The status of English as the language of international communication is by now well-established. However, in the past 16 years, research has tried to emphasize the fact that the English spoken in international contact situations and between people with other first languages than English has different needs than the English spoken locally amongst native speakers, resulting in the emergence of English as a lingua franca (ELF) as a scholarly field. However, the impact of findings in ELF has so far only led to a moderate shift in English language teaching. Especially in expanding circle countries, where ELF should have the biggest impact, change is only gradually becoming palpable. Accent and pronunciation, as one of the biggest factors on both identity and mutual intelligibility (Jenkins 2000; 2007) are at the root of discussion. The scope of this study is therefore to examine accent choices and the extent to which native speaker ideology informs the preferences of ten speakers of ELF and 27 German natives with experience in international communication. Both ethnographical and sociolinguistic methods, as well as auditory analysis have been applied and conducted. The auditory analysis of six variables in the recorded speech production of the ten speakers suggests that there is no significant preference of one norm-giving variety over the other. Rather, speakers tend to mix-and-match General American- and Standard Southern British English-like features in their pronunciation. When reporting their accent ideals, the idea of a ‘neutral’ English accent is mentioned by four participants. Neutral accents seem to have been understood as ‘unmarked accents’. Expressed beliefs on their own English pronunciation show a comparatively high level of reflection on and confidence in their own production. Results from a rating task and a survey given to 27 German participants reveal attitudes that are more negatively stacked. While Germans reported openness towards NNS (non-native speaker) accents and showed awareness of the priority of intelligibility over accent choice in both their own and others’ pronunciation, they still largely reported NS accent preference. The ratings of the production from ten ELF speakers confirmed this and showed that ‘neutral’ is equated with native-like. In the light of these findings, issues are discussed that ultimately relate to the influence of NS Englishes, identity and the development of English as an international language.

Drawing on insights from sociolinguistics, the thesis investigates the relationship between speech patterns and social context in three ancient Greek narratives: the Acts of the Apostles, Acts of John, and Acts of Philip. The thesis explores how characters’ speech patterns correlate with their Christian status, and with the Christian status of their addressees. The relationship between speech patterns and gentile/Jewish identity is also assessed. Linguistic variables include plural forms of address and third-person references to Jesus and the Christian god. The thesis shows that Christian characters are portrayed as speaking differently amongst themselves than when addressing non-Christian characters. It also demonstrates that parameters of sociolinguistic variation in each text point to differing understandings of Christian identity. It is argued that attention to sociolinguistic relationships highlights the importance of ascetic practices and baptism in the Acts of Philip, the gradual nature of Christian conversion in the Acts of John, and the close relationship between Jewish and Christian identity in the Acts of the Apostles. The thesis also examines characterization and implied audience, and argues that attention to social context is necessary to appreciate the full significance of an author’s choice of words.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The remarkable story of Tsotsi as a gangster in the movie Tsotsi offers several examples of language variation and of language choice as a marker of identity. The situations and contexts portrayed in the movie define, to some extent, the choices of language or variety speakers make. Context-specific factors playing a determining role include gender, purpose, geographical location, social class, and age. Tsotsi, the main character, is a gangster living in Sophiatown, a township outside Johannesburg. The term “tsotsi” generally refers to one who is well-dressed and stylish, but with an undercurrent of dangerous adventure; the character portrayed by Tsotsi in the movie is a self-made man, successful in terms of township gangster culture. The movie traces six days in the life of this young hoodlum, who rediscovers his humanity through various challenges and personal relationships in his surroundings; he finds dignity and the capacity to love through having to take care of a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car hijacking episode, through his friendship with the young woman he forces to take care of the baby, and ultimately through confronting haunting memories of his past. Tsotsi’s mother tongue is Sotho, but Flaaitaal is his language of choice in certain contexts, marking his identity as a tsotsi. This study considers the language variation typical of South Africa, as exemplified by the language choices made by the various characters in the movie. An analysis is offered of the language choices which play a role in defining the identities of the characters in various contexts, such as the use of Flaaitaal by the gangsters among themselves, who switch to Sotho when the more socially acceptable aspects of their identities should come to the fore, and the use of Sotho by the white police captain while interviewing the Sotho parents of the kidnapped baby. It is this function of language choice as a marker of identity that is the focus of the present work. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die merkwaardige storie van Tsotsi as ‘n bendelid in die rolprent Tsotsi bied geleentheid vir die analise van talle voorbeelde van taalvariasie en van taalkeuse as ‘n merker van identiteit. Die situasies en kontekste wat in die rolprent weergegee word definieer tot ‘n mate die sprekers se keuse van taal of variëteit. Faktore spesifiek tot die konteks wat hierin ‘n rol speel sluit in geslag, funksie, geografiese ligging, sosiale klas, en ouderdom. Die hoofkarakter Tsotsi is ‘n bendelid wat in Sophiatown buite Jonhannesburg bly. Die term “tsotsi” verwys oor die algemeen na iemand wat stylvol voorkom, maar met ‘n agtergrond van gevaarlike avontuur; die karakter wat deur Tsotsi gespeel word is ‘n self-gemaakte man, suksesvol in terme van die bende-kultuur van areas soos Sophiatown. Die rolprent fokus op ses dae van hierdie jong bendelid se lewe, waar hy sy menslikheid herontdek deur verskeie uitdagings en persoonlike verhoudings; hy ontdek menswaardigheid en die vermoë om lief te hê deurdat hy vir ‘n baba moet sorg wat per ongeluk ontvoer word tydens ‘n motorkaping, deur sy vriendskap met die vrou wat hy forseer om die baba te versorg, en uiteindelik deurdat hy sy herinneringe aan sy verlede moet konfronteer. Tsotsi se moedertaal is Sotho, maar Flaaitaal is die taal wat hy in sekere kontekste kies om sy identiteit as tsotsi te merk. Hierdie studie fokus op die taalvariasie wat tipies is van Suid-Afrika soos dit deur die taalkeuses van verskeie karakters in die rolprent voorgestel word. ‘n Analise word aangebied van taalkeuses wat ‘n rol speel in die definiëring van die identiteite van die karakters in verskeie kontekste, soos die gebruik van Flaaitaal onder die bendelede self, wat na Sotho oorslaan in situasies waar die meer sosiaal-aanvaarbare aspekte van hul identiteit uitegebeeld behoort te word, en die gebruik van Sotho deur die blanke polisiekaptein as hy die Sotho ouers van die ontvoerde baba aanspreek. Dit is hierdie funskie van taalkeuse as ‘n merker van identiteit wat die fokus vorm van hierdie studie.

published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to conduct a sociolinguistic analysis of the regional Italian of Sicily in Andrea Camilleri’s Un mese con Montalbano (A Month with Montalbano). The lexical portion of a model developed by Sgroi (1990) to examine the use of regional Italian in literature was applied to the thirty short stories in Camilleri’s text to isolate the components of this variety. The study also attempted to identify the socio-economic features of the characters who speak regional Italian, the contexts of use of this variety and what the regionalisms in the stories indicate about Italy and the speech of Italians. The model revealed that Camilleri utilizes three main types of language to regionalize his prose: Sicilian Italian regionalisms; phonological adaptations of Sicilian dialect terms; and, hyperfrequent Italian words. The regional terms comprise only 24.4% of the lexemes identified by the model, while 40.4% represent Italianizations of Sicilian dialect that may be artistic adaptations of the author. A surprising 33.4% of the terms are standard Italian words that appear to have been chosen by Camilleri due to their similarity to equivalent Sicilian dialect terms. With respect to the sociolinguistic aspects of the study, the findings were somewhat problematic owing to the nature of the mystery genre. Specifically, middle-aged policemen and police-related contexts of use are disproportionately represented in the stories. Nevertheless, it was determined that regional Italian is spoken by male and female characters who represent a wide range of ages and occupations. Furthermore, results illustrated that regionalisms are uttered most frequently in professional, public and formal contexts. The requisites of the mystery genre also affected the findings in regard to Camilleri’s portrayal of Italy and Italian speech. Much of the regional language used in the text exaggerates the criminal aspects of Italian society and the expressive quality of this variety. In a more realistic vein, however, many regionalisms emphasize the multi-cultural makeup of the country and the intangible facet of Italianness. In general, the textual analysis indicates that regional Italian is a complex variety which may enjoy a broader usage in contemporary Italy than the traditional dialects. / text

The concept of the Linguistic Landscape (LL) is a relatively new and developing field, but it is already proving to illuminate significant trends in sociocultural boundaries and linguistic identities within heterogeneous areas. By examining types of signage displayed in public urban spaces such as street signs, billboards, advertisements, scholars have gained insight into the inter and intra-group relations that have manifested as a result of the present top-down and bottom-up language ideologies. This paper will apply LL theory to the current situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories through a discussion of the various policies that have shaped the Linguistic Landscape. It will begin by examining the Hebraicization of the toponymy after the creation of Israel, then discuss the conflict over the linguistic landscape, which can be seen in several photographs where the Arabic script has been marked out or covered. Moving forward, this work will address the grammatical errors on Arabic language signs, which reflect the low priority of Arabic education in Israel. Finally, this project will expand upon the LL framework by looking at the economic relationship between Israel and the Palestinian territories and how it is reflected in public places, such as supermarkets, which display an overwhelming presence of Hebrew. Through the use of photographic evidence of the LL from the region, which shows the prevalence of Hebrew place names, Israeli economic goods, and negative attitudes towards the use of Arabic on signage, this paper will take a multidisciplinary approach at examining the history and policies that shape the language used in public urban spaces. The relationship between the state and the Linguistic Landscape sheds light on the power dynamics of a multilingual space. As Hebrew is given preferential treatment, despite the official status of both Arabic and Hebrew, Israel continues to dominate the social space with the use of Hebrew in order to assert their claims to the land. In addition to investigating the power dynamics that are reflected on visual displays of language in this region, this work serves as a meaningful contribution to the Linguistic Landscape by expanding its methodology and units of analysis. / text

The present study sheds light on how 16 Mexican-Americans residing in Texas perceive and follow politeness norms (e.g., Brown & Levinson, 1987; Fraser, 1990; Terkourafi, 2005) related to greetings and leave-takings in different cultural and linguistic contexts. Data from online questionnaires identify a significant difference in perceived level of social expectation (i.e. politeness) for employing the speech acts with Spanish- versus non-Spanish speakers. The data support previous research in identifying a sense of solidarity among Mexican-American extended families, but go further in suggesting that this bond extends to other Spanish-speaking acquaintances. Better understanding of these norms should facilitate inter-cultural exchanges between linguistic in- and out-group members. / text

This thesis is a study of patterns of language attitudes and use among Xhosa home language speakers at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Speakers of Xhosa, according to Statistics South Africa 2000, form the second largest speech community in South Africa (17.9% of the total population), second only to speakers of Zulu (22.9% of the total population). The University of the Western Cape, which is situated just outside Cape Town, was originally intended to serve only the Coloured (mixed-race) population of South Africa. Coloureds form the majority group in the population of the Western Cape, one of the nine provinces of South Africa. In 1982, the university took the bold step of defying the apartheid regime, by opening its doors to students of all races. Students from all over South Africa now attend the university, but Xhosa students, drawn mainly from the provinces of the Eastern and Western Cape, form the largest language group or speech community on the campus. The thesis presents a study of the patterns of language attitudes and use with which Xhosa students enter the university, as well as patterns of change in language attitudes and use revealed by a longitudinal study of a smaller group of Xhosa students.

This study investigates Kinyarwaanda sexuality taboo words and their meaning in Rwandan culture to enable the youth to improve their communication and the values of Rwandan culture. It explores whether the use of Kinyarwaanda sexuality taboo words is a good way to communicate with one another or is a transgression of Rwandan culture. Its intent is to see the value that Rwandans assign to verbal taboos, particularly sexuality taboo words, to see how these taboos regulate Rwandans lives, to see the attitudes Rwandans hold towards them, and to find out the link there might be between sexuality taboo words, the information dissemination on HIV/AIDS and the spread of AIDS.

Language attitude studies focussing specifically on native speaker perceptions of varieties of English speech have demonstrated consistently that standard varieties tend to be evaluated positively in terms of competence/ status whilst non-standard varieties are generally rated higher in terms of social attractiveness/ solidarity. However, the great majority of studies which have investigated non-native attitudes have tended to measure evaluations of ‘the English language’, conceptualised as a single entity, thus ignoring the substantial regional and social variation within the language. This is somewhat surprising considering the importance of attitudes towards language variation in the study of second language acquisition and in sociolinguistics. More specifically, there is a dearth of in-depth quantitative attitude research in Japan concentrating specifically on social evaluations of varieties of English, as the limited number of previous studies conducted amongst Japanese learners have either been qualitative in design or too small in scale. Moreover, the findings of these studies have been somewhat inconclusive. The present quantitative study, employing a range of innovative direct and indirect techniques of attitude measurement, investigated the perceptions of 558 Japanese university students of six varieties of English speech. The results obtained suggest that Japanese learners are able to differentiate between speech varieties within a single language of which they are not native speakers and hold different and often complex attitudes towards (a) standard/ non-standard and (b) native/ non-native varieties of English speech. For instance, the learners rated both the standard and non-standard varieties of inner circle speech more highly than varieties of expanding circle English in terms of prestige. In contrast, it was found that the learners expressed higher levels of solidarity with the Japanese speaker of heavily-accented English and intriguingly, with speakers of non-standard varieties of UK and US English than with speakers of standard varieties of inner circle English. Moreover, differences in the Japanese students’ gender, level of self-perceived competence in English, level of exposure to English and attitudes towards varieties of Japanese all had significant main effects on perceptions of varieties of English speech. However, the regional provenance of the informants was not found to be significant in determining their language attitudes. The results also imply that Japanese learners retain representations of varieties of English speech and draw upon this resource, whether consciously or unconsciously, in order to identify and evaluate (speakers of) these speech varieties. The findings are discussed in relation to the pedagogical and language planning implications for the choice of linguistic model in English language teaching both inside and outwith Japan and in terms of the methodological importance of the study for potential future attitudinal research in this area.