Bekker, Ian; Levon, Erez (2017). The embedded indexical value of /s/-fronting in Afrikaans and South African English. Linguistics, 55(5), pp. 1109-1139. De Gruyter 10.1515/ling-2017-0022
|
Text
Bekker___Levon_2017.pdf - Published Version Available under License Publisher holds Copyright. Download (9MB) | Preview |
This paper examines the indexical value of /s/-fronting in White Afrikaans and in White South African English (WSAfE). Prior research on this feature has shown that fronted articulations of /s/ in WSAfE serve as a regional and social indicator of the wealthy northern suburbs of Johannesburg, and anecdotal evidence suggests that the feature carries a similar meaning in White Afrikaans. This study therefore aims to examine whether the variable carries similar meanings across the two languages. Data are based on the evaluative reactions toward different experimental stimuli that were presented to 214 Afrikaans-English bilinguals in South Africa during a modified matchedguise task. The results indicate that /s/-fronting in a man’s voice is perceived in similar terms in White Afrikaans and WSAfE though it carries somewhat different meanings across the two languages when it occurs in a woman’s voice, a difference related in turn to different approaches to gender across the two
speech communities. The results of this research, and the indexical value of /s/-fronting in the two languages, are therefore only understandable in terms of certain sociohistorical and sociological differences between the two speech communities. The article ends with some discussion relating to the possible source of the relevant similarities and differences, i.e., parallel innovation or sociophonetic transfer.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
|---|---|
Division/Institute: |
06 Faculty of Humanities > Other Institutions > Walter Benjamin Kolleg (WBKolleg) > Center for the Study of Language and Society (CSLS) |
UniBE Contributor: |
Levon, Erez |
Subjects: |
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology 400 Language 400 Language > 410 Linguistics 400 Language > 420 English & Old English languages |
ISSN: |
1613-396X |
Publisher: |
De Gruyter |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Erez Levon |
Date Deposited: |
10 Jun 2021 11:50 |
Last Modified: |
05 Dec 2022 15:47 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1515/ling-2017-0022 |
BORIS DOI: |
10.7892/boris.152338 |
URI: |
https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/152338 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Edit item |