by providing some background information on the area, before moving on to an explanation of the techniques available to elicit the vernacular, as well as offering a critical analysis of the work on the linguistic variant carried out by Labov. Finally I will offer a conclusion as to whether it is possible to obtain the vernacular in its genuine state.

New horizons in sociophonetic variation and change

by Nanna Haug Hilton

University students' context-dependent conscious attitudes towards the official South African languages

by Nanna Haug Hilton

This paper considers the results of an empirical investigation of overt language attitudes held by students attending... more This paper considers the results of an empirical investigation of overt language attitudes held by students attending North-West University, South Africa. Attitudes elicited from 325 students with mainly Setswana, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English as home languages are analysed comparatively. The study explores the relationship between language preferences in an educational environment and language preferences in other domains of students’ daily lives. The study thus indicates how different languages fulfil different roles in a multilingual university environment. The results presented are compared with findings reported in earlier attitudinal investigations from the Eastern Cape. In addition, a comparative analysis of attitudes by Afrikaans speakers is conducted considering students attending classes at two different campuses of the North-West University. At the traditional Afrikaans university campus, Potchefstroom, students show a higher regard for Afrikaans than students who attend classes at the Vaal Triangle. These findings are used in a discussion of context dependency of overt language preferences.

Regional Dialect Levelling and Language Standards: Changes in the Hønefoss Dialect

by Nanna Haug Hilton

This is a sociolinguistic investigation of regional dialect levelling and the role that standardised language plays... more This is a sociolinguistic investigation of regional dialect levelling and the role that standardised language plays for this particular type of dialect change. This study combines a quantitative variationist investigation of linguistic variation and change in East Norwegian cities Hønefoss and Oslo with experimental and qualitative studies of attitudinal data in Hønefoss. The aim of the study is to shed light on the role that standard language ideologies play for loss of localised dialects. Varieties of East Norwegian spoken in the small city Hønefoss and the capital city Oslo are becoming increasingly alike. Oslo speech is an influential factor in the loss in Hønefoss of local linguistic variants in variables 3pl personal pronouns and <rd>. The force behind the regional dialect levelling is not the Oslo dialect only, however. Overt and covert attitudinal data show that the influence is twofold and that the codified written variety of Norwegian, Bokmål, largely influences speakers’ usage of local variants for linguistic variables stress in loanwords and plural definite article suffixes. The investigation considers linguistic ideals that speakers link to codification of language (correctness), education or the capital city and attest that language that can be linked to all these ideals is becoming more widely used in the East Norway region. Speech that can be linked to the codified variety Bokmål is an overt as well as a covert ideal to speakers in Hønefoss. Covert positive attitudes towards speech from Oslo are also found. This study shows that the social and political context of language must be taken into account in the study of loss of linguistic features. The social meaning of language is crucial in informing us about the social mechanisms behind dialect change.

LANGUAGE IN SUVA - Language use and Literacy in an Urban Pacific Community

by Thorold (Thor) May

This paper is a preliminary report on a sociolinguistic field survey. It records the beliefs which 834 permanent... more This paper is a preliminary report on a sociolinguistic field survey. It records the beliefs which 834 permanent residents of Suva, Fiji had about their own language and literacy skills in 1988-89. The interview subjects were selected from five census enumeration districts with populations ranging from 430 to 1200, and chosen for having a roughly equal ethnic composition of Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Bilingual interviewers (linguistics students) invited and assisted subjects to complete an extensive questionnaire, and offer unstructured comments. The collated and analysed outcome gives a complex and sometimes surprising picture of urban language change.

Eine semantische Einführung in die Jugendsprachen

by Utku Tanrıvere

Das soziale und sprachliche Leben der zweiten und dritten Generationen in der Türkei

by Utku Tanrıvere

When Is It Rude To Be Rude? - Politeness Across Cultures and Subcultures - 언제 무례하여 무례해지는가?

by Thorold (Thor) May

This document contains both an original English version and a Korean translation

This paper deals with politeness phenomena which are general to all human societies, but draws many examples from... more This paper deals with politeness phenomena which are general to all human societies, but draws many examples from Korea as understood by the writer (who is Australian). The emphasis in this analysis is on the problem of decoding politeness. It is noted that even within a culture, politeness signals can be manipulated, and that interlocutors calibrate their meaning according to knowledge of individual personalities. In Korean society, the requirement for formal politeness signals is very strong, both in body language and in fixed linguistic markers (such as verb endings). However, the pragmatic meaning of these signals is calibrated in ways that are difficult for foreigners to decode. The paper also considers the dilemma of that minority of Koreans who attempt to interact within the linguistic and social codes of English. It is noted that these attempts often go astray, both because the speaker misunderstands English politeness coding conventions and because listeners in English, almost by definition, come from radically different cultural backgrounds to the Korean.

Youth language in media contexts: insights into the functions of English in Finland

by Sirpa Leppänen

Multilingualism on the Internet

by Sirpa Leppänen