A Comparative Sociolinguistic Study of Rural and Urban Sindhi
Study of Language Variation and Change in Sindhi Spoken in Sindh, Pakistan

Qasim Bughio
University of Sindh, Jamshoro

This thesis is a quantitative study of sociolinguistic variation in the Vicholi (central) dialect of spoken Sindhi in Sindh, a south east province of Pakistan. Two speech communities are investigated, one urban and one rural. By an analysis of the speech of the urban area (Hyderabad) and the rural community (Old Hala) the thesis investigates linguistic change in both speech communities and effects a comparison of the two sets of changes. In the study major social transitional events are identified and it is argued that linguistic variation in the two speech communities is sensitive to such change. The study consists of seven chapters: Chapter one introduces the locale of research and discusses theoretical sociolinguistic concepts and issues of relevance to this study. Also included in this chapter is a socio-historical discussion of Sindh which serves as a background for the reader.

Chapter two reviews the diachronic sociolinguistic situation in Sindh - particular emphsis is placed on the inception of Pakistan which is felt to have triggered linguistic variation in the two speech communities.

Chapter three is an account of the research methodology. A brief discussion of linguistic change appears here, after which the sampling methods and the method of statistical analysis are discussed.

Chapter four, five and six examine the results of the analysis of variation in the use of the three phonological variables – the diphthong, vowel and (r) variables - which have been correlated with the social parameters of age, education and sex.

Chapter seven concludes the thesis with a brief summary of the findings.

ISBN 9783895863325. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 01. 180pp. 2001.

Subject personal pronouns in Spanish Narratives of Puerto Ricans in New York City

Nydia Flores-Ferrán
City University of New York

The variable use of subject personal pronouns (SPPs) in Spanish has been studied in Peninsular dialects, U.S. Spanish, Latin America and Puerto Rico. This study investigates the phenomenon in a new speech community: Puerto Rican residents of New York City (NYC). The main linguistic factors that were found to affect the use of SPPs are: The form used in a previous mention of the verb's subject, the distance to last mention of the verb's subject, and switch reference. Other factors discussed: the verb's TMA, person and number, and phrases of habitual collocation.

A new sociolinguistic finding is discussed. A cluster effect was found in the use of overt and null forms, a pragmatic device used to maintain protagonists in the narratives in the open and on the table.

The external factors investigated are narrative style, age, gender, and exposure to NYC, indirectly related to contact with English.

A new finding with regard to conflict narrative suggests that conflict conditions the use of SPP, and that singular pronouns are favored in this environment.

This study sheds new light regarding the effects of English contact. The NYC native-born Puerto Rican had a stronger tendency to use more overt SPPs than other NYC residents. However, while exposure to NYC may be indirectly associated to English contact, several contradictions argue against an English contact hypothesis.

ISBN 9783895863028. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 02. 2002.

Sociolinguistics Dimensions of Marathi: Multilingualism in Central India

Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

This study analyzes hitherto unexplored issues related to the dynamic interaction between language and society in the multilingual context of Maharashtra in central India, and its impact on the structure and function of Marathi and other languages. The book is divided into three parts according to their thematic focus. Part I, “language pluralism and language change”(a) examines the structure of the convergence of Marathi and Hindi, and its impact, i.e., emergence of four functionally determined codes, and (b) shows that the motivation the “shared bicultural identity” and “non-shared separate linguistic identities” operate as counteracting forces in determining the structure of language change. Part II, “Nativization: Processes and impact”, addresses the question of the relative status of multilingual (Sanskrit, Persian, and English) borrowings in Marathi and shows that (a) there is a hierarchy of the degree of nativization of the borrowings, and (b) Attitudes of Marathi speakers toward these languages influence this hierarchy. The discussion of the newspaper register of Marathi demonstrates the role of “modernization”, “maintenance of cultural pan-Indian identity”, and “regionalization” in code-mixing of Marathi with English, and Sanskrit. Part III,”Bi/multilingual's creativity”, illustrates the impact of multilingualism on the expansion of repertoire of registers and literary styles in Marathi.

ISBN 9783895867132. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 03. 300pp. 2003.

Lexical Borrowings as Sociolinguistic Variables in Saint-Louis, Senegal

Fallou Ngom
Western Washington University

Although lexical borrowing has always been a central topic in linguistic research, its study has suffered from three major limitations: 1) It has failed to consider social variations in patterns of borrowings. 2) It has assumed a model of two languages in contact. 3) Researchers mostly collect data from communities regardless of the social strata, the political and ideological motivations of the subjects, and conclusions are generalized to the whole community. This study challenges these assumptions by using a quantitative and qualitative approach to study lexical borrowing in a socially diverse multilingual community, the northern and Southern districts of Saint-Louis, Senegal. In so doing, I explore new methodological and theoretical terrain with broad implications for future research since the vast majority of the world's population today lives in such socially and linguistically diverse communities where language use is often socially, politically or ideologically conditioned.

The primary goal of this research is to demonstrate that in post-colonial francophone multilingual societies such as Saint-Louis, Senegal, loans and the linguistic incorporation processes that accompany them are sociolinguistic variables. This study sheds light on the linguistic nature and the social, cultural, historical, political and ideological importance of lexical borrowing in the multilingual Saint-Louisian speech community in particular and sub-Saharan African communities in general (where multilingualism is the norm).

By means of a quantitative and qualitative methodology, the study demonstrates that there are strong relationships between lexical borrowings and age groups in multilingual communities, and that linguistic processes that go along with lexical borrowings also follow the same pattern. Finally, this study contributes to our understanding of how linguistic, cultural, political and ideological systems around the world articulate with one another through lexical borrowing in both pragmatic and theoretical ways. It also gives us a deeper understanding of the actual linguistic, social, political and ideological nature of lexical borrowings, and provides empirical methodology to future quantitative and qualitative studies of lexical borrowing in the field of linguistics, sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. Above all, this study provides a window on the abiding theoretical problem of the study of lexical borrowings as sociolinguistic variables.

ISBN 9783895863547. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 05. 198pp. 2006.

The Sociolinguistics of English and Nigerian Languages

Dele Adeyanju
University of Ibadan

This book addresses issues bordering on the long-standing co-existence of English and Nigerian languages. For about two centuries, English and Nigerian languages have co-existed and played complementary roles in meeting the communicative and pragmatic needs of the people.

The co-existence of English and Nigerian languages offers a prolific field of enquiry especially in matters relating to pedagogy, language attitude, language shift, language endangerment etc. The eighteen-chapter book therefore, carefully handles topics such as, the English language in the outer circle, the problem of language and implications for national integration, the English language and the colonization of African languages, language attitude, globalization and the survival of Nigerian heritage, the nativization of English in Nigeria, the English Language in Nigerian Universities etc.

The authors generally treat the implications of the co-existence of English and Nigerian languages. As pointed out in the work, English in Nigeria could be said to be a blessing as it opens up the country to the gains of globalization. On the other hand, the overwhelming positive attitude to English in Nigeria is a serious threat to the survival and growth of indigenous languages and the Nigerian cultural heritage.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. The English Language in the Outer Circle
- Dele Adeyanju

2. The Problem of Language in West Africa
- Sola T. Babatunde

3. English and the Colonization of African Languages
- I. E. Olaosun

4. Language Attitude in the Domains of the Legislation and the Media
- R. A. Soyele

5. Towards the Development of Indigenous Languages
- C. B. Egwuogu

6. Globalization and the Survival of the Nigerian Heritage
- Mahfouz Adedimeji

7. Dominant Versus Minority Languages in Nigeria
- Adeniyi Harrison & Bello O. R.

8. English Language in Nigerian Universities
- Akinola A. Asiyanbola

9. The Nativization of English in Nigeria
- Oyinkan Medubi

10. The Emergence of English as a First Language
- Ayoyinka O. Ogunsanya

11. Pedagogical Constraints in Negotiating Oral English
- Fadaro J. Oludare

12. Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Epitaphs in Selected Public Cemeteries
- Adeyemi O. Babajide

13. Language and Ideology in the Discourse of New West African Politicians
- Henry J. Hunjo

14. Slangy Expressions as Communicative Tool
- Ayo Osisanwo

15. Overmilitarisation of the Nigerian Polity
- ‘Demola Jolayemi

16. Linguistic Theory of Variation
- Abolaji S. Mustapha

17. A Sociolinguistic Study of Conversation in Achebe’s A Man of the People
- K.K. Olaniyan

18. Who is the colonizer in Kincaid’s A Small Place
- Jide Balogun

ISBN 9783895865794. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 06. 306pp. 2009.

LINGUISTIQUE, IDENTITÉ, NORMATIVITÉ ET OUVERTURE

Des socioculturèmes traditionnels ouest-camerounais (des peuples au tissu ndop) au discours francophone

M. Dassi
Université de Yaounde I

LINOU est un cadre d’étude et de recherche sur les rapports entre les quatre points cardinaux - Linguistique, Identité, Normativité et Ouverture - qui en composent la dénomination. Ici métissage multiforme et dialogue des sociocultures sous-tendent l’hypothèse d’une osmose progressive de la diversité socioculturelle à l’ère de la mondialisation, et à la faveur des grands brassages multiformes. Pour entretenir la mémoire sociale et mieux marquer l’évolution du monde, de grands regroupements nationaux et internationaux voient le jour.

Les présents travaux, qui s’en inspirent, scrutent les conditions d’une prise en charge effective et efficace du socioculturème ouest-camerounais traditionnel à travers le discours francophone, cadre d’expression de la diversité socioculturelle. Ils posent et tentent de résoudre le problème de l’expression de l’identité socioculturelle plurielle d’un peuple ouest-camerounais multiethnique et multitribal, spécifié par le port du ndop – dans le discours francophone. Aussi cette étude débouche-t-elle sur trois questions cruciales : « Comment explorer, pour mieux la comprendre, cette prise en charge textuelle de la socioculture ouest-camerounaise ? Quelles précautions prendre pour éviter des approximations sémantiques, des contresens et des non-sens qui naissent lors de l’exploration/exploitation des textes produits dans ce sillage ?Comment procéder pour ouvrir cette socioculture sur le monde sans aliénation et déperditions dommageables ? » Au-delà des incidences morphosyntaxiques avérées point un riche pourvoi des réseaux sémantiques, stylistiques, sémiotiques et sociopragmatiques du discours francophone.

Docteur de 3è Cycle et Docteur d'Etat ès Lettres, le Professeur DASSI (Université de Yaoundé I) fonde la plupart de ses travaux sur la dynamique et la normativité de la langue française en Francophonie, en nimbant l'incidence du dialogue socioculturel induit du contact des langues partenaires

LINOU is a study and research framework on the relationship between four cardinal points which make up this denomination: Linguistics, Identity, Normativity and Opening. Here, multiple interbreeding and sociocultural dialogue underly the hypothesis of a progressive osmosis of sociocultural diversity in the era of globalization, characterized by various intermixings.

In order to represent social memory and better mark the evolution of the world, great national and international groupings are born. The present studies, which are inspired from the above, focus on the effective and efficient part played by the West Cameroonian traditional socioculture through Francophone discourse, representing the expression of sociocultural diversity. They try to resolve the problem related to the expression of the plural sociocultural identity of the multiethnic and multitribal people of West Cameroon (identified by the use of the ndop cloth) across Francophone discourse.

These studies give rise to three crucial questions. First, how is this West Cameroonian sociocultural reality explored and better understood through texts? Second, what precautions should be taken to avoid semantic approximations, misinterpretations and meaninglessness resulting from the exploration/exploitation of the texts produced within this frame? Third, how can this socioculture be opened up to the world without alienation or irreparable loss? Beyond clear morphosyntactic manifestations, there lies a rich appeal of semantic, stylistic, semiotic and sociopragmatic networks of Francophone discourse.

ISBN 9783895869334. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 07. 630pp. 2010.

Language Use and Maintenance of Non-indigenous Minorities: The British-Moroccans

Abdeslam Jamai
Taiba University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah



This study investigates language use and maintenance among a non-indigenous minority in Britain with a view to finding out what role English plays in their lives, whether they still use their languages of origin, and what are the reasons for their particular language behaviour. Language use and maintenance in a non-indigenous minority setting is important if one is to understand some of the factors involved in the community’s integration process, or the lack of it. Minority communities adopt a number of linguistic strategies for communication. In most cases, these linguistic strategies are dictated by both the social and linguistic environment the non-indigenous minority finds itself living in.

The book first looks at the sociolinguistic situation of Morocco in order to establish the linguistic background of this community. It then considers the British-Moroccans from a socio-economic perspective to identify factors that may influence language shift behaviour. The empirical part of the book looks at linguistic as well as non-linguistic determinants such as those that influence language choice, code-switching, attitudes and use of languagespecific media.

The study has two main hypotheses: first, the British-Moroccan minority is undergoing a generational language shift, and second, typical Moroccan sociolinguistic patterns are reflected in their language use. While the former hypothesis has, on the whole, proved correct, the latter did not hold true.

ISBN 9783929075632. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 08. 314pp. 2010.

Todavía no se hallaron hablar en idioma. Procesos de socialización lingüística de  los niños en el barrio toba de Derqui (Buenos Aires)

Ana Carolina Hecht

Universidad de Buenos Aires

“Todavía no se hallaron hablar en idioma”. Procesos de socialización lingüística de los niños en el barrio toba de Derqui (Buenos Aires) es una obra que resulta de una investigación doctoral en donde se efectúa un cruce interdisciplinario entre la sociolingüística y la antropología. En este estudio se abordan los procesos de socialización lingüística de los niños del barrio toba de Derqui (Partido de Pilar), caracterizado porque sus residentes son migrantes indígenas bilingües. No obstante, el español parece estar desplazando a la lengua toba en la mayoría de las situaciones comunicativas en las que los niños participan. Con el fin de comprender la cotidianeidad del proceso transmisión intergeneracional de la lengua, desde una perspectiva etnográfica-antropológica, se analizan críticamente ciertas explicaciones sociolingüísticas que sostienen que estamos frente a un proceso irreversible de desplazamiento lingüístico porque se trata de una lengua hablada en un asentamiento que nace de un proceso migratorio de un contexto rural a otro urbano, porque no es la primera lengua de los niños y porque no cuenta con un espacio visible en el ámbito escolar.

Empero, cada uno de estos postulados fueron contrastándose y explicaciones alternativas aparecieron gracias a la combinación de los estudios sobre los procesos de socialización y socialización lingüística con las investigaciones sobre niñez. Asimismo, una de nuestras premisas metodológicas centrales refiere a la incorporación de los niños como agentes sociales participantes del proceso de investigación, y para ello se diseñaron talleres en donde la voz de los niños ocupó un espacio central y en donde sus ideas, pareceres e impresiones se incluyeron en el trabajo. En síntesis, a partir de esta obra se deconstruyen dos nociones implícitas en esta problemática: la de niñez y la de experiencias lingüísticas, ya que evidenciamos cómo las prácticas, representaciones e ideologías lingüísticas van cambiando en diferentes momentos del ciclo vital de acuerdo con cambios en las ideas nativas acerca de la niñez, la adultez, la maduración, y la identificación étnica, entre otros aspectos.

Ana Carolina Hecht. Dra. en Antropología por la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (UBA). Becaria Posdoctoral del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) y docente de la materia “Elementos de lingüística y Semiótica” de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (UBA). Actualmente, es investigadora de los Proyectos UBACyT: “Niños indígenas y migrantes: procesos de identificación y experiencias formativas” (dirigido por Gabriela Novaro) y “Lenguas indígenas del Gran Chaco (toba, toba-pilagá, maká y chorote). Estudios en Lingüística Antropológica” (dirigido por Cristina Messineo). Participa del proyecto de Investigación-Transferencia del Centro de Documentación, Divulgación, Capacitación y Asesoramiento de Pueblos indígenas de la República Argentina (FFyL, UBA) y de Proyectos de Voluntariado Universitario en Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (Ministerio de Educación de la Nación). Codirige los proyectos “La investigación etnográfica sobre y con niños y niñas: Revisión y exploración” y “Educación Intercultural Bilingüe” (Programa de Reconocimiento Institucional de Equipos de Investigación, FFyL, UBA). Ha publicado distintos capítulos de libros y artículos en revistas especializadas nacionales y extranjeras en lingüística, educación y antropología. También es autora de distintos materiales didácticos y de lectura para escuelas con matricula indígena de Formosa y Salta.

ÍNDICE

Introducción
¿Creciendo monolingüe en una comunidad bilingüe?
La etnografía y los talleres con los niños
Sobre la organización y estructura del libro

EJE I: ¿(DIS)CONTINUIDADES LINGÜÍSTICAS Y CULTURALES? ENTRE LA PERSPECTIVA SOCIOLINGÜÍSTICA Y LA ANTROPOLÓGICA

Capítulo I)
Estudios sociolingüísticos sobre el desplazamiento entre lenguas
1. Contactos y conflictos entre lenguas
1.1. Contextos cambiantes, lenguas cambiantes
1.2. Políticas educativas y vitalidad lingüística
1.3. Corte en la transmisión intergeneracional de la lengua
1.4. Síntesis

Capítulo II)
Abordajes antropológicos para pensar los procesos de desplazamiento lingüístico
2. La transmisión intergeneracional como problemática antropológica
2.1. Socialización ¿reproducción o transformación del orden social?
2.2. Socialización en y a través del uso de la lengua
2.3. ¿Cómo participan los niños en los procesos de socialización?
2.4. Palabras de cierre, pero también de apertura

EJE II: APROXIMACIÓN ETNOGRÁFICA Y SOCIOLINGÜÍSTICA AL BARRIO TOBA DE DERQUI

Capítulo III)
Derquil’ecpi, gente de Derqui
3. Apuntes sobre las transiciones sociohistóricas toba
3.1. Historias con nombres propios
3.1.1. De la villa al barrio
3.1.2. Dejando atrás el “encierro”
3.1.3. El permanente retorno
3.1.4. Estrategias organizativas
3.2. Procesos de re-territorialización, etnogénesis y autoafirmación étnica

Capítulo IV)
“La idioma” y “la castilla”
4. Qom l’aqtaqa, el idioma de los qom
4.1. Diagnóstico sociolingüístico de Derqui
4.1.1. “La idioma”
4.1.2. “La castilla”
4.2. Entre nostalgias pasadas y promesas futuras

EJE III: SOCIALIZACIÓN EN Y A TRAVÉS DEL TOBA Y EL ESPAÑOL DURANTE LA NIÑEZ

Capítulo V)
Nogotshaxac o las maneras de ser niño/joven toba
5. Los niños tobas según las etnografías
5.1. La niñez en el ciclo vital
5.2. Acerca de las lenguas en la niñez

Capítulo VI)
Tres generaciones, dos lenguas, una familia. Prácticas comunicativas intra e intergeneracionales
6. Mapeo de las prácticas comunicativas intra e intergeneracionales
6.1. “La idioma”, lengua de y entre los adultos
6.2. Los usos de las lenguas con los niños
6.3. “La castilla”, lengua de y entre los niños
6.4. Sobre vínculos entre y a través de las lenguas

Capítulo VII)
Ambigüedades en la relación lenguas-escolarización
7. Lenguas y escolarización
7.1. La escuela según las familias
7.2. Los niños tobas como alumnos
7.3. Reflexiones finales: entre excesos y carencias

EJE IV: DISTANCIAS LINGÜÍSTICAS, DISTANCIAS GENERACIONALES. REFLEXIONES ACERCA DEL PAPEL DEL HABLA EN LA VIDA SOCIAL

Capítulo VIII)
Hablar de hacerse grande, hacerse grande al hablar. Ideologías lingüísticas acerca de la vitalidad del toba
8. Ideologías lingüísticas acerca de la vitalidad del toba
8.1. Ideología del recelo o sobre la pérdida del pasado
8.2. Ideología del anhelo o sobre la potencialidad del futuro
8.3. Acerca de la adultez y los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje

Capítulo IX)
Conclusiones: “Todavía no se hallaron hablar en idioma”

Bibliografía Citada

ISBN 9783895863615. LINCOM Studies in Sociolinguistics 09. 264pp. 2010.