1402 lecture 3 handout PDF

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1402LHS: Language, Culture & Society

Week 3: Language shif Language shift is a process wherein a speech community shifts from using one language to using another, usually for __social_____________, ___economic____________ or political_______________ reasons.

Part 1: Language shif in different communities In migrant minority communities there is often pressure for immigrants to ___conform____________. ___Language____________ ___use____________ = successful assimilation.

Migrants are often…monolingual in mother tongue Their children tend to be…bilingual And their grandchildren are usually…monolingual in host language

Sometimes the migrants are the majority: Colonial powers…invade other countries (their language becomes dominant) Language imposed…along with other institutions: administration, law, education, religion Countries where a migrant majority has forced a language shift include: German- social & economic progress. Hungarian- old fashioned/peasant-like. German becomes social family language. If it’s a monolingual community –more likely that new dominant language will supplant it Multilingual community- less influence, new language will not replace all of them

Modified 7.7.17

1402LHS: Lecture 3 1

1402LHS: Language, Culture & Society

Activity 1: Choice of language in Oberwart The table below shows how the age of a speaker and the age of an addressee as well as the social context can influence the choice of language used in the town of Oberwart. (Gr = German; Hu = Hungarian.) Older speakers are likely to use Hungarian in most situations, though they may speak German to their grandchildren and will almost certainly speak German for official transactions or doctor visits. Younger people are more likely to speak German except to their grandparents or in prayer. You can see how the language used is gradually shifting from Hungarian to German. Speaker

Age of speaker

To God

To grandparents

To parents

To friends & workmate s

To children

To doctor & govt officials

A

63

Hu

Hu

Hu

Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr

B

61

Hu

Hu

Hu

Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr

C

58

Hu

Hu

Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr

D

52

Hu

Hu

Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr

E

27

Hu

Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr

Gr

Gr

F

25

Hu

Hu

Gr/Hu

Gr

Gr

Gr

G

22

Hu

Hu

Gr

Gr

Gr

Gr

(Adapted from Gal 1979) Assuming the direction and rate of shift remain constant, what languages do you think a 10-year-old in Oberwart would use in the six columns above? Why do you think so? Fill in the columns below. Speaker

Age of speaker

Modified 7.7.17

To God

To grandparents

To parents

1402LHS: Lecture 3 2

To friends & workmates

To children

To doctor & govt officials

1402LHS: Language, Culture & Society

H

10

In which domains might a minority language group like the Oberwart community realistically hope to maintain their own language? Language is very adaptable- create words, import from other languages. No real advantage of 1 language over another- all equal!

Part 2: Language death Language death means: when all the people who speak a language die, the language dies with them. Epidemic? Many aboriginals died of diseases introduced by the Europeans.

Language death can be caused by: 1. Epidemic 2. Massacre 3. Gradual loss In the 1700s, around 250-300 different indigenous languages of Australia. Now about 2 dozen are spoken. A lot of language death in Australia!

Part 3: Factors contributing to language shif Economic- employment, money, skills

Socio-cultural- friends, family, colleagues

Political- power of dominant language group invasion

Demographic- size of speech community

Attitudinal- modern sophisticated vs old-fashioned

Modified 7.7.17

1402LHS: Lecture 3 3

1402LHS: Language, Culture & Society

Educational- language of education crucial (young ppl are the drivers of language change). Children learn & use language at school. Teens- new words/phrases etc

Revived languages: Indonesian, Tok Pisin (Papa New Guinea), Hebrew

Factors contributing to language maintenance include: Social cohesiveness

Tight-knit? Large family? Little intermarriage? E.g. Italian immigrants often have kids who can still speak Italian –tend to marry within 1 another- still used.

Demographics

Small or large group? Rural or urban? Language shift less likely to happen in urban area.

Attitudes

Valued? Key to identity? Prestigious? Like French & Canada

Institutions

Schools? Religion? Media?

Activity 2: Maintaining a minority language We’ve looked at some examples of communities which have been able to maintain and promote their languages in the face of another dominant language. In the box below, list the different kinds of institutional support (e.g. educational) which can be sought by a community who want to maintain their minority language within a society where another language dominates. Provide an example of each type of support. Institutional support

Example of type of support

Schools EFL Immersion classes Help services Job training

Maori Language- was about 10,000 fluent speakers of Maori (the language was about to die out). But in 1980s- recovery programme. By 2006 about 157,000 people had conversational Maori.

Modified 7.7.17

1402LHS: Lecture 3 4

1402LHS: Language, Culture & Society

Reading for Week 4: Wardhaugh & Fuller (2015), chapter 14: Language Policy and Planning.

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1402LHS: Lecture 3 5...