Lecture (8) Ethnicity and social networks
Ethnicity Ethnicity is considered to be shared characteristics such as culture, language, religion, and traditions, which contribute to a person or group’s identity . An ‘ ethnic group ’ has been defined as a group that regards itself or is regarded by others as a distinct community by virtue of certain characteristics that will help to distinguish the group from the surrounding community.
Ethnicity Even when a complete conversation in an ethnic language is not possible, people may use short phrases , verbal fillers or linguistic tags , which signal ethnicity. New Zealanders use Maori linguistic signals like kia ora, e ki, ne to express their ethnic identity.
Ethnicity Many ethnic groups use a distinctive language to identify their ethnicity If the dominants/main language is used, speakers may incorporate linguistic signals that identify their ethnic background Chinese Singaporeans in Singapore use the tag la to express solidarity Italians in Boston and Sydney use particular high percentage of vernacular pronunciations of certain vowels
Ethnicity Scottish people in New Zealand retain the [r] sound Jewish people in Boston and New York use marked linguistic tags such as oy vay , and Yiddish vocabulary items such as bagel
Ethnicity Three cases of ethnic dialects in English 1. African American Vernacular English 2. British Black English 3. Maori New Zealanders
Ethnicity 1. African American Vernacular English African American Vernacular English (AAVE) has some features which do not occur in standard American English, and some which less frequently occur Linguistic differences act as symbols of ethnicity It exists particularly in the northern cities of the United States
Ethnicity 1. African American Vernacular English Omission of the verb be Invariant be to signal recurring actions Multiple negation Consonant cluster simplification
Ethnicity 1. African American Vernacular English Omission of the verb be
Ethnicity 1. African American Vernacular English Invariant be to signal recurring actions
Ethnicity 1. African American Vernacular English Multiple negation e.g. ‘I don’t have no money’
Ethnicity 1. African American Vernacular English Consonant cluster simplification o In the phrase last time , last [la:st] in Standard American English is [la:s] in AAVE o aks in place of ‘ asks ’
Ethnicity 2. British Black English Members of British Black community (born in England) speak a variety of Jamaican Creole, also known as Patois Patois used as symbol of ethnic identity. Those who are not fluent in Patois use English with Patois features. This way, their English is marked as “Black” which signals the identity of the speaker
Ethnicity 2. British Black English Vocabulary Pronunciation Morphology, Syntax Lick meaning ‘kick’ [den], [tin] for ‘then’ and Plural forms without /s/ ‘thin’ suffix: ‘many cow’ Kenge meaning ‘weak’ [niem ] for ‘name’ Verbs are not marked for tenses: walk, jump for ‘walked’, ‘jumped’ Simplified pronouns: [mi] for I, me, my and [dem] for they, them, and their Patois
Ethnicity 3. Maori New Zealanders In New Zealand there has been considerable discussion about whether a Maori dialect of English exists. Many people assert firmly that there is such a variety, but there is little evidence so far of linguistic features which occur only in the speech of Maori people.
Ethnicity 3. Maori New Zealanders Pronunciation Vocabulary Morphology, Syntax Use of [d] sound: then Kia ora for greetings Vernacular present pronounce as ‘den’, tense forms: with /s/ ‘I says you wanna bet’ The pronounce as ‘de’ Tangi meaning Vernacular past tense ‘funeral’ ‘She seen it happen…’ Kuia meaning ‘old woman’ Maori
Ethnicity New Englishes
Ethnicity New Englishes the term ‘ new Englishes ’ is most often used to describe varieties which have developed in post-colonial societies where the colonial powers have been displaced, but the legacy of English remains. Some examples were discussed in chapter 4 under the heading ‘ world Englishes ’ . Fiji English, Hong Kong English, Singapore English, Indian English and the English used in the Philippines are typical examples of ‘new Englishes’ .
Ethnicity New Englishes It has been suggested that these varieties represent different stages along a trajectory towards the development of a distinct local variety which symbolises the identity of each particular group of speakers. In other words, English undergoes re-colonisation in order to express the identities of the local peoples in different communities. Using this framework, New Zealand English, Australian English and South African English are well-developed examples, with distinctive lexis, grammatical patterns and phonological features, as well as established literatures in each of these varieties. Young people who use New Zealand English no longer think of their language as a variety of British English.
Ethnicity New Englishes Another view makes a sharp distinction between ‘ settlement ’ colonies like Australia and New Zealand, where English has always been the first language of the majority group, and ‘ exploitation ’ colonies such as Hong Kong and Singapore, India, Kenya and Tanzania, where multilingualism is the norm, and English has been adopted primarily for administrative convenience. In these countries, English was not initially taught by native speaker ‘ settlers ’ to new generations, and the varieties of English which have developed are typically influenced by local languages spoken in the region, e.g. Hokkien Chinese, Malay and Tamil in Singapore.
Lecture (8) Ethnicity and social networks
People’s speech reflect the types of networks they belong to. Sociolinguistic surveys have shown that language variation cannot only be found among groups with varying socio- economic status but also within one group. Following the regular class pattern, we could expect the members of one socio-economic status group to show uniform linguistic behaviour. Obviously this is not the case in reality. Even speakers with the same socio-economic status are characterized by their varying use of language. Consequently, there must be other significant factors than such static social variables as class or gender which can account for linguistic variation.
The concept of the social network was introduced to the field of sociolinguistics by Lesley and James Milroy. In her study of three working-class communities in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Lesley Milroy (1980) found significant deviations from the classic class and gender pattern. Linguistic variation in these communities could be explained on the basis of differences in speakers’ social network structures. There was a correlation between linguistic variation and a speaker’s integration in a social network.
People’s speech reflect the types of networks they belong to.
Networks in sociolinguistics refer to the pattern of informal relationships people are involved in on a regular basis .
A social network is an abstract mechanism that denotes the social relationships an individual contracts with other individuals in a society. If society as a whole is viewed as the macro-level, then social networks can be described as ‘micro -level social clusters’ : families, friends, neighbourhoods, etc., i.e. particular patterns of social organization within society as a whole.
Features of Social Networks The character of a social network is defined by the contact patterns between its members ( How many members know each other and how well do they know each other? ). These patterns then construct different types of network structures which can reveal an individual’s integration into a network. The structure of a network can be determined by the factors of density and plexity .
Features of Social Networks Density refers to whether members of a person’s network are in touch with each other
Features of Social Networks Density For example, Ani knows Alex, who lives next door to her. Alex’s wife, Alice, works at the same office as Ani. Alex plays tennis once a week with Hendri, Ani’s husband. Alex’s boss, Paul, is a business partner of Robby, Hendri’s uncle.
Features of Social Networks Plexity refers to the type of transactions people are involved in o Uniplex relationship : when the link to someone else is only in one area o Multiplex relationship : interactions with others in several dimensions
Features of Social Networks Plexity Here, the double lines depicts the dual role that Ani and Alice have with each other, as neighbors and workmates. Similarly Alex and Hendri, are both neighbors and friends.
People’s speech should indicate the types of networks they belong to. The people we interact with are one important influence on our speech. When the people we mix with regularly belong to a homogeneous group, we tend to speak the way the rest of the group does, provided we want to belong to the group and like the people in it.
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