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认同？本论文的研究将集中在明尼苏达州一所大学的越南裔美国学生的语言实践。先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；其他亚洲群体在很大程度上没有被研究过，尽管东南亚人在美国一些地区的亚裔美国人社区中占多数，比如明尼苏达州的双子城地区。先前的研究表明，东南亚人可能会以不同的方式看待自己，如使用“其他亚洲人”或“新浪潮”等指称，这些术语突出了与其他亚洲群体的区别。三个问题指导了这项研究：首先，该组织的成员在组织内部和当地社区中以何种方式利用语言特征来构建他们的身份？第二，是否有证据表明这些说话者使用与他们的传统语言相关的特征？第三，是什么做法使说话者倾向于或远离“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原住民的对照组中收集。言语数据包括个人访谈、小组讨论和在自然环境中收集的自发言语。通过参与观察收集的人种学信息将补充语音数据。从社会语言学理论的角度来看，本研究的目的是研究说话者如何在特定社区范围内协商不同的身份，以及共同的经历如何塑造语言变化的社会意义。这项研究将增加我们对亚裔美国人的语言实践的了解，并强调这一标签所包含的广泛的历史和文化。这项研究还将关注少数民族可能与自己一致的各种身份。

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.