The sociolinguistics of exogamy: Dialect acquisition in a Zhuang village

Adult dialect acquisition is typically studied in relatively idiosyncratic situations where adults happen to move to another community. But how does dialect acquisition play out in indigenous minority societies that have systemic adult migration due to exogamy? Do the in‐married spouses acquire the local variety? Why or why not? How much do they acquire? We investigated an indigenous Zhuang community in southern China. Sociophonetic analyses of in‐married women and local villagers show that the in‐married women acquired the local variety in most respects but not in aspirated consonants. To the limits of their phonological ability as adult learners, the wives followed the local sociolinguistic norm: they acquired the husbands’ variety. By contrast, in societies experiencing greater external cross‐cultural contact, exogamous women sometimes use their liminal status to challenge such gendered sociolinguistic expectations. Comparing the present study with outcomes in different societies, we lay the foundation for a typology of the sociolinguistics of exogamy. In this way, we help expand the study of language and gender toward new horizons and under‐represented social settings.     

Child dialect acquisition: New perspectives on parent/peer influence1

Regardless of the variability and complexity in the linguistic environment around them, children begin constructing stable linguistic identities at a young age. Prior research has effectively modeled child dialect acquisition in terms of parent influence versus peer influence, and peer influence has often been shown to be the key determiner. The present study takes the next step by showing that the parent/peer group contrast in prior studies should be viewed as a special case of a more general pattern: children learn and construct dialect identity as a process of group distinction. Using data the author collected among exogamous Sui clans in rural southwest China, the present study shows how diverse cultures can lend new perspectives to the issue of parent/peer influence; Sui children's linguistic worlds are not divided along parent/peer lines but rather along clan lines, yet a similar process of group distinction occurs.     

回族形成发展过程中的族际族内通婚

回族的形成和发展壮大 ,族际通婚是其最初的原因之一。经过开放式族际通婚阶段之后 ,由于阶级压迫、民族压迫等外部原因 ,也由于维护自身文化的发展等内部原因 ,回族进入了族内通婚阶段。新中国成立后 ,婚姻自由使回族的族际族内通婚处于自然发展状态。目前 ,我国东部及南部散居回族的族际婚姻也面临着更多的考验     

Language ideology in an endogamous society: The case of Daghestan

Studies of multilingual systems found in Indigenous small-scale communities often assume that exogamous marriages are the norm in such societies and contribute to their linguistic diversity. This paper is an account of the language ideology of endogamous societies in rural highland Daghestan (Northeast Caucasus). By studying language policing and language choice in infrequent mixed marriages, the paper uncovers the beliefs that support endogamy and reveals issues of linguistic identity and attitudes toward the usage of the matrilect within the family and the village. Interviews show that in-married women do not bring new languages to the villages, because they quickly acquire the local language new to them and use it with all their in-laws and their children. A strong association between villages and languages together with the ideology supporting linguistic homogeneity within the village contributes to the maintenance of the regional linguistic diversity.