Personal pronoun variation in language contact
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Piibi-Kai Kivik
Abstract
The paper investigates variation in the form of personal pronouns in the informal speech of Estonians living in the United States (N = 23). VARBRUL analysis determined the factors influencing the variation of long and short form of personal pronoun and zero vs. pronominal subject. Three groups of speakers differed significantly: the late bilingual older WWII refugees, the early bilingual younger WWII refugees and the late bilingual recent immigrants. All speakers had maintained the functional long/short variation. The older refugees preferred long forms, possibly indicating a change in the monolingual community. The early bilingual speakers preferred overt pronouns, suggesting a language contact effect. The age of immigration, extent of education in L1 and L1/L2 use in networks appeared to correlate with patterns of pronoun use.
Abstract
The paper investigates variation in the form of personal pronouns in the informal speech of Estonians living in the United States (N = 23). VARBRUL analysis determined the factors influencing the variation of long and short form of personal pronoun and zero vs. pronominal subject. Three groups of speakers differed significantly: the late bilingual older WWII refugees, the early bilingual younger WWII refugees and the late bilingual recent immigrants. All speakers had maintained the functional long/short variation. The older refugees preferred long forms, possibly indicating a change in the monolingual community. The early bilingual speakers preferred overt pronouns, suggesting a language contact effect. The age of immigration, extent of education in L1 and L1/L2 use in networks appeared to correlate with patterns of pronoun use.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Ethnolects as a multidimensional phenomenon 7
- Applying language technology to detect shift effects 27
- Generational differences in pronominal usage in Spanish reflecting language and dialect contact in a bilingual setting 45
- Personal pronoun variation in language contact 63
- Turkish in the Netherlands 87
- The reflection of historical language contact in present-day Dutch and Swedish 103
- The impact of German on Schleife Sorbian 119
- Detecting contact effects in pronunciation 131
- Language contact and phonological contrast 155
- Translating cultures within the EU 181
- Name index 219
- Subject index 223
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Ethnolects as a multidimensional phenomenon 7
- Applying language technology to detect shift effects 27
- Generational differences in pronominal usage in Spanish reflecting language and dialect contact in a bilingual setting 45
- Personal pronoun variation in language contact 63
- Turkish in the Netherlands 87
- The reflection of historical language contact in present-day Dutch and Swedish 103
- The impact of German on Schleife Sorbian 119
- Detecting contact effects in pronunciation 131
- Language contact and phonological contrast 155
- Translating cultures within the EU 181
- Name index 219
- Subject index 223
