Over the past 35 years urban sociolinguistics has developed upon the base of detailed case studies carried out mainly in western countries. A fundamental dichotomy informing the interpretation of variation has been carried out within what is termed the “standard-vernacular model”. Higher vs. lower social class, power vs. solidarity, open networks vs. closed networks are a few of the conceptual dyads which have been invoked to order linguistic variation operating with an input from a standard/vernacular source. The present study, based on the spoken Arabic of Maiduguri, Nigeria, focuses on a linguistic landscape where the notions of “standard” and “vernacular” are of little relevance in ordering urban linguistic variants. It is argued that linguistic variation is best conceptualized and ordered in terms of the twin variables of neighborhood and ancestral norms. A detailed analysis of 13 linguistic variables based on a corpus of about 500,000 words invokes an urban linguistic world different from that in the West. To integrate this landscape into current sociolinguistic thinking a typology of urban variation is outlined using familar, yet relatively unutilized sociolinguistic parameters: neighborhood, ancestry, minority status and institutionalization.
Les mer
This work arises from a research project designed to present a sociolinguistic profile of native Arabic in a minority context. It is one of the few studies to date using a corpus-based approach to linguistic variation outside the context of European languages.
Les mer
1. Preface; 2. List of Abbreviations; 3. 1. Introduction; 4. 2. The Peculiar Unity of Nigerian Arabic; 5. 3. the Linguistic Variables; 6. 4. The Comparative Dialectology of the 13 Linguistic Variables; 7. 5. Rural Nigerian Arabic; 8. 6. Maiduguri and the Basic Sample; 9. 7. Urban and rural: towards a characterization of neo-ancestral norms; 10. 8. Non-Corpus Data; 11. 9. Variation and Language Attitudes; 12. 10. Linguistic Variation and Socio-Politics; 13. 11. Setting and Linguistic Variation; 14. 12. Three Micro Studies; 15. 13. Expanding the Typology of urban Linguistic Variation; 16. Appendix I: Arabic Texts; 17. Appendix II; 18. Bibliography; 19. Index of Sujects; 20. Index of Names
Les mer
The Strengths of the book lie in its ability to combine an impressive quantitative readings of the language situation in Maiduguri carried out by reference to the dominant trends in sociolinguistic research.
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9789027218346
Publisert
1998-12-15
Utgiver
Vendor
John Benjamins Publishing Co
Vekt
650 gr
Høyde
245 mm
Bredde
164 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet

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