Languages, Cultures and Linguistics Research Collection

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 141
  • Publication
    The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Native Speech Norms: Effects of a Year Abroad on Second Language Learners of French
    (John Benjamins Publishing, 1995-10-12)
    One of the perennial debates in language teaching is the one about the benefits, or otherwise, of time spent abroad -- learning the language while immersed in the target speech community. After all, as Gardner (1979) says, in acquiring a second language "the student is faced with the task of not simply learning new information (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, etc) .. but rather of acquiring symbolic elements of a different ethnolinguistic community". To what extent is this process facilitated by living in the target language community? This article reports a study which provides concrete empirical data on the effects of such experiences on the language learning process. This sociolinguistic study of second language acquisition tries to investigate just what is the process of the acquisition of symbolic elements of another ethnolinguistic community. It is a study of the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence and focuses on the acquisition of a particularly sensitive sociolinguistic variable which is invested with powerful symbolic significance by the native speech community.
      50
  • Publication
    The significance of age and place of residence in the positional distribution of discourse like in L2 speech
    (John Benjamins Publishing, 2015-07-15) ;
    This chapter investigates the use of discourse markers in L2 Irish English, specifically like by Polish people, assuming that the use of discourse markers is an indicator of integration. Quantitative and qualitative approaches are used to analyse the corpus of speech, focusing in particular on the positional distribution of like and the impact of age and place of residence. Results show that the L2 speakers use discourse like in patterns which correspond to those attested for L1 Irish English. Place of residence was a significant factor, with rural and urban speakers following rural and urban L1 patterns respectively. However, the younger speakers tended to favour urban (and global) clause-medial like over clause-marginal like, the more traditional pattern for Irish English. The young L2 speakers appear to be participating in the global change in like patterns.
      16
  • Publication
    Tales from the Celtic Tiger: migrants' language use and identity
    (Four Courts Press, 2016-05-01)
    This chapter describes an aspect of Ireland and Irishness in the twenty-first century. It tells the story of a country undergoing major changes and a concomitant identity in flux. Ireland has had, in a relatively short space of time, an economic boom and a subsequent crash. This economic cataclysm, with its major shifts in population caused by immigration and emigration, has brought with it changes in how Irish people see themselves and indeed what constitutes ‘Irishness’. The study presented here tells this story through the lens of language: language use, language practices and language attitudes. an important ‘barometer’ of identity is language; here, language tells a story of identity in flux where ‘Irishness’ is redefined. Similarly to the picture painted by Lamarre (this volume) of a changing Quebec identity, Ireland’s rapidly changing identity may be captured here through language use in Ireland today; specifically the language of the ‘new Irish’.
      20
  • Publication
    Discourse ‘like’ and social identity – a case study of Poles in Ireland
    (John Benjamins Publishing, 2012-11-15) ; ;
    Ireland experienced momentous change in the last decade and a half. Migrants now make up a significant percentage of the population and the question of integration continues to be pertinent. One indicator of integration is language, and the fluency with which an L2 speaker uses L1 discourse markers indicates how integrated he/she is in the local community (Sankoff et al. 1997). This paper analyses discourse like and its use by Polish speakers of L2 Irish English. Our research shows that speakers follow Irish English patterns, but there is a high degree of interspeaker variation. By drawing on qualitative data, we attempt to illustrate some possible reasons for this, including the potential of this feature as a tool in identity construction.
      19
  • Publication
    Second language adquisition and sociollinguistic approaches: The Case of L2 French
    (Routledge, 2022-01-01)
    French is one of the major target languages on which L2 acquisition research has been carried out. SLA research on French highlights specific aspects of L2 acquisition. Codification and prescriptivism long associated with French have wider implications for L2 language ideology and attitudes. Research on L2 French acquisition which reveals the influence of ‘la norme’ – especially the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation and pragmatics – is discussed. Research methods particularly suited to illuminating these issues are outlined, including variation analysis, mixed-methods research and network analysis. Current research themes include agency, identity and individual variation.
      34