published_or_final_version / abstract / English / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

This study investigates Japanese EFL teachers' perceptions of regional varieties of English, which are designated as either the Outer Circle or the Expanding Circle by Kachru (1985), and their potential place in EFL teaching in Japan. Participants were 36 teachers at junior high and elementary schools and 28 undergraduates in a TEFL certificate program. Data collection was completed with the use of two Likert-scale questionnaires: one involving a task in listening to various English varieties, and the other asking about beliefs about the English language in general and perceptions of nonnative/nonstandard Englishes as opposed to the two major varieties in ELT in Japan: American and British English. In addition, oral interviews were conducted with several participants and their assistant language teachers (ALTs). / The findings suggested that in-service teachers showed more ambivalent attitudes toward nonnative varieties than student-teachers did; although the teachers acknowledged potential benefits of nonnative Englishes for the future use of EIL, they showed hesitation in regarding different Englishes as instructional models to be exposed to students. However, the study also showed participants' interest in introducing other Englishes as awareness-raising models. The possibility of inclusion of nonnative varieties was further discussed.

This study set out to analyse the concept of the ʾcoloured communityʾ and to describe the linguistic phenomena associated with it. It was found that the community was characterized by division and an overt rejection of 'coloured' identity. A satisfactory definition of the community could only be arrived at by exploring social psychological and anthropological concepts, particularly that of the social network, and a covert identification was postulated. This in turn was used to explain the linguistic phenomena which were found to be associated with the community. The latter included a vernacular dialect consisting of non-standard Afrikaans blended with English, as well as a stratification of particular items in the English spoken by community members . This stratification was analysed in terms of the social distribution of the items, enabling comparisons to be made with the English spoken by ʾwhitesʾ. A fieldwork study was embarked on with the intention of discovering the nature of the perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the idiolects of certain speakers. These idiolects were considered to be typical and representative of the forms of English normally encountered in the Cape Peninsula, and were described in terms of the co-occurrences of linguistic items which they contained. Tape recordings of the speech of this group of speakers were presented in a series of controlled experiments to subjects from various class and community backgrounds who were required to respond by completing questionnaires. It was found that those lects which contained items and co-occurrences of items peculiar to 'coloured' speakers were associated with lower status than those containing items and co-occurrences of items peculiar to 'white' speakers. Attitudes towards speakers were found to be more complex and depended upon the styles and paralanguage behaviours of the speakers, as well as accent, and also the psychological dispositions of the subjects who participated

This thesis investigates phonetic and phonological variation in the bilingual repertoire of adolescent Welsh-English bilinguals living in North Wales. It contributes to linguistic research by, firstly, providing an account of language variation in an under-studied area (N. Wales) and context (regional minority language bilingualism) and, secondly, by examining cross-linguistic variation, and the constraints on this variation, in bilingual speech. The two variables under discussion differ in how they are realised in the two languages: /l/ is thought to be heavily velarised in both languages as a result of long-term contact and phonological convergence. Variation in the production of /r/ and realisation of coda /r/ has hitherto been reported as language-specific, though frequent transfer is said to occur from Welsh to English in predominantly Welsh-speaking areas (e.g. Penhallurick 2004: 110; Wells 1982: 390).The first aim of the study is therefore to quantify claims of phonological convergence and transfer in the speech of Welsh-English bilinguals by using a variationist sociolinguistics methodology (e.g. Labov 1966), which also considers the influence of linguistic and extra-linguistic factors on variation. Particular attention is paid to differences between a majority Welsh-speaking town and a town where English is the main language. A further distinction is made between those from Welsh-speaking homes and those from English-speaking homes who have acquired Welsh through immersion education. The second aim is to make empirically-informed theoretical claims about the nature of phonological convergence and transfer, and conceptualise cross-linguistic interaction in the speech of Welsh-English bilinguals in light of existing frameworks. Data (sociolinguistic interviews and wordlists) were collected in Welsh and English from 32 Welsh-English bilinguals aged 16-18. The sample was equally stratified in terms of speaker sex, home language, and area. The two towns compared in the study are Caernarfon (N.W. Wales, where c.88% of the population speak Welsh) and Mold (N.E. Wales, where c. 20% Welsh of the population speak Welsh). The results indicate that English [ɫ] tends to be lighter than Welsh [ɫ] in word-initial onset position for females, and in word-medial intervocalic position for both males and females. The data also show linguistic influences on the realisation of [ɫ] in both languages, and differences between males and females. The realisation of coda /r/ and production of [r] and [ɾ] in English are confined to the speech of those from Welsh-speaking homes in Caernarfon. In Welsh, use of [ɹ] is widespread and is constrained by a more complex interaction between area, home language, and sex. On the basis of these findings, I conclude that features which have undergone phonological convergence due to long-term language contact may be subject to language-specific constraints when implemented phonetically. In terms of transfer, I argue for a ternary distinction between interference, transfer, and transfer which is constrained by linguistic and/or extra-linguistic factors (cf. Grosjean 2012). Finally, I suggest that Mufwene’s (2001) notion of the ‘feature pool’ is the most succinct way of conceptualising Welsh-English transfer and differentiate between more focussed accents of English and a less-focussed variety of North Wales Welsh.

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This thesis examines communication patterns between the English and U.S. Americans in a work environment. These two cultural groups engage in significant business, economic, and political relationships, and though they share many similarities, the cultural and communication differences can lead to misunderstandings and conflict. This study investigates the perceptions of 32 English nationals about their interactions with U.S. Americans in order to better understand the differences between their workrelated preferences and processes. The English participants completed a selfadministered written questionnaire that elicited their thoughts about the following: English and U.S. American communication and work behaviors, perceived cultural differences, and skills deemed most effective for successful working relationships between the two cultures. Forty-one percent of the participants also participated in a follow-up telephone interview. The results showed that the majority of the participants felt that national and individual cultural differences contributed to communication challenges at work. Some of the significant areas of difference include: language usage, preferred ways to deliver and receive information, use of humor, and approaches to decision-making and managing conflict. Suggested recommendations based on the findings of this study are intended to help professionals enhance stronger working partnerships between the English and U.S. Americans.

This study reports on the hypothesized raising of the low, front vowel /æ/, which is characteristic of a regional dialect vowel shift found in cities of the Midwest and Eastern North of the United States. The raising of this vowel is the primary change in a series of vowel shifts that have traditionally been attributed to this region of the U.S. The purpose of this study is to document the production of this vowel by residents of Portland, Oregon, in order to see what light it can shed on dialect research of the Pacific Northwest, especially across age groups to see if it can be implicated in language change. Data were collected by interviewing a convenience sample of twenty-four Portland speakers. Twelve females and twelve males from three different age groupings were interviewed. The interviews were tape recorded and portions of the tapes were analyzed. There was a two-part analysis of the data: 1) Formant measurements (in Hz) were measured with PCQuirer speech analysis software, 2) These measurements were plotted on a graph with Plotnik graphing software. The study found that /æ/ produced by Portland speakers is not following Labov's theory of language change and is therefore not raising. However, some initial speculations of the lowering and fronting of this vowel can be made by the data. The study found that the working class subjects produced a more fronted vowel, and that the younger subjects produced a more fronted and lowered variant of the vowel when compared to the other subjects. The study concludes that the patterns found do not clearly support Labov's paradigm of language change and are therefore only initial speculations.

This thesis is about certain varieties of isiXhosa and their apparent influence on English and vice versa. IsiXhosa is a language mainly spoken in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of the Republic of South Africa. The study concentrates on certain varieties of isiXhosa that are spoken in the Eastern Cape Province. These varieties are isiBhaca, isiHlubi, isiMpondo, isiThembu and isiGcaleka. IsiGcaleka happens to be the standard variety. A map is provided to illustrate where these varieties are spoken. The study looks at the learners’ texts which are written in isiXhosa and English. The learners who wrote these texts are in Grades 8 and 9 from selected schools in the areas of Mzimkhulu, Matatiele, Mbizana, Ngcobo and Butterworth. It is worth mentioning that Mzimkhulu has since been moved from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu/Natal. The learners’ texts are analyzed and comments are provided for each analysis. The study also looks at how educators in selected schools relate with their learners when teaching both isiXhosa and English. Observations are made from the relationship between the educators and learners when the learners are taught isiXhosa and English. The study also looks at the debate between standard and non-standard variety. Based on the discussion of both the standard variety and non-standard variety it is the view of the researcher that this notion of “standard” and “non-standard” needs to be challenged on all fronts. This is so because standardization occurs as a result of historical coincidence. The study further looks at the Language and Planning issues in the Republic of South Africa. It is important to note that language is the key to the heart of any nation and therefore whatever that is discussed about language should be sensitive to the people speaking that language.The study concludes with the fact that there is a need to train educators especially those who are going to teach African Languages. There is also a need to undertake studies on learners’ needs so that those who design the school curricula must do so knowing what is relevant to the learners in general. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

This thesis is about certain varieties of isiXhosa and their apparent influence on English and vice versa. IsiXhosa is a language mainly spoken in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of the Republic of South Africa. The study concentrates on certain varieties of isiXhosa that are spoken in the Eastern Cape Province. These varieties are isiBhaca, isiHlubi, isiMpondo, isiThembu and isiGcaleka. IsiGcaleka happens to be the standard variety. A map is provided to illustrate where these varieties are spoken. The study looks at the learners’ texts which are written in isiXhosa and English. The learners who wrote these texts are in Grades 8 and 9 from selected schools in the areas of Mzimkhulu, Matatiele, Mbizana, Ngcobo and Butterworth. It is worth mentioning that Mzimkhulu has since been moved from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu/Natal. The learners’ texts are analyzed and comments are provided for each analysis. The study also looks at how educators in selected schools relate with their learners when teaching both isiXhosa and English. Observations are made from the relationship between the educators and learners when the learners are taught isiXhosa and English. The study also looks at the debate between standard and non-standard variety. Based on the discussion of both the standard variety and non-standard variety it is the view of the researcher that this notion of “standard” and “non-standard” needs to be challenged on all fronts. This is so because standardization occurs as a result of historical coincidence. The study further looks at the Language and Planning issues in the Republic of South Africa. It is important to note that language is the key to the heart of any nation and therefore whatever that is discussed about language should be sensitive to the people speaking that language.The study concludes with the fact that there is a need to train educators especially those who are going to teach African Languages. There is also a need to undertake studies on learners’ needs so that those who design the school curricula must do so knowing what is relevant to the learners in general. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)