Copula variation in Asturian Spanish and the multidimensionality of stancetaking in interaction |
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Authors: | Sonia Barnes |
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Affiliation: | Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A |
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Abstract: | 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. |
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Keywords: | Stance style indexicality morphological variation language contact social meaning |
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