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Co-constructing meaning through semi-understanding: conducting the sociolinguistic interview in an (un)known language

  • Carol A. Ready ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: December 5, 2024

Abstract

In my research I examine the linguistic practices of Moroccans in Spain, many of whom speak Moroccan Arabic as well as Modern Standard Arabic, Tamazight, French, English and Spanish at varying levels of proficiency. As part of my research, I conducted a 10-month linguistic ethnography. I was able to rely on my native English and near-native Spanish language skills for my research, but it was also necessary to use Modern Standard Arabic and even Moroccan Arabic in my sociolinguistic nterviews. I possess limited working knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and even more limited knowledge of Moroccan Arabic. In this paper, I discuss one instance of conducting a sociolinguistic interview in Moroccan Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic. I conduct a discursive analysis of the interactional positioning and linguistic resources in this 46-min interview based on a perspective of “spaces of linguistic non-understanding.” I show how spaces of “linguistic semi-understanding” arise in the sociolinguistic interview which require the researcher to move beyond the genre of the interview. I also demonstrate how these spaces are intertwined with negotiations of social and cultural knowledge. Lastly, I highlight the challenges and opportunities afforded to researchers who work in communities and languages outside of their own.


Corresponding author: Carol A. Ready, PhD, Department of Languages and Literatures, Oklahoma State University, 102 Gundersen Hall, Stillwater, OK, 74078-0001, USA, E-mail:

Appendix A: Interview protocol

La infancia:

  1. ¿Dónde nació?

  2. ¿Dónde creció?

  3. ¿Cómo era el lugar donde creció?

  4. ¿Cómo era su infancia?

    • La escuela:

  5. ¿Dónde asistió a la escuela?

  6. ¿Qué estudió en la escuela?

    1. ¿Qué idiomas estudió en escuela?

    2. ¿Qué idiomas deben enseñar en la escuela?

  7. Si asistió a una escuela en Marruecos y España, ¿cuál prefirió/prefiere? ¿Por qué?

La familia:

  1. ¿Cómo es su familia?

    1. ¿Tiene familia en Marruecos? ¿Cómo es su familia en Marruecos?

  2. ¿Qué le gusta hacer a su familia?

  3. ¿Qué idiomas habla con su familia?

Los amigos:

  1. ¿Cómo son sus amigos?

    1. ¿Tiene amigos en Marruecos? ¿Cómo son?

  2. ¿Qué le gusta hacer con sus amigos?

  3. ¿Qué idiomas habla con sus amigos?

Emigración a España:

  1. ¿Cuándo llegó a España?

  2. ¿Porqué emigró a España?

Segunda o tercera generación:

  1. ¿Emigraron sus padres o abuelos a España?

  2. ¿Cómo fue su experiencia?

La vida española:

  1. ¿Qué le gusta más de vivir en España? ¿En Granada?

  2. ¿Qué no le gusta de vivir en España? ¿En Granada?

  3. ¿De qué manera es España/Granada diferente de donde nació/creció?

Identidad

  1. ¿Cómo describiría su personalidad?

  2. ¿Qué experiencias influyen su personalidad?

Idiomas

  1. ¿Qué idiomas habla?

  2. ¿Cuáles idiomas prefiere?

  3. ¿Cuándo habla el español/el árabe etc.?

  4. ¿Cómo de importante es el español/el árabe para usted?

    1. ¿Para su familia/sus amigos?

  5. ¿Enseñará a sus hijos el español/el árabe?

  6. ¿Usted se ha sentido diferente alguna vez por causa de su manera de hablar?

Appendix B: Transcription system

/words/ Slashes enclose uncertain transcription.
- A hyphen indicates a truncated word or adjustment within an intonation unit, e.g., repeated word, false start, self-correction.
? A question mark indicates a relatively strong rising intonation (interrogative)
! An exclamation mark indicates rising intonation (exclamatory)
. A period indicates a falling, final intonation
, A comma indicates a continuing intonation
. Dots indicate silence
: A colon indicates an elongated sound
“words” Dialogue in quotation marks indicates reported speech
CAPS Capitals indicate emphatic stress
0 Hyper script indicates whispered utterances
((sound)) Double parenthesis indicates sound such as coughing, sneezing, laughter, etc.
[words] Square brackets enclose omitted words
Fuṣħā Bold indicates Fuṣħā
Dārīža Words that are underlined represent Dārīža
Spanish Italics indicates words in Spanish
French Zig-zag indicates word in French
[Name] Indicates a name has been omitted

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Received: 2024-06-05
Accepted: 2024-11-08
Published Online: 2024-12-05
Published in Print: 2025-01-29

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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