Sociolinguistic Perspective Research Articles

Maintaining Karonese Ecolexicon through Traditional Game Cengkah-cengkah

A language and its environment are so dependent one another that maintaining a language also means maintaining its environment. One of the purposes of studying a language and its environment is to maintain the lexicon associated with the ecological environment, known as ecolexicon. This paper aims at maintaining Karonese ecolexicon through cengkah-cengkah, one of the Karonese traditional games in Lau Kambing and Turangi, the villages located in Salapian Sub-District, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The study was conducted based on ecolinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives. The data were the ecolexicon used in the Karonese traditional game cengkah-cengkah (both its old and new version). The data were collected using interview and document techniques. Based on the data analysis, it was found that the new version of Karonese traditional game cengkah-cengkah inserted more ecolexical items related to flora, cardinal points and land matters. Besides, most of the ecolexical items inserted in this game were the endangered ecolexicon that needed to be maintained. Based on the research findings, it is concluded that traditional games can serve as a good alternative way of language maintenance. Therefore, it is suggested to other researchers to do more studies on language maintenance involving traditional games from other regions.

Does the use of honorific appellations in audit reports connote higher financial misstatement risk? Evidence from China

PurposeFrom the sociolinguistic perspective, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether the honorific and actual-name appellations that Chinese auditors use to address clients in audit reports connote differential financial misstatement risk. Specifically, the authors hypothesize that auditors’ use of honorifics signals their inferior social status relative to their clients, thereby leading to compromised auditor independence, lower audit quality, and higher financial misstatement risk.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a sample of manually coded appellation data from audit reports of Chinese public firms between 2003 and 2012 to conduct the research.FindingsThe authors find significantly greater financial misstatements, both in terms of likelihoods and magnitudes, for companies addressed by honorifics than for those addressed by actual names. Moreover, compared to auditors’ consistent honorific usage, discretionary honorific usage has a stronger positive association with misstatements. The authors further show that the positive association between honorific usage and client misstatement risk weakens when the audit firm is a Top 10 accounting firms in China, is an industry specialist, is formed as a partnership, or resides in a more concentrated audit market.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the sociolinguistics literature in accounting and provides evidence supporting the reform proposed by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board to enhance the usefulness of audit reporting.

A sociolinguistic study of the effects of Yoruba-English Code-mixing on the Yoruba language

This work investigates the effects of Yoruba-English Code-mixing on the Yoruba language. From a sociolinguistic perspective, it examines the reasons why people code-mix English with Yoruba and the effects of the code-mixing on the Yoruba language. The study is modeled after Crystal’s (2000) theory of language death. Data for the study was collected with the use of self-designed questionnaire which was administered to 100 respondents. The analysis of the responses shows that a number of lexical items of the Yoruba language have been lost by the native speakers as a result Yoruba-English code-mixing. It also reveals that this sociolinguistic phenomenon may hamper the growth and development of the Yoruba language as it has become more convenient for Yoruba speakers to code-mix than to coin new words for new concepts, items or ideas. The study, therefore, concludes that uncontrolled Yoruba-English code-mixing may render the use of the Yoruba language moribund, consequently leading to the death of the language. It is recommended that the native speakers of Yoruba should make conscious efforts to use “pure” Yoruba, minimizing the use of code-mix. Â

The Phenomenon of Da’wa Humor Kiai Pesantren: Sociolinguistic Analysis

This paper aims to know the model of da'wa done by kiai, and about da'wah has been discussed by (Ahmad Anas: 2006; Atmawati Dwi: 2009; and Anshori Anhar: 1984). While about humor has been discussed by (Muhammad Rohmadi: 2009; Wuri Soedjatmiko: 1991; I Dewa Putu Wijana: 2004; Danandjaja: 2001). Everything has a meaning so that humor is not a goal, but just a medium. For that purpose, the authors use a sociolinguistic perspective, as has been discussed by (Roger T. Bell: 1995; Ralp Fashold: 1990; J. A. Fishman: 1972). Therefore, what is done by Kiai Latif in his dakwah using various humorous models, such as anecdotes, comparisons, plesetan and others (Victor Raskin: 1944, James Danandjaja: 1986). Certainly, what is done by Kiai Latif in his da'wah that uses the language of dakwah humor still in the corridor of da'wah, that is as a means to invite people to not be dissolved in things that are not pleaded by Allah SWT, including inconsistent with the teachings applied by Prophet Muhammad SAW (Andy Darmawan: 2002; Clifford Geertz: 1981; Jakfar Puteh Saifullah: 2006; Aminah Mochtar: 2000).

System-oriented and speaker-oriented approaches in Italian sociolinguistics

Two main approaches can be said to characterize sociolinguistic research in Italy since its beginning in the Sixties. One approach is more system-oriented and is mostly inspired by the qualitative variational (socio)linguistics in the poststructuralistic vein of the work of E. Coseriu (Labovian quantitative sociolinguistics is somewhat underrepresented in Italian sociolinguistics). The other approach, largely followed since the Nineties, is speaker-oriented, and has its basis mainly in the perspective of interpretive sociolinguistics. This paper aims at drawing a critical state of the art, discussing, in the light of the basic distinction above, the methods and findings of significant research done on some selected topics characterizing the manifold sociolinguistic situation of Italy, as for instance the contact between Italian and Italo-Romance dialects (the dialects being not locally spoken varieties of Italian, but ‘primary dialects’ in the sense expressed by Coseriu), their distribution in use, the standardisation of the national language, and related phenomena. In a first section we deal with the general theoretical issue about the relationship between the speaker and the linguistic system, and an outline of the differences between a system-oriented and a speaker-oriented approach in linguistics is tentatively sketched out. In a second step the most interesting results of some recent Italian works on different topics in a system-oriented perspective will be pointed out; the same will be made with a choice of recent Italian works developed in a speaker-oriented perspective. As a conclusion, we argue that a better or more adequate way to carry out sociolinguistic research is a cooperation between the two perspectives: due to the nature of language and language behavior, there is no real reason indeed to oppose a speaker-oriented approach to a system-oriented one, or vice versa.

A Social Approach to Rule Dynamics Using an Agent-Based Model.

A well-trod debate at the nexus of cognitive science and linguistics, the so-called past tense debate, has examined how rules and exceptions are individually acquired (McClelland & Patterson, ; Pinker & Ullman, ). However, this debate focuses primarily on individual mechanisms in learning, saying little about how rules and exceptions function from a sociolinguistic perspective. To remedy this, we use agent-based models to examine how rules and exceptions function across populations. We expand on earlier work by considering how repeated interaction and cultural transmission across speakers affects the dynamics of rules and exceptions in language, measuring linguistic outcomes within a social system rather than focusing individual learning outcomes. We consider how population turnover and growth effect linguistic rule dynamics in large and small populations, showing that this method has considerable potential particularly in probing the mechanisms underlying the linguistic niche hypothesis (Lupyan & Dale, ).

Migrants' minority‐language newspeakerism: The pervasiveness of nation‐state monolingual regimes in transnational contexts

From a critical sociolinguistics perspective, this paper investigates processes of minority‐language newspeakerism among 23 migrants from heterogeneous socioeconomic and language backgrounds. Informants networked in a cybercafé and a bench in Catalonia, a European society with a majority and a minority language, Spanish and Catalan. Drawing on audio‐recorded interviews, naturally‐occurring interactions and four‐year ethnographic data, I analyze how informants' language practices and ideologies interplay with self‐/other‐ascribed Catalan newspeakerhood. The results show that migrants do not envision themselves as Catalan newspeakers. They employ ethnicist constructions of Catalan as ‘the locals’’ language, and inhabit fluid identities whereby ‘Catalanness’ is vindicated through global Spanish. They invest in Spanish newspeakerhood instead, presenting Spanish as the language of ‘integration’. I conclude that newspeakerism contributes to understanding migrants’ roles in the linguistic conflicts of minority‐language societies; particularly, the ways in which they invest in majority languages, following nation‐state monolingual regimes which pervade as gatekeepers to post‐national citizenship.

Supporting patient education using schema theory: A discourse analysis

BackgroundWhile patient education has long been an important part of nurses’ roles in patient care, research has found difficulties with providing patient education. Sound subject matter knowledge is not enough to give effective and meaningful instruction; pedagogical knowledge is also needed, with an understanding of different aspects of learning processes to inform our teaching methods Despite the importance of patient education, many nurses do not necessarily have pedagogical knowledge regarding how to teach, how to support patient’s learning and how to consciously implement strategies into patient education. AimBy understanding theories that explain how people learn better, and awareness of the consequences of different approaches to giving patient education, nurses can be better informed about how to structure their information-giving in ways that will support patient learning. MethodsDiscourse analysis from an interactional sociolinguistic perspective is used to examine authentic nurse-patient health information encounters, mapped against cognitive learning theories, schema theory in particular. FindingsThe interactional consequences, when elements drawn from learning theories are implemented, are observable in the data. DiscussionStrategies that support patients’ learning include linking information to the patients’ prior experience/knowledge, providing information that is relevant to them, and chunking information into unified themes while encouraging patients’ active involvement through questioning and clarification of information. ConclusionAwareness of learning theories and strategies outlined in this paper can strengthen communication skills and assist health professionals to structure patient education in ways that support patients’ learning, thereby enhancing patient safety.

从社会语言学角度看网络流行语的形成特点

从社会语言学角度看网络流行语的形成特点

Modern Linguistics through Post-Secular Perspective

The research is focused on the current state of interaction between language and religion in contemporary linguistics in the post-secular environment, when religious discourse becomes an integral part of the discursive polyphony inherent in the open space of communication. The review is centered around three main pillars: the “language of religion” from a sociolinguistic perspective; theolinguistics as a new integrative discipline; linguopersonology and lexicography. Each section contains an overview of works by modern linguists and outlines further research prospects.

Exploring the Northern Sotho language name discrepancies in informative documentation and among first language speakers

This article is based on a survey that aimed to explore the Northern Sotho language name discrepancies in informative and descriptive documentation and also in general language use. The survey was conducted in two selected South African universities (Tshwane University of Technology (A) and the University of Limpopo (B)). The quota sampling method was used to gather data from 90 students and ten lecturers who were then doing Northern Sotho as a first-language module or teaching any of these modules, their age groups varying from 17 to 75. These students and lecturers participated by responding to survey questionnaires and the lecturers additionally took part in interviews. The causes for the use of Sepedi and Sesotho sa Leboa in informative documentation and in general language, as well as the language name which was preferred by the research participants were investigated, based on the mixed-methods research approach. From a sociolinguistic perspective, the survey strove to ascertain which of the two language names the research participants preferred and why. It was found that Sesotho sa Leboa was the name opted for by most of the research participants who considered Sepedi as a dialect, not as a standard language.

Linguistic Ecology of North Mara “Languages”: A Comparative Study of Sound System Among the Selected “Languages”

Language sounds are sounds which construct meaningful phrases in languages. Although human beings produce many sounds of different types, human language uses only a certain number and types of sounds. Sounds of languages are of two types; either consonants or vowels due to articulatory system. The studied North Mara “languages” are Kurya, Simbiti, Kiroobha, Sweeta, Kabwa, Suba1, Kine and Kenye, There are two perspectives relating to North Mara “languages”: In one perspective, these languages are regarded as similar and related to each other while in the other perspective the languages are regarded as different. The article focuses on the comparison of sound system in North Mara “languages”. According to data obtained, there are several syntactical criteria discussed: these are compensatory lengthening, deletion and minimal pairs. The study was led by “Comparative and Historical Linguistics” theory in portraying the relationship of “languages” being studied. The study used group discussion method to obtain data that gives similarities and differences of investigated “languages”. The results obtained from the research prove that there is a great similarity among the investigated “languages” in the case of sound system. Hence, linguistically these “languages” are more like dialects that relates closely to each other and are not independent languages as are seen in sociolinguistics perspective.

Communication of Emotions by Characters in a Flash Fiction (Based on Short Stories by Thomas Mann)

The paper is devoted to the issue of nonverbal explication of emotions in literary texts of a flash fiction. Nonverbal means of communication are studied in several directions. There are works reflecting this problem from the perspective of semiotics, linguistics, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics. A number of scientists is engaged in lexical description of paralinguisms. The study of linguostylistic problems of paralinguisms in literary works presents a special interest. The appeal to this problem is explained by the fact that adequate interpretation of a literary text is impossible without the corresponding reader’s understanding of nonverbal means of emotional expression since this requires nontrivial intellectual operations and a certain breadth of knowledge. The study is based on the analysis of three short stories by a famous German writer Thomas Mann: Der kleine Herr Friedemann (1898), Tobias Mindernickel (1898) and Tristan (1902). The rationale of the study is caused by the immaturity of this subject in German. The novelty is defined by the study of paralinguistic units in literary texts of T. Mann. The purpose of the paper is to describe nonverbal means and to define their functional yield in a literary text. To achieve this purpose, the paper deals with continuous sampling methods, contextual analysis and interpretation. The study showed that Thomas Mann uses paralinguisms to describe the main characters generally applying characterizing, evaluation, text-forming and forecast functions. Paralinguisms ensure text cohesion, integrity of its perception and are always aimed to implement the author’s plan and create the fictitious world of a literary work and consequently, contribute to the expression of an idea and a subject. The materials of the given paper may be used in theoretical courses of German lexicology, stylistics and in practical classes on literary text interpretation.

DISFEMISME DALAM PERSPEKTIF SEMANTIK, SOSIOLINGUISTIK, DAN ANALISIS WACANA

Dysphemism is an expression with connotations that are offensive either about the denotatum or the audience. It is used to talk about one’s opponents, things one wishes to show disapproval of, and things one wishes to be seen to downgrade. The topic of dysphemism is crucial to investigate because dysphemism is the infraction of the rules of politeness that deals with the matters of face and face effects.This research uses descriptive qualitative method. The approach used in this research is library research. Data taken from taking notes and observation.This article is written to explain dysphemism in the perspective of Semantics, Sociolinguistics, and Discourse Analysis.

Voseo, tuteo in ustedeo v kolumbijski različici španščine

Oblike naslavljanja so jezikovna sredstva, s katerimi v komunikacijskem procesu izražamo odnos do drugih, predvsem socialni odnos, ki obstaja med govorcem in naslovnikom (NGLE, 2009, 1250) ter temelji na moči ali solidarnosti (Brown in Gilman, 1960). Vendar pa se moramo zavedati, da so oblike naslavljanja zelo kompleksne. Nanje glede na sporazumevalni položaj vplivajo številni dejavniki (kulturni, družbeni, ideološki, čustveni). Klasična shema Browna in Gilmana (1960, 11) upošteva le bipartitno shemo (tú-usted za španski jezik), ne pa tripartitne (Carricaburo, 2015, 11), značilne za ameriške različice španščine. Z oblikami naslavljanja izražamo različne stopnje bližine ali distance, naklonjenosti ali nenaklonjenosti, spoštovanja ali nespoštovanja. Španska slovnica tradicionalno razlikuje naslavljanje za izražanje zaupanja ali familiarnosti (trato de confianza o familiaridad) in naslavljanje za izražanje spoštovanja (trato de respeto) (NGLE, 2009, 1250). Prav tako se upošteva recipročno (simetrično) in nerecipročno (asimetrično) naslavljanje (ibidem.).

Does the Use of Honorific Appellations in Audit Reports Connote Higher Financial Misstatement Risk? Evidence from China

From the sociolinguistic perspective, this study examines whether the honorific and actual-name appellations that Chinese auditors use to address clients in audit reports connote differential financial misstatement risk. Specifically, we hypothesize that auditors’ use of honorifics signals their inferior social status relative to their clients, thereby leading to compromised auditor independence, lower audit quality, and higher financial misstatement risk. We find significantly greater financial misstatements, both in terms of likelihoods and magnitudes, for companies addressed by honorifics than for those addressed by actual names. Moreover, compared to auditors’ consistent honorific usage, discretionary honorific usage has a stronger positive association with misstatements. We further show that the positive association between honorific usage and client misstatement risk weakens when the audit firm is a Top 10 accounting firm in China, is an industry specialist, is formed as a partnership, or resides in a more concentrated audit market. This study contributes to the sociolinguistics literature in accounting and provides evidence supporting the reform proposed by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) to enhance the usefulness of audit reporting.

The Syntax of Multi-Word Expressions in Yorulish Code-Mixing

Scholars have discussed Yorulish (Yoruba–English) code-switching/mixing from the perspectives of sociolinguistics, contact linguistics and pragmatics, among others; but the syntax–semantics aspect has not enjoyed much scholarly scrutiny, if any. Multi-word expressions (MWEs) are characterised by non-compositionality as they comprise two or more words, which have a unique meaning not traceable to any of the combined words. This study examines the syntactic behaviour of MWEs in Yorulish code-switched grammar, with an eye to the meaning before and after code-switching/mixing. The adopted theoretical framework is a combination of Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Frame theory and Chomsky’s Transformational Generative Grammar. Data were purposively sampled from standard dictionaries and textbooks on English and Yoruba languages, and code-switched/mixed with words from the alternate language. The MWEs selected are idioms (from English and Yoruba); phrasal verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs and prepositional verbs (from English); and splitting verbs and serial verb constructions (from Yoruba). The study suggests that switching is allowed when components of MWEs are relatively free as in English prepositional verbs, but barred when they are fixed as in Yoruba splitting verbs and idioms. Nevertheless, apart from idioms where both English and Yoruba substrates resist switching, the other Yoruba MWEs are more impervious to switching than do those of English origin, which suggests that Yoruba is the base language.

Writing systems and linguistic identity of the Vlach community of Eastern Serbia

In this article we examine, from a predominantly sociolinguistic perspective, the writing systems created throughout time for the graphic rendering of the variety of Romanian spoken by the Vlachs of Eastern Serbia. We especially investigate what influences the choice of a script (Latin or Cyrillic), of orthographic conventions and of a writing system, and how this choice correlates with the ideological attitude (reintegrationist or independentist) of the proponents. To this end, we analyse the writing systems used for rendering the vernacular in “Vorba noastră”, the first publication in the local variety (1945–1948), and the systems put forward in the last 20 years by the members of the community engaged in political and linguistic debates (Paun Es Durlić, Dragomir Dragić, Slavoljub Gacović, Ljubiša lu Boža Kići, the “Gergina” Association). The analysis and the comparison of the systems attest to the importance of the ideological, social and political factors in creating and imposing an orthography for an unwritten idiom.

Sociolinguistic Perspectives on the Implications of the Homogenization of the Circles of World Englishes

The marginalization of English second (L2) and foreign language (EFL) users in the academic and practical pursuit of English language teaching (ELT) has fueled the hegemonic power of the inner circle of world Englishes (CWE). Because of the inequality among the circles of world Englishes, this paper pursues a dual purpose: firstly, it sets out to determine the sociolinguistic effects of globalization on the CWE; and secondly, it establishes how these sociolinguistic effects contribute to the homogenization of the circles and a seemingly more equitable notion of (world) English(es). Drawing on available qualitative descriptions and empirical data, three practical contexts of sociolinguistics were identified (viz. demographic shifts, economic motivations, and language education policy) to realize the dual research purpose. Based on a qualitative instrumental case study of a purposive sample of one country from each CWE, the study assesses the possibility to justify the proposition that the functions of English across the circles are becoming more similar as globalization homogenizes the global English sociolinguistic ecology. The findings support claims of major evolutionary processes that entail significant implications for the ELT community across the CWE.

Examining Korean Language Programs and Policy for Adolescent Immigrants from Sociolinguistic Perspectives

Examining Korean Language Programs and Policy for Adolescent Immigrants from Sociolinguistic Perspectives