Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper was to investigate the language used in communicating with South Africans born in Zambia and Tanzania during the years of "the struggle" and now repatriated – the returnees. From 1991 the children of the freedom fighters that migrated into exile in the 1960s to avoid the apartheid rule, returned. Some settled with their children in Khayelitsha near Cape Town, but they have found it difficult to fit in. The surge of foreign nationals from Africa who subsequently encountered xenophobic attitudes and allegations of corruption, drug smuggling, contributing to unemployment of South African born citizens and being carriers of HIV/AIDS has contributed to the returnees "new struggle" for integration and adaption as they often share common ancestry, linguistic and physical attributes with foreign nationals. They are denigrated as "amakwerekwere", "my friendoh" or "amagweja". This has happened despite them learning the local indigenous language, isiXhosa. Since the study is phenomenological, a qualitative research was appropriate. In data-collection, interviews were arranged with the returnees in their homes. Critical Discourse Analysis, sociological and historical accounts and sociolinguistic research revealed complex socio-cultural issues of the Xhosa world, which may have complicated the returnees‘ integration experience. The returnees seem to be leading a secluded solitary life as if exiled at home. The study found that in exile the returnees were at times tagged as outsiders, as "wakimbizi", "the Mandelas", "amagorila". On arriving home in the country of their exiled parents, they were again, painfully and unjustifiably, subjected to discrimination and marginalisation. The Xhosa speakers who form the majority of those formerly disenfranchised and marginalised in the Western Cape, and who were expected to be the hosts if not guardians of the returnees, seem not to understand and appreciate the role of the newcomers. That they were instrumental in the mobilisation of objections worldwide against apartheid, racism and human injustice seems to be forgotten. Rather than using their power and heritage to end xenophobia and ensure returnees are part of the future South African social fabric, they are found to be hostile and discriminatory. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die taal wat gebruik word in kommunikasie met Suid-Afrikaners wat tydens die jare van die vryheidstryd in Zambie and Tanzanie gebore is en nou gerepatrieer is, te ondersoek. Vanaf 1991 het die kinders van persone wat in die 1960s geemigreer het om aan vervolging van die Apartheidsregering te ontsnap, teruggekeer na Suid Afrika. Party het hulle met hul kinders in Khayalitsha naby Kaapstad gevestig, maar hulle vind dit moeilik om in te pas. Die vloedgolf vreemde burgers van Afrika het uiteindelik in sekere omgewings xenofobiese vervolging beleef met verwyte van korrupsie, dwelmsmokkelary, besetting van skaars arbeidsplekke ten koste van Suid Afrikaaners, en verspreiding van HIV/VIGS. Dit het bygedra tot die teruggekeerdes se nuwe stryd om integrasie wat nie noodwendig makliker gemaak is deur kwessies soos gemeenskaplike herkoms met die plaaslike bevolking nie, en ook nie deur ongewone talige en fisiese eienskappe wat die gevolg is van die jare van bannelingskap nie. Die nuwe inkomelinge word beskryf as "amakwerekwere", "my friendoh" of "amagweja". Hierdie soort distansiëring vind plaas ten spyte van die feit dat hulle die plaaslike inheemse taal, isiXhosa, aangeleer het. Aangesien die studie fenomenologies is, is kwalitatiewe navorsing as die gepaste benadering gekies. Data-insameling is gedoen dmv onderhoude met die teruggekeerdes in hul huise. Kritiese Diskoers Analiese, sosiologiese en geskiedkundige verhale en sosiolinguistiese navorsing het getoon dat komplekse, sosio-kulturele kwessies van die Xhosagemeenskap waarskynlik die terggekeerdes se integrasie-ervaring gekleur het. Dit lyk asof die teruggekeerdes ‘n afgesonderde lewe lei, asof hulle bannelinge in hulle eie land is. Die studie het getoon dat die teruggekeerdes tevore ook dikwels as buitestaanders geidentifiseer is terwyl hulle buite Suid-afrika gewoon het, en toe ook geïsoleer is met skeldname soos "wakimbizi", "the Mandelas', "amagorila". Met hulle tuiskoms in die land van hul banneling ouers is kinders wat in die buiteland gebore is weer op dikwels pynlike wyse onregverdelik blootgestel aan diskriminasie en marginalisering. Xhosasprekendes het getel onder die meerderheid van dié wat voorheen in die Weskaap van die stemreg ontneem is, en die verwagting was dat hulle gashere, indien nie die bewaarders van hierdie bannelinge sou wees nie. Dit blyk uit die studie dat hulle nie die rol van die nuwelinge verstaan of ondersteun nie. Dit blyk verder dat plaaslikes intussen vergeet het dat die uitgewekenes destyds instrumenteel was in die mobilisering van wêreldwye protes teen apartheid, rasisme en sosiale onreg. Eerder as om hul mag en erfenis te gebuik om xenofobie te beeindig en om te verseker dat die bannelinge deel van die toekoms van Suid Afrika is, word gevind dat hulle vyandiggesind en diskriminerend is.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to determine and compare the functions of the pragmatic markers (PMs) okay, anyway and shame as they occur in two spoken components of the International Corpus of English (ICE), namely ICE-SA (South African English) and ICE-EA (East African English). Using the commercially available Concordance program WordSmith Tools 4.0, all instances of okay, anyway and shame were identified in each corpus and all non-PM instances were then excluded. The remaining instances of okay, anyway and shame were subsequently hand coded to determine the primary functions that these elements exhibit. The classification of the various functions was done according to Fraser’s (1996, 1999, 2006) framework for identification of PMs. Despite the different size and state of completion of the two corpora, it was found that the functions of the two PMs okay and anyway were similar in South African English and East African English. The findings of the corpus investigation included identifying the functions of okay as both a conversational management marker and a basic marker, as well as its role in turn taking. Anyway was found to function as an interjection, a mitigation marker, a conversational management marker and a discourse marker. Shame was found to be a uniquely South African English PM, and to function both as an interjection and as a solidarity marker. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel watter funksies verrig word deur die pragmatiese merkers (PM's) okay, anyway en shame, soos wat hulle gebruik word in twee gesproke komponente van die Internasionale Korpus van Engels (IKE), naamlik IKE-SA (Suid-Afrikaanse Engels) en IKE-OA (Oos-Afrika Engels). Met behulp van die kommersieel-beskikbare Concordance-program Wordsmith Tools 4.0, is alle gevalle van okay, anyway en shame binne die onderskeie korpusse geïdentifiseer, waarna alle nie-PM gevalle uitgesluit is. Die oorblywende gevalle van okay, anyway en shame is daarna met die hand gekodeer ten einde die primêre funksies van hierdie elemente vas te stel. Die funksies is geklassifiseer volgens Fraser (1996, 1999, 2006) se raamwerk vir die identifikasie van PM's. Ten spyte van verskille in die grootte en vlak van voltooidheid van die twee korpora, is vasgestel dat die PM's okay en anyway soortgelyke funksies verrig in beide Suid-Afrikaanse Engels en Oos-Afrika Engels. Uit die korpus-analise het dit verder geblyk dat okay nie net 'n rol speel in beurtneming nie, maar ook funksioneer as 'n gespreksbestuur-merker en basiese merker. Anyway blyk op sy beurt te funksioneeer as 'n tussenwerpsel, versagting-merker, gespreksbestuurmerker en diskoersmerker. Laastens is gevind dat shame as PM uniek is aan Suid- Afrikaanse Engels en dat dit funksioneer as beide 'n tussenwerpsel en solidariteitsmerker.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the language shift from isiXhosa to Afrikaans in a group of indigenous African language speakers in a rural Northern Cape community. It plots the process that took place over three generations and focuses on the language identity of some members of this community as portrayed by their language biographies and linguistic repertoires. This phenomenon was researched after preliminary enquiries into linguistic identities and bilingualism in the Hopetown area revealed that although most inhabitants use Afrikaans as L1 at home, at school and in public, a considerable number did not present the anticipated monolingual Afrikaans with minimal L2-English repertoires. People from indigenous ethnic groups like the Xhosa were also found to be speaking Afrikaans as home language rather than isiXhosa. The thesis gives a description and explanation of how a process of language shift from isiXhosa to Afrikaans took place. The findings suggest that a number of Xhosas started to migrate from the Eastern Cape to the Hopetown area in the Northern Cape during the 1960s when employment opportunities in the State‟s water and irrigation development scheme became available. The Afrikaans-speaking employers expected their workforce to speak Afrikaans and in the interest of economic survival, the disenfranchised workers learned to speak Afrikaans. In addition to the employment situation, the accommodation situation was unusual in that Hopetown‟s township was seen as a Coloured area. In the time when the Group Areas Act dictated that ethnic segregation had to be enforced, the influx of Xhosa and other ethnic groups was not expected. When it happened, it was either overlooked or remained unnoticed. The Xhosa workers, with their families, had to blend in with the Coloured population in order not to attract attention. The research follows the language shift based on information gained from questionnaires and by means of narrative analysis. Case studies of selected respondents reveal how the individuals gradually settled into a new language identity without complete loss of their traditional ties to language and cultural practices. A small story analysis sheds light on how selected members of the community experienced the shift and how they perceive their roles in the process. This thesis ultimately shows the contribution that language biographies can make to sociolinguistic research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die taalverskuiwing van isiXhosa na Afrikaans in ʼn inheemse groep Afrikataalsprekers in ʼn plattelandse Noord-Kaapse gemeenskap. Dit volg die proses wat oor drie generasies plaasgevind het en fokus op die taalidentiteit van enkele lede van dié gemeenskap soos uitgebeeld in hulle taalbiografieë en taal repertoires. Hierdie verskynsel is nagevors nadat voorlopige navrae in verband met talige identiteit en tweetaligheid in die Hopetown-omgewing daarop gedui het dat alhoewel die meeste inwoners Afrikaans tuis, by die skool en in die openbaar as eerstetaal gebruik, ʼn aansienlike getal nie die verwagte profiel van ʼn eentalige Afrikaanse gemeenskap met minimale tweedetaal-Engels vertoon het nie. Mense van inheemse etniese afkoms soos die Xhosa het ook laat blyk dat hulle Afrikaans eerder as isiXhosa as huistaal gebruik. Die tesis gee ʼn beskrywing en verduideliking van hoe ʼn proses van taalverskuiwing van isiXhosa na Afrikaans plaasgevind het. Volgens die bevindinge het ʼn groeiende getal Xhosas in die 1960s uit die Oos-Kaap na die Hopetown-omgewing in die Noord-Kaap begin migreer toe werksgeleenthede in die Staat se water- en besproeiingskema beskikbaar gekom het. Die Afrikaanssprekende werkgewers het van hulle werkers verwag om Afrikaans te praat. In die belang van ekonomiese oorlewing het die werkers wat daar geen burgerregte gehad het nie, Afrikaans geleer. Bykomend tot die werksituasie was die behuisingsituasie in die Hopetown nedersettings ongewoon daarin dat dit as Kleurlinggebied geklassifiseer is maar ook mense van ander etniese herkoms gehuisves het. In die tyd toe die Groepsgebiedewet bepaal het dat etniese segregasie toegepas moes word, is daar geen voorsiening gemaak vir die instroming van Xhosa en ander etniese groepe nie. Toe dit gebeur het, is dit óf oor die hoof gesien, óf dit het ongemerk gebeur. Die Xhosa werkers, met hulle gesinne, moes inskakel by die Kleurlinggemeenskap ten einde nie die aandag van die gesaghebbers of hulleself te vestig nie. Die navorsing volg die taalverskuiwing op basis van inligting uit vraelyste en met behulp van narratiewe analise. Gevallestudies van uitgesoekte respondente wys hoe die individue geleidelik ʼn nuwe taalidentiteit aangeneem het sonder totale verlies van hulle tradisionele bande met taal en kulturele gebruike. ʼn Klein storie analise werp lig op hoe geselekteerde lede van die gemeenskap die verskuiwing ervaar het en wat hulle siening is van hulle rolle in die proses. Hierdie tesis werp ten slotte lig op die bydrae wat taalbiografie tot sosiolinguistiese navorsing kan maak.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis explores the attitudes of South African expatriates in the Middle East towards the Afrikaans language. It also examines the reported language behaviour of South Africans when meeting and interacting with fellow South Africans irrespective of what their first language (L1) is. The participants who form part of the study all work in the educational, medical and business sectors in the Middle East. This study is particularly interested in what the language repertoires of South African expatriates are and whether these repertoires form part of how they define themselves as a group and contribute to their identity construction. Whilst Afrikaans has had a contested history within the South African context, and is often viewed as the language of the oppressor, it has undoubtedly also been a first language to some of the “oppressed” and has served a function as lingua franca (McCormick 2006). This thesis therefore focuses specifically on attitudes towards Afrikaans and the use of Afrikaans in linguistic identity construction. This research is informed by literature which views identity not only as complex, contradictory, multivoiced and multifaceted, but also as dynamic and subject to constant negotiation across space and time. The number of South African expatriates around the globe has increased to such an extent that the term “diaspora” (Kotze 2003: 63) has been used on occasion. While there have been some studies done on language repertoires of South African abroad, little is known about the attitudes and ideologies attached to these languages in diasporic contexts. This study uses a multimodal approach in data collection and analysis in an attempt to investigate the multi-semiotic nature of the linguistic identities of the participants. There are 33 participants in this study who are all South African citizens working or living in the Middle East. All participants are bi- and/or multilingual in mainly English and Afrikaans, with some speaking a third or fourth language such as another African indigenous language (for example, Zulu or Xhosa) or an Asian language (such as Urdu). In summary, this study finds that whilst English is clearly regarded as the global language of wider communication, people continue to identify strongly with their languages from “home” or their mother tongues, where these amplify their personal and group identities or are markers of their ethnolinguistic distinctiveness. Data collected in this research points to South African expatriate groupings that prefer communicating in Afrikaans and other indigenous languages outside the borders of South Africa as the languages give them a sense of comfort and belonging. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek die houding van Suid-Afrikaners wat in die Midde-Ooste werk of woon, teenoor die Afrikaanse taal. Dit ondersoek verder die raporteerde gedrag van Suid- Afrikaners wanneer hulle mede Suid-Afrikaners teekom of ontmoet, ongeag wat hul moedertaal is. Die deelnemers aan die studie werk almal in die onderrig, mediese- of besigheidsektore in die Midde-Ooste. Die tesis is spesifiek gemik op die taal repertoire van die groep Suid-Afrikaners in die buiteland, met die fokus op die moontlike bydrae tot hoe die groep hulself defineer en selfs ook bydra tot die konstruering van hul identiteite. Alhoewel die geskiedenis van Afrikaans dikwels gekoppel is aan die van ‘die onderdukker’, dien dit sonder twyfel ook as eerste taal vir baie van die ‘onderdruktes’ sowel as die van ‘n lingua franca (McCormick 2006). Die tesis het dus ‘n spesifieke fokus op houding teenoor Afrikaans en die gebruik van Afrikaans in die skepping van taalidentiteite. Die studie gebruik as uitgangspunt literatuur wat ‘identiteit’ as kompleks, teenstellend, veelstemmig en dinamies beskou. Verder word ‘identiteit’ ook beskou as onderworpe aan konstante heronderhandeling in elke spesifieke situasie en konteks. Die getalle Suid-Afrikaners wat dwarsoor die wereld werk of woon het so vermeerder, dat die term ‘diaspora’ nou as beskrywing gebruik word (Kotze 2003: 63). Alhoewel daar al studies gedoen oor die ‘taal repertoire’ van Suid-Afrikaners in die buiteland, is daar min bekend oor die houding en ideologiee wat met die tale in ‘diasporiese’ kontekste gepaard gaan. Die studie probeer vasstel wat die volle taalrepertoire van elke deelnemer is en of die deelnemers hulself deur middel van taal identifiseer. Die studie maak gebruik van ʼn multimodale metode van data insameling en analise in ʼn poging om die multisemiotiese aspekte van die ‘taalidentiteite’ van die deelnemers te ondersoek. Die 33 deelnemers in die studie is almal Suid-Afrikaanse burgers wat in Midde- Ooste werk of woon. Die deelnemers is almal twee of meertalig, meestal in Engels en Afrikaans en sommige praat ‘n derde of vierde taal soos ‘n inheemse Afrika (byvoorbeeld, Zulu of Xhosa) of Asiese taal (soos Urdu). Opsommend vind die navorsing, dat al word Engels as die wereldstaal van wye kommunikasie beskou, mense nog steeds sterk identifiseer met hul ‘huis’ of moedertale wanneer dit hul individuele en groep identiteite beklemtoon, of n merker is van hul etnolinguisitiese andersheid. Data in hierdie navorsingstudie dui ook daarop dat hierdie Suid Afrikaanse groepe verkies om in Afrikaans of ander Suid Afrikaanse inheemse tale te kommunikeer terwyl hulle buite the grense van Suid Afrika woon en werk, want nie net troos dit hulle nie, maar besorg ook ‘n gevoel van erens behoort.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:43:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1811956 bytes, checksum: ae2bb45d4510bb24c39cd235465cd4c3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This dissertation aims at analyzing the lateral palatal segment in the paraibano dialect of Brazilian Portuguese and its variants (palatal [λ], alveolar [l], glide [j] and deletion [Ø]), under the theoretical-methodological model of the Variation Theory proposed by William Labov (1966, 1972), describing the structural and social constraints underneath. The synchronic corpus was produced from 36 individuals of the speech community of Jacaraú (Paraíba) and is socially stratified according to sex, age and years of schooling. Linguistic and extra-linguistic variables which were likely to influence the variation were taken into consideration. This study also intends to analyze the behavior of that variation in texts from the 18th century, and to present the arboreal representations of the lateral segment according to the Geometry of Phonological Features (CLEMENTS & HUME, 1995). The software Goldvarb X (SANKOFF, TAGLIAMONTE & SMITH, 2005), a variable rule program used as a tool for the quantitative data, selected sex (feminine), age (15 to 25), years of schooling (1 to 8), following phonological context (labial vowel), preceding phonological context (coronal vowel) and number of syllables (trisyllabic) as the most relevant variables in the variation of the lateral palatal segment in the speech community of Jacaraú (Paraíba). / Esta dissertação é um estudo da lateral palatal e suas realizações no dialeto paraibano (a palatal [λ], a alveolar [l], a semivogal [j] e o zero fonético [Ø]), sob o modelo teórico-metodológico da Teoria da Variação proposto por William Labov (1966, 1972), visando a descrever os fatores estruturais e sociais sobre o seu uso. O corpus sincrônico aqui utilizado é o dialeto paraibano falado por 36 indivíduos da cidade de Jacaraú (Paraíba) e está estratificado socialmente com relação ao sexo, a faixa etária e anos de escolarização. São analisadas variáveis linguísticas e extralinguísticas que podem exercer influência na variação em estudo. Também se pretendeu analisar o comportamento dessa variável em textos do século XVIII e apresentar as representações arbóreas das variantes segundo a Geometria dos Traços (CLEMENTS & HUME, 1995). O Programa Goldvarb X, utilizado para produção dos índices estatísticos e probabilísticos, selecionou as variáveis sexo (feminino), idade (15 a 25 anos), escolaridade (1 a 8 anos), contexto fonológico seguinte (vogal labial), contexto fonológico precedente (vogal coronal) e número de sílabas do vocábulo (trissílabos) como as mais relevantes no processo de variação da lateral palatal na fala jacarauense.

The aim of this study is to investigate teachers’ attitudes and approaches to linguistic varieties in teaching and also to find out how they are represented in the classroom. The study was made from a sociolinguistic perspective. The study includes the methods, interviews and observations. The methods are used to investigate attitudes towards and teachers‘ approach to different varieties in the language. Furthermore the aim is to create an image of how the language varieties takes expression in teaching situations. The results of the study proves a mostly positive attitudes towards varieties in spoken language. The study also shows occasions when the varieties are seen as something negative, and some occasions where the correct way of using language are more preferably. A part of this study was to investigate different generations perspective of spoken language, which is presented and discussed. The outcome was something else then the hypothesis. The respondents of this investigation are connecting the concepts “youth language” and “bad language”. They also emphasizes that swearing is increasing in school. However, they point out, that the early years of primary school is relatively liberated from the bad language and that an increase occurs at the transition to middle school. The study also includes how teachers are working with language switching and appreciation of different variates. / Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka attityder och förhållningsätt till olika talspråkliga varieteter och hur de representeras i klassrummet. Arbetet tar avstamp utifrån ett sociolingvistiskt perspektiv. Metoder som används i arbetet är intervju samt observation. Metoderna används för att undersöka attityder, synen och lärarnas förhållningssätt till olika varieteter i språket samt för att skapa en bild av hur undervisningssituationer ser ut i praktiken. Resultaten i studien påvisar en övervägande positiv syn gentemot varieteter i talat språk. Studien identifierar dock tillfällen då dessa varieteter uppfattas som negativt och standardspråket framställs som det korrekta språkbruket. Ett av studien teman behandlar skillnader mellan olika generationers syn på språkbruket, vilket diskuteras och presenteras. Hypotesen att det skulle uppkomma stora skillnader visade sig få ett annat utfall. Deltagarna i studien sammanlänkar begreppen ungdomsspråk och svordomar. Vidare så framhäver de att svordomar har ökat i skolan. De poängterar dock att lågstadiet är relativt befriad från det fula språket och att en ökning sker vid övergången till mellanstadiet. Studiens resultat visar även metoder och arbetssätt som lärare använder sig av i sin undervisning vilka grundar sig i språkväxling och uppskattning av olika talspråkliga varieteter. Studien diskuterar slutligen teman av språknormativ karaktär.

Notre préoccupation centrale dans ce travail était d’étudier le développement de la compétence sociolinguistique d’apprenants de français en lien avec la sociabilité établie lors d’un séjour d’étude à l’étranger. Ce contexte est particulièrement propice à l'étude de la relation entre environnement langagier et acquisition. Le cadre social et langagier dans lequel les apprenants évoluent durant une année offre un terrain singulier où il est possible d'observer la sociabilité des apprenants et son évolution. Néanmoins, les études cherchant à déterminer les contacts sociaux et langagiers s’établissant dans ce contexte tout en les reliant aux acquisitions sont à l’heure actuelle peu nombreuses. Lors de notre étude longitudinale sur neuf mois, nous nous sommes intéressée aux usages sociolinguistiques et aux réseaux personnels de 29 étudiants de deux nationalités différentes : des apprenants chinois et américains. Notre analyse fait émerger des modes de socialisation distincts avec des différences nettes entre les deux nationalités de notre étude. Plus particulièrement, nous avons observé cinq types de réseaux personnels : des réseaux denses, étendus, concentrés, dissociés et éclectiques. Nous avons démontré que la structure et la composition des réseaux personnels pouvaient être mises en relation avec les modifications d’usage des apprenants au cours du séjour. Nous avons observé qu’une augmentation de l’interconnexion du réseau au fil du séjour ainsi qu’une évolution vers un plus grand nombre de personnes issues du même pays que les apprenants étaient liées à une évolution vers des usages standard du français. En revanche, plus les réseaux des apprenants se tournent vers des locuteurs francophones au cours du séjour, plus leurs usages des variantes standard du français diminuent. / Our major concern in this thesis was to study social networking among American and Chinese students during a study abroad and to relate the social networking patterns of participants to their sociolinguistic competence in French.Study abroad contexts seem at first glance particularly suitable to the acquisition of a second language given the social and linguistic context in which the learners evolve during a year abroad. Nevertheless, studies that seek to observe social and language contacts in this context, while relating them to acquisitions, are currently scarce. Moreover, when other researchers attempted to analyse the relation between social contacts during study abroad and acquisition, they carried out studies on a limited scale.In this nine-month longitudinal study, we focused on the use of two sociolinguistic variables in French and on the development of personal networks of 29 students of two different nationalities: Chinese and American learners. Our analysis reveals distinct patterns of socialization with clear differences between the two nationalities of our study. More specifically, we observed five types of personal networks: dense, extensive, concentrated, dissociated and eclectic networks. We have demonstrated that the structure and composition of personal networks can be related to changes in second language use of learners during the stay. On the one hand, we observed that an increase in network interconnection and in the number of network members of the same nationality was linked to an evolution towards standard use of French. On the other hand, the more learners' networks turn to francophone speakers during their stay, the more their use of standard French variants decrease.

abstract: In the study of politeness in Spanish there are some speech acts that have received more attention, such as requests, apologies, invitations and negotiations. In the case of the of congratulation, there is only one published work by García about congratulation by Peruvian Spanish-speakers. This thesis is a first approximation to the study of realization of the speech act of congratulation in Colombian Spanish. The Brown and Levinson model is used for the study of preferences in the strategies of politeness, and the Scollon and Scollon model for the notion of deferential and solidarity politeness. The Blum Kulka et al. model is used for the classification of the categories of principal head acts and supportive moves in the speech acts of congratulation. The following results were found in answer to the basic hypothesis of the research: The Colombians in this sample have positive politeness when giving congratulations and manifest it with such solidarity strategies as pride and approval, expressions of gratitude and support, and they also give the congratulation in an explicit manner. To a lesser degree they request information and make direct criticism. The data analysis shows a 95% certainty in the differences found between men and women. Nevertheless, the differences between younger and older people or between young women and young men are not statistically significant and only show tendencies. In order to corroborate the finding of this research, it is necessary to have a larger sample in terms of the educational level of the participants. Also, the sample should be broader in terms of gender and age, so as to verify if the difference between younger and older people continues being a tendency or if there is a statistically significant difference. To generalize the term Colombian, other regions of the country should be included, especially the contrast between the Andean, Coastal, and Plains regions which are culturally different within the country. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Spanish 2011

abstract: A researcher reflects using a close reading of interview transcripts and description to share what happened while participating in multiple roles in a larger ethnographic study of the acculturation process of deaf students in kindergarten classrooms in three countries. The course of this paper will focus on three instances that took place in Japan and America. The analysis of these examples will bring to light the concept of taking on multiple roles, including graduate research assistant, interpreter, cultural mediator, and sociolinguistic consultant within a research project serving to uncover challenging personal and professional dilemmas and crossing boundaries; the dual roles, interpreter and researcher being the primary focus. This analysis results in a brief look at a thought provoking, yet evolving task of the researcher/interpreter. Maintaining multiple roles in the study the researcher is able to potentially identify and contribute "hidden" knowledge that may have been overlooked by other members of the research team. Balancing these different roles become key implications when interpreting practice, ethical boundaries, and participant research at times the lines of separation are blurred. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2011

In today’s globalized society with intense interaction between and among cultures, cross cultural understanding is becoming of crucial importance for successful communication. Whenever there is communication among people from different cultures, disagreement, argument and interpersonal conflict may occur. For this reason, the study of cultural differences in conflict resolution is of great value to society at large. Yet, the number of studies that have examined conflict resolution approaches across cultures is insufficient. This study sought to contribute to this area of research by investigating conflict resolution strategies employed by US and Taiwanese college students in academic contexts and the motives underlying participants’ preferences for certain strategies. The US and Taiwanese samples were chosen as representative of two different cultures, individualistic and collectivistic, respectively. Specifically, 15 US college students and 15 Taiwanese college students were selected from a US college campus. The Taiwanese group included students who have spent less than one year in the United States. The instrument consisted of a written questionnaire with four conflict scenarios and an audio-recorded interview with six randomly selected participants from both groups. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Discriminant Function Analysis and content analysis. Both the descriptive and the Discriminant Function analyses showed that the US college students were significantly associated with the use of direct or avoidance conflict resolution approaches, while the Taiwanese college students showed a significantly higher inclination towards an indirect approach often involving a third party. The qualitative results revealed that the motives underlying the participants’ responses stemmed from both cultural and personal factors, such as individualistic and collectivistic values as well as family and religious background.