Doctoral Dissertation Research: Emergent dialect style: vowel realization and discursive identity construction in D.C. Latinos

在Natalie Schilling博士的指导下，Amelia Tseng女士将通过对美国其他地区讲拉丁语的人的方言特征的变化模式进行定量的社会语言学分析，并定性分析说话者如何在正在进行的对话中使用这些特征来传达特定的社会和身份意义，来研究华盛顿特区第一代和第二代拉丁裔美国人语言、身份和方言发展的相互关系。该项目至关重要，因为它(1)增强了我们对不断增长和多样化的拉丁裔人口如何在美国背景下使用语言塑造新身份的了解；(2)增加了我们对新兴语言变体的理解，这些语言变体是具有重要文化联想的合法语言系统，而不是“不完美的”英语学习者；以及(3)从长远来看，有助于改善对拉丁裔和其他少数群体的语言歧视。此外，尽管拉美裔英语在美国其他地方也得到了一定程度的学习，但在美国首都，尽管拉丁裔人口不断增长，对拉丁裔英语的研究却很少。数据将通过对话访谈和参与者在不同社会背景下的自我录音来收集。方言特征将从可能与社会因素(例如，移民一代、性别、教育、对拉丁裔身份的取向)的相关性以及它们在话语中如何和在哪里出现来进行调查。例如，较低的Backed/ae/发音与拉丁裔英语有不同的关联(例如，‘can’不升为“kay-un”，但可能接近“con”)。初步研究表明，当说话者谈论拉美文化时，这一功能的使用频率较高，但当他们希望听起来有权威性时，使用频率较低。这表明，尽管华盛顿特区的拉丁裔人可能正在内化对拉丁裔英语的贬损态度，但他们仍然对自己独特的文化和语言遗产保持着积极的感觉。通过揭示移民背景下的方言发展和身份建构，这项研究的结果将有助于证明拉丁裔英语的语言有效性和社会重要性，进而证明所有群体的文化合法性，无论是美国本土人、移民、多数人还是少数人。

Under the direction of Dr. Natalie Schilling, Ms. Amelia Tseng will investigate the interrelationship of language, identity, and dialect development among first- and second- generation Latinos in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area through quantitative sociolinguistic analysis of the variable patterning of dialect features found to be associated with Latino speakers in other U.S. locations, and qualitative analysis of how speakers use these features to convey particular social and identity meanings in ongoing conversation. The project is of vital importance in that it (1) enhances our knowledge of how a growing and diverse Latino population uses language to shape new identities in the U.S. context; (2) increases our understanding of emergent language varieties as legitimate language systems with important cultural associations rather than 'imperfect' learner English; and (3) in the long run helps ameliorate linguistic discrimination against Latinos and other minority groups. In addition, although Latino English has been studied to an extent in other U.S. locations, it is understudied in the nation's capital, despite its growing Latino population.Data will be collected using conversational interviews and participant self-recordings in varied social contexts. Dialect features will be investigated in terms of possible correlation with social factors (for example, immigrant generation, gender, education, orientation to Latino identity), and how and where they occur in discourse. For example, a lower, backed /ae/ pronunciation is variably associated with Latino English (e.g. 'can' does not raise to "kay-un," but may approach "con"). Pilot studies suggest that this feature is used with higher frequency when speakers talk about Latino culture, but with lower frequency when they wish to sound authoritative. This indicates that although Latinos in D.C. may be internalizing derogatory attitudes toward Latino English(es), they nonetheless retain a positive sense of their unique cultural and linguistic heritage. By shedding light on dialect development and identity construction in an immigration context, the results of this study will help to demonstrate the linguistic validity and social importance of Latino English, and, by extension, the cultural legitimacy of all groups of people, whether 'native' to the U.S., immigrant, majority, or minority.