LINGUIST List 21.2976
Mon Jul 19 2010
Diss: Socioling: Haobam: 'Meiteilon-English Code Switching and ...'
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1. Basantarani
Haobam,
Meiteilon-English Code Switching and Identity Issues Among Meiteis in Delhi
Message 1: Meiteilon-English Code Switching and Identity Issues Among Meiteis in Delhi
Date: 12-Jul-2010
From: Basantarani Haobam <basantaranigmail.com>
Subject: Meiteilon-English Code Switching and Identity Issues Among Meiteis in Delhi
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Institution: Osmania University
Program: PhD in Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2008
Author: Basantarani Haobam
Dissertation Title: Meiteilon-English Code Switching and Identity Issues Among Meiteis in Delhi
Linguistic Field(s):
Sociolinguistics
Subject Language(s): Meitei (mni)
Language Family(ies): Tibeto-Burman
Dissertation Director:
Aditi Mukherjee
Dissertation Abstract:
The dissertation investigates the question of identity vis-à-vis theattitude and behaviour relations by looking at the patterns of language usein various domains, mainly the code switching patterns between Meiteilon,English and Hindi among the Meiteis in Delhi. The three main perspectivesthat are employed in approaching these patterns are the sociolinguistic,conversationalist and structural perspectives.
The study is based on extensive field work consisting of a pilot study anda final survey in Delhi, including a detailed questionnaire study. Theresults obtained from the questionnaire study are subjected to aquantificational analysis to determine the social factors in codeswitching. The attitude-behaviour relations of the Meitei population inDelhi is further explored in detailing their attitude towards mixed codeand reported patterns of code mixing behaviour and also their patterns ofuse of Meiteilon, English and Hindi in various domains. The findingsresulting from the questionnaire responses are supplemented by the analysisof the code switching data found in the recorded speech.
Qualitative analysis of the corpus is done through conversational andstructural analyses. The former, based on Auer (1984), shows that codeswitching in conversation can be better explained by focusing on theinternal structure of conversational organization by the participantsrather than looking at code switching as merely motivated by the social andsymbolic values attached to the languages involved in code switching.
The corpus is subjected to a structural perspective in two ways. Firstly,the data is analysed in the light of the Matrix language Frame (MLF) Modelof Myers-Scotten (2002). Secondly, the Meiteilon-English code switchingdata is subsequently explained by comparing the results obtained from theConversation Analysis approach to the data and a theory-neutral structuralanalysis outside the framework of the MLF Model.
The findings of the dissertation can be summarized as follows:(i) The relation between attitude and behaviour need not be a proportionalone. This points to an accommodating and integrative but non-assimilatingattitude, with an instrumental motive, towards the host society.(ii) Though English is rated highly positively by the Meiteis andconsidered the most important language in various domains, mainly ineducation and career, Meiteilon emerges as the preferred language ofinteraction among the Meiteis in Delhi.(iii) Code switching can act as a conversation cue. It is motivated by theinternal structure of the conversation and how the meaning of codeswitching is arrived at by a sequential analysis of the conversation.Frequent employment of juxtaposition of the two languages as a contrastbrings about conversational goals by resorting to change of footing,reframing, emphasis and elaboration by repetition and quotation of reportedspeech. In this connection, it was also found that the direction of switchis irrelevant.(iv) While some linguistic structures in code switching can be explainedwithin the framework of the MLF Model, not all are accounted for by thismodel. The phenomenon of code switching can be better understood if theresults obtained from such an analysis supplement or add to theobservations arrived at using the CA approach. The CA perspective whensupplemented with a structural analysis, affords us a much richer accountof code switching than any single perspective can individually offer.(v) Code switching data of a particular speech community is made moreaccountable by showing the connection between how a conversational contextis shaped by its participants and the linguistic, grammatical structuresthe participants employ or call upon to achieve such conversational goals.
Page Updated: 19-Jul-2010
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