Matching Items (50)
Description
A social phenomenon in the United States characterizes French language and culture by aristocracy and prestige, sometimes even going so far as to align francophones with pretentiousness or false sophistication. By means of etymological analysis of the registers of American politics, economics, higher education, fashion, and art, I present the remarkable consistency (if not disproportionality) of French-derived vocabulary within the lexicons of these upper class cultural territories. Final conclusion is reached using the analytic lenses of linguist Norman Fairclough and sociologist Thorstein Veblen in their respective works Language and Power and Theory of the Leisure Class, which together supply a sociolinguistic understanding of the French-elite nexus. Using such information, I seek to explain the phenomenon as an American ideological concept. As French expressions are substantially and conspicuously employed within the lexicons and customs of the aforementioned cultural territories of the American upper class, French lexicality and culture become entangled with high society (sociolexical entanglement) and popular aesthetics (vogue lexicality). This intermixture subsequently engenders a French-elite nexus that manifests through either lexical emulation or lexical disaffection. To illustrate this occurrence, I offer evidence of America's persuasion of its upper class's association with French by presenting relevant expressions in the class-pervasive medium of American cinema. I argue that, in entirety, these sociolexical components frame the development of a larger French-elite ideology.
ContributorsSeby, Charles Michael (Author) / Bahtchevanova, Mariana (Thesis director) / Poteet, Lesley (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Nonlinguists’ attitudes towards language are a major factor in the process of language change. Therefore, linguists are interested in examining how language varieties are perceived. Several studies around the world have demonstrated that ideologies play a major role in shaping how people perceive certain dialects, how social meanings are associated with these varieties, and how linguistic communities are shaped in part by these beliefs. However, little attention has been given to language attitude in the Arab region, and in the Saudi context particularly. Moreover, none of the attitudinal studies in the region have tried to investigate Najdis’ attitudes towards their own dialects. Using a conceptually presented attitudinal approach, this study bridges the literature gap by examining 1041 Najdis’ language attitudes towards two of the main dialects there: The Najdi Urban and Najdi Bedouin varieties. The study answers the following questions: How do Najdis perceive the Najdi Urban and Bedouin dialects, and what are the frequently associated characteristics with these varieties? The results of the quantitative analysis show that Najdis’ language attitudes can be discussed with and reduced to two themes: modernity and traditionality. The Urban Najdi dialect was perceived as modern. Contrarily, the Bedouin Najdi dialect was considered traditional. Each social group tended to rate their dialect higher than the other group did in both factors, indicating in-group loyalty. Also, both groups showed high levels of linguistic security.
ContributorsAlothman, Ayoub (Author) / Adams, Karen (Thesis advisor) / Van Gelderen, Elly (Committee member) / Prior, Matthew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This dissertation study examined the language ideologies about the different languages used in Sri Lanka to understand how they may reflect and align with ideologies about ethnicity and national belonging and structures of power operating in Sri Lankan society. It was a qualitative study which gathered data by interviewing twelve participants from the four main ethnic communities of Sri Lanka. Through the analysis of data comprising observations about language evaluations and practices, three main themes were generated. First, the study showed that Sri Lanka is a complex multilingual context in which the status of different languages changes according to context, audience as well as the participants of an interaction and that therefore it is difficult to describe languages by static labels such as “first”, “second” or “link” language. Secondly, the study found the situation of English in Sri Lanka is still largely influenced by cultural practices introduced during colonial rule which has caused it to function as a basis for social division. The study also found that the situation of Sinhala and Tamil in Sri Lanka is shaped by ideologies about ethnicity and the social power that the two ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and Tamils, who speak the two languages, hold in society. Taken together these three main findings of the study showed that language ideologies in circulation in Sri Lanka as observed by the study participants were closely linked to and align with and sometimes even reinforce ideologies about ethnicity, national belonging and power in Sri Lankan society.
ContributorsRajapakse, Agra (Author) / Warriner, Doris (Thesis advisor) / Matsuda, Aya (Thesis advisor) / Prior, Matthew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
The Impact and Implications of the Arabic Language, Culture, and Economy on Modern Western Societies
Description
This paper explores the current literature and history of the Arabic language and culture. It particularly focuses on cuisine, literature, art, architecture, and education in relation to culture. The history and modern implications of the origin and evolution of Arabic and its connection to Islam is also explored. Specific loanwords from Arabic to English are shown, and the direct impact of the language itself on English speakers is investigated. The impact on Western economies is also examined. All of these ideas are organized by the pursuit of knowledge to better understand Arabs in order to breakdown negative stereotypes to preserve and cultivate future relations.
ContributorsFiedler, Zane (Author) / Mousa, Neimeh (Thesis director) / Sulayman, Umar (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to identify the ways neurodivergent people engage with tone and intent, in spaces where the expression of such things is missing the audible and visual cues that exist in face-to-face communications. Interviews were conducted with four participants who self-identify as neurodivergent, with each of the interviews seeking to understand their experiences with the written expression of tone and intent. The interviews shed light on how direct, semi-direct, and indirect tone indicators are used as tools for understanding the intent and tone of a message, as well as which of the three types of tone indicators are the most helpful in practice. The interviews also touched on how social interactions in digital spaces are often viewed through a neurotypical lens, and thus make understanding the sociolinguistic rules of digitally-based interactions difficult for neurodivergent individuals who are expected to know said rules without being told. Through the course of the interviews, participants expressed a desire for people as whole to be clearer about their tone and intent when communicating in digital spaces, and that tone indicators are vital for communicating such things.
ContributorsHadden, Sydney (Author) / Pruitt, Kathryn (Thesis advisor) / Adams, Karen (Committee member) / Peterson, Tyler (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
This study explores how several U.S. gay men, who identify as fans or worshippers of female vocalists, engage with the feminist ideologies found in pop diva culture and with the gay male stereotype of diva-worshipping. This study also considers whether their identities and related activities conform to the notions of post-feminism and female empowerment as characterized in scholarly research by examining gay men’s experiences of divas’ lyrics and personae. Previous studies have investigated how the discourses of female empowerment are formulated in divas’ song lyrics. Nevertheless, there has been little empirical literature exploring the discussions of gay men’s perceptions toward divas’ lyrics and personae. To bridge this gap, my research shifts the focus on the ideology of feminist/female empowerment from the production aspects of divas’ song lyrics and personae to the audience reception aspects using the tools of critical discourse analysis in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Interviews were recorded from 21 gay male participants who were categorized into 3 age groups – 25-34, 35-45, and 45+. The data were then transcribed and uploaded to the software MAXQDA for coding. Deploying a combination of Wodak’s critical discourse historical approach and Fairclough’s three-dimensional critical discourse analysis, with literature on gay male subjectivity, and post-feminism, data were compared with the intent to formulate conceptual themes and seek coherent patterns. The findings suggest that certain gay men deploy the discourse of diva-worshipping to move beyond a generalized fandom conversation to engage with the discussions of U.S. gender politics. For instance, while the diva-worshipping talk always addressed capitalism through gay men’s purchases of diva’s work, and their loyalty to certain divas in all three age groups, a few gay men deployed diva-worshipping to discuss the U.S. hegemonic masculinity and align themselves on the opposite side with women who are part of the oppressive lower range of the gendered hierarchy of dominance. The findings also indicated several insightful ways of how these U.S. gay men came to their novel understandings of womanhood through the diva-worshipping practice while also seeking meaningful and self-empowering ways to identify with their divas and what they represent.
ContributorsRuanglertsilp, Ekkarat (Author) / Adams, Karen KA (Thesis advisor) / Prior, Matthew MP (Committee member) / Himberg, Julia JH (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Transitioning into civilian life after military service is a challenging prospect. It can be difficult to find employment and maintain good mental health, and up to 70 percent of veterans experience homelessness or alcoholism. Upon discharge, many veterans pursue higher education as a way to reintegrate into civilian society. However, many studies have shown that veterans encounter multiple challenges during their attempt to reintegrate into civilian life, including anxiety, a lack of relevant skills, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other issues that may lead to communication and interaction challenges in the higher education environment. Student veterans also face challenges in the lack of common language and culture clashes due to differences between military and college culture. This study used a mixed-methods approach to examine the challenges military veterans face related to language use in civilian life. The data was collected from 149 student veterans who completed a questionnaire and 11 student veterans who participated in interviews. Detailed analysis of collected data showed that student veterans experienced some challenges in language use, especially when they initially enrolled in their courses, but they seemed to have overcome challenges after spending time in the university setting. The veterans who had prior college education before joining the military seemed to have a slight advantage, having had experience using the academic language. The study also explored how student veterans chose to share their veteran status with other people in their university community. The findings showed that they strongly identified with their veteran identity and was comfortable sharing their status with others, but they also sometimes were reluctant to share their military experience in details because they were afraid that their peers would not understand.
ContributorsObaid, Naji (Author) / Matsuda, Aya (Thesis advisor) / Smith, David (Committee member) / James, Mark (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
This qualitative study explores the perspectives of six Indigenous learners and two instructors to analyze and reconceptualize pedagogical practices in the Spanish as a Heritage Language (SHL) classroom. Although there have been numerous proposals and perspectives that have successfully incorporated the sociopolitical realities of SHL learners, there is progress to be made to better understand the multifaceted identities of learners and instructors in the Latinx community. Thus, the perspectives of Indigenous learners and pedagogues are necessary to not only acknowledge but to meet the needs of a part of the Latinx community that is often erased by centering mestizaje. Thus, the present study utilizes Critical Latinx Indigeneities (CLI) as a framework to uncover salient themes in the individual testimonios, sharing circles, and written reflections of these eight Indigenous instructors and learners that have taken and/or taught an SHL course. The findings in this study indicated eight prominent themes: 1) dynamic identity development and identity negotiation, 2) connections between language and identity, 3) impacts of anti-Indigenous discrimination among Latinx people, 4) maneuvering language and identity in K-12 education, 5) implications of teachers’ positionalities and practices, 6) discrepancies on knowledge and holders of knowledge, 7) inclusion of indigeneity in SHL courses, and 8) tensions between taking/teaching SHL courses and being Indigenous. Additionally, pedagogical suggestions and reflections are offered alongside a discussion on the concept of allyship. By foregrounding Indigenous Latinxs, I argue that decolonial theory and praxis, based on Indigenous ways of being and knowing, can lead to crucial advancements in SHL Education. By extending the theoretical boundaries of critical pedagogies in SHL Education, we can begin to dismantle deficit- based orientations to researching and teaching SHL learners with dynamic and racially diverse identities. This study has the potential to make an invaluable contribution by disrupting ongoing settler colonial logics that persist in language education by offering pedagogical considerations from Indigenous instructors and learners that would result in an increasingly inclusive Spanish classroom in which Latinxs of varied backgrounds can thrive.
ContributorsOchoa, Valeria Alejandra (Author) / Beaudrie, Sara (Thesis advisor) / Gradoville, Michael (Committee member) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Take a moment to reflect on your day to day life. Think about the conversation you have with your barista at Starbucks, the polite hellos and you’re welcomes you pass out to strangers on the street, or the sound of your best friend’s latest story. Society could not exist without language. Every person utilizes language within their own spaces and communities to establish their identities and relationships with the world around them. The Linguistic Society of America classifies sociolinguistics as the investigation of how “language use symbolically represents fundamental dimensions of social behavior and human interaction.” Broadly, sociolinguistics looks at language’s relationship to and function within society.
ContributorsHill, Taylor (Author) / Howard, Pamela (Thesis director) / Rines, Olivia (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Much of the literature around coming out narratives is concerned with monosexual coming out experiences. While some recent literature has expanded to include discussions of non-monosexual experiences, there is a lack of research surrounding the coming out narratives of non-monosexual individuals specifically. This thesis aims to investigate such coming out narratives. The coming out narrative genre as a whole has been examined by several researchers across several years, highlighting a variety of monosexual coming out experiences. This project aims to utilize past research of coming out narratives to build a framework of common themes within the genre and employ this framework as a basis of comparison between monosexual and non-monosexual coming out narratives. Since the experiences of non-monosexual members of the queer community are not being looked at within the coming out narrative genre, it is crucial to highlight non-monosexual experiences in narrative research such as this. Data for this study comes from several publicly available online coming out narratives from YouTube, with the final total equaling 12 narratives. This study finds that there are distinct differences between the coming out narratives of monosexual and non-monosexual narratives and, as such, provides evidence of unique lived experiences for non-monosexual individuals when coming out.
ContributorsHill, Taylor (Author) / Prior, Matthew (Thesis advisor) / SturtzSreetharan, Cindi (Thesis advisor) / Himberg, Julia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022