Dialect contact and distinctiveness: The social meaning of language variation in an island community

In this paper, we analyse linguistic variables which are well‐established in British English, the vowels in the trap and bath lexical sets. We demonstrate that the social meanings of these variables are both historically substantiated and locally‐elaborated. Our data is taken from the speech of individuals living on the Isles of Scilly, a group of islands off the south‐west coast of England. Our initial analysis shows that trap and bath variants found on the islands are linked to contact with Standard English English, on the one hand, and the nearest neighbouring variety of Cornish English, on the other. The general distribution of variants is shown to reflect educational differences amongst our speakers. However, two case studies show speakers using forms atypical of their education type in order to position themselves in interactionally‐dynamic ways. This reveals how speakers exploit the multidimensional meanings of linguistic variants to reflect and construct local practices and alignments.     

Sociophonetic variation in a long‐term language contact situation: /l/‐darkening in Welsh‐English bilingual speech

This study investigates /l/‐darkening in the Welsh and English speech of bilinguals in North Wales. Although it is claimed that /l/ is dark in all syllable positions in northern varieties of both languages, there have been no quantitative investigations of this feature which consider cross‐linguistic phonetic differences, the differing nature of language contact between North East and North West Wales, and differences in the way both languages are acquired by speakers. The dataset of 32 Welsh‐English bilinguals, aged 16–18, was stratified by speaker sex, home language, and area. Tokens of /l/ in word‐initial onset and word‐final coda positions were analysed acoustically. The results show cross‐linguistic differences in onset position and that such differences were found to be greater in the speech of female speakers. Differences were also found between the two areas. These results are discussed with reference to the influence of extra‐linguistic factors on speech production and the possible social meaning associated with dark /l/.     

Assessment of study abroad outcomes in Chinese as a second language: gains in cross-cultural adaptability,language contact and proficiency

Participants were 109 American college students studying Chinese in a study-abroad programme in Beijing. Following Kelley and Meyer, intercultural competence was defined as cross-cultural adaptability involving four dimensions (emotional resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity and personal autonomy) and was measured with a survey. A language contact questionnaire was used to document the amount of time spent on social activities. Language proficiency was measured with a standardised Chinese test. Results revealed that intercultural competence and language contact combined explained 37.7% of the proficiency gains. Language contact had direct effects on proficiency, but intercultural competence had indirect effects, mediated by language contact.     

Copula variation in Asturian Spanish and the multidimensionality of stancetaking in interaction

In this study, I analyze the relationship between stance, style and sociolinguistic variation in a situation of language contact between Asturian and Spanish in the urban areas of Asturias (Spain). Using different types of data, and a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods, I explore the interactional functions of Asturian ‘ye’ (‘he/she/it is’), a salient marker of Asturian identity, and how the stances indexed by this form – low epistemic commitment, lack of seriousness and social solidarity – are connected to more enduring social identities. In the analysis, I provide a possible operationalization of stances that takes into consideration the multidimensionality of the stancetaking process. I also show how examining stance can provide a tool to move beyond monolithic representations of social meaning, and dichotomous distinctions between standard and non‐standard variants.     

Variation,contact and social indexicality in the acquisition of (ing) by teenage migrants1

We discuss some apparent limits on the acquisition of variation suggested by our recent work exploring how teenage migrants to the U.K. acquire local norms of variation. We focus on the constraints on the (ing) variable that emerged from a multivariate analysis. We find evidence for a systematisation of the variable among immigrants, involving
some linguistically and cognitively predictable constraints, but also the emergence of social constraints not found in the teenage native speakers. We argue that transformation of variable constraints is a necessary artefact of the inherent complexity of sociolinguistic variables, particularly those with social indexicality. This research note: (1) delineates some theoretical and practical questions involved in incorporating social indexing in variationist studies, especially of non‐native speakers; and (2) further explores reallocation (transformation) in the study of language contact. Wir behandeln mögliche Grenzen des Erwerbs soziolinguistischer Variation, die unsere jüngste Studie zum Erwerb lokaler Variationsnormen jugendlicher Immigranten in Großbritannien zu zeigen scheint. In unserer Ergebnisdarstellung konzentrieren wir uns auf die Faktoren, die die Verwendung der (ing) Variable beschränken. Die Ergebnisse gingen aus einer multivariaten Datenanalyse hervor. Wir zeigen, dass die Variable unter Immigranten systematisiert wird, was das Erscheinen einiger linguistischer und kognitiv voraussagbarer Faktoren aber auch einiger interessanter sozialer Faktoren einschließt, die nicht unter den jugendlichen Muttersprachlern gefunden werden konnten. Wir zeigen weiterhin, dass die Umwandlung variabler Faktoren ein notwendiges Artefakt der inhärenten Komplexität soziolinguistischer Variablen ist, insbesondere von Variablen mit sozialer Indexikalität. Diese Notiz umreißt einige praktische Fragen in Bezug auf (1) die Einfügung sozialer Indizes in variationslinguistische Studien, insbesondere solcher, die Nicht‐Muttersprachler betreffen, und (2) die weitere Erforschung des Prozesses der Umverteilung in der Untersuchung von Sprachkontaktphänomenen. [German]     

The geolinguistics of /l/ vocalization in Australia and New Zealand

Recent work in comparative sociolinguistics marks a re–engagement of variationists studying language change in progress with geography. In this study of the vocalization of /l/ in nine speech localities in Australian and New Zealand English, the geographical, the linguistic and the social constraints on variation are all included in the quantitative analysis. The usual identification of the starting point of change as the factor that is quantitatively ‘more’ is challenged by variable constraint hierarchies associated with speech localities as well as by the identification of Christchurch as the place of the origin of the sound change. Neither the gravity nor the urban hierarchy models of diffusion explain the geographical pattern of the sound change; a number of place effects are proposed as potential explanations, including the geographical variability of the vigorousness of the change. Variable isoglosses representing discontinuities in the dataset are mapped; they reveal the subtle patterns of sociolinguistic variation that mark the difference between Australian English and New Zealand English.     

‘Nobody wants to sound like a provinciano’: The recession of unstressed vowel devoicing in the Spanish of Cusco,Perú1

This study documents changes in the prevalence and evaluation of unstressed vowel devoicing, a salient characteristic of Andean Spanish, in the city of Cusco, Perú following an earthquake in 1950. This event brought city residents into contact with other dialects of Spanish that lack vowel devoicing and also intensified their exposure to the Quechua‐accented Spanish of rural migrants, or provincianos, which is characterized by this pronunciation. Results of an attitude‐perception study indicate that younger Cusqueñans are aware of devoicing and identify it primarily with the speech of provincianos rather than the Spanish of their city. However, acoustic analysis of interviews conducted with Cusqueñans and provincianos shows that, while the pronunciation is receding from Cusco Spanish, many city natives actually exhibit rates of devoicing similar to those of rural migrants. Cusqueñans’ nearly exclusive association of devoicing with provincianos is attributed to local ideology, including negative attitudes toward rural Andean identity. La presente investigación describe cambios en Ia incidencia y evaluación del ensordecimiento de las vocales átonas, una peculiaridad notable del español andino en Cusco, Perú, durante las décadas posteriores al terremoto que devastó Ia ciudad en 1950. Debido a este acontecimiento, los cusqueños aumentaron su contacto con otros dialectos del español que no exhiben el ensordecimiento vocálico así como con el español de los inmigrantes de zonas rurales, o provincianos, que se caracteriza por este fenómeno fonético. Los resultados de un estudio de actitudes indican que los cusqueños jóvenes son conscientes del ensordecimiento vocálico y lo identifican con el acento de los provincianos pero no lo relacionan con el habla de su propia ciudad. Sin embargo, según el análisis acústico de las entrevistas realizadas a cusqueños y a provincianos, muchos residentes de Ia ciudad siguen empleando esta pronunciación con básicamente Ia misma frecuencia que los provincianos. La asociación del ensordecimiento vocálico con los provincianos, casi exclusiva por parte de los cusqueños jóvenes, es atribuida a actitudes negativas hacia Ia identidad rural andina. [Spanish]     

What does it mean to be a girl with qizhi?:Refinement,gender and language ideologies in contemporary Taiwan1

This study investigates the relationship between ideologies of language and gender as manifested through sociolinguistic interviews conducted on college campuses in Taiwan. The interviews consistently and systematically revealed the use of a term, qizhi– roughly equivalent to ‘refined disposition.’ This paper examines the implications of this preoccupation. Through an examination of the contextual use of qizhi, this study shows that, first, qizhi is commonly associated with a range of social practices, among which linguistic practices play a significant role. Second, qizhi is often used to describe, evaluate, and further regulate women's ways of speaking, although its use is not gender exclusive. Third, common linguistic varieties in Taiwan, such as Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Taiwanese‐accented Mandarin, are associated with qizhi to varying degrees. This study demonstrates how talk centered on qizhi serves as a meeting ground of social evaluation, linguistic and discursive practices, gender ideologies, and language ideologies.     

Examining the impact of gender, race/ethnicity, and family factors on mental health issues in a sample of court-involved youth

Faced with anywhere between one half and two thirds of its youth having a diagnosable mental illness, the identification and treatment of mental health concerns is a critically important endeavor for professionals working with youth who have contact with the juvenile justice system. In addition, the literature suggests that factors related to both the family and to the gender of the adolescent must be incorporated into any approach to assessment and intervention within this special population. Further, prior work that has documented the interaction of gender and family issues with adolescent race/ethnicity warrants further empirical attention, as does the intermediary role that the family may play in the development of both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The present study extends this literature by examining factors related to gender, race/ethnicity, family factors, and mental health issues in a sample of 2,549 Caucasian and African American youth coming to the attention of juvenile courts. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated significant main effects for gender and race/ethnicity, as well as a significant gender x race/ethnicity interaction for the family and externalizing variables. A multiple group structural equation modeling procedure was employed in order to test the hypothesis that family environment mediates the relationship between gender and mental health problems, as well as to test for potential differences in these relationships as a function of race/ethnicity. Results indicated support for the mediation model in the sample of African American youth but not in the sample of Caucasian youth.     

Identity,accent aim,and motivation in second language users: New Scottish Gaelic speakers’ use of phonetic variation

This paper examines the use of phonetic variation in word‐final rhotics among nineteen adult new speakers of Scottish Gaelic, i.e. speakers who did not acquire the language through intergenerational transmission. Our speakers learned Gaelic as adults and are now highly advanced users of the language. We consider variation in their rhotic productions compared to the productions of six older, traditional speakers. Previous approaches to variation in second language users have either focussed on how variable production will eventually result in native‐like ‘target’ forms (Type 1 study), or have investigated the extent to which second language users reproduce patterns of variation similar to ‘native speakers’ (Type 2 study). We additionally draw on sociocultural approaches to Second Language Acquisition and apply notions of accent aim, identity construction, and learning motivation in order to fully explore the data. In doing so, we advocate a ‘Type 3’ approach to variation in second language users.     

Democracy as a transitional compass: women’s participation in South Africa and Kerala,India

ABSTRACT

In this article I explore the attempts by the states in South Africa and Kerala to create spaces for public participation by specifically focusing on women’s involvement in local spaces. Democracy is a crucial part of any emancipatory future that seeks to challenge and overcome inequality. I show that both states have ‘invited’ participation by women in various ways, but that the transformative potential of this participation is limited by national political economy, bureaucratization, and the lack of political will. In South Africa, the invited spaces eventually transformed into avenues for delivery and in response the women in this study shifted to inventing ways to engage in development in their personal lives. By using a double comparison – South Africa over time and South Africa compared to India – I argue that transformative politics requires a combination of invented and invited spaces.     

Women’s status and qualitative perceptions of a cash assistance programme in Raqqa Governorate,Syria

ABSTRACT

Cash and voucher assistance is an efficient way to deliver assistance in emergency settings, and evidence demonstrates that cash programmes have consistent positive impacts on food security and other health and economic outcomes in these contexts. Nevertheless, while evidence from development settings shows that cash has the potential to reduce intimate partner violence and increase empowerment for women and girls, there is a dearth of rigorous evidence from acute humanitarian settings. In response to this evidence gap, the International Rescue Committee conducted an evaluation of a cash programme in Raqqa Governorate, Syria. The aim was to examine the effect of a cash for basic needs programme on outcomes of violence against women, and women’s empowerment. This article draws on qualitative data from interviews with 40 women at the end of the cash programme. It offers evidence of potential increased tension and abuse within both the community and the household for some women whose families received cash, as well as potential increased social protection through repayment of debts and economic independence for others. Both negative and positive effects could be seen. While the objective of the cash programme was not to influence underlying power dynamics, this research shows it is necessary to integrate gender-sensitive approaches into programme design and monitoring to reduce risk to women of diverse identities.     

Perceived sexual intent in the U.S. and Brazil as a function of nature of encounter,subjects'nationality,and gender

This study tested three hypotheses. First, Brazilian college students in introductory psychology courses (n = 196) would perceive more sexual intent than would their American counterparts (n = 204) in four hypothetical scenarios in which the consumption of alcohol and agreement of a female to go to a male's dorm room were manipulated. Second, male respondents (regardless of country) would perceive more sexual intent in all scenarios than would female respondents. Third, perceived sexual intent would be greatest when the male and female characters both had been drinking alcohol, and the female agreed to go to the male's dorm room. The results were generally consistent with these hypotheses. Thus, the findings suggest that, across these two cultures, males perceive (and presume) sexual cues to a greater extent than do females and that a woman's agreement to go to a male's dorm room may be construed as consent for sex; such perception might then escalate into rape.     

Methodological challenges of designing a survey to capture young people’s (non-binary) affiliations in relationship to religion,sexuality and gender

ABSTRACT

Large-scale population studies surveying young people in relation to their worldviews have tended to frame their identities in a fixed and limited capacity while also treating the topics of religion/spirituality and sexuality/gender as discrete categories of scholarly analysis. We highlight the affordances and limitations of foregrounding fixed religious, sexual and gender-based identity categories in the process of collecting and analysing data related to the worldviews of young people. In this paper we argue the value of studying the complexities and intersections of these identities and worldviews together in one study. We do this through reference to the Australia’s Generation Z (AGZ) study: the first nationally representative sample focused on providing an evidence-based understanding of both the religious/spiritual/non-religious and sexuality/gender identities and worldviews of young Australians aged 13–18. We discuss how we built on existing surveys in designing the AGZ survey. We also demonstrate how this survey allowed for the incorporation of young people’s non-binary understandings of religion, sexuality and gender.     

‘Now,We Have the Same Rights as Men to Keep Our Jobs’: Gendered Perceptions of Opportunity and Obstacles in a Mexican Workplace

Drawing on extensive qualitative data at a Mexican‐owned multinational corporation, this case study investigates professional employees’ perceptions of changes to a prohibitive work policy requiring women to quit working upon marriage and having children. Employees believed the policy change meant working women were valued employees, but how this translated into opportunity highlighted distinct views of the types of positions professional women could occupy at the company, reinforcing sex‐segregated job allocation. Whereas women's narratives pointed to cultural resistance, men's narratives attributed the dearth of women in higher level positions to their lack of professionalism and commitment to work. The work policy change only guaranteed the right for women to work as the company modernized to fit the neoliberal demands of the global marketplace. Now women faced the challenge of turning that right into career advancement in a traditionally masculine‐defined company. I argue that even with the policy change, gendered discourses on women in professional occupations constructed and maintained gender inequities in the workplace. This study contributes to the scholarly discussion on gendered discourses within the context of global restructuring by showing how mechanisms at work maintain gender inequity in the workplace.     

Chilling out in ‘cosmopolitan country’: Urban/rural hybridity and the construction of Daylesford as a ‘lesbian and gay rural idyll’

This paper advances scholarship on ‘lesbian and gay rural idylls’. A growing literature examines how ‘lesbian and gay rural idylls’ are not only produced in opposition to the urban, but are themselves urban constructs. We extend these contentions by exploring the processes of idyllisation suffusing lesbian and gay festival tourism in Daylesford, a town in non-metropolitan Victoria, Australia. We find that Daylesford’s idyllisation by the lesbian and gay tourism industry blurs the urban/rural binary, and instead hybridises rurality and urbanity in the tourism images and practices of ‘cosmopolitan country’ associated with the town. Research findings from Daylesford are analysed to examine how the dynamics of tourism marketing and festival attendance help produce and articulate this hybrid variant of the ‘lesbian and gay rural idyll’. We utilise two sets of mostly qualitative data for this inquiry: travel commentaries in the news media, and a survey conducted in Daylesford at the 2006 ChillOut Festival, Australia’s largest lesbian and gay rural festival.     

“Good Manner of Dying” as a Normative Concept: “Autocide,”“Granny Dumping” and Discussions on Euthanasia/Death with Dignity in Japan

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the two characteristics of the way the issue of euthanasia/death with dignity has been discussed in Japan, compared with the situation in Europe and the USA. The two characteristics are: (i) that the concept of “euthanasia” is sharply distinguished from that of “death with dignity” in Japan in that the former only refers to the killing of a patient by administration of a lethal drug while the latter refers to letting a patient die by withholding or withdrawing life‐prolonging medical treatments; and (ii) that the view that it is sinful to commit suicide is not as common in Japan as it is in the West. In order to clarify these characteristics, I examine the nature of suicide and murder in relation to the issue of euthanasia and death with dignity while briefly reviewing the history of the debates in Japan in order to see how the characteristic understanding of “death with dignity” has generated. I also clarify, by giving examples, the structure of those narratives with regards to the “good manner of dying,” which excludes from society the elderly and people with incurable diseases and ones with motor and intellectual disabilities. In the end, I describe how biopolitics functions in the current Japanese situation.