Translations Interrupted: Italian Neorural Revivals and the Neodialect Poetics of Nonscalability

African English – that is, the second-language varieties of English spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa – can be divided into three distinct regional varieties: West African English, East African English and Southern African English. This chapter focuses on West African English (WAE) and East African English (EAE), while Southern African English, represented by English in Botswana, is dealt with in a separate chapter (Smieja and Mathangwane, this volume). Although all of the national varieties of WAE have a number of features in common, WAE is more heterogeneous than EAE. WAE comprises, moving from west to (south) east, Gambian English, Sierra Leonean English, Liberian English, Nigerian English and Cameroon English. While the varieties of WAE show more linguistic diversity amongst themselves, WAE is a geographically and notionally better delineated theoretical entity than EAE. In the so-called ‘heartland’ of EAE – Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania – a relatively homogenous variety is spoken. Yet the EAE varieties on the fringes are either not sufficiently described (e.g. the Englishes spoken in Somalia and Ethiopia – and for some initial findings on Sudanese English, see Peter 2003) or are part of a transition zone to Southern African English (especially Malawian English). The discussion of EAE will concentrate on the English spoken in the heartland. This chapter is structured in the following way. First, the historical development ofEnglish in West and East Africa is briefly considered. It is argued that British colonial policy contributed significantly to the sociolinguistic and, indirectly, even to the structural similarities and differences these varieties exhibit. While colonial policy provided the political framework for the emergence of the regional and national varieties in question, a number of other factors contributed to their characteristics. These factors are introduced and exemplified. Then the discussion moves on to give a short overview of the two regional varieties and the national varieties of WAE. As already indicated, it is found that, although united by common linguistic features, WAE is far more heterogeneous than EAE, and the national varieties of WAE need to be seen in their own right. Focusing primarily on phonetic but also on lexical features, the section summarizes and contrasts the main diagnostic and distinctive features of the two regionalvarieties, and details the peculiarities of the national varieties of WAE. However, despite their structural differences, WAE and EAE are rooted in a shared ‘African culture’. Another section introduces recent studies in which the expression of culture in African English is investigated from a cognitive sociolinguistic perspective, and conceptual and linguistic patterns common to both regional varieties in question, in contrast to American English and British English, are highlighted.

In the last decades, Italy has been affected by new migratory waves which enriched its varied sociolinguistic landscape. If on one hand Italy has been dealing with the integration of new immigrants in the society, on the other foreign immigrants need to cope with the extreme sociolinguistic complexity which defines the Italian linguistic reality. The present study aims to examine how foreign speakers perceive regional linguistic variation of Italy. A perceptive experiment was conducted on 44 foreign respondents to test their linguistic perception of six regional Italian varieties. Results showed that Italian’s explicit learning helps linguistic comprehension, but it is not enough to grasp differences between regional varieties of Italian, and this could cause comprehension difficulties for the unrepresented varieties in Italian language programs. We suggest that the enhancement of Italian regional varieties’ representation could foster new immigrants’ integration in the welcome society.

Previous research has shown that the more similar the target and the masker signal, the harder it is to segregate the two streams effectively [i.e., target-masker linguistic similarity hypothesis, e.g., Brouwer, Van Engen, Calandruccio, and Bradlow (2012). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131(2), 1449-1464]. The present study examined whether this hypothesis holds when a standard variety of a language (Dutch) is paired with one of its regional varieties (Limburgian). Dutch and Limburgian listeners were tested on a speech-in-speech recognition task to investigate whether familiarity with the target and/or maskers influenced their performance. The findings provide support for the hypothesis and suggest an influence of Limburgians' bidialectal status.

Introduction Philippe Hambye and Anne Catherine Simon 1. Combining Different Approaches to Variation The identification of varieties (dialects)—which requires relating linguistic features to major social categories such as class, age, gender, ethnicity and geographical origin—is one of the main achievements of variationist sociolinguistics. The task is central to the aims of sociolinguistics in two ways. First, it reveals the presence of structured heterogeneity within linguistic variation. Second, it accounts for the social meaning of linguistic variants: through the definition of bounded "social", "regional" or "ethnic" varieties, so-called inter-speaker variation is directly associated with group membership and linguistic features become social identity markers. Despite its usefulness as an analytic instrument, the notion of linguistic variant nevertheless remains problematic. First, varieties are scientific constructs, and their status in sociolinguistic theory is not clear. In this respect, sociolinguistics faces the same challenges as traditional dialectology, as both approaches establish boundaries within a linguistic reality that is known to be continuously variable (see Peter Auer's postface, this volume). Secondly, the classic variationist method, with its underpinning conception of variation, imposes severe limits on our understanding of the effective social meaning of linguistic variation (Eckert 2000). Variation not only reflects, but also creates, distinctions between social groups. This requires that we investigate the relationship between patterns of variation and how speakers exploit these patterns when they elaborate and perceive effective linguistic practices. In other words, what is needed is a thorough examination of the links between the objective description of variation in terms of linguistic varieties and the speaker's subjective interpretation and experience of this variation. On the one hand, we need a description of the distinctive linguistic resources speakers draw upon in their social practices, resources which often correspond to [End Page 247] "linguistic dialects" or "linguistic varieties". This in turn raises questions concerning how these concepts are defined , the status we linguists accord them, and the methods we linguists use to describe them. On the other hand, understanding the extent to which language plays a role in the constitution of sub-entities in a community, and how it reinforces social differentiation, requires an analysis of speakers' representations and attitudes towards both linguistic features and the groups who adopt those features. This special issue of the Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique aims to address these questions. While the contributions in this volume represent diverse theoretical backgrounds, the common thread that unites them is a concern with how linguistic variation is embedded in social and discursive processes. They examine how speakers use linguistic variation to achieve non-linguistic goals, including building social representations (of themselves and others), expressing conversational involvement, creating boundaries between social groups (via stylisation processes), or specifying their relation with interlocutors. The articles in this volume approach questions of linguistic variety and style from different perspectives, ranging from the more objective (factual, linguistic) to the more subjective (oriented towards speakers' representations). The methods used by the authors, and the kinds of explanation they invoke, are sometimes quite distant from each other. Some of the contributors propose objective criteria to assess linguistic variation, including the measurement of the phonetic distance between regional varieties (Lameli), or the description of the form and functions of a set of regional intonation contours (Selting). Other contributors seek to understand how speakers create subjective boundaries between so-called "ways of speaking", despite the fact that there may be no discernible linguistic evidence for such differentiation (Boudreau and White, as well as Roy). 2. The Circumscription of Regional Varieties An attempt to circumscribe regional varieties, both from an objective and subjective point of view, is made by Alfred Lameli ("Phonetic measurement and metalinguistic judgment"). The author selects speech fragments produced in authentic speech-events (city council meetings) in two German cities, Neumünster and Mainz, belonging to different dialect areas (Low and Middle German, respectively). These short fragments are subjected to two different analyses: (i) a phonetic measurement of the distance between the regionalized speech and standard German; (ii) an assessment based on native listeners' perceptions of whether the speaker is speaking "standard" or "dialect". The study shows a clear correlation between two variables, namely "phonetic measurement" and "metalinguistic judgment...

This chapter discusses the relationship between punishment and the political economy in contemporary Italy. It contributes to the debate on contemporary Western ‘punitiveness’ and its preconditions. Alessandro De Giorgi builds on Rusche and Kirchheimer’s sociological account of punishment, in Punishment and Social Structure, and their key claim that punishment varies with varying modes of production. Each mode of production possesses corresponding methods of punishment, and in order to understand the distribution of punishment need to look to the availability of labour. Nicola Lacey’s builds upon Peter Hall and David Soskice’s ‘varieties of capitalism’ (VoC) literature and the distinction it draws between liberal market economies (LMEs) and co-ordinated market economies (CMEs). In Europe these two models are represented by the UK as the paradigmatic LME, and Germany as the paradigmatic CME. LMEs and CMEs differ in terms of their ‘comparative institutional advantage’ and their ‘capacity for co-ordination’.

This paper is devoted to the problems of teaching Italian language at an advanced level in the context of the internal diversification of Italian language: diatopic variation, diastratic variation, diamesic variation, diaphasic variation. In the process of language acquisition the so called Variation Awareness plays a vital role. It allows the learner – aided by the teacher – to attain communicative competence in the broad sense of its meaning. In case of teaching at an advanced level, the emphasis must be put not only on the grammatical correctness, but also, and mainly, on the ability to properly relate the message to the context it appears in, moreover, the kind of message – oral or written – must be taken into account. In relation to the linguistic situation in contemporary Italy, it is also important to draw the attention of a learner to diatopic variations (linguistic regional variations) as well as diastratic ones (matching the message to the social status of the interlocutor ). In the final part of the article there are specific suggestions of how to make use of available sources, so as to enable a combination of theory and practice.

I appreciate this opportunity to discuss aspects of quantitative easing (QE)with some former central bank colleagues on this panel. Today’s topic is monetary policy in a low‐interest‐rate environment. For the Federal Reserve, whichwill bemymain focus, thatmeansQE because the federal funds rate has already been effectively brought to zero. My presentation today will have three parts. First, I will discuss the channels through which QE works, because that sets up a basis to evaluate the policy. Second, andwhatmay sound ironic, Iwill explainwhyQE is hard to quantify. That will say something about the ways central banks operate and about the current state of economics and finance. Finally, I shall discuss the risks associated with QE. This will highlight the importance of having an exit strategy. In that regard, this discussion should not be viewed as relevant exclusively to the Federal Reserve.Any central bank confident in its ability to exit might be more willing to enter a period of very low interest rates.

This paper examines the apparent paradox behind two contrasting images of Italy (anegative one which presents Italy as a ‘weak state’ and a positive one which emphasizes the more dynamic aspects of the Italian economy) while at the same time advancing an alternative approach to the study of comparative political economy. In contrast to the dominant, national models approach, the author proposes a micro-political analysis that emphasizes the internal heterogeneity of national economies and the ‘embeddeness’ of economic activity in local socio-political networks. To illustrate this micro-political approach, this paper analyses the alternative adjustment strategies present within the same country, even within the same industry. By analysing the divergent patterns of adjustment in two of Italy's most noted textile districts (Biella and Prato), the author stresses the internal heterogeneity manifest within a single national economy.

This paper explores the beliefs, attitudes, and efforts of parents with regard to the use and preservation of regional Chinese varieties including Cantonese in the region of Guangzhou, China. The study relied on a sequential mixed method approach, involving 771 parents who completed a parental questionnaire in an online survey on Chinese parents’ language ideology, practice, and management in the home domain, followed by semi-structured interviews of 10 of the surveyed participants to gather detailed data related to the questionnaire results. The study identified inconsistencies in the participants’ beliefs and actual language practice in the survey, revealing mediation by sociolinguistic complexities, national language policies, and socioeconomic conditions on family language decisions and practices. These remind us that the survival of regional Chinese varieties or linguistic varieties without official recognition requires conducive socio-political conditions, including relevant national language policies. The results also suggest that researchers should be particularly concerned by the decline of regional Chinese varieties other than Cantonese, which are not backed up by the national language policy but enjoy a similarly prestigious status to Cantonese in the region.

The pharmaceutical industry is a key global health actor given its crucial role in the development and testing of medicines. Within Latin America, Chile currently has the highest number of multinational commercial clinical trials per inhabitant, predominantly for oncological therapies. Insufficient attention has been paid to context-specific conditions that enable clinical trials' successful implementation in the Global South. In examining what makes Chile an attractive hub for commercial trials and why patients enroll in them, this study seeks to elucidate the interplay among the pharmaceutical industry, health systems, and societies. We analyze how trial providers, cancer practitioners, and patient participants draw from their own lived experience to make sense of local healthcare, health policies and global pharmaceutical market trends, amid global health crises. Using a critical political economy of global health framework, we conducted a critical ethnography in 2022-23 at a tertiary cancer center that is the lead recruiter of patients into oncology commercial trials in Santiago, Chile. In-depth interviews, participant observation, and document gathering were conducted, with materials analyzed through thematic content analysis using Nvivo12. Forty-seven subjects -fourteen patients, four caregivers, and twenty-nine providers- were interviewed and/or shadowed. The main theme, "A failed (health) system" reveals a perception that the growing presence of commercial clinical trials for advanced cancer works synergistically with a deficient health system. Subthemes of political economy levels of (mal)functioning, were grouped as follows: (i) the COVID-19 pandemic and the global organization of commercial trials; (ii) national factors (health services and post-trial access policies); and (iii) community/relational factors (palliative care and unaffordability of high-cost drugs). Clinical trials were experienced as an exit strategy from a broken healthcare system, even as participants regarded the pricing strategies of anticancer therapies acritically. The conditions that make Chile an attractive hub for cancer commercial clinical trials are determined by an interplay of global, national, and community-level structural arrangements between public and private actors. Chile serves as an important global health case study on the role of the pharmaceutical industry in capitalizing on systemic healthcare failures to advance clinical research on metastatic cancer.

Reviews and Short Notices

In recent years, the international development sector has been affected by major new dynamics in the global political economy, with significant shifts in the aid policies of many donor agencies and changes in funding patterns for recipient countries. This article offers insights into what researchers at INTRAC—a not-for-profit organisation which provides capacity building support to different types of civil society organisation around the world—have learned about the interests, priorities and strategies of international NGOs (INGOs) in relation to aid withdrawal and exit processes based on its experiences of promoting debate and supporting organisations over several years. We identify gaps in the evidence base, including the experience of partners, and changes needed in the policy and practice of INGOs to ensure that responsible exit planning becomes the norm rather than an exception.

The linguistic diversity enduring beyond institutional pressures and social prejudices against non-standard dialects questions the social forces influencing language maintenance across generations and how children contribute to this process. Children encounter multi-dialectal interactions in their early environment, and increasing evidence shows that the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation is not a side issue but an inherent part of the general acquisition process. Despite these recent advances in sociolinguistic acquisition, children's sociolinguistic uses remain under-studied in relation to peer social networks and the ability to use dialect for identity purposes. Our study focused on a grammatical sociolinguistic variable consisting of the alternation between a regional and a standard variant of the third person object pronoun in French. The regional variant is a remnant of the Francoprovençal language and its usage by adults is strongly associated with local identity in the French Alps. We described, using questionnaires, the social networks of 117 10–11 year-old girls and boys living in the same restricted rural area. Thirteen native target children (7 girls and 6 boys) were selected from the sample, as well as 39 same-sex friends chosen according to their place of birth (native vs. non-native) and the duration of their friendship with the targets (number of years they have known each other). The target children were recorded during spontaneous dyadic conversations during free play at school with each category of friends. Target boys, but not girls, used the regional variant significantly more frequently with their long-term native friends than with their non-native friends. This adjustment mirrored their partners' uses. Moreover, with long-term native friends, boys used the regional variant twice as frequently as girls. Boys appeared thus as key actors in the maintenance and the diffusion of regional cues in local social networks.

This series aims to include empirical studies of linguistic variation as well as its description, explanation and interpretation in structural, social and cognitive terms. The series covers any relevant subdiscipline: sociolinguistics, contact linguistics, dialectology, historical linguistics, anthropology/anthropological linguistics. Topics for the series include: variation as well as change at the speech community level (‘Labovian’ sociolinguistics); levelling between standard and regional varieties and between regional varieties; dialect supralocalisation – the loss of distinctiveness at the local level; dialect contact – causes; linguistic effects, such as koineisation; dialect divergence; language variation and identity; social psychology and variation; empirical basis for speech community models, e.g., standard–regional standard–dialect, and changes in these alignments; variation and change in standard varieties; varieties and social styles making use of nonstandard variants; standardization / destandardization; typological differences between related language varieties. The series aims to include empirical studies of linguistic variation as well as its description, explanation and interpretation in structural, social and cognitive terms. The series will cover any relevant subdiscipline: sociolinguistics, contact linguistics, dialectology, historical linguistics, theory-driven approaches, anthropology/anthropological linguistics. The emphasis will be on linguistic aspects and on the interaction between linguistic and extralinguistic aspects — not on extralinguistic aspects (including language ideology, policy etc.) as such. Work published in the series can be either relatively descriptive/data-oriented or more theory oriented (both formal and functional). Both contemporary and historical variation will be included; with respect to historical variation, the emphasis will be on processes of language change, rather than on the outcomes of such processes. Studies which convincingly combine different perspectives will be especially welcomed. This peer reviewed series will include monographs, thematic collections of articles, and reference works in the relevant areas.

In the multiethnic, multicultural, and multilingual setting of contemporary Spanish America, the Bildungsroman has evolved to incorporate contestatory features necessary to address the tensions inherent in a region where hybridity and plurality are underlying characteristics. The degree to which the individual connects to the dominant society’s expectations varies, and the norm itself may be questioned. Language can thus be a marker of difference, or belonging. It can reveal class, ethnicity, hybridity (through code-switching), as well as the degree of marginalization or integration into local, national, or global communities. Spanish American novels such as Rosa Nissán’s Novia que te vea (México, 1992) and Alberto Fuguet’s Las películas de mi vida (Chile, 2003) afford us opportunities to analyze the complexities of hybrid subjectivity, and its corresponding linguistic diversity, in contemporary, global societies, and to connect with the universal process of formation through the lens of unique cultural and regional variants.