Language, identity, performance

Reviewed by: The Oxford handbook of sociolinguistics ed. by Robert Bayley, Richard Cameron, Ceil Lucas John Baugh The Oxford handbook of sociolinguistics. Ed. by Robert Bayley, Richard Cameron, and Ceil Lucas. (Oxford handbooks.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Pp. xxv, 884. ISBN 9780199744084. $150 (Hb). The editors of the Oxford handbook of sociolinguistics are mindful of other encyclopedias devoted to sociolinguistic inquiry. They describe four factors that distinguish this volume from [End Page 283] other comprehensive surveys of the field: new methodological developments, global inclusion of previously neglected speech communities, greater emphasis on bilingual and multilingual circumstances, and insights from innovative sign language research. Despite these new directions, the editors are keenly aware of classical studies in sociolinguistics, and their introduction begins with references to iconic research by William Labov, Dell Hymes, and John Gumperz, among others. The first section is titled ‘Disciplinary perspectives’, and it begins after a brief account of the organization of this handbook, chapter by chapter, under the heading ‘The study of language and society’. The editors outline the volume, which is substantial, consisting of nearly nine hundred pages, with laconic depictions of the entire text. These opening remarks are quite useful, and will allow the specialist to pinpoint alternative approaches to sociolinguistics—broadly defined—that may be of primary interest to different readers. ‘Variationist sociolinguistics’ is the first chapter of the book, and it provides an account that begins with Labov’s groundbreaking study on Martha’s Vineyard, and then moves on to describe an array of foundational sociolinguistic studies centered largely on research in the United States. The remaining sections of the chapter explore the case of null pronoun variation in Spanish, and the extension of the variationist paradigm within and beyond the United States. Readers who are familiar with the field will recognize references to some iconic sociolinguistic analyses, and the novice will be provided with a succinct depiction of some of the major global applications of variationist sociolinguistics that have helped to define the field. ‘Linguistic anthropology’ (Ch. 2) opens with a quotation from Michael Silverstein that affirms the intricate connections between language and culture. Indeed, the first sentence asks, ‘Can we ever understand language without understanding the culture?’ (31). As with the opening chapter, the authors describe major pioneering studies by Hymes and Gumperz before turning to ‘language beyond linguistic form’. The chapter then explores a variety of relevant research that builds toward consideration of how linguistic anthropology will be encompassed within the future of sociolinguistic research. Devoted to ways in which sociology is related to the study of language, Ch. 3, ‘Doers and makers: The interwoven stories of sociology and the study of language’, includes many references to classical sociological and philosophical figures, such as Jürgen Habermas, David Émile Durkheim, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill; I was struck, however, by the absence of any references to Joshua Fishman’s formulation of ‘the sociology of language’ or Erving Goffman’s influential analyses of ‘talk’. Readers who are unfamiliar with early connections between sociology and studies of language will nevertheless find this chapter to be highly informative. ‘Critical discourse analysis’ (Ch. 4) contains several useful diagrams showing interconnections with highly complex topics related to the entire sociolinguistic enterprise, while conversation analysis (CA) is described in Ch. 5, including references to foundational formulations by Harvey Sacks, as well as the procedures and methods that are distinctive to CA research. The remaining chapters in this section explore language socialization, psycholinguistics, and interdisciplinary approaches; each of these three concluding chapters accounts for ways in which sociolinguistic inquiries overlap and intersect by drawing upon insights, methods, and analyses from diverse research practices. Part 2, ‘Methodologies and approaches’, consists of Chs. 9–14, and the authors of each chapter devote concentrated attention to alternative sociolinguistic methods, including studies of communities and individuals in Ch. 9, and experimental methods to study the intelligibility of closely related language varieties in Ch. 10. Quantitative analysis is emphasized in Ch. 11, while qualitative methods utilized in multilingual circumstances are presented in Ch. 12. The remaining two chapters in Part 2 concentrate on longitudinal studies and methods for studying sign language respectively. Each chapter in this section contains a wealth...

GBS_insertPreviewButtonPopup('ISBN:9780748615155); Sociolinguistic Variation and Change is a selection of Peter Trudgill's major works since 1990, appearing here in updated and revised form. The book deals with a number of different but related topics: The role of English in the world, and the nature of Standard English or Englishes Language as a human issue and how sociolinguistic research might solve educational and other real-world problems The problematic and interconnected relationships between nation and language and dialect, and the linguistic characteristics of the varieties concerned Sociohistorical linguistics, in particular the relationship between colonial and motherland varieties of English; dialect contact and language contact; and the sociolinguistically informed dialectology of linguistic change. The major overall unifying theme of the book is linguistic variation and, as the diachronic outcome of linguistic variation, linguistic change. "

Addressing disparities in the health of American Indian and Alaska Native people: the importance of improved public health data.

Labov and Waletzky’s (1997[1967]) path-breaking description of “narrative syntax” arose in the context of variationist sociolinguistic research, and narrative continues to be an important source of data for variationist’ work. In most of this work, however, narrative is not the object of study. Variationist sociolinguists are interested in the structure and function of sounds, words, and phrases found in narrative data, but they have not typically asked how the structure and function of narrative itself might bear on the questions about linguistic variation and language change that define their field. Here I suggest that close attention to the structure and function of narrative can, in fact, shed light on a topic of central interest to variationists, namely vernacular norm-formation. I argue that narratives about encounters with linguistic difference help create shared orientations to particular sets of nonstandard linguistic features and link them with region, class, and other sources of identity. I further suggest that narrative functions particularly well as a vehicle for language-ideological differentiation (Gal & Irvine, 1995) of this sort.

One oft-hypothesized cause of ethnolinguistic variation is residential segregation. This review article synthesizes several strands of variationist sociolinguistic research, particularly among whites and African Americans in the United States, to show that the degree of residential segregation in a space does indeed have a strong effect on patterns of ethnolinguistic variation. In highly segregated spaces, ethnic groups diverge in their use of linguistic features, while in less segregated spaces, groups converge. Meanwhile, literature on housing policy indicates that residential segregation results from state influence. That residential segregation conditions patterns of variation thus entails that housing policy plays a role in this conditioning. This suggests that housing policy constitutes indirect language policy, in contrast to explicit policies which refer to some aspect of language use (media, education, etc.). In this situation, state efforts to separate ethnic groups have an indirect impact on the appearance of ethnolinguistic variation. Further research into the interface of language policy and variationist sociolinguistics is necessary, as housing policy carries clear links to variationist sociolinguistic theory.

Labov and Waletzky’s (1997[1967]) path-breaking description of “narrative syntax” arose in the context of variationist sociolinguistic research, and narrative continues to be an important source of data for variationist’ work. In most of this work, however, narrative is not the object of study. Variationist sociolinguists are interested in the structure and function of sounds, words, and phrases found in narrative data, but they have not typically asked how the structure and function of narrative itself might bear on the questions about linguistic variation and language change that define their field. Here I suggest that close attention to the structure and function of narrative can, in fact, shed light on a topic of central interest to variationists, namely vernacular norm-formation. I argue that narratives about encounters with linguistic difference help create shared orientations to particular sets of nonstandard linguistic features and link them with region, class, and other sources of identity. I further suggest that narrative functions particularly well as a vehicle for language-ideological differentiation (Gal & Irvine, 1995) of this sort.

Digital communication remains largely unexplored in sociolinguistic research on diaspora and language. In this paper, ethnographically collected data from Norway‐based families of Senegalese heritage are explored to identify how family members use digital media to engage with diaspora concerns and projects, and how this engagement shapes their multilingual practices online. We re‐contextualize the concept of polycentricity (Blommaert et al.) from the physical setting of a neighbourhood or region to complex ecologies of digital media, and identify four ‘centres’, that is, distinct orientations for participants’ digital language and literacy practices, in which linguistic choices are associated with diaspora discourses, genres, and imagery. Each centre constrains the deployment of linguistic and semiotic resources in ways that are related both to historically rooted sociolinguistic hierarchies and affordances of digital media. The findings support a key claim in language and diaspora research, that is, the fine‐grained patterning of linguistic resources in diaspora communities. They also underscore the need to extend the empirical scope of a sociolinguistics of diaspora from co‐present to mediated interaction, and to explore the interplay between the two.

The present study addresses translanguaging as a theory that unravels the deployment of linguistic and semiotic resources for communication by monolinguals, bilinguals, and multilinguals. Secondly, it explores translanguaging as a linguistic practice with unique characteristics and functions. In the multilingual classroom, translanguaging has been used strategically or spontaneously as a pedagogical tool for effective instruction and other educational ends. The present case study is conducted in Santrokofi in Ghana and sought to examine translanguaging as a pedagogic tool in a multilingual classroom that is constrained by a bilingual education policy. Using classroom observation, interviews, and focus group interviews, the present study highlights the nature and the functions of translanguaging that takes place in the multilingual classroom. The findings of the study affirmed earlier findings that the multilingual classroom is an important site for translanguaging. Again, translanguaging practices that were observed in the classroom included translation, code-switching, repairing, and deployment of a cocktail of linguistic and semiotic resources and modalities to enhance understanding, explain concepts, and facilitate home-school cooperation. The study also identified negative attitudes of teachers and the marginalization of learners’ mother tongue as constraints to effective translanguaging and proposes a reexamination of Ghana’s language-in-education policy and teacher reorientation and training as ways of reversing teachers’ negative attitudes in order to maximize translanguaging in the multilingual classroom.

The majority of studies conducted on first language acquisition concentrates on the acquisition of standard varieties, where deterministic, or invariant, forms are the focus of research. At the same time, research in sociolinguistics has shown that language is full of variable forms which are governed by a series of interacting social and linguistic constraints on variant choice. Such variation is interesting from the perspective of acquisition because of the apparent challenge it presents to a young child: learning a language is alreadyhighly complexbut what happens when variation is added to the mix? The initial chapters in this volume focus on the analysis of variation in the speech of young children in a number of different languages worldwide and across different contexts of use in both production and perception. In doing so, they provide an excellent contribution to questions surrounding the acquisition of vernacular norms in the initial stages of acquisition and in later life.

This study explores how TikTok functions as a digital linguistic arena that shapes the emergence of social dialects among Indonesian youth. Far beyond a platform for entertainment, TikTok facilitates the creation, dissemination, and reinforcement of new linguistic patterns through video content, captions, and interactive comments. Guided by Labov’s Variationist Sociolinguistics (1972), this research employs a qualitative descriptive approach by analyzing 15 TikTok videos and 100–150 user comments. The analysis focuses on linguistic features such as slang, code-switching, and identity markers that reflect youth identity and social belonging. The findings reveal that TikTok fosters rapid linguistic innovation such as slang expressions like receh banget and ngakak brutal, English borrowings such as slay and literally, and fandom or regional identity markers that demonstrate how users blend local and global influences. These linguistic practices not only strengthen community solidarity but also signify how digital spaces accelerate the evolution of language variation. Overall, the study concludes that TikTok represents a dynamic sociolinguistic ecosystem where technology, culture, and identity intersect, highlighting the platform’s crucial role in redefining Indonesian youth’s linguistic expression in the digital age

Studies of intraspeaker variation and the linguistic indexing of sexual identity have formed an important part of recent research in variationist sociolinguistics. This study investigates patterns of word-final stop release in the speech of a flamboyantly gay television host, Graham Norton. The results indicate a significant correlation between the rate of released word-final stops and the sexual orientation of an absent referee, as defined by Bell (1984, 2001), with a higher proportion of released stops for gay-identified referees. We argue that this pattern demonstrates the linguistic indexing of an ingroup identity, which Norton shares with referees who identify as gay. In this way, the variable of word-final stop release can be considered a ‘building block’ (Barrett 2002:33) in the construction of Norton's sexual identity.

The introduction situates the thirteen chapters of the volume in the field of discourse–pragmatic and change. It begins by explaining the history of the field, which was created from various strands of existing research in variationist sociolinguistics and pragmatics, and is now represented by the Discourse–Pragmatic Variation and Change (DiPVaC) Research Network, a group of scholars from a wide range of disciplines including sociolinguistics, pragmatics, conversation analysis, second language acquisition, corpus linguistics, and language contact. The introduction establishes the scope of the volume by identifying three major themes, including innovations in theory and method, innovative variables in English, and language contact, and explains how these themes fit together. It introduces the terminology used throughout the volume. Finally, it presents the structure of the volume and highlights the diverse perspectives, data sources, languages of analysis, and methodological and theoretical contributions of each chapter.

Combining research in developmental sociolinguistics and L1 acquisition, this study explores how caregivers may orient children towards (socio)linguistic norms through parental feedback. Based on self-recorded family interactions in the Belgian-Dutch setting, it applies a top-down quantitative perspective to examine feedback on non-conventional versus non-standard language use, alongside a bottom-up qualitative perspective highlighting factors that influence parental feedback occurrence. Findings reveal limited feedback on children’s non-standard language use, with participation frameworks and multiactivity contexts emerging as possible constraints. The combined approach also foregrounds possible tensions between researcher categorisations and participants’ perspectives. Overall, this study offers a first step in bridging research on parental feedback and sociolinguistic variation, identifying patterns that merit further investigation.

Abstract/ExcerptPapers in this Special Issue fill a gap in French sociolinguistics by providing a coherent and yet diverse sample of empirical studies on a variety of structural aspects of French digital media. Collectively, their thematic focus reflects a traditional framing of language variation, well known from variationist sociolinguistics, correlating empirically observed phonological, morphological, and lexical patterns with social and linguistic variables, among them age, gender, and genre. In this commentary, I reflect on each paper’s unique contribution to recent sociolinguistic research on digital media, and the volume’s goal to examine socially conditioned variation in selected contexts of twenty-first-century digital writing in French.

T his article introduces the special-topic issue on Narrative Research in TESOL. It begins by describing the concept of narrative knowledging and continues with a discussion of narrative (co)construction, analysis, and reporting, integrating into the discussion research issues related to TESOL narrative research interrogated by the authors in this issue. This broad discussion is organized in the form of a framework which delineates the generic, mutually informing stages and participants, and their interrelationships, in narrative research projects. I remember very clearly giving my first lecture on narrative inquiry some years ago. It was part of a graduate sociolinguistics course for language teachers at the University of Auckland, where I work, and the topic was sociolinguistic research methods. Usually for this particular class I covered a wide spectrum of data-collection and analytical methods drawn from our readings on variationist sociolinguistics, pointing out overall trends, warning about potential problems (e.g., the ubiquitous observer’s paradox), and suggesting ways to overcome these. But recently I had become excited about the idea of narrative and decided to share my enthusiasm with the teachers. Although the idea of narrative research was new to me, I was beginning to realize that my research practices had for a long time featured some sort of narrative overtones, though I did not yet know what these were. So I decided to explore further what narrative meant and how it applied to what I was doing and wanted to do as a researcher and teacher educator. My interest was triggered by a study I had been involved in for a number of years prior to my narrative inquiry lecture. In this study I investigated the linguistic and identity experiences of Afrikaans-speaking migrants