Browsing by Subject "Language attitudes"
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Item Is That What I Sound Like When I Speak?: Attitudes Towards Spanish, English, and Code-Switching in Two Texas Border Towns(2013-08-28) Rangel, NatalieThe present study observes and compares the language attitudes towards standard English, standard Spanish, and code-switching in two U.S. and Mexico border cities (Laredo and Edinburg) by employing the matched-guise technique Three attribute dimensions (solidarity, status, and personal appeal) were used by participants to evaluate the three varieties in question. Situated just 150 miles from one another, Laredo and Edinburg are both border cities with a majority Hispanic-origin population. Yet, the histories of Laredo and Edinburg differ: while Laredo was a fully established community before the arrival of the Anglos in the 19^(th) century and succeeded in protecting its lands from Anglo encroachment, the Hispanic population where Edinburg is located suffered land loss during the same time . The present study examined if these historical differences have had consequences on the contemporary linguistic attitudes in these two cities. For the matched-guise experiment, an original code-switching recording was produced in Spanish and English versions. These three texts went through grammaticality testing and were then recorded by four Mexican American bilingual speakers, two males and two females. Ninety-six participants from Laredo and ninety-one participants from Edinburg answered a demographic questionnaire and then were told to listen and evaluate each voice on a list of characteristics grouped into the three dimensions mentioned above (solidarity, status, and personal appeal), unaware that they were in fact listening to bilingual speakers speaking in different language varieties. Code-switching received the lowest evaluations in all three dimensions. Also, Spanish and English were judged relatively the same in status and personal appeal, but Spanish ranked much higher than both code-switching and standard English in solidarity. When the variables of speaker and student gender were considered, differences emerged in the evaluations within and between both cities. In regards to the differences found between locations, female students from Edinburg appear to be more tolerant towards code-switching than female students in Laredo, particularly when the speaker is male. Edinburg males also appear to evaluate females who speak English higher than Laredo male students. Yet at the same time these same male students evaluate males who use English less favorably in solidarity and higher in personal appeal, while the Laredo males display the inverse tendency. The fact that differences between locations were found upon considering the speakers? and students? gender indicates that differing linguistic attitudes exist among residents in the South Texas region and deserves further investigation.Item Language attitude and change among the Druze in Israel(2012-05) Isleem, Martin A.; Brustad, Kristen; Raizen, Esther; Al-Batal, Mahmoud; Mohammad, Mohammad; Shemer, YaronThis study examines language attitudes and behaviors among the Druze in Israel in order to assess the roles of Arabic and Hebrew in this community. The study utilizes four different approaches: attitude surveys, a survey of linguistic landscapes, a study of language choice in the Internet and an analysis of codeswitching. The results of the language attitude survey indicate that a significant number of Druze exhibit inconsistent attitudes toward their first language and linguistic behavior patterns that are in line with general sociolinguistic patterns of language change. Young people, those with less education, and females all express significantly positive attitudes toward Hebrew. As reported in the literature, these groups have been instrumental in the process of language change. Patterns of language production and consumption in both street signage and websites affirm Bourdieu’s (1991) ideas regarding linguistic market capital as Hebrew is found to have greater value than Arabic in the Mount Carmel area, where the Druze maintain a strong connection with the Jewish-Israeli economy. In contrast, Arabic has a stronger presence in Druze neighborhoods in the Lower Galilee area. This is also true of Druze websites, particularly those that address the Palestinian-Israeli community, the majority in the Lower Galilee area. The study finds that while mixed language is the most common code of younger Druze Internet users, a relatively high percentage of cultural tradition and creative writing works were posted in Arabic. This study also investigates Druze spoken and written codeswitching behavior within the framework of Myers-Scotton's MLF model (1993, 2002). The analysis reveals that Arabic is the Matrix Language of the mixed constituents, although it is not the most common code in overall language produced. Although Arabic does not show signs of waning in the mixed languages’ syntactic structure, and is dominant in cultural tradition and literary works, there is manifest evidence of a language shift toward Hebrew, and the leading groups are: youth in general, and speakers in Mount Carmel.Item The language attitudes of second-generation North Africans in France : the effects of religiosity and national identity(2015-08) Oprea, Megan Grace; Bullock, Barbara E.; Blyth, Carl; Wettlaufer, Alexandra; Toribio, Almeida Jacqueline; Brower, BenjaminThis dissertation explores the language attitudes (LAs) of second-generation North African immigrants in France toward Arabic and French, focusing primarily on women. I explore how these attitudes are correlated with religiosity, national identity and proficiency. Although numerous LA studies have been done in the Maghreb, none have examined the attitudes of the highly marginalized North African community in France. Previous research in LAs and in sociolinguistics has also neglected religion as a variable, a gap in the literature that this dissertation addresses. French and Arabic have powerful language ideologies making them an ideal language pairing to study. Muslims believe Arabic is the only language through which the true message of the Qur’an can be transmitted (Suleiman, 2003). Previous LA studies in the Maghreb indicate that people there strongly associate Islam with Arabic (Benrabah 2007; Chakrani, 2010). It is also the national language of most Muslim majority countries and is linked with both national and pan-Arab identity (Dawisha, 2003). The French language is seen as the vehicle of French culture and is an important symbol of national identity that is used as a tool for the assimilation of immigrants (Weil, 2010). There is evidence to suggest that LAs are stronger in a diaspora context (Garrett, Bishop & Coupland, 2009). Language attitudes may be especially potent for the North African diaspora because of the colonial history between France and the Maghreb, and the strained relationship between France and its immigrant population. Given that language can act as a symbol of culture (Choi, 2003), participants who more closely identify with their North African cultural and religious heritage will express more positive attitudes toward Arabic. In order to explore these topics, I constructed an anonymous language attitudes survey that was distributed online to second-generation North Africans in France, ages 18 to 30. The survey included questions concerning attitudes toward religious and national identity. The results indicate positive attitudes toward Arabic, Islam and North Africa, while expressing relatively neutral attitudes toward French, and negative attitudes toward France. Correlations did emerge that suggest a relationship between religiosity, national identity, and language attitudes for this population.