E-Book Overview
Across the social and behavioural sciences there has been an increased interest in identity as a subject of inquiry. Despite this, there remain questions to which researchers need to find answers and challenges to be made to older paradigms of analysis in order to continue to push the frontiers of knowledge in this research domain. Identity is a problematic concept inasmuch as we recognise it now as non-fixed, non-rigid and always being co-constructed by individuals of themselves, or by people who share certain core values or perceive another group as having such values. This volume re-examines the analytical tools employed in the sociolinguistic research of 'identity' in order to assess their efficiency, establish the roles of language in the identity claims of specific communities of people, and determine the place of identity in a variety of social contexts, including work places and language classrooms. It will be of interest to academics and students working in sociolinguistics, applied linguistics and second language learning.
E-Book Content
The Sociolinguistics of Identity
Advances in Sociolinguistics Series Editor: Professor Sally Johnson, University of Leeds Since the emergence of sociolinguistics as a new field of enquiry in the late 1960s, research into the relationship between language and society has advanced almost beyond recognition. In particular, the past decade has witnessed the considerable influence of theories drawn from outside of sociolinguistics itself. Thus rather than see language as a mere reflection of society, recent work has been increasingly inspired by ideas drawn from social, cultural and political theory that have emphasized the constitutive role played by language/discourse in all areas of social life. The Advances in Sociolinguistics series seeks to provide a snapshot of the current diversity of the field of sociolinguistics and the blurring of the boundaries between sociolinguistics and other domains of study concerned with the role of language in society. Forthcoming titles in the series: Language, Society and Social Identity Philip Riley Language, Power and Institutions An Introduction to Institutional Discourse Andrea Mayr and Bob Holland Discourses of Endangerment Ideology and Interest in Defence of Languages Edited by Monica Heller and Alexandre Duchene Linguistic Minorities and Modernity, 2nd Edition A Sociolinguistic Ethnography Monica Heller Multilingualism A Critical Perspective Adrian Blackledge and Angela Creese Sociolinguistics of the Media Helen Kelly-Holmes Language Ideologies A Critical Approach to Sociolinguistics Sally Johnson and Tommaso M. Milani Language in the Media Representations, Identities, Ideologies Edited by Sally Johnson and Astrid Ensslin
The Sociolinguistics of Identity
Edited by Tope Omoniyi and Goodith White
continuum
Continuum The Tower Building 11 York Road London SE1 7NX
80 Maiden Lane Suite 704 New York NY 10038
© Tope Omoniyi, Goodith White and Contributors 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN:
978-1-8470-6332-8 (PB)
Typeset by Free Range Book Design & Production Limited Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd, King's Lynn, Norfolk
To the memory of Robert Brock Le Page (1920-2006) ... sounds, words, signs acts in a complex grammar of identity inscribe us in the moments of our becoming.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Contributors
ix