Final Flashcards
language to construct an identity
social identity, not psychological
not fixed and are fluid and changing
something you perform, not something you have
we can perform by using certain variities, adopting certain practices like greetings or addressing others,
can be imposed upon individuals by others and may be constrained by perception
Third wave studies
moved from investigating how language reflects social identity to how linguistic practices are the means by which speakers position themselves as social beings. Not necessarily related to traditional categories like race, gender, class, but instead focus on the way particular linguistic features may have multiple meanings to create distance, mock, or index membership. Interjectionally constructed rather than statically associated with particular groups
Podesva study
3rd wave. looked at stylistic variation in a man named heath who uses aspiration of intervocalic [t] and also falsetto in certain contexts to create a diva personality and other contexts to create an identity of a competnet and educated med student. positioned a sa man who cares about fashion and grooming and others as a maneuver to regain power in conversation
linguistic variable in podesva
stylistic variations in heath’s speech such as intervocalic t and falsetto
identity speaker constructing in podesva
diva personality, competent and education med student
lippi green study
criticisms of aave are usually based on linguistic inferiority but use of AAVE is perceived by speakers of the standard a s arejection of mainstream white middle class values
lippi green identity constructed
rejecting mainstream white middle class values
linguistic variable lippi green
use of AAVE characteristics
three problems with research on how men vs women speak
deficit. dominance, difference
deficit model
women’s ways of speech are deficient compared to men. many features supposed used by women more are not necessarily present in women or are present equally or less so than in men. W less confident, used hedges, tag questions, rising intonation. women less able to participate in discussion of serious activities in social sphere. These ways of speaking associated with W are those of people who have less institutional power
dominance model
in cross gender convo, women ask more questions, use more back channeling signals (feedback to suggest listening), encourage others to continue speaking, use more “we” and “you”, do not protext as much when interuppted. Men interrupt, challenge, dispute, ignore more, control topics, make more categorical statements. These behaviors not exhibited by women in convos with both M and W.
meta study on dominance model
did not show that men are more likely than women to use interruption as a means of dominating and controlling interaction. Men’s and women’s speech is not the same in public and private, and different roles within the interaction also lead to different ways of speaking
difference model main idea
men are from mars, women are from jupiter
difference model
based on assumption that men and women speak differently because they are shaped to do so by different life experiences. M and W observe different rules in convo and thus in cross gender convos these rules cause conflict. Men see mhmm as agreeing, women as listening. men solutions, advice, lecture. women discuss, share, seek reassurance. different ways of speaking are equal but judged by how they speak, giving them neutrality when they arent.
problems with difference model
similarities are much greater than differences
tannen difference model ideas
likens speech to cross cultural communication and suggests that men seek to establish hierarchy and status while women seek solidarity and connection. assumes most human interaction is within same sex groups.
Use of T/V pronouns in power and solidarity
indicative of politeness. Tu is singular you, vous is formal/plural you.
asymmetrical t/v usage shows
power relationships
exampels of asymmetrical t/v
upper class uses V with each other to show mutual respect and T when talking to lower classes. Lower uses T with each other
extended to such situations a people to animals, parent to child, priest to penitent, master to servant, officer to solider
symmetrical v usage became
polite and spread downward into society so that certain classes (never lowest) because expected between husband/wife, parent/child, lovers
symmetrical t usage showed
intimacy and spread to situations in which people agreed that they had strong interests in common. Solidarity
changes in usage of T/V
mutual T for solidarity began to replace mutual V for politeness, asymmetrical T/V declined and mutual V replaced it. Solidarity has replaced power and mutual T is found quite often where once there was asymmetrical usage
examples of T/V
Upper class social leaders in 70s still used V with intimates, advertising agency everyone used T except to owner and cleaning woman, policeman use T to check papers of young people (NOT solidarity though)
what is age grading
the use of speech appropriate to the age group
why is it important when discussing langauge change to take age grading into account
there can be differences in language of younger and older speakers. These age related differences are revealed in what are called apparent time studies, but we need to be careful in interpreting these differences as evidence of language change
it is possible that as the younger speakers age they will end up sounding just like the older speakers of an apparent time study
studies to check for age grading
real time panel study and real item trend study
example of age grading studies
chambers, Tagliamonte and D’Arcy
what a speaker knows about a language, the subconscious abstract rules and principles that allow us to produce and understand words
competence
