Ana Deumert
2020
Deumert, Ana; Mabandla, Nkululeko
Another Populism Is Possible: Popular Politics and the Anticolonial Struggle Book Chapter
In: pp. 433-460, Ana Deumert, 2020, ISBN: 978-3-030-55037-0.
@inbook{Deumert2020,
title = {Another Populism Is Possible: Popular Politics and the Anticolonial Struggle},
author = {Ana Deumert and Nkululeko Mabandla},
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isbn = {978-3-030-55037-0},
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publisher = {Ana Deumert},
abstract = {In this chapter the authors move away from pejorative and derogatory definitions of populism that have shaped media reporting and scholarly debate from the 1950s onwards. Their argument is grounded in the anticolonial and decolonial struggle for liberation and freedom, a struggle that would not have been successful without the political participation of “the people”. The argument—which seeks to recover the “radical history” of populism (Venizelos in Jacobin, 2019)—is chronotopic, across time and space, considering the South African struggle for liberation within a wider—pan-African—continental context, a context which, in turn, is embedded in the global south more broadly.},
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In this chapter the authors move away from pejorative and derogatory definitions of populism that have shaped media reporting and scholarly debate from the 1950s onwards. Their argument is grounded in the anticolonial and decolonial struggle for liberation and freedom, a struggle that would not have been successful without the political participation of “the people”. The argument—which seeks to recover the “radical history” of populism (Venizelos in Jacobin, 2019)—is chronotopic, across time and space, considering the South African struggle for liberation within a wider—pan-African—continental context, a context which, in turn, is embedded in the global south more broadly.
Deumert, Ana; Storch, Anne
Introduction: Colonial linguistics—then and nowColonial linguistics—then and now Book Chapter
In: pp. 1-22, Oxford University Press, 2020, ISBN: 9780198793205.
@inbook{Deumert2020b,
title = {Introduction: Colonial linguistics—then and nowColonial linguistics—then and now},
author = {Ana Deumert and Anne Storch},
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isbn = {9780198793205},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-30},
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publisher = {Oxford University Press},
abstract = {Debates about the legacy of colonialism in the academy are not new. In linguistics, however, critiquing and interrogating the history of the discipline and its status as being part of the practices and epistemes of colonialism, which continue into the here-and-now, have only been carried out reluctantly. This chapter introduces the reader to key themes in critical research on the historical foundations of linguistics. It is concerned with the contexts in which data has been and is produced, the ways in which analysis is carried out, and how expert knowledge is formed.},
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Debates about the legacy of colonialism in the academy are not new. In linguistics, however, critiquing and interrogating the history of the discipline and its status as being part of the practices and epistemes of colonialism, which continue into the here-and-now, have only been carried out reluctantly. This chapter introduces the reader to key themes in critical research on the historical foundations of linguistics. It is concerned with the contexts in which data has been and is produced, the ways in which analysis is carried out, and how expert knowledge is formed.
Deumert, Ana
The Invisibility of Linguistic Diversity Online: Reflections on the Political Economy of Digital Communication Book Chapter
In: pp. 81-108, Cambridge University Press, 2020, ISBN: 9781108479332.
@inbook{Deumert2020bb,
title = {The Invisibility of Linguistic Diversity Online: Reflections on the Political Economy of Digital Communication},
author = {Ana Deumert},
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isbn = {9781108479332},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-03-19},
pages = {81-108},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
abstract = {In 1989, Susan Gal published a paper with the programmatic title “Language and Political Economy.” Gal argues for a theoretical perspective that links signs and sign-making firmly to the material world and to the inequalities that shape this world. It is a call that resonates well with a volume interested in the relationship between language and economy. The latter is understood from the perspective of political economy, analyzing historically and socially situated interactions between semiotic practices, institutions, ideologies, and the generation of wealth (through labor, capital accumulation, and commodification; for recent discussions, see Duchêne & Heller 2012; Park & Wee 2012; Delgado et al. 2014; Holborow 2015; Ricento 2015; Kamwangamalu 2016). The political economy in which speakers/writers are situated–and which in turn shapes, and is shaped by, their practices–is also at the core of media scholarship. Vincent Mosco’s work, especially, provides the foundations for the political economy of communication as a field of inquiry that focuses broadly on “the study of the social relations, particularly the power relations, that mutually constitute the production, distribution and consumption of resources, including communication resources”(Mosco 2009: 2, italics in the original; see also Wasko 2014; Mosco 2015). Mosco works from the premise that all cultural engagement, all communication, and all sign-and meaning-making are economically structured and that people have to use their physical resources to engage in such activities.},
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In 1989, Susan Gal published a paper with the programmatic title “Language and Political Economy.” Gal argues for a theoretical perspective that links signs and sign-making firmly to the material world and to the inequalities that shape this world. It is a call that resonates well with a volume interested in the relationship between language and economy. The latter is understood from the perspective of political economy, analyzing historically and socially situated interactions between semiotic practices, institutions, ideologies, and the generation of wealth (through labor, capital accumulation, and commodification; for recent discussions, see Duchêne & Heller 2012; Park & Wee 2012; Delgado et al. 2014; Holborow 2015; Ricento 2015; Kamwangamalu 2016). The political economy in which speakers/writers are situated–and which in turn shapes, and is shaped by, their practices–is also at the core of media scholarship. Vincent Mosco’s work, especially, provides the foundations for the political economy of communication as a field of inquiry that focuses broadly on “the study of the social relations, particularly the power relations, that mutually constitute the production, distribution and consumption of resources, including communication resources”(Mosco 2009: 2, italics in the original; see also Wasko 2014; Mosco 2015). Mosco works from the premise that all cultural engagement, all communication, and all sign-and meaning-making are economically structured and that people have to use their physical resources to engage in such activities.
2019
Deumert, Ana
Dynamics of Cape Dutch Book
Benjamins, 2019.
@book{Deumert2019,
title = {Dynamics of Cape Dutch},
author = {Ana Deumert},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-11-06},
publisher = {Benjamins},
abstract = {Language Standardization and Language Change describes the formation of an early standard norm at the Cape around 1900. The processes of variant reduction and sociolinguistic focusing which accompanied the early standardization history of Afrikaans (or'Cape Dutch'as it was then called) are analysed within the broad methodological framework of corpus linguistics and variation analysis. Multivariate statistical techniques (cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling and PCA) are used to model the emergence of linguistic uniformity in the Cape Dutch speech community. The book also examines language contact and creolization in the early settlement, the role of Afrikaner nationalism in shaping language attitudes and linguistic practices, and the influence of English. As a case study in historical sociolinguistics the book calls into question the traditional view of the emergence of an Afrikaans standard norm, and advocates a strongly sociolinguistic, speaker-orientated approach to language history in general, and standardization studies in particular.},
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Language Standardization and Language Change describes the formation of an early standard norm at the Cape around 1900. The processes of variant reduction and sociolinguistic focusing which accompanied the early standardization history of Afrikaans (or'Cape Dutch'as it was then called) are analysed within the broad methodological framework of corpus linguistics and variation analysis. Multivariate statistical techniques (cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling and PCA) are used to model the emergence of linguistic uniformity in the Cape Dutch speech community. The book also examines language contact and creolization in the early settlement, the role of Afrikaner nationalism in shaping language attitudes and linguistic practices, and the influence of English. As a case study in historical sociolinguistics the book calls into question the traditional view of the emergence of an Afrikaans standard norm, and advocates a strongly sociolinguistic, speaker-orientated approach to language history in general, and standardization studies in particular.
Deumert, Ana
Sensational signs, authority and the public sphere: Settler colonial rhetoric in times of change Journal Article
In: Journal of Sociolinguistics, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 467-484, 2019.
@article{Deumert2019b,
title = {Sensational signs, authority and the public sphere: Settler colonial rhetoric in times of change},
author = {Ana Deumert},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-09-01},
journal = {Journal of Sociolinguistics},
volume = {23},
number = {5},
pages = {467-484},
abstract = {The article explores the emotional regimes of settler colonialism in post‐apartheid South Africa. The focus is on apocalyptic fears of the imagined eradication of whiteness. These fears are articulated in response to postcolonial/decolonial interpellations of abject whiteness, and are made visible in a range of sensational signs that circulate online and offline. The signs cluster around two themes that are central to the ideologies of settler colonialism: land (and its feared loss), and (white) bodies (and their feared disappearance). Following Sarah Ahmed (2004a,b), emotionally charged signs can be seen as actions (akin to words in speech act theory). In contrast to Jürgen Habermas’ conception of the public sphere as an idealized place of rational debate, the article argues that a combination of affect‐emotion‐feeling and the performance of ‘reason’—what Aristotelian rhetoric refers to as pathos and ethos—are integral for understanding public‐political discourses of whiteness at a time when white privilege has been called out globally (and locally), and white dominance has lost its stronghold.},
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The article explores the emotional regimes of settler colonialism in post‐apartheid South Africa. The focus is on apocalyptic fears of the imagined eradication of whiteness. These fears are articulated in response to postcolonial/decolonial interpellations of abject whiteness, and are made visible in a range of sensational signs that circulate online and offline. The signs cluster around two themes that are central to the ideologies of settler colonialism: land (and its feared loss), and (white) bodies (and their feared disappearance). Following Sarah Ahmed (2004a,b), emotionally charged signs can be seen as actions (akin to words in speech act theory). In contrast to Jürgen Habermas’ conception of the public sphere as an idealized place of rational debate, the article argues that a combination of affect‐emotion‐feeling and the performance of ‘reason’—what Aristotelian rhetoric refers to as pathos and ethos—are integral for understanding public‐political discourses of whiteness at a time when white privilege has been called out globally (and locally), and white dominance has lost its stronghold.
Deumert, Ana
Translingual practices and neoliberal policies. Attitudes and strategies of African skilled migrants in Anglophone workplaces Journal Article
In: Current Issues in Language Planning, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 435-437, 2019.
@article{Deumert2019bb,
title = {Translingual practices and neoliberal policies. Attitudes and strategies of African skilled migrants in Anglophone workplaces},
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date = {2019-08-08},
journal = {Current Issues in Language Planning},
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abstract = {In this short book (66 pages, including references) Suresh Canagarajah responds to critiques by Aneta Pavlenko, Ryuko Kubota and Nelson Flores, who have suggested that we might be witnessing a ‘collusion’between recent work on translingualism and neoliberal interests. The volume is part of the Springer Briefs in Linguistics, which publishes (since 2016) short peerreviewed monographs on a wide range of topics related to the study of language. It is a book that should be a recommended reading for anyone working in the field of multilingualism. Canagarajah responds to his critics skillfully and respectfully, and in doing so offers a succint and accessible introduction to recent work within the broad framework of translingualism.},
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In this short book (66 pages, including references) Suresh Canagarajah responds to critiques by Aneta Pavlenko, Ryuko Kubota and Nelson Flores, who have suggested that we might be witnessing a ‘collusion’between recent work on translingualism and neoliberal interests. The volume is part of the Springer Briefs in Linguistics, which publishes (since 2016) short peerreviewed monographs on a wide range of topics related to the study of language. It is a book that should be a recommended reading for anyone working in the field of multilingualism. Canagarajah responds to his critics skillfully and respectfully, and in doing so offers a succint and accessible introduction to recent work within the broad framework of translingualism.
2018
Deumert, Ana
Settler colonialism speaks: Early contact varieties in Namibia during German colonial rule Journal Article
In: Language Ecology, vol. 2, no. 1-2, pp. 91-111, 2018.
@article{Deumert2018b,
title = {Settler colonialism speaks: Early contact varieties in Namibia during German colonial rule},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1075/le.18006.deu},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-11-09},
journal = {Language Ecology},
volume = {2},
number = {1-2},
pages = {91-111},
abstract = {In this article I explore a particular set of contact varieties that emerged in Namibia, a former German colony. Historical evidence comes from the genre of autobiographic narratives that were written by German settler women. These texts provide – ideologically filtered – descriptions of domestic life in the colony and contain observations about everyday communication practices. In interpreting the data I draw on the idea of ‘jargon’ as developed within creolistics as well as on Chabani Manganyi’s (1970) comments on the ‘master-servant communication complex’, and Beatriz Lorente’s (2017) work on ‘scripts of servitude’. I suggest that to interpret the historical record is a complex hermeneutic endeavour: on the one hand, the examples given are likely to tell us ‘something’ about communication in the colony; on the other hand, the very description of communicative interactions is rooted in what I call a ‘script of supremacy’, which is quite unlike the ‘atonement politics’ (McIntosh 2014) of postcolonial language learning.},
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In this article I explore a particular set of contact varieties that emerged in Namibia, a former German colony. Historical evidence comes from the genre of autobiographic narratives that were written by German settler women. These texts provide – ideologically filtered – descriptions of domestic life in the colony and contain observations about everyday communication practices. In interpreting the data I draw on the idea of ‘jargon’ as developed within creolistics as well as on Chabani Manganyi’s (1970) comments on the ‘master-servant communication complex’, and Beatriz Lorente’s (2017) work on ‘scripts of servitude’. I suggest that to interpret the historical record is a complex hermeneutic endeavour: on the one hand, the examples given are likely to tell us ‘something’ about communication in the colony; on the other hand, the very description of communicative interactions is rooted in what I call a ‘script of supremacy’, which is quite unlike the ‘atonement politics’ (McIntosh 2014) of postcolonial language learning.
Deumert, Ana; Storch, Anne
Language as world heritage?: Practices and Politics Book Chapter
In: pp. 102-117, Routledge, 2018, ISBN: 9780429507137.
@inbook{Deumert2018bb,
title = {Language as world heritage?: Practices and Politics},
author = {Ana Deumert and Anne Storch},
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year = {2018},
date = {2018-06-27},
journal = {Safeguarding Intangible Heritage: Practices and Politics},
pages = {102-117},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {In 2015 excited messages poured into the mailboxes of many linguists around the world: it had been announced that some of the digital collections of The Language Archive (TLA), at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (Nijmegen, Netherlands), were to be included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The following announcement was posted on the TLA webpage: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added to its Memory of the World register 64 collections from The Language Archive at the MPI. These materials contain documentation from 102 different languages spoken around the world. The Language Archive (TLA) at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics preserves language materials for the future, and makes them available for scientific research and use by the wider public, among other things.},
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In 2015 excited messages poured into the mailboxes of many linguists around the world: it had been announced that some of the digital collections of The Language Archive (TLA), at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (Nijmegen, Netherlands), were to be included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. The following announcement was posted on the TLA webpage: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added to its Memory of the World register 64 collections from The Language Archive at the MPI. These materials contain documentation from 102 different languages spoken around the world. The Language Archive (TLA) at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics preserves language materials for the future, and makes them available for scientific research and use by the wider public, among other things.
Deumert, Ana
Commentary - On Participation and Resistance: Towards a Politics of Language for Agency and Change Book Chapter
In: pp. 289-299, The Multilingual Matters, 2018, ISBN: 9781783099665.
@inbook{Deumert2018,
title = {Commentary - On Participation and Resistance: Towards a Politics of Language for Agency and Change},
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pages = {289-299},
publisher = {The Multilingual Matters},
abstract = {The notion of linguistic citizenship is concerned with what Christopher Stroud (2001: 345) calls ‘political subjects’, and the ways in which they engage with language and linguistic forms in everyday life. It reflects the so-called ‘agentive turn’in the social sciences; a theoretical ‘turn’that was shaped by developments taking place during the second half of the 20th century in society and politics. Thus, from the 1960s onwards, social movements across the world have ‘reconfigured the relationship between state and society’, and within the academy, poststructuralist critiques ‘have called into question impersonal master narratives that leave no room for tensions, contradictions, and oppositional actions on the part of individuals and collectivities’(Ahearn, 2001: 110).},
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The notion of linguistic citizenship is concerned with what Christopher Stroud (2001: 345) calls ‘political subjects’, and the ways in which they engage with language and linguistic forms in everyday life. It reflects the so-called ‘agentive turn’in the social sciences; a theoretical ‘turn’that was shaped by developments taking place during the second half of the 20th century in society and politics. Thus, from the 1960s onwards, social movements across the world have ‘reconfigured the relationship between state and society’, and within the academy, poststructuralist critiques ‘have called into question impersonal master narratives that leave no room for tensions, contradictions, and oppositional actions on the part of individuals and collectivities’(Ahearn, 2001: 110).
Deumert, Ana
Commentary - on participation and resistance Book Chapter
In: pp. 289-299, The Multilingual Citizen: Towards a Politics of Language for Agency and Change, 2018.
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title = {Commentary - on participation and resistance},
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publisher = {The Multilingual Citizen: Towards a Politics of Language for Agency and Change},
abstract = {The notion of linguistic citizenship is concerned with what Christopher Stroud (2001: 345) calls ‘political subjects’, and the ways in which they engage with language and linguistic forms in everyday life. It refl ects the so-called ‘agentive turn’ in the social sciences; a theoretical ‘turn’ that was shaped by developments taking place during the second half of the 20th century in society and politics. Thus, from the 1960s onwards, social move-ments across the world have ‘reconfi gured the relationship between state and society’, and within the academy, poststructuralist critiques ‘have called into question impersonal master narratives that leave no room for tensions, contradictions, and oppositional actions on the part of individuals and col-lectivities’ (Ahearn, 20 01: 110). Once we move away from these master nar-ratives – from the grand histories of languages to diverse practices of speaking/writing – we are able look at what people ‘do’ with linguistic resources in their everyday lives. Adopting a practice-perspective allows us to focus on languaging (rather than speaking/writing ‘a language’), and this locates linguistic citizenship within longstanding philosophical traditions of performance and performativity, of language-as-a-mode-of-action. In this intellectual tradition, emphasis is placed on the ways in which language is embedded in practical activities, meaning is not given but situated and co-constructed, and language can bring about a change in the world.},
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The notion of linguistic citizenship is concerned with what Christopher Stroud (2001: 345) calls ‘political subjects’, and the ways in which they engage with language and linguistic forms in everyday life. It refl ects the so-called ‘agentive turn’ in the social sciences; a theoretical ‘turn’ that was shaped by developments taking place during the second half of the 20th century in society and politics. Thus, from the 1960s onwards, social move-ments across the world have ‘reconfi gured the relationship between state and society’, and within the academy, poststructuralist critiques ‘have called into question impersonal master narratives that leave no room for tensions, contradictions, and oppositional actions on the part of individuals and col-lectivities’ (Ahearn, 20 01: 110). Once we move away from these master nar-ratives – from the grand histories of languages to diverse practices of speaking/writing – we are able look at what people ‘do’ with linguistic resources in their everyday lives. Adopting a practice-perspective allows us to focus on languaging (rather than speaking/writing ‘a language’), and this locates linguistic citizenship within longstanding philosophical traditions of performance and performativity, of language-as-a-mode-of-action. In this intellectual tradition, emphasis is placed on the ways in which language is embedded in practical activities, meaning is not given but situated and co-constructed, and language can bring about a change in the world.
2017
Deumert, Ana; Brown, Justin
‘My tribe is the Hessequa. I’m Khoisan. I’m African’: Language, desire and performance among Cape Town’s Khoisan language activists Journal Article
In: Multilingua, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 571-594, 2017.
@article{Deumert2017,
title = {‘My tribe is the Hessequa. I’m Khoisan. I’m African’: Language, desire and performance among Cape Town’s Khoisan language activists},
author = {Ana Deumert and Justin Brown},
doi = {10.1515/multi-2017-4046},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-11-26},
journal = {Multilingua},
volume = {36},
number = {5},
pages = {571-594},
abstract = {In this article we provide a discussion of present-day Khoisan activism in Cape Town, South Africa. The main actors in this movement are people whose heritage is complex: their history can be traced back to the early days of the colonial settlement, reflecting the interactions and cohabitation of the indigenous Khoisan, slaves and the European settlers. Currently, their main languages are English and Afrikaans; yet, efforts are also made by activists to learn Khoekhoegwab. In discussing the Khoisan resurgence we draw on a wide range of sources. The data include: in-depth interviews with language activists; video and audio recordings of ceremonies and other cultural events; discussions and performance of language and identity on blogs and tweets; newspapers; linguistic landscapes; and, finally, artistic performances (with particular focus on the hiphop opera Afrikaaps). },
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In this article we provide a discussion of present-day Khoisan activism in Cape Town, South Africa. The main actors in this movement are people whose heritage is complex: their history can be traced back to the early days of the colonial settlement, reflecting the interactions and cohabitation of the indigenous Khoisan, slaves and the European settlers. Currently, their main languages are English and Afrikaans; yet, efforts are also made by activists to learn Khoekhoegwab. In discussing the Khoisan resurgence we draw on a wide range of sources. The data include: in-depth interviews with language activists; video and audio recordings of ceremonies and other cultural events; discussions and performance of language and identity on blogs and tweets; newspapers; linguistic landscapes; and, finally, artistic performances (with particular focus on the hiphop opera Afrikaaps).
Deumert, Ana; Swann, Joan
Sociolinguistics and language creativity Journal Article
In: Language Sciences, vol. 65, no. 1-8, 2017.
@article{Deumert2017b,
title = {Sociolinguistics and language creativity},
author = {Ana Deumert and Joan Swann},
doi = {10.1016/j.langsci.2017.06.002},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-07-01},
journal = {Language Sciences},
volume = {65},
number = {1-8},
abstract = {This paper introduces the special issue of Language Sciences on Sociolinguistics and Language Creativity. Current interest in language creativity is located within a wider interest in creativity in everyday life, evident across the humanities and social sciences. The paper argues that such vernacular creativity is particularly relevant to the concerns of sociolinguistics. The special issue considers how the adoption of a sociolinguistic lens may contribute to our understanding of creativity; and how the study of creativity in language may itself contribute to sociolinguistic and linguistic theory. Creativity is theorised here in terms of poetics (Jakobson, 1960); performance/critique (Bauman and Briggs, 1990; Hymes, 1981); Bakhtinian dialogics/heteroglossia (Bakhtin [1935] 1981); and aesthetics (e.g. Saito, 2015). We argue that a particular value of sociolinguistic analysis is its ability to reveal micro processes of creativity: for instance aesthetic performance that emerges in the moment, with the potential discursively to transform both language and social relations. Aesthetics, it is argued, ‘carries the politics of discourse’ and its study may therefore also enrich sociolinguistic theory. More broadly within linguistics, the study of creativity alerts us to the plasticity, or messiness, of language, challenging the concept of ‘linguistic rules’ that is embedded within linguistic thinking.},
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This paper introduces the special issue of Language Sciences on Sociolinguistics and Language Creativity. Current interest in language creativity is located within a wider interest in creativity in everyday life, evident across the humanities and social sciences. The paper argues that such vernacular creativity is particularly relevant to the concerns of sociolinguistics. The special issue considers how the adoption of a sociolinguistic lens may contribute to our understanding of creativity; and how the study of creativity in language may itself contribute to sociolinguistic and linguistic theory. Creativity is theorised here in terms of poetics (Jakobson, 1960); performance/critique (Bauman and Briggs, 1990; Hymes, 1981); Bakhtinian dialogics/heteroglossia (Bakhtin [1935] 1981); and aesthetics (e.g. Saito, 2015). We argue that a particular value of sociolinguistic analysis is its ability to reveal micro processes of creativity: for instance aesthetic performance that emerges in the moment, with the potential discursively to transform both language and social relations. Aesthetics, it is argued, ‘carries the politics of discourse’ and its study may therefore also enrich sociolinguistic theory. More broadly within linguistics, the study of creativity alerts us to the plasticity, or messiness, of language, challenging the concept of ‘linguistic rules’ that is embedded within linguistic thinking.
Deumert, Ana
Mimesis and mimicry in language–creativity and aesthetics as the performance of (dis-) semblances Journal Article
In: Language Sciences, vol. 65, pp. 9-17, 2017.
@article{Deumert2017bb,
title = {Mimesis and mimicry in language–creativity and aesthetics as the performance of (dis-) semblances},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1016/j.langsci.2017.03.009},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-07-01},
journal = {Language Sciences},
volume = {65},
pages = {9-17},
abstract = {This paper approaches creativity from the perspective of an everyday, decolonial–postcolonial aesthetics. While creativity emphasizes human agency, improvisation and, more broadly, the process of ‘bringing novelty into the world’ (Bhabha, 1994), aesthetics is about the perception and experience of creative acts and products (Dewey, 1934; Saito, 2015). Core concepts in the discussion are mimesis (re-presentation) and mimicry (disruptive imitation), which refer to a conceptual space similar to that captured by recontextualization (Bauman and Briggs, 1990) and iteration (Derrida, 1988). Importantly, mimesis/mimicry draw our attention to iconic and indexical signs and the experientiality of perception. These theoretical reflections are developed further with reference to digital writing in South Africa: (a) the recontextualization of Futurist writing as an example of mimicry and decolonization, and (b) mimesis as creative and experiential re-presentation in the articulation of emotion.},
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This paper approaches creativity from the perspective of an everyday, decolonial–postcolonial aesthetics. While creativity emphasizes human agency, improvisation and, more broadly, the process of ‘bringing novelty into the world’ (Bhabha, 1994), aesthetics is about the perception and experience of creative acts and products (Dewey, 1934; Saito, 2015). Core concepts in the discussion are mimesis (re-presentation) and mimicry (disruptive imitation), which refer to a conceptual space similar to that captured by recontextualization (Bauman and Briggs, 1990) and iteration (Derrida, 1988). Importantly, mimesis/mimicry draw our attention to iconic and indexical signs and the experientiality of perception. These theoretical reflections are developed further with reference to digital writing in South Africa: (a) the recontextualization of Futurist writing as an example of mimicry and decolonization, and (b) mimesis as creative and experiential re-presentation in the articulation of emotion.
Deumert, Ana; Mabandla, Nkululeko
A luta continua - black queer visibilities and philosophies of hospitality in a South African rural town Journal Article
In: Journal of Sociolinguistics, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 397-419, 2017.
@article{Deumert2017bb,
title = {A luta continua - black queer visibilities and philosophies of hospitality in a South African rural town},
author = {Ana Deumert and Nkululeko Mabandla},
doi = {10.1111/josl.12238},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-06-01},
journal = {Journal of Sociolinguistics},
volume = {21},
number = {3},
pages = {397-419},
abstract = {In 1996, the inclusion of sexual orientation in the anti-discrimination clause of South Africa's post-apartheid constitution aligned LGBT+ rights with the larger struggle against oppression and inequality. In this paper we focus on a small, rural town in the Eastern Cape, a town we call Forestville. How are LGBT+ identities made visible in this town? How do residents respond to the diverse sexualities they encounter? How do they talk about diversity (sexual and otherwise)? The data was collected in the context of a long-term ethnographic project, which looks at responses to diversity in non-metropolitan settings. Reconstructing local philosophies of hospitality and looking at affective-discursive practice, we argue that social life in Forestville shows traces of what Derrida (2000) calls ‘absolute hospitality’. There is a sense of welcome and inclusivity, but, unlike in Derrida's conception, this hospitality is deeply embedded in the speech act of asking, indeed in curiosity. At the same time, hospitality remains fragile; it is always on the border of exclusion and judgment. The article explores Mignolo's (2000) idea of ‘critical border thinking’ as a core episteme for Southern theory and puts academic philosophy and everyday knowledges into dialogue with one another.},
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In 1996, the inclusion of sexual orientation in the anti-discrimination clause of South Africa's post-apartheid constitution aligned LGBT+ rights with the larger struggle against oppression and inequality. In this paper we focus on a small, rural town in the Eastern Cape, a town we call Forestville. How are LGBT+ identities made visible in this town? How do residents respond to the diverse sexualities they encounter? How do they talk about diversity (sexual and otherwise)? The data was collected in the context of a long-term ethnographic project, which looks at responses to diversity in non-metropolitan settings. Reconstructing local philosophies of hospitality and looking at affective-discursive practice, we argue that social life in Forestville shows traces of what Derrida (2000) calls ‘absolute hospitality’. There is a sense of welcome and inclusivity, but, unlike in Derrida's conception, this hospitality is deeply embedded in the speech act of asking, indeed in curiosity. At the same time, hospitality remains fragile; it is always on the border of exclusion and judgment. The article explores Mignolo's (2000) idea of ‘critical border thinking’ as a core episteme for Southern theory and puts academic philosophy and everyday knowledges into dialogue with one another.
2016
Deumert, Ana
In: Journal of Sociolinguistics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 138-142, 2016.
@article{Deumert2016,
title = {RenaTorres Cacoullos, NathalieDion and AndréLapierre (eds.). Linguistic Variation: Confronting Fact and Theory. London: Routledge. 2015. 368 pp. Hb (9781138024540) £95.00 / Pb (9781138024557) £39.99.},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1111/josl.12222},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-11-01},
journal = {Journal of Sociolinguistics},
volume = {21},
number = {2},
pages = {138-142},
abstract = {In a recent paper, published in the Journal of Sociolinguistics, Leonie Cornips and Frans Gregersen (2016: 509) argue that ‘to get to grips with variation that does indeed involve semantics’ is one of the key challenges for work in variationist sociolinguistics. And it is this aspect of the volume under review, starting ‘to get to grips’ with not only syntactic structure but also meaning, which makes this collection an important contribution to the variationist literature. The ‘accountability principle’–the importance of including contexts where a variable could have occurred but didn’t–is particularly tricky when it comes to syntax and pragmatics, and to define the ‘envelope of variation’is often difficult. The volume under review is a welcome resource for anyone interested in, especially, the study of variation beyond phonetics/phonology.},
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In a recent paper, published in the Journal of Sociolinguistics, Leonie Cornips and Frans Gregersen (2016: 509) argue that ‘to get to grips with variation that does indeed involve semantics’ is one of the key challenges for work in variationist sociolinguistics. And it is this aspect of the volume under review, starting ‘to get to grips’ with not only syntactic structure but also meaning, which makes this collection an important contribution to the variationist literature. The ‘accountability principle’–the importance of including contexts where a variable could have occurred but didn’t–is particularly tricky when it comes to syntax and pragmatics, and to define the ‘envelope of variation’is often difficult. The volume under review is a welcome resource for anyone interested in, especially, the study of variation beyond phonetics/phonology.
Deumert, Ana; Mabandla, Nkululeko
i-Dollar eyi one! Language, Communication Networks and Economic Participation, Towards an Inclusive Economy Journal Article
In: DPRU/TIPS conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, October, pp. 18-20, 2016.
@article{Deumert2016bb,
title = {i-Dollar eyi one! Language, Communication Networks and Economic Participation, Towards an Inclusive Economy},
author = {Ana Deumert and Nkululeko Mabandla},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-10-18},
journal = {DPRU/TIPS conference, Johannesburg, South Africa, October},
pages = {18-20},
abstract = {This paper explores the importance of language and communication networks in socio-economic transformation, focusing on Cape Town’s ‘poor’residents. Two important aspects of the city’s economy will be discussed on the basis of survey data and anthropological interviews:(a) the labour market (section 1), and (b) informal entrepreneurial activities (including some observations on emerging consumption patterns; section 2). South Africa’s urban economies have been shaped to a large extent by the dynamics of rural-urban migration and the sample on which the analysis is based is drawn from two severely deprived areas in Cape Town with a high percentage (around 80%) of ruralborn residents: Imizamo Yethu (ward 74), and the old municipal hostel area in Guguletu’s NY1 (ward 42). In the conclusion of the paper the authors discuss the policy implications of the study.},
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This paper explores the importance of language and communication networks in socio-economic transformation, focusing on Cape Town’s ‘poor’residents. Two important aspects of the city’s economy will be discussed on the basis of survey data and anthropological interviews:(a) the labour market (section 1), and (b) informal entrepreneurial activities (including some observations on emerging consumption patterns; section 2). South Africa’s urban economies have been shaped to a large extent by the dynamics of rural-urban migration and the sample on which the analysis is based is drawn from two severely deprived areas in Cape Town with a high percentage (around 80%) of ruralborn residents: Imizamo Yethu (ward 74), and the old municipal hostel area in Guguletu’s NY1 (ward 42). In the conclusion of the paper the authors discuss the policy implications of the study.
Deumert, Ana; Mabandla, Nkululeko
Globalization Off the Beaten Track—Chinese Migration to South Africa’s Rural Towns Book Chapter
In: pp. 15, Routledge, 2016.
@inbook{Deumert2016b,
title = {Globalization Off the Beaten Track—Chinese Migration to South Africa’s Rural Towns},
author = {Ana Deumert and Nkululeko Mabandla},
year = {2016},
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abstract = {In a recent paper, Xuan Wang and her colleagues (2014: 26) have argued that much existing work on globalization shows an urban bias: social scientists, including sociolinguists, have, by and large, focused their attention on ‘the huge contemporary metropolis with its explosive and conspicuous diversity in people and language, its hyper-mobility and constant flux’. Peri-urban and rural areas, on the other hand, have remained understudied. There is often an implicit assumption that the effects of globalization might be less pervasive and dramatic—and thus less interesting—in non-metropolitan contexts. In order to address this imbalance in current scholarship, it is necessary to look more closely at non-metropolitan contexts. This allows us to arrive at a more ‘complete’understanding of globalization by ‘adding insights from places not usually or immediately identified as “globalized”’(Wang et al. 2014: 38; similar concerns have been raised by human geographers, see Woods 2007, McCarthy 2008, and Hedberg and Haandrikman 2014).
Our ongoing collaborative work responds to the call for research in non-metropolitan contexts by studying globalization in two rural towns in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. These towns participate in what Xuan Wang and her colleagues have called ‘infrastructures of globalization’. Thus, communication technologies are available in the form of mobile phones and internet cafés. In addition, new forms of transnational economic activity have transformed retail trading and created new patterns of consumption and social relation. },
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In a recent paper, Xuan Wang and her colleagues (2014: 26) have argued that much existing work on globalization shows an urban bias: social scientists, including sociolinguists, have, by and large, focused their attention on ‘the huge contemporary metropolis with its explosive and conspicuous diversity in people and language, its hyper-mobility and constant flux’. Peri-urban and rural areas, on the other hand, have remained understudied. There is often an implicit assumption that the effects of globalization might be less pervasive and dramatic—and thus less interesting—in non-metropolitan contexts. In order to address this imbalance in current scholarship, it is necessary to look more closely at non-metropolitan contexts. This allows us to arrive at a more ‘complete’understanding of globalization by ‘adding insights from places not usually or immediately identified as “globalized”’(Wang et al. 2014: 38; similar concerns have been raised by human geographers, see Woods 2007, McCarthy 2008, and Hedberg and Haandrikman 2014).
Our ongoing collaborative work responds to the call for research in non-metropolitan contexts by studying globalization in two rural towns in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. These towns participate in what Xuan Wang and her colleagues have called ‘infrastructures of globalization’. Thus, communication technologies are available in the form of mobile phones and internet cafés. In addition, new forms of transnational economic activity have transformed retail trading and created new patterns of consumption and social relation.
Our ongoing collaborative work responds to the call for research in non-metropolitan contexts by studying globalization in two rural towns in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. These towns participate in what Xuan Wang and her colleagues have called ‘infrastructures of globalization’. Thus, communication technologies are available in the form of mobile phones and internet cafés. In addition, new forms of transnational economic activity have transformed retail trading and created new patterns of consumption and social relation.
2015
Deumert, Ana
Entrevista com Ana Deumert Journal Article
In: Working Papers em Linguística, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 239-241, 2015.
@article{Deumert2015,
title = {Entrevista com Ana Deumert},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.5007/1984-8420.2015v16n2p239},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-12-21},
journal = {Working Papers em Linguística},
volume = {16},
number = {2},
pages = {239-241},
abstract = {Os direitos autorais de trabalhos publicados são dos autores, que cedem à Revista Working Papers em Linguística o direito de publicação, ficando sua reimpressão, total ou parcial, sujeita à autorização expressa da Comissão Editorial da revista. Deve ser consignada a fonte de publicação original. Os nomes e endereços de e-mail neste site serão usados exclusivamente para os propósitos da revista, não estando disponíveis para outros fins. The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.},
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Os direitos autorais de trabalhos publicados são dos autores, que cedem à Revista Working Papers em Linguística o direito de publicação, ficando sua reimpressão, total ou parcial, sujeita à autorização expressa da Comissão Editorial da revista. Deve ser consignada a fonte de publicação original. Os nomes e endereços de e-mail neste site serão usados exclusivamente para os propósitos da revista, não estando disponíveis para outros fins. The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.
2014
Deumert, Ana
Sociolinguistics and mobile communication Book
Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
@book{Deumert2014,
title = {Sociolinguistics and mobile communication},
author = {Ana Deumert},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-12-11},
publisher = {Edinburgh University Press},
abstract = {Have wireless mobile communication technologies changed the way people talk to one another? What does it mean to be able to speak or write to anyone, anywhere, 24/7/365, and get an immediate response? And what does the current profusion of these technologies mean for the study of language in social life? Do we need to develop new approaches, methodologies and theories? Taking a global perspective, this volume provides readers with a nuanced, ethnographically-informed understanding of mobile communication and sociolinguistics. The text explores a wide range of digital applications, including SMS, email, tweeting, Facebook, YouTube, chatting, blogging, Wikipedia, Second Life and gaming Raising important questions about the nature of language and the creativity of speakers, Ana Deumert examines the role of multimodality and intertextuality in creating meaning, as well as the realities and consequences of digital linguistic inequality. Key features. • Illustrates core concepts in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology • Applies sociolinguistic theories of language from Humboldt and Sapir to post-structuralism to new media • Provides a global and multilingual perspective on digital communication practices and discusses digital inequality and its consequences for sociolinguistic research • Includes a focus on linguistic creativity and poetic language. Drawing on examples from across the world, as well as original multilingual data and analyzes from South Africa.},
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Have wireless mobile communication technologies changed the way people talk to one another? What does it mean to be able to speak or write to anyone, anywhere, 24/7/365, and get an immediate response? And what does the current profusion of these technologies mean for the study of language in social life? Do we need to develop new approaches, methodologies and theories? Taking a global perspective, this volume provides readers with a nuanced, ethnographically-informed understanding of mobile communication and sociolinguistics. The text explores a wide range of digital applications, including SMS, email, tweeting, Facebook, YouTube, chatting, blogging, Wikipedia, Second Life and gaming Raising important questions about the nature of language and the creativity of speakers, Ana Deumert examines the role of multimodality and intertextuality in creating meaning, as well as the realities and consequences of digital linguistic inequality. Key features. • Illustrates core concepts in sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology • Applies sociolinguistic theories of language from Humboldt and Sapir to post-structuralism to new media • Provides a global and multilingual perspective on digital communication practices and discusses digital inequality and its consequences for sociolinguistic research • Includes a focus on linguistic creativity and poetic language. Drawing on examples from across the world, as well as original multilingual data and analyzes from South Africa.
Deumert, Ana
Digital Superdiversity: A Commentary Journal Article
In: Discourse, Context & Media, vol. 4-5, pp. 116-120, 2014.
@article{Deumert2014b,
title = {Digital Superdiversity: A Commentary},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1016/j.dcm.2014.08.003},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-06-01},
journal = {Discourse, Context & Media},
volume = {4-5},
pages = {116-120},
abstract = {Superdiversity has emerged as an important keyword in the field of sociolinguistics. In this article, I argue that the use of ‘superdiverse’ as a descriptive adjective is a theoretical cul-de-sac, because the complexities brought about by diversity in the social world ultimately defy numerical measurement (as it would require infinitely more fine-grained categories of difference). Consequently, superdiversity is best used as a conceptual device, that is, as a theoretical perspective on language and social life (e.g. Blommaert and Rampton 2011). As a conceptual tool, rather than an empirical fact, superdiversity is part of a broader concern in contemporary sociolinguistics to develop a new theoretical vocabulary. The articles collected in this special issue respond to this call and illustrate the diversities of digital engagement. However, while superdiversity directs our attention towards complexity and unpredicability, the papers collected also draw attention to a counter-movement: a persistent desire for normativity and predictability. In the final section of the article, I suggest that it would be fruitful to bring together on-going work on superdiversity with equally on-going work on creativity, as both share a focus on the unexpected and creative uses of language. Both thus provide a counter-narrative to the desire for normativity and predictability, and allow us to develop a theoretical perspective which moves beyond statistical patterns and conventions, and recognizes language as a fundamentally open system.},
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Superdiversity has emerged as an important keyword in the field of sociolinguistics. In this article, I argue that the use of ‘superdiverse’ as a descriptive adjective is a theoretical cul-de-sac, because the complexities brought about by diversity in the social world ultimately defy numerical measurement (as it would require infinitely more fine-grained categories of difference). Consequently, superdiversity is best used as a conceptual device, that is, as a theoretical perspective on language and social life (e.g. Blommaert and Rampton 2011). As a conceptual tool, rather than an empirical fact, superdiversity is part of a broader concern in contemporary sociolinguistics to develop a new theoretical vocabulary. The articles collected in this special issue respond to this call and illustrate the diversities of digital engagement. However, while superdiversity directs our attention towards complexity and unpredicability, the papers collected also draw attention to a counter-movement: a persistent desire for normativity and predictability. In the final section of the article, I suggest that it would be fruitful to bring together on-going work on superdiversity with equally on-going work on creativity, as both share a focus on the unexpected and creative uses of language. Both thus provide a counter-narrative to the desire for normativity and predictability, and allow us to develop a theoretical perspective which moves beyond statistical patterns and conventions, and recognizes language as a fundamentally open system.
Deumert, Ana
The performance of a ludic self on social network(ing) sites Book Chapter
In: pp. 23-45, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2014, ISBN: 978-1-349-44013-9.
@inbook{Deumert2014bb,
title = {The performance of a ludic self on social network(ing) sites},
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year = {2014},
date = {2014-01-01},
pages = {23-45},
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abstract = {This chapter explores contemporary social network(ing)1 applications as a space for the performance of a ludic self and the carnivalesque. Although digital media are also used for serious, information-focused communication, many interactions appear to follow the broad conversational maxim of ‘keep it light/fun’, and as such these media have become a vehicle for what the philosopher Jos de Mul (2005) has called ‘ludic self-construction’, that is, they provide a space in which we relate to ourselves and others in a playful manner.},
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This chapter explores contemporary social network(ing)1 applications as a space for the performance of a ludic self and the carnivalesque. Although digital media are also used for serious, information-focused communication, many interactions appear to follow the broad conversational maxim of ‘keep it light/fun’, and as such these media have become a vehicle for what the philosopher Jos de Mul (2005) has called ‘ludic self-construction’, that is, they provide a space in which we relate to ourselves and others in a playful manner.
2013
Deumert, Ana; Lexander, Kristin Vold
Texting Africa: Writing as Performance Journal Article
In: vol. 17, 2013.
@article{Deumert2013,
title = {Texting Africa: Writing as Performance},
author = {Ana Deumert and Kristin Vold Lexander},
doi = {10.1111/josl.12043},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-09-01},
volume = {17},
abstract = {This paper discusses African multilingual digital writing, focusing on one digital genre: texting. Our analysis draws on quantitative and qualitative data from five highly multilingual African countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. Writers are shown to draw on local as well as global linguistic resources in crafting their messages. Being a good texter requires the performance of ‘textual linguistic dexterity’: the ability to articulate meaning through the skillful use of both global and local forms. Good texters are valued by their audiences not only for the speed with which they reply, but also their ability to ‘play with words’. The quantitative data shows such practices to be widespread, while the qualitative data allows us to understand writers’ motivations and underlying linguistics ideologies. Texting is frequently used in intimate interactions, especially for expressions of love, affection and attraction. Through the juxtaposition of linguistic material, and drawing on the social meanings of different resources within their multilingual repertoires, writers are able to project particular personae and to negotiate various forms of emotional attachment.},
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This paper discusses African multilingual digital writing, focusing on one digital genre: texting. Our analysis draws on quantitative and qualitative data from five highly multilingual African countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa. Writers are shown to draw on local as well as global linguistic resources in crafting their messages. Being a good texter requires the performance of ‘textual linguistic dexterity’: the ability to articulate meaning through the skillful use of both global and local forms. Good texters are valued by their audiences not only for the speed with which they reply, but also their ability to ‘play with words’. The quantitative data shows such practices to be widespread, while the qualitative data allows us to understand writers’ motivations and underlying linguistics ideologies. Texting is frequently used in intimate interactions, especially for expressions of love, affection and attraction. Through the juxtaposition of linguistic material, and drawing on the social meanings of different resources within their multilingual repertoires, writers are able to project particular personae and to negotiate various forms of emotional attachment.
Deumert, Ana
Xhosa in town (revisited) – space, place and language Journal Article
In: International journal of the sociology of language, vol. 2013, no. 222, pp. 51-75, 2013.
@article{Deumert2013bb,
title = {Xhosa in town (revisited) – space, place and language},
author = {Ana Deumert},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-07-16},
journal = {International journal of the sociology of language},
volume = {2013},
number = {222},
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abstract = {This article looks at a particular type of migration, that is, the often cyclical and pendulum-like movements from the villages of the Eastern Cape to Cape Town (South Africa). The ethnographic analysis focuses on the semiotic practices migrants engage in as they make the city their home, and develop urban styles of speaking and being (i.e. fashion themselves as urban personae). Drawing on Bank (2011) and Dick (2010, 2011), these two processes are referred to as place-making and people-making. Two urban ways of speaking are discussed in some detail: the emblematic use of English material in an isiXhosa frame (indexing aspiration and mobility), and the symbolic meanings of Tsotsitaal as a quintessentially urban speech style which indexes social as well local (neighborhood) identity. However, as speakers navigate the complex, shifting and often stylized variety space of the city they draw not only on speech forms which are indexical of urbanity, but also on “deep” isiXhosa, that is, a style of speaking which evokes the normativities of traditional, rural authenticity.},
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This article looks at a particular type of migration, that is, the often cyclical and pendulum-like movements from the villages of the Eastern Cape to Cape Town (South Africa). The ethnographic analysis focuses on the semiotic practices migrants engage in as they make the city their home, and develop urban styles of speaking and being (i.e. fashion themselves as urban personae). Drawing on Bank (2011) and Dick (2010, 2011), these two processes are referred to as place-making and people-making. Two urban ways of speaking are discussed in some detail: the emblematic use of English material in an isiXhosa frame (indexing aspiration and mobility), and the symbolic meanings of Tsotsitaal as a quintessentially urban speech style which indexes social as well local (neighborhood) identity. However, as speakers navigate the complex, shifting and often stylized variety space of the city they draw not only on speech forms which are indexical of urbanity, but also on “deep” isiXhosa, that is, a style of speaking which evokes the normativities of traditional, rural authenticity.
Deumert, Ana; Mabandla, Nkululeko
‘Every day a new shop pops up’ – South Africa's ‘New’ Chinese Diaspora and the Multilingual Transformation of Rural Towns Journal Article
In: English Today, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 44-52, 2013.
@article{Deumert2013b,
title = {‘Every day a new shop pops up’ – South Africa's ‘New’ Chinese Diaspora and the Multilingual Transformation of Rural Towns},
author = {Ana Deumert and Nkululeko Mabandla},
doi = {10.1017/S0266078412000508},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-03-01},
journal = {English Today},
volume = {29},
number = {1},
pages = {44-52},
abstract = {In this paper we will provide a preliminary overview of the Chinese diaspora in South Africa, with particular focus on non-metropolitan, rural contexts. The migrations of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries have produced a complex array of Chinese communities around the world. While we know a fair amount about the Chinese diasporas in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and also diasporic communities within Asia, Africa's Chinese community remains a vastly understudied aspect of this larger Chinese diaspora (Ma & Cartier, 2003). Yet there have been long-standing ties between Africa and China, going back to the fifteenth century, and presently China is one of Africa's biggest trade partners and investors (Rotberg, 2008).},
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In this paper we will provide a preliminary overview of the Chinese diaspora in South Africa, with particular focus on non-metropolitan, rural contexts. The migrations of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries have produced a complex array of Chinese communities around the world. While we know a fair amount about the Chinese diasporas in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and also diasporic communities within Asia, Africa's Chinese community remains a vastly understudied aspect of this larger Chinese diaspora (Ma & Cartier, 2003). Yet there have been long-standing ties between Africa and China, going back to the fifteenth century, and presently China is one of Africa's biggest trade partners and investors (Rotberg, 2008).
2012
Deumert, Ana
Raymond Hickey (ed.), The handbook of language contact. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Pp. xviii, 863. Hb. $199.95. Journal Article
In: Language in Society, vol. 41, no. 04, pp. 527-530, 2012.
@article{Deumert2012,
title = {Raymond Hickey (ed.), The handbook of language contact. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Pp. xviii, 863. Hb. $199.95.},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1017/S0047404512000516},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-09-01},
journal = {Language in Society},
volume = {41},
number = {04},
pages = {527-530},
abstract = {The handbook of language contact is the latest addition to the impressive set of Blackwell handbooks in linguistics. The volume is divided into four parts with forty articles in total. Part 1, Contact and linguistics (six chapters), locates the study of language contact vis a vis central topics i n general linguistics: language change and historical linguistics (including quantitative and compu tational ap proaches), language classi fication, typology, grammaticalization, and grammatical theory. Part 2, Contact and change (six chapters), looks at a range of possible out comes and consequences of language contact: language shift, borrowing, code switch ing, dialect contact and change, the emergence of new variet ies, and pidgin/creole languages. Prut 3, Contact and society (five chapters), includes diverse topics such as fieldwork issues, ethnicity, scenarios and typologies, as well as a chapter on language death (see below for a more detailed disscussion of the chapters in Part 3). The largest section is Part 4, which provides the reader with a range of case studies of language contact (twenty-three chapters). The first chapter, by Johanna Nichols, provides a useful overview of language contact with respect to macrofami lies and 1nacroareas. It is followed by chapters on contact in the prehistory of In doeuropea and the Germanic languages (Paul Roberge). Moving from macrofamilies to individ ual languages, the following five chapters focus on the history of English in various localities (United Kingdom/early history, United States, Caribbean, Asia, and Africa). While English thus receives quite detailed coverage, the same cannot be said for the remaining 6,000 or so languages of the world, which are discussed mainly in terms of macrofamilies (Celtic, Slavic, Finno-Ugric, Turkic, North American languages, Siberian languages, Ch i nese languages, and Australian indigenous languages). Spanish and Portuguese share one article (John Lipski) Arabic has its own entry (Kees Ver steegh). In terms of geograph ical areas there are ind ividual chapters on the Balkans, Africa, South Asia, New Gu inea, and the Pacific. The relative overrepresentation of English among the case studies is a reflection of the very real inequalities between languages and their study (Hy mes 1973).},
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The handbook of language contact is the latest addition to the impressive set of Blackwell handbooks in linguistics. The volume is divided into four parts with forty articles in total. Part 1, Contact and linguistics (six chapters), locates the study of language contact vis a vis central topics i n general linguistics: language change and historical linguistics (including quantitative and compu tational ap proaches), language classi fication, typology, grammaticalization, and grammatical theory. Part 2, Contact and change (six chapters), looks at a range of possible out comes and consequences of language contact: language shift, borrowing, code switch ing, dialect contact and change, the emergence of new variet ies, and pidgin/creole languages. Prut 3, Contact and society (five chapters), includes diverse topics such as fieldwork issues, ethnicity, scenarios and typologies, as well as a chapter on language death (see below for a more detailed disscussion of the chapters in Part 3). The largest section is Part 4, which provides the reader with a range of case studies of language contact (twenty-three chapters). The first chapter, by Johanna Nichols, provides a useful overview of language contact with respect to macrofami lies and 1nacroareas. It is followed by chapters on contact in the prehistory of In doeuropea and the Germanic languages (Paul Roberge). Moving from macrofamilies to individ ual languages, the following five chapters focus on the history of English in various localities (United Kingdom/early history, United States, Caribbean, Asia, and Africa). While English thus receives quite detailed coverage, the same cannot be said for the remaining 6,000 or so languages of the world, which are discussed mainly in terms of macrofamilies (Celtic, Slavic, Finno-Ugric, Turkic, North American languages, Siberian languages, Ch i nese languages, and Australian indigenous languages). Spanish and Portuguese share one article (John Lipski) Arabic has its own entry (Kees Ver steegh). In terms of geograph ical areas there are ind ividual chapters on the Balkans, Africa, South Asia, New Gu inea, and the Pacific. The relative overrepresentation of English among the case studies is a reflection of the very real inequalities between languages and their study (Hy mes 1973).
Deumert, Ana
Giving voice Book Chapter
In: pp. 377-388, John Benjamins, 2012.
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Welcome to e-content platform of John Benjamins Publishing Company. Here you can find all of our electronic books and journals, for purchase and download or subscriber access.
Deumert, Ana
The handbook of language contact by Raymond Hickey Journal Article
In: Language in Society, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 527-530, 2012.
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2011
Deumert, Ana
Language Variation and Standardization at the Cape (1880–1922): A Contribution To Afrikaans Sociohistorical Linguistics Journal Article
In: Journal of Germanic Linguistics, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 301-352, 2011.
@article{Deumert2011,
title = {Language Variation and Standardization at the Cape (1880–1922): A Contribution To Afrikaans Sociohistorical Linguistics},
author = {Ana Deumert},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-12-01},
journal = {Journal of Germanic Linguistics},
volume = {13},
number = {4},
pages = {301-352},
abstract = {Bien loin que l'objet précède le point de vue, on dirait que c'est le point de vue qui crée l'objet (Ferdinand de Saussure 1916:23). Traditionally, historiographers of Afrikaans have argued that a relatively uniform (spoken) vernacular existed at the Cape from the late eighteenth century, where it constituted the L(ow) variety in a diglossic situation (see Raidt 1991). Standardization of Afrikaans has been described accordingly in a “naturalistic” fashion as the codification and elaboration of this preexistent vernacular. This paper summarizes the results of a variationist study of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century documents that shows the traditional view to be seriously flawed. While “Cape Dutch Vernacular” (or “Afrikaans,” as it came to be called) was a well-defined entity in the popular consciousness from the mid-nineteenth century, the actual patterns of language use in the historical texts indicate the existence of a complex social dialect continuum until the early twentieth century. Variation patterns described for the late eighteenth century are shown still to be productive around 1900. Linguistic standardization, understood as the reduction of variation and the emergence of a linguistic norm, was rapid and strongly marked by cultural and political nationalism.},
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Bien loin que l'objet précède le point de vue, on dirait que c'est le point de vue qui crée l'objet (Ferdinand de Saussure 1916:23). Traditionally, historiographers of Afrikaans have argued that a relatively uniform (spoken) vernacular existed at the Cape from the late eighteenth century, where it constituted the L(ow) variety in a diglossic situation (see Raidt 1991). Standardization of Afrikaans has been described accordingly in a “naturalistic” fashion as the codification and elaboration of this preexistent vernacular. This paper summarizes the results of a variationist study of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century documents that shows the traditional view to be seriously flawed. While “Cape Dutch Vernacular” (or “Afrikaans,” as it came to be called) was a well-defined entity in the popular consciousness from the mid-nineteenth century, the actual patterns of language use in the historical texts indicate the existence of a complex social dialect continuum until the early twentieth century. Variation patterns described for the late eighteenth century are shown still to be productive around 1900. Linguistic standardization, understood as the reduction of variation and the emergence of a linguistic norm, was rapid and strongly marked by cultural and political nationalism.
2010
Deumert, Ana
Imbodela zamakhumsha Reflections on standardization and destandardization Journal Article
In: Multilingua - Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication, vol. 29, no. 3-4, pp. 243-264, 2010.
@article{Deumert2010,
title = {Imbodela zamakhumsha Reflections on standardization and destandardization},
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abstract = {While the concept of standardization is well-established in linguistics, de-standardization is a more recent addition to linguistic terminology. Draw-ing on historiographic and ethnographic data from isiXhosa, one of South Africa's indigenous languages, this paper reflects on both of these concepts. Standardization is discussed as a modernist grand narrative whose contin-ued application to linguistic thinking has outlived its usefulness, and stan-dard languages as such (hegemonoc, prescriptive, etc.) might be assigned to Beck's (2002) zombie categories of modernity. Discussing the example of brandy-talk in isiXhosa from the perspective of ethnographic lexicogra-phy (Silverstein 2006), the paper argues for a linguistic perspective which focuses on the articulation and reproduction of social meaning as a central mechanism in the formation of linguistic conventions or ways of speaking. It advocates a recognition of the practices of speakers as they draw on standard and non-standard forms, as well as their associated meanings and ideologies (first/second order indexicality), in positioning themselves as social beings with identities, histories, aspirations, and ideological stances in everyday talk. In practice, the study of language is in some degree or other the concern of everyone. But a paradoxical consequence of this general interest is that no other subject has fostered more absurd notions, more prejudices, more illusions and more fantasies … it is the primary task of the linguist to denounce them, and to eradicate them as completely as possible.},
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While the concept of standardization is well-established in linguistics, de-standardization is a more recent addition to linguistic terminology. Draw-ing on historiographic and ethnographic data from isiXhosa, one of South Africa's indigenous languages, this paper reflects on both of these concepts. Standardization is discussed as a modernist grand narrative whose contin-ued application to linguistic thinking has outlived its usefulness, and stan-dard languages as such (hegemonoc, prescriptive, etc.) might be assigned to Beck's (2002) zombie categories of modernity. Discussing the example of brandy-talk in isiXhosa from the perspective of ethnographic lexicogra-phy (Silverstein 2006), the paper argues for a linguistic perspective which focuses on the articulation and reproduction of social meaning as a central mechanism in the formation of linguistic conventions or ways of speaking. It advocates a recognition of the practices of speakers as they draw on standard and non-standard forms, as well as their associated meanings and ideologies (first/second order indexicality), in positioning themselves as social beings with identities, histories, aspirations, and ideological stances in everyday talk. In practice, the study of language is in some degree or other the concern of everyone. But a paradoxical consequence of this general interest is that no other subject has fostered more absurd notions, more prejudices, more illusions and more fantasies … it is the primary task of the linguist to denounce them, and to eradicate them as completely as possible.
Deumert, Ana
Tracking the demographics of (urban) language shift – an analysis of South African census data Journal Article
In: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 13-35, 2010.
@article{Deumert2010b,
title = {Tracking the demographics of (urban) language shift – an analysis of South African census data},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1080/01434630903215125},
year = {2010},
date = {2010-02-01},
journal = {Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development},
volume = {31},
number = {1},
pages = {13-35},
abstract = {This paper provides an analysis of language shift from African languages to English (and Afrikaans) in South Africa, using home language data from the South African population census (1996 and 2001). Although census data have been criticised for its ‘essentialist’ construction of language, they nevertheless provide sociolinguists with a unique opportunity to analyse language choice and shift across large populations, based on a full head-count rather than statistical sampling. The focus of the discussion is on the metropolitan city of Cape Town (with its three-language profile, Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa). The methodology uses small-area statistics to understand the role of social variables (social class, age and gender) in structuring processes of past and present language shift. The results show that language shift (a) has considerable historical depth in South Africa, (b) shows clear patterns of spatial and social variation and (c) is not limited to the middle classes which linguists have often seen to be at the centre of the process.},
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This paper provides an analysis of language shift from African languages to English (and Afrikaans) in South Africa, using home language data from the South African population census (1996 and 2001). Although census data have been criticised for its ‘essentialist’ construction of language, they nevertheless provide sociolinguists with a unique opportunity to analyse language choice and shift across large populations, based on a full head-count rather than statistical sampling. The focus of the discussion is on the metropolitan city of Cape Town (with its three-language profile, Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa). The methodology uses small-area statistics to understand the role of social variables (social class, age and gender) in structuring processes of past and present language shift. The results show that language shift (a) has considerable historical depth in South Africa, (b) shows clear patterns of spatial and social variation and (c) is not limited to the middle classes which linguists have often seen to be at the centre of the process.
2009
Deumert, Ana
Namibian Kiche Duits: The Making (and Decline) of a Neo-African Language Journal Article
In: Journal of Germanic Linguistics, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 349-417, 2009.
@article{Deumert2009,
title = {Namibian Kiche Duits: The Making (and Decline) of a Neo-African Language},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1017/S1470542709990122},
year = {2009},
date = {2009-12-01},
journal = {Journal of Germanic Linguistics},
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abstract = {This paper provides the first overview of the history, sociolinguistics, and structures of Namibian Kiche Duits (lit. “kitchen German”), which is today a dying contact variety. The analysis draws on archival records, colonial publications, and memoirs, as well as over 120 sociolinguistic interviews conducted in 2000. Early varieties of Namibian Kiche Duits emerged from 1900 under German colonial rule. The language was used primarily for inter-ethnic communication within the work context. However, speakers also “crossed” playfully into Kiche Duits in a number of within-group speech genres (competition games, scolding, banter, etc.), thus appropriating the colonial language—alongside cultural borrowings (Truppenspieler, “traditional” dress)—for new in-group practices. These within-group uses contributed to the linguistic stabilization of the language as well as the formation of new (post-)colonial (neo-African) identities.},
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This paper provides the first overview of the history, sociolinguistics, and structures of Namibian Kiche Duits (lit. “kitchen German”), which is today a dying contact variety. The analysis draws on archival records, colonial publications, and memoirs, as well as over 120 sociolinguistic interviews conducted in 2000. Early varieties of Namibian Kiche Duits emerged from 1900 under German colonial rule. The language was used primarily for inter-ethnic communication within the work context. However, speakers also “crossed” playfully into Kiche Duits in a number of within-group speech genres (competition games, scolding, banter, etc.), thus appropriating the colonial language—alongside cultural borrowings (Truppenspieler, “traditional” dress)—for new in-group practices. These within-group uses contributed to the linguistic stabilization of the language as well as the formation of new (post-)colonial (neo-African) identities.
Deumert, Ana; Vosloo, Steve; Walton, Marion
m4Lit: a teen m-novel project in South Africa Journal Article
In: Proceedings of mLearn, pp. 207-211, 2009.
@article{Deumert2009bb,
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abstract = {The m4Lit (mobile phones for literacy) pilot project will create a mobile novel (m-novel), published on a mobisite in English and in isiXhosa, to explore ways of supporting teen leisure reading and writing around fictional texts in South Africa, using mobile media. The story will be published serially and invite readers to interact with it as it unfolds - teens will vote on and discuss the unfolding plot, leave comments, and finally submit a written piece as part of a competition. The study will contribute to the understanding of mobile literacies, from a new literacy studies perspective. Author Keywords mobile phones; m-novel; teenagers; South Africa; new literacy studies; new literacies; literacy.},
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The m4Lit (mobile phones for literacy) pilot project will create a mobile novel (m-novel), published on a mobisite in English and in isiXhosa, to explore ways of supporting teen leisure reading and writing around fictional texts in South Africa, using mobile media. The story will be published serially and invite readers to interact with it as it unfolds - teens will vote on and discuss the unfolding plot, leave comments, and finally submit a written piece as part of a competition. The study will contribute to the understanding of mobile literacies, from a new literacy studies perspective. Author Keywords mobile phones; m-novel; teenagers; South Africa; new literacy studies; new literacies; literacy.
Deumert, Ana; Mabandla, Nkululeko
I-Dollar EYI One!1–Ethnolinguistic Fractionalisation, Communication Networks and Economic Participation–Lessons from Cape Town, South Africa Journal Article
In: The Journal of Development Studies, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 412-440, 2009.
@article{Deumert2009b,
title = {I-Dollar EYI One!1–Ethnolinguistic Fractionalisation, Communication Networks and Economic Participation–Lessons from Cape Town, South Africa},
author = {Ana Deumert and Nkululeko Mabandla},
doi = {10.1080/00220380802582353},
year = {2009},
date = {2009-03-01},
journal = {The Journal of Development Studies},
volume = {45},
number = {3},
pages = {412-440},
abstract = {The relationship between ethnolinguistic fractionalisation and development has long been of interest to economists and linguists. While econometric analyses have shown relatively stable interactions between high levels of fractionalisation and low indices of development, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are still unclear. This paper explores the importance of fragmented versus unified communication networks for socio-economic development, using data from Cape Town, South Africa. Like other cities in low- and middle-income countries, Cape Town shows growing linguistic diversity due to high levels of rural–urban migration. Two aspects of the city's economy will be discussed on the basis of specialised survey data and anthropological fieldwork: (a) the labour market, and (b) informal entrepreneurial activities. The analysis shows the importance of language as an explanatory variable in the study of economic life, and allows us to advance our understanding of human and social capital formation in ethnolinguistically fragmented societies. In the conclusion the authors discuss the policy implications of the study.},
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The relationship between ethnolinguistic fractionalisation and development has long been of interest to economists and linguists. While econometric analyses have shown relatively stable interactions between high levels of fractionalisation and low indices of development, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are still unclear. This paper explores the importance of fragmented versus unified communication networks for socio-economic development, using data from Cape Town, South Africa. Like other cities in low- and middle-income countries, Cape Town shows growing linguistic diversity due to high levels of rural–urban migration. Two aspects of the city's economy will be discussed on the basis of specialised survey data and anthropological fieldwork: (a) the labour market, and (b) informal entrepreneurial activities. The analysis shows the importance of language as an explanatory variable in the study of economic life, and allows us to advance our understanding of human and social capital formation in ethnolinguistically fragmented societies. In the conclusion the authors discuss the policy implications of the study.
2008
Deumert, Ana; Masinyana, Sibabalwe Oscar
Mobile language choices — The use of English and isiXhosa in text messages Evidence from a bilingual South African sample Journal Article
In: English World-Wide, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 117-147, 2008.
@article{Deumert2008,
title = {Mobile language choices — The use of English and isiXhosa in text messages Evidence from a bilingual South African sample},
author = {Ana Deumert and Sibabalwe Oscar Masinyana},
doi = {10.1075/eww.29.2.02deu},
year = {2008},
date = {2008-04-01},
journal = {English World-Wide},
volume = {29},
number = {2},
pages = {117-147},
abstract = {This paper looks at language choice and use in South African SMS communication (texting) among bilingual (isiXhosa / English-speaking) users. Although English is the preferred language for most of the 22 participants (aged between 18 and 27), SMSes also create a forum for isiXhosa literacy (either in isiXhosa messages or in mixed English-isiXhosa messages). The English-language SMSes produced by these bilingual speakers share many of the features which have been reported for English SMS communication internationally (abbreviations, paralinguistic restitutions, non-standard spellings), and provide evidence for what one might call a global English SMS standard. At the same time, these SMSes contain local linguistic features and, in particular, local, cultural content. The isiXhosa messages differ markedly from the writers' English-language messages in that they contain no abbreviated material, non-standard spellings or paralinguistic restitutions. They thus violate the sociolinguistic maxims of SMS / texting as postulated by Thurlow (2003). These bilingual writers communicate in the electronic medium using two different languages as well as two, non-overlapping sets of sociolinguistic norms.},
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This paper looks at language choice and use in South African SMS communication (texting) among bilingual (isiXhosa / English-speaking) users. Although English is the preferred language for most of the 22 participants (aged between 18 and 27), SMSes also create a forum for isiXhosa literacy (either in isiXhosa messages or in mixed English-isiXhosa messages). The English-language SMSes produced by these bilingual speakers share many of the features which have been reported for English SMS communication internationally (abbreviations, paralinguistic restitutions, non-standard spellings), and provide evidence for what one might call a global English SMS standard. At the same time, these SMSes contain local linguistic features and, in particular, local, cultural content. The isiXhosa messages differ markedly from the writers' English-language messages in that they contain no abbreviated material, non-standard spellings or paralinguistic restitutions. They thus violate the sociolinguistic maxims of SMS / texting as postulated by Thurlow (2003). These bilingual writers communicate in the electronic medium using two different languages as well as two, non-overlapping sets of sociolinguistic norms.
2007
Deumert, Ana; Sawir, Erlenawati; Marginson, Simon; Nyland, Chris; Ramia, Gaby
Loneliness and International Students: An Australian Study Journal Article
In: Journal of studies in international education, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 148-180, 2007.
@article{Deumert2007,
title = {Loneliness and International Students: An Australian Study},
author = {Ana Deumert and Erlenawati Sawir and Simon Marginson and Chris Nyland and Gaby Ramia},
doi = {10.1177/1028315307299699},
year = {2007},
date = {2007-09-13},
journal = {Journal of studies in international education},
volume = {12},
number = {2},
pages = {148-180},
abstract = {In a study of international student security, consisting of 200 intensive interviews with students, resident onshore in Australia, it was found that two thirds of the group had experienced problems of loneliness and/or isolation, especially in the early months. According to Weiss, students experience both personal loneliness because of the loss of contact with families and social loneliness because of the loss of networks. Both forms of loneliness are at times exacerbated by their experiences in institutional sites. The article discusses the coping mechanisms that students use. It identifies a third kind of loneliness experienced by international students, cultural loneliness, triggered by the absence of the preferred cultural and/or linguistic environment. This can affect even students with adequate personal and social support. Thus, same-culture networks are often crucial for international students. Yet same-culture networks are not a universal panacea: They cannot substitute for adequate pastoral care by universities or ensure satisfactory engagement with local cultures, so some causes of cultural loneliness often remain. The article concludes that the creation of stronger bonds between international and local students in the educational setting, helping international students to remake their own cultural maps on their own terms, is key to a forward move on loneliness.},
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In a study of international student security, consisting of 200 intensive interviews with students, resident onshore in Australia, it was found that two thirds of the group had experienced problems of loneliness and/or isolation, especially in the early months. According to Weiss, students experience both personal loneliness because of the loss of contact with families and social loneliness because of the loss of networks. Both forms of loneliness are at times exacerbated by their experiences in institutional sites. The article discusses the coping mechanisms that students use. It identifies a third kind of loneliness experienced by international students, cultural loneliness, triggered by the absence of the preferred cultural and/or linguistic environment. This can affect even students with adequate personal and social support. Thus, same-culture networks are often crucial for international students. Yet same-culture networks are not a universal panacea: They cannot substitute for adequate pastoral care by universities or ensure satisfactory engagement with local cultures, so some causes of cultural loneliness often remain. The article concludes that the creation of stronger bonds between international and local students in the educational setting, helping international students to remake their own cultural maps on their own terms, is key to a forward move on loneliness.
2006
Deumert, Ana
Semantic Change, the Internet: and Text Messaging Journal Article
In: Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics, pp. 121-124, 2006.
@article{Deumert2006,
title = {Semantic Change, the Internet: and Text Messaging},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1016/B0-08-044854-2/01017-8},
year = {2006},
date = {2006-12-31},
journal = {Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics},
pages = {121-124},
abstract = {Since the 1980s, computer technology and mobile technology have given rise to various forms of textbased, electronic communication: e-mails, newsgroups, chatrooms, and, more recently, blogs (web logs that function as on-line diaries) and text messaging (Short Message Service, SMS). The language used in electronic communication has been described as a hybrid, showing both speech-like and writing-like features, as well as features that are unique to the digital medium and are, to some extent, the result of its technological restrictions. For instance, slow modems, limited bandwidth, costs, small screens, and typing speed are often cited as reasons for the preponderance of abbreviations in text-based electronic communication (cf. Baron, 2000; Shortis, 2000; Crystal, 2001).
The communicative need to use language efficiently within the constraints of the medium is complemented by the users’ desire for conceptual and communicative expressivity (on efficiency and expressivity in semantic change cf. Geeraerts, 1997: 102–108). Crystal (2001: 67) has highlighted the ‘‘strong, creative spirit’’that characterizes the language of Internet users:‘‘The rate at which they have been coining terms and introducing playful variations into established ones has no parallel in contemporary language use.’’Linguistic creativity and playfulness can be described as conversational maxims of electronic communication and are most noticeable in recreational contexts (such as chatting and texting; Danet, 2001; Crystal, 2001: 168–170).},
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Since the 1980s, computer technology and mobile technology have given rise to various forms of textbased, electronic communication: e-mails, newsgroups, chatrooms, and, more recently, blogs (web logs that function as on-line diaries) and text messaging (Short Message Service, SMS). The language used in electronic communication has been described as a hybrid, showing both speech-like and writing-like features, as well as features that are unique to the digital medium and are, to some extent, the result of its technological restrictions. For instance, slow modems, limited bandwidth, costs, small screens, and typing speed are often cited as reasons for the preponderance of abbreviations in text-based electronic communication (cf. Baron, 2000; Shortis, 2000; Crystal, 2001).
The communicative need to use language efficiently within the constraints of the medium is complemented by the users’ desire for conceptual and communicative expressivity (on efficiency and expressivity in semantic change cf. Geeraerts, 1997: 102–108). Crystal (2001: 67) has highlighted the ‘‘strong, creative spirit’’that characterizes the language of Internet users:‘‘The rate at which they have been coining terms and introducing playful variations into established ones has no parallel in contemporary language use.’’Linguistic creativity and playfulness can be described as conversational maxims of electronic communication and are most noticeable in recreational contexts (such as chatting and texting; Danet, 2001; Crystal, 2001: 168–170).
The communicative need to use language efficiently within the constraints of the medium is complemented by the users’ desire for conceptual and communicative expressivity (on efficiency and expressivity in semantic change cf. Geeraerts, 1997: 102–108). Crystal (2001: 67) has highlighted the ‘‘strong, creative spirit’’that characterizes the language of Internet users:‘‘The rate at which they have been coining terms and introducing playful variations into established ones has no parallel in contemporary language use.’’Linguistic creativity and playfulness can be described as conversational maxims of electronic communication and are most noticeable in recreational contexts (such as chatting and texting; Danet, 2001; Crystal, 2001: 168–170).
Deumert, Ana; Tame, Stephanie Durrleman
Structure and Variation in Language Contact Book
John Benjamins Publishing, 2006.
@book{Deumert2006b,
title = {Structure and Variation in Language Contact},
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doi = {10.1075/cll.29},
year = {2006},
date = {2006-11-30},
publisher = {John Benjamins Publishing},
abstract = {This volume presents a careful selection of fifteen articles presented at the SPCL meetings in Atlanta, Boston and Hawai'i in 2003 and 2004. The contributions reflect – from various perspectives and using different types of data – on the interplay between structure and variation in contact languages, both synchronically and diachronically. The contributors consider a wide range of languages, including Surinamese creoles, Chinook Jargon, Yiddish, AAVE, Haitian Creole, Afro-Hispanic and Afro-Portuguese varieties, Nigerian Pidgin, Sri Lankan Malay, Papiamentu, and Bahamian Creole English. A need to question and test existing claims regarding pidginization/creolization is evident in all contributions, and the authors provide analyses for a variety of grammatical structures: VO-ordering and affixation, agglutination, negation, TMAs, plural marking, the copula, and serial verb constructions. The volume provides ample evidence for the observation that pidgin/creole studies is today a mature subfield of linguistics which is making important contributions to general linguistic theory.},
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This volume presents a careful selection of fifteen articles presented at the SPCL meetings in Atlanta, Boston and Hawai'i in 2003 and 2004. The contributions reflect – from various perspectives and using different types of data – on the interplay between structure and variation in contact languages, both synchronically and diachronically. The contributors consider a wide range of languages, including Surinamese creoles, Chinook Jargon, Yiddish, AAVE, Haitian Creole, Afro-Hispanic and Afro-Portuguese varieties, Nigerian Pidgin, Sri Lankan Malay, Papiamentu, and Bahamian Creole English. A need to question and test existing claims regarding pidginization/creolization is evident in all contributions, and the authors provide analyses for a variety of grammatical structures: VO-ordering and affixation, agglutination, negation, TMAs, plural marking, the copula, and serial verb constructions. The volume provides ample evidence for the observation that pidgin/creole studies is today a mature subfield of linguistics which is making important contributions to general linguistic theory.
2005
Deumert, Ana; Inder, Brett; Maitra, Pushkar
Language, informal networks, and social protection Journal Article
In: Global Social Policy, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 303-328, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005,
title = {Language, informal networks, and social protection},
author = {Ana Deumert and Brett Inder and Pushkar Maitra},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-12-01},
journal = {Global Social Policy},
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number = {3},
pages = {303-328},
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}
Deumert, Ana; Marginson, Simon; Nyland, Chris; Ramia, Gaby; Sawir, Erlenawati
Global Migration and Social Protection RightsThe Social and Economic Security of Cross-Border Students in Australia Journal Article
In: Global Social Policy, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 329-352, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005b,
title = {Global Migration and Social Protection RightsThe Social and Economic Security of Cross-Border Students in Australia},
author = {Ana Deumert and Simon Marginson and Chris Nyland and Gaby Ramia and Erlenawati Sawir},
doi = {10.1177/1468018105057415},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-12-01},
journal = {Global Social Policy},
volume = {5},
number = {3},
pages = {329-352},
abstract = {A growing number of students cross national borders for their studies. An expanding global market in higher education has been created. Yet significant gaps exist in the governance of international students' rights. As well as being educational service beneficiaries, cross-border students are migrants, workers, consumers and human beings. A broader view of students, as individuals deserving of ‘social and economic security’, is superior to that which treats them as social protection subjects. Recognizing this multiple status, and utilizing in-depth data from 200 interviews with international students in Australia, the article finds that the existing social protection regime falls significantly short of recognizing students' rights. Problems are located in relation to language acquisition, social integration, finances, work and personal safety. The article argues that, as well as law and policy, a student security regime should incorporate better university practices and more integrated civil society networks and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and intergovernmental organization (IGO) coverage.},
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A growing number of students cross national borders for their studies. An expanding global market in higher education has been created. Yet significant gaps exist in the governance of international students' rights. As well as being educational service beneficiaries, cross-border students are migrants, workers, consumers and human beings. A broader view of students, as individuals deserving of ‘social and economic security’, is superior to that which treats them as social protection subjects. Recognizing this multiple status, and utilizing in-depth data from 200 interviews with international students in Australia, the article finds that the existing social protection regime falls significantly short of recognizing students' rights. Problems are located in relation to language acquisition, social integration, finances, work and personal safety. The article argues that, as well as law and policy, a student security regime should incorporate better university practices and more integrated civil society networks and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and intergovernmental organization (IGO) coverage.
Deumert, Ana; Inder, Brett; Maitra, Pushkar
Language, Informal Networks and Social ProtectionEvidence from a Sample of Migrants in Cape Town, South Africa Journal Article
In: Global Social Policy, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 303-328, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005bb,
title = {Language, Informal Networks and Social ProtectionEvidence from a Sample of Migrants in Cape Town, South Africa},
author = {Ana Deumert and Brett Inder and Pushkar Maitra},
doi = {10.1177/1468018105057414},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-12-01},
journal = {Global Social Policy},
volume = {5},
number = {3},
pages = {303-328},
abstract = {Rural–urban migration is a major phenomenon in the developing world. This article is concerned with understanding the ways in which rural–urban migrants have their social protection needs met following their move to the city. We report results from a survey of rural–urban migrants in four low-income areas in Cape Town, South Africa. We look at the experiences of migrants in terms of finding employment in the urban environment, and the impact of language background and proficiency on migrants' ability to integrate in the labour market, and their access to formal and informal protection and government support. Language proficiency and social networks emerge as important variables in the analysis and will need to be considered in the design of social policies. Specifically, inadequate knowledge of dominant urban languages (English and Afrikaans) limits opportunities for employment and access to public services. Furthermore, reliance on informal, strong-tie social networks facilitates initial migration and settlement, but can delay long-term integration into the urban economy and labour market.},
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Rural–urban migration is a major phenomenon in the developing world. This article is concerned with understanding the ways in which rural–urban migrants have their social protection needs met following their move to the city. We report results from a survey of rural–urban migrants in four low-income areas in Cape Town, South Africa. We look at the experiences of migrants in terms of finding employment in the urban environment, and the impact of language background and proficiency on migrants' ability to integrate in the labour market, and their access to formal and informal protection and government support. Language proficiency and social networks emerge as important variables in the analysis and will need to be considered in the design of social policies. Specifically, inadequate knowledge of dominant urban languages (English and Afrikaans) limits opportunities for employment and access to public services. Furthermore, reliance on informal, strong-tie social networks facilitates initial migration and settlement, but can delay long-term integration into the urban economy and labour market.
Deumert, Ana; Cornwell, Katy; Inder, Brett; Maitra, Pushkar; Rammohan, Anu; Gangadharan, Lata; Mitra, Siddhartha; Williams, Jenny; Fields, Gary; Grogan, Louise; Hirschberg, Joe
Household Composition and Schooling of Rural South African Children: Sibling Synergy and Migrant Effects Journal Article
In: pp. 3 -62, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005bb,
title = {Household Composition and Schooling of Rural South African Children: Sibling Synergy and Migrant Effects},
author = {Ana Deumert and Katy Cornwell and Brett Inder and Pushkar Maitra and Anu Rammohan and Lata Gangadharan and Siddhartha Mitra and Jenny Williams and Gary Fields and Louise Grogan and Joe Hirschberg},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-12-01},
pages = {3 -62},
abstract = {In this paper we examine the demand for education among rural Black households in South Africa using nationally representative data from the 1990s. In particular our study focuses on factors affecting schooling decisions at the household level. Our estimation results reveal strong evidence of a sibling synergy effect, in that the presence of other school-age children in a household makes it more likely that a child will attend school. We also find that having working-age migrant adults improves educational participation and attainment of children. Our results point to strong gender effects, with the presence of female migrants increasing the likelihood of girls getting more education. Finally, our results show that pensions in the hands of the grandmother increases the probability of girls attending school, but has little effect on the schooling of boys.},
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In this paper we examine the demand for education among rural Black households in South Africa using nationally representative data from the 1990s. In particular our study focuses on factors affecting schooling decisions at the household level. Our estimation results reveal strong evidence of a sibling synergy effect, in that the presence of other school-age children in a household makes it more likely that a child will attend school. We also find that having working-age migrant adults improves educational participation and attainment of children. Our results point to strong gender effects, with the presence of female migrants increasing the likelihood of girls getting more education. Finally, our results show that pensions in the hands of the grandmother increases the probability of girls attending school, but has little effect on the schooling of boys.
Deumert, Ana
`Praatjies and Boerenbrieven - Popular literature in the history of Afrikaans Journal Article
In: Journal of Pidgin and Creole languages, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 15-51, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005bb,
title = {`Praatjies and Boerenbrieven - Popular literature in the history of Afrikaans},
author = {Ana Deumert},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-06-01},
journal = {Journal of Pidgin and Creole languages},
volume = {20},
number = {1},
pages = {15-51},
abstract = {From the 1820s humorous representations of the local vernacular began to appear in the periodical press of the Cape Colony. These popular texts developed into a highly productive genre and influenced the formation of an early Afrikaans written norm by shaping expectations of social, linguistic and local authenticity. Whereas the early vernacular representations fall largely into the category of racist parodies or ‘mock language’ (Hill 1995), later texts were intended as projections of the colonists' own ‘voice’. Using LePage's concept of linguistic focusing (cf. LePage & Tabouret-Keller 1985), Coupland's (2001) notion of stylization, and Gal and Irvine's (2000) semiotic principles of iconization and erasure, this paper argues that linguistic forms which were propagated as ‘authentic’ representations of local speech in the popular literature came to be used as conventionalized ideological resources in non-literary texts and contributed to the gradual formation and diffusion of a written norm at the Cape. The data basis for the analysis includes early literary texts (1828–1889), the Corpus of Cape Dutch Correspondence (1880–1922, cf. Deumert, 2001, 2004) as well as a small, pragmatically cohesive corpus of application letters for the position of a nanny in the house of Colin Steyn (1923/1924).},
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From the 1820s humorous representations of the local vernacular began to appear in the periodical press of the Cape Colony. These popular texts developed into a highly productive genre and influenced the formation of an early Afrikaans written norm by shaping expectations of social, linguistic and local authenticity. Whereas the early vernacular representations fall largely into the category of racist parodies or ‘mock language’ (Hill 1995), later texts were intended as projections of the colonists' own ‘voice’. Using LePage's concept of linguistic focusing (cf. LePage & Tabouret-Keller 1985), Coupland's (2001) notion of stylization, and Gal and Irvine's (2000) semiotic principles of iconization and erasure, this paper argues that linguistic forms which were propagated as ‘authentic’ representations of local speech in the popular literature came to be used as conventionalized ideological resources in non-literary texts and contributed to the gradual formation and diffusion of a written norm at the Cape. The data basis for the analysis includes early literary texts (1828–1889), the Corpus of Cape Dutch Correspondence (1880–1922, cf. Deumert, 2001, 2004) as well as a small, pragmatically cohesive corpus of application letters for the position of a nanny in the house of Colin Steyn (1923/1924).
Deumert, Ana; Spratt, Christine
Authentic Teaching as the Context for Language Learning Journal Article
In: Journal of Educational Technology & Society, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 83-93, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005bb,
title = {Authentic Teaching as the Context for Language Learning},
author = {Ana Deumert and Christine Spratt},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-04-01},
journal = {Journal of Educational Technology & Society},
volume = {8},
number = {2},
pages = {83-93},
abstract = {This paper reports the redevelopment and subsequent evaluation of a unit in dialectology within a foreign language curriculum (German). In doing so it is a case study which serves to offer insight into the student experience of studying linguistics within a foreign language curriculum, the potential of online/electronic pedagogies for the teaching of dialectology and the way in which creative, authentic teaching builds a context for learning. The paper begins with a brief overview of the teaching of linguistics in general and dialectology or language variation studies in particular. It presents the evaluation methodology and findings, and raises implications for further research. It also provides a summary of some aspects of the redevelopment of the unit. © International Forum of Educational Technology & Society (IFETS).},
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This paper reports the redevelopment and subsequent evaluation of a unit in dialectology within a foreign language curriculum (German). In doing so it is a case study which serves to offer insight into the student experience of studying linguistics within a foreign language curriculum, the potential of online/electronic pedagogies for the teaching of dialectology and the way in which creative, authentic teaching builds a context for learning. The paper begins with a brief overview of the teaching of linguistics in general and dialectology or language variation studies in particular. It presents the evaluation methodology and findings, and raises implications for further research. It also provides a summary of some aspects of the redevelopment of the unit. © International Forum of Educational Technology & Society (IFETS).
Deumert, Ana
The unbearable lightness of being bilingual: English–Afrikaans language contact in South Africa Journal Article
In: Language Sciences, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 113-135, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005bb,
title = {The unbearable lightness of being bilingual: English–Afrikaans language contact in South Africa},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1016/j.langsci.2004.10.002},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-01-31},
journal = {Language Sciences},
volume = {27},
number = {1},
pages = {113-135},
abstract = {This paper discusses McCormick’s sociolinguistic study Language in Cape Town’s District Six [McCormick, K., 2003. Language in Cape Town’s District Six. Oxford University Press, Oxford] and locates it within the fields of South African sociolinguistics and language contact studies. McCormick’s work raises pertinent questions about sociolinguistic historiography, fieldwork methodology, bilingualism, (socio-)linguistic meaning, and the permeability of linguistic boundaries in language contact. McCormick approaches bilingual speech first and foremost from a code-switching perspective, broadly combining Myers-Scotton’s markedness model with conversation–analysis approaches (Gumperz/Auer). However, there is also evidence in the data that conversational language use in this bilingual working-class community can be interpreted within the framework of mixed languages and bilingual convergence. This raises important questions about norm formation and stabilization in language contact situations, and about the diachronic trajectories of bilingual speech.},
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This paper discusses McCormick’s sociolinguistic study Language in Cape Town’s District Six [McCormick, K., 2003. Language in Cape Town’s District Six. Oxford University Press, Oxford] and locates it within the fields of South African sociolinguistics and language contact studies. McCormick’s work raises pertinent questions about sociolinguistic historiography, fieldwork methodology, bilingualism, (socio-)linguistic meaning, and the permeability of linguistic boundaries in language contact. McCormick approaches bilingual speech first and foremost from a code-switching perspective, broadly combining Myers-Scotton’s markedness model with conversation–analysis approaches (Gumperz/Auer). However, there is also evidence in the data that conversational language use in this bilingual working-class community can be interpreted within the framework of mixed languages and bilingual convergence. This raises important questions about norm formation and stabilization in language contact situations, and about the diachronic trajectories of bilingual speech.
Deumert, Ana; Marginson, Simon; Nyland, Chris; Ramia, Gaby; Sawir, Erlenawati
The Social and Economic Security of International Students in Australia: Study of 202 student cases Summary report Journal Article
In: Melbourne: Monash University, 2005.
@article{Deumert2005bb,
title = {The Social and Economic Security of International Students in Australia: Study of 202 student cases Summary report},
author = {Ana Deumert and Simon Marginson and Chris Nyland and Gaby Ramia and Erlenawati Sawir},
year = {2005},
date = {2005-01-01},
journal = {Melbourne: Monash University},
abstract = {In 2004 there were 228,555 international students enrolled in Australian universities, 24.2% of all students–an extraordinary one student in every four, much the highest level of any nation in the OECD. There were 164,535 international students on-shore in Australian institutions (DEST 2005). This large group of people is important in an instrumental sense to Australia and Australian universities–international education is a $6 billion industry and at last count provided 15% of university revenues (DEST 2005)–but they are also important as cultural contributors and human beings in Australian higher education; as well being important to their own nations and families. International students are involved in a recognised form of temporary migration and subject to specific visas.},
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In 2004 there were 228,555 international students enrolled in Australian universities, 24.2% of all students–an extraordinary one student in every four, much the highest level of any nation in the OECD. There were 164,535 international students on-shore in Australian institutions (DEST 2005). This large group of people is important in an instrumental sense to Australia and Australian universities–international education is a $6 billion industry and at last count provided 15% of university revenues (DEST 2005)–but they are also important as cultural contributors and human beings in Australian higher education; as well being important to their own nations and families. International students are involved in a recognised form of temporary migration and subject to specific visas.
2004
Swann, Joan; Deumert, Ana; Lillis, Theresa; Mesthrie, Rajend
Dictionary of Sociolinguistics Journal Article
In: 2004.
@article{Swann2004,
title = {Dictionary of Sociolinguistics},
author = {Joan Swann and Ana Deumert and Theresa Lillis and Rajend Mesthrie},
year = {2004},
date = {2004-01-01},
abstract = {Sociolinguistics is characterised by increasing heterogeneity, and students are faced with a proliferation of theories, concepts and terminology. This is sometimes a minefield, with similar terms used rather differently within different academic traditions. The dictionary provides a broad coverage of sociolinguistics, including macro- and micro-sociolinguistics and a range of approaches within variationist, interactional, critical and applied traditions. In explaining sociolinguistic terminology, the dictionary is able to map out the traditions and approaches that comprise sociolinguistics and will thus help readers find their way around this fascinating but complex subject.},
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Sociolinguistics is characterised by increasing heterogeneity, and students are faced with a proliferation of theories, concepts and terminology. This is sometimes a minefield, with similar terms used rather differently within different academic traditions. The dictionary provides a broad coverage of sociolinguistics, including macro- and micro-sociolinguistics and a range of approaches within variationist, interactional, critical and applied traditions. In explaining sociolinguistic terminology, the dictionary is able to map out the traditions and approaches that comprise sociolinguistics and will thus help readers find their way around this fascinating but complex subject.
2003
Deumert, Ana
Standard Languages As Civic Rituals – Theory and Examples Journal Article
In: Sociolinguistica, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 31-51, 2003.
@article{Deumert2003bb,
title = {Standard Languages As Civic Rituals – Theory and Examples},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1515/9783110245226.31},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-12-31},
journal = {Sociolinguistica},
volume = {17},
number = {1},
pages = {31-51},
abstract = {There are and must be modern rituals to help to mould and to sustain adequate social attitudes and public responses to the problems and tasks of a heavily populated and highly organized common world. Such rituals may take shape spontaneously or may be deliberately devised. As sophisticated society can modify them to make them more adaptive and more enjoyable, for without enjoyment ritual fades into a pointless routine.},
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There are and must be modern rituals to help to mould and to sustain adequate social attitudes and public responses to the problems and tasks of a heavily populated and highly organized common world. Such rituals may take shape spontaneously or may be deliberately devised. As sophisticated society can modify them to make them more adaptive and more enjoyable, for without enjoyment ritual fades into a pointless routine.
Deumert, Ana
Markedness and salience in language contact and second-language acquisition: Evidence from a non-canonical contact language Journal Article
In: Language Sciences, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 561-613, 2003.
@article{Deumert2003,
title = {Markedness and salience in language contact and second-language acquisition: Evidence from a non-canonical contact language},
author = {Ana Deumert},
doi = {10.1016/S0388-0001(03)00033-0},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-11-01},
journal = {Language Sciences},
volume = {25},
number = {6},
pages = {561-613},
abstract = {Mühlhäusler [J. Pidgin Creole Lang. 14(1999)121] has argued in his discussion of non-canonical creoles that the study of those contact varieties ‘which researchers in the past have found difficult to label’ (ibid., p. 357) is important for our understanding of contact languages. This article argues that their study can also be relevant to our understanding of second language acquisition/use as non-canonical contact languages are often situated on a continuum between pidginization (a group-based process of collective L2 norm emergence under conditions of minimal input) and the more general processes of (untutored) second language acquisition. An example of a non-canonical contact language is Namibian Black German. In the paper data on participle regularization in Namibian Black German and other German-oriented contact varieties (e.g. Unserdeutsch, Gastarbeiterdeutsch) will be discussed. Recent work in linguistic theory has argued that the language faculty has a dual structure, consisting of a lexicon and a computational system [Chomsky, N., 1986. Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin and Use. Praeger, New York]. The formation of regular and irregular participles has been interpreted as reflecting this dual structure: regular participles show rule-based inflections, strong participles are lexical entries. The direction of language change as well as data from German L1 acquisition and elicited production experiments with native speakers have provided support for this model [Behav. Brain Sci. 22(1999)991]. The L2 data discussed in this paper suggests that the dual mechanism model cannot account for German L2 performance data or the direction of contact-induced language change. In this context, the article reviews questions of salience and markedness, access to the LAD and the relevance of general problem-solving skills in language learning},
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Mühlhäusler [J. Pidgin Creole Lang. 14(1999)121] has argued in his discussion of non-canonical creoles that the study of those contact varieties ‘which researchers in the past have found difficult to label’ (ibid., p. 357) is important for our understanding of contact languages. This article argues that their study can also be relevant to our understanding of second language acquisition/use as non-canonical contact languages are often situated on a continuum between pidginization (a group-based process of collective L2 norm emergence under conditions of minimal input) and the more general processes of (untutored) second language acquisition. An example of a non-canonical contact language is Namibian Black German. In the paper data on participle regularization in Namibian Black German and other German-oriented contact varieties (e.g. Unserdeutsch, Gastarbeiterdeutsch) will be discussed. Recent work in linguistic theory has argued that the language faculty has a dual structure, consisting of a lexicon and a computational system [Chomsky, N., 1986. Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin and Use. Praeger, New York]. The formation of regular and irregular participles has been interpreted as reflecting this dual structure: regular participles show rule-based inflections, strong participles are lexical entries. The direction of language change as well as data from German L1 acquisition and elicited production experiments with native speakers have provided support for this model [Behav. Brain Sci. 22(1999)991]. The L2 data discussed in this paper suggests that the dual mechanism model cannot account for German L2 performance data or the direction of contact-induced language change. In this context, the article reviews questions of salience and markedness, access to the LAD and the relevance of general problem-solving skills in language learning
Deumert, Ana; Vandenbussche, Wim
Research directions in the study of language standardization Journal Article
In: Germanic standardizations. Past to present, pp. 455-469, 2003.
@article{Deumert2003bb,
title = {Research directions in the study of language standardization},
author = {Ana Deumert and Wim Vandenbussche},
year = {2003},
date = {2003-10-27},
journal = {Germanic standardizations. Past to present},
pages = {455-469},
abstract = {In the introduction we have commented on a number of themes or leitmotifs of standardization which can be observed across the individual case studies collected in this volume. The existence of persistent historical commonalities between standard languages has been a central motivation for the construction of cross-linguistic models and the general interest in a comparative, synthetic approach to the study of language standardization. In this concluding section we would like to outline some broad directions for further research in the ªeld of "comparative standardology". Language standardization as creation and convergence In the popular imagination the history of standard languages is intricately con- nected to the activities of individuals and institutions. Indeed, the popular linguis- tic pantheon is ªlled with the names of the "standardizers" who set out to regulate and codify their native language, and standardization is — at least in part — seen as the direct consequence and result of the rational, goal-oriented actions carried out by these individual and collective social actors.1 Not only is it necessary (as already noted in the introduction) to carefully consider the various and sometimes con- ¶icting motivations of these actors (e.g. cultural aspirations, administrative uniªca- tion, economic advantage, political strategy, etc.), but their complex and manifold national and also trans-national interactions and collaborations deserve further attention. In this context it is worth mentioning the approach of De Groof (e.g. 2002b) which attempts — with regard to Belgian language history — a systematic cross-tabulation of the goals and motivations of a large number of social actors, as well as Watts' (1999) more ethnographically inspired reconstruction of the "dis- course communities" of eighteenth century English grammarians.},
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In the introduction we have commented on a number of themes or leitmotifs of standardization which can be observed across the individual case studies collected in this volume. The existence of persistent historical commonalities between standard languages has been a central motivation for the construction of cross-linguistic models and the general interest in a comparative, synthetic approach to the study of language standardization. In this concluding section we would like to outline some broad directions for further research in the ªeld of "comparative standardology". Language standardization as creation and convergence In the popular imagination the history of standard languages is intricately con- nected to the activities of individuals and institutions. Indeed, the popular linguis- tic pantheon is ªlled with the names of the "standardizers" who set out to regulate and codify their native language, and standardization is — at least in part — seen as the direct consequence and result of the rational, goal-oriented actions carried out by these individual and collective social actors.1 Not only is it necessary (as already noted in the introduction) to carefully consider the various and sometimes con- ¶icting motivations of these actors (e.g. cultural aspirations, administrative uniªca- tion, economic advantage, political strategy, etc.), but their complex and manifold national and also trans-national interactions and collaborations deserve further attention. In this context it is worth mentioning the approach of De Groof (e.g. 2002b) which attempts — with regard to Belgian language history — a systematic cross-tabulation of the goals and motivations of a large number of social actors, as well as Watts' (1999) more ethnographically inspired reconstruction of the "dis- course communities" of eighteenth century English grammarians.
Deumert, Ana; Vandenbussche, Wim
Standard languages Book Chapter
In: pp. 1-14, Taxonomies and histories. Deumert & Vandenbussche (red), 2003.
@inbook{Deumert2003bb,
title = {Standard languages},
author = {Ana Deumert and Wim Vandenbussche},
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abstract = {The greatest and most important phenomenon of the evolution of language in historic times has been the springing up of the great national common languages—Greek, French, English, German, etc.—the “standard” languages which have driven out, or are on the way to drive out, the local dialects.(Otto Iespersen, Mankind, Nation and Individual from a Linguistic Point ofView, 1925, p. 45). The idea that standardization constitutes a specific type of sociolinguistic change which is best investigated on the basis of systematic, historical comparisons is not a new one. However, it has rarely been explored systematically on the basis of comparative analysis.},
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The greatest and most important phenomenon of the evolution of language in historic times has been the springing up of the great national common languages—Greek, French, English, German, etc.—the “standard” languages which have driven out, or are on the way to drive out, the local dialects.(Otto Iespersen, Mankind, Nation and Individual from a Linguistic Point ofView, 1925, p. 45). The idea that standardization constitutes a specific type of sociolinguistic change which is best investigated on the basis of systematic, historical comparisons is not a new one. However, it has rarely been explored systematically on the basis of comparative analysis.