LINGUIST List 18.464
Mon Feb 12 2007
Diss: Applied Ling/Phonology/Socioling: Rajadurai: Speaking
Editor for this issue: Hunter Lockwood
<hunterlinguistlist.org>
Directory
1. Joanne
Rajadurai,
Speaking
Message 1: Speaking
Date: 09-Feb-2007
From: Joanne Rajadurai <raj_joanneyahoo.com>
Subject: Speaking
Institution: University of Nottingham
Program: School of English Studies
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2004
Author: Joanne V Rajadurai
Dissertation Title: Speaking
Linguistic Field(s):
Applied Linguistics
Phonology
Sociolinguistics
Subject Language(s): English (eng)
Dissertation Director:
Professor Ronald Carter
Dissertation Abstract:
This thesis adopts a sociolinguistic perspective in seeking to identify thephonological features deemed crucial to enhancing intelligibility in thespeech of Malaysians. To this end, it provides a broad phonologicaldescription of the sub-varieties of spoken English generated innaturalistic contexts in Malaysia, in the belief that such a descriptionwould yield insights into the social significance of phonological choice,as Malaysians respond to the tension between achieving intelligibility andmaintaining identity.
Contrasting sharply with past research, the thesis argues thatintelligibility has to be tied to the ways in which English is used withinthe local speech community, rather than based purely on native norms,theoretical constructs or externally derived 'phonological cores'.Accordingly, it draws on case studies of three proficient speakers ofEnglish in Malaysia, and the data collected include audio-taped recordingsof speech, as well as interviews and retrospective participant commentaryon selected recordings.
Set within the broad framework of interactional sociolinguistics, itemploys Communication Accommodation Theory and the Markedness Model,hitherto unintegrated, as an explanatory apparatus for the phonologicalvariation encountered, thereby explicating their conceptual compatibility.The analysis attends to the interpretive dimension of interaction alongsidethe quantifying of data, and reveals systematicity and fluidity being atthe heart of variation. By countering prevailing deficit perspectives, andreappraising key theoretical notions and conventional methodologies in SLA,the thesis offers novel ways in which L2 research on intelligibility canreconfigure itself both ideologically and methodologically. It, thus,compensates for gaps in the research field, and is distinctive in itsportrayal of proficient bilinguals as rational, competent actorsmanipulating their phonological and verbal repertoire through skilful andstrategic code-selection and code-switching.
On the basis of the research, suggestions are offered about the conceptualand empirical treatment of intelligibility, and recommendations made withrespect to the learning and teaching of pronunciation skills in theMalaysian context.
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