Doctoral Dissertation Research: Ethnicity and Locality: Linguistic Variation and Practices among a Vietnamese American Student Group

美国的少数民族如何在融入美国社会的过程中保持自己的文化身份？本论文的研究将集中在明尼苏达州的一所大学的越南裔美国学生的语言实践。以前对美国亚裔美国人的社会语言学研究主要集中在东亚人;其他亚洲群体基本上没有研究，尽管东南亚人在美国某些地区占当地亚裔美国人社区的大多数，例如明尼苏达州的双子城地区。以往的研究表明，东南亚人可能会认为自己不同，如使用的参考，如“另一个亚洲”或“新浪潮”，术语，突出了与其他亚洲群体的区别。三个问题指导这项研究：第一，在该组织的成员是如何利用语言特征在构建自己的身份，无论是在组织内和当地社区？第二，是否有证据表明这些人使用与他们的传统语言有关的特征？第三，是什么样的习惯使说话者倾向于或背离“越南人”和“亚裔美国人”的定义？本研究的数据将从该组织的成员以及欧洲裔美国人和越南土著人的对照组中收集。语音数据包括个人访谈、小组讨论和在自然环境中收集的自发语音。通过参与者观察收集的人种学信息将补充语音数据。本研究从社会语言学理论的角度出发，探讨了在特定的社会环境中，说话人如何协商一系列不同的身份，以及共同的经验如何塑造语言变异的社会意义。这项研究将增加我们对亚裔美国人语言实践的了解，并强调这个标签所包含的广泛的历史和文化。这项研究还将重点关注少数民族可能与之结盟的各种身份。

How do ethnic minorities in the U.S. maintain their cultural identity as they integrate into American society? This dissertation research will focus on the linguistic practices of Vietnamese-American students at a university in Minnesota. Previous sociolinguistic studies of Asian Americans in the U.S. have focused on East Asians; other Asian groups are largely unstudied, even though Southeast Asians comprise the majority of the local Asian-American community in some parts of the country, such as the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. Previous research has shown that Southeast Asians may view themselves differently, as indicated by the use of references such as "the other Asian" or "new wave", terms that highlight a distinction from other Asian groups.Three questions guide this research: First, in what ways do members of this organization draw upon linguistic features in constructing their identities both within the organization and in their local community? Second, is there evidence that these speakers use features tied to their heritage language? Third, what practices orient speakers to or away from definitions of "Vietnamese" and "Asian American"? Data for this study will be collected from members of this organization as well as control groups of European Americans and native Vietnamese. Speech data includes individual interviews, group discussions, and spontaneous speech collected in naturalistic settings. Speech data will be complemented by ethnographic information collected through participant observation. From the point of view of sociolinguistic theory, the purpose of this research is to examine how speakers negotiate a diverse set of identities within the bounds of a specific community and how shared experiences shape the social meaning of linguistic variation. This research will add to our knowledge of the linguistic practices of Asian Americans and emphasize the wide range of histories and cultures that this label encompasses. This research will also focus attention on the varied identities with which ethnic minorities may align themselves.