Learning a second dialect: A model of idiolectal dissonance

Abstract

This paper investigates the sociolinguistic choices within a group of children in a Swiss elementary school. Due to the special socio-cultural status of the school, the children belong to non-native families moving in from other parts of Switzerland and Europe. The data show that after a time of about two years, the children use a relatively consistent Swiss German dialect in peer-oriented communication which may be different from the dialect used at home. Variation within this dialect co-varies with the social structure within the school class and not with the parents' speech. Interview data and classroom observations allow inferences about the individual child's possible intentions and motivations which are claimed to shape the linguistic repertoire. The 'model of idiolectal dissonance' provides a typology for the linguistic choices observed. The emerging classroom variety is shaped by ecological factors, by the social interactions within the group, and by internal linguistic constraints.