Query Details
| Query Subject: |
Lexical Study of ''Alright'' in Immigrant Speech
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| Author: | Eric Byron | |
| Submitter Email: | click here to access email | |
| Linguistic LingField(s): |
Language Documentation
Sociolinguistics Translation |
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| Query: |
I work at the Ellis Island Immigration museum, where among other
things I am in charge of the Ellis Island Discography Project. The Project examines early commercial sound recordings and the various kinds of interaction that immigrants, whether internal or external, had with the general population in the United States. We examine the dynamics from the perspective of both the general public and the immigrants. The Project was undertaken because we discovered that in the early years of sound recording technology record companies made tens of thousands of records about and by people whom the general United States population considered to be outsiders. These outsiders primarily included immigrants, people of color and country folk. Most, but not all, of the recordings humorously played on the eccentricities and difficulties associated with foreignness. One of the things we have noticed is that the language relationship that most of the immigrants had in this country can be characterized as bilingualism without diglossia. As our database suggests, the lexical interference one hears on the recordings tends to make perfect sense . Words that have something to do with outside contact, whether it be a job, geographical situation, new technology, and salutations with the average American are more likely to enter into an immigrant language. My question is what term(s) would one use to define words and expressions such as “sure” and “all right.” “Alright” appears over and over again on the recordings as a way for an immigrant to respond when he/she doesn’t completely understand and really doesn’t want to answer. Has anything been written on this subject? Any reading suggestions would be greatly appreciated. |
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| LL Issue: | 23.1263 | |
| Date posted: | 13-Mar-2012 | |
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