Chapter 4. Disagreement and sociolinguistic variables
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Wei Zhu Hua
Abstract
This study analyzes Mandarin speakers’ disagreement behavior in English as a Lingua Franca of Practice (ELFP) at “English Corners” in a Mainland China city. It focuses on the extent of participants’ disagreement behavior covariation with seven sociolinguistic variables. Qualitative and quantitative measures are used: interactional sociolinguistics to examine the verbal/nonverbal features of the disagreement behavior of ELFP speakers; and Chi-square tests to examine the correlation between disagreement behavior and the variables. Results show that strong disagreement dominated weak disagreement. The frequency of strong/weak disagreement appeared to have a marginally significant correlation with age. However, ELFP speakers’ priorities of improving communication in English may function to level out other variable differences.
Abstract
This study analyzes Mandarin speakers’ disagreement behavior in English as a Lingua Franca of Practice (ELFP) at “English Corners” in a Mainland China city. It focuses on the extent of participants’ disagreement behavior covariation with seven sociolinguistic variables. Qualitative and quantitative measures are used: interactional sociolinguistics to examine the verbal/nonverbal features of the disagreement behavior of ELFP speakers; and Chi-square tests to examine the correlation between disagreement behavior and the variables. Results show that strong disagreement dominated weak disagreement. The frequency of strong/weak disagreement appeared to have a marginally significant correlation with age. However, ELFP speakers’ priorities of improving communication in English may function to level out other variable differences.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
- Chapter 1. Pragmatic variation by gender in market service encounters in Mexico 17
- Chapter 2. Cross-cultural stances in online discussions 49
- Chapter 3. Pragmatic variation in therapeutic discourse 81
- Chapter 4. Disagreement and sociolinguistic variables 113
- Chapter 5. Variation in the pragmatic use of conventional expressions 141
- Chapter 6. Variation in NS-learner interactions 175
- Pragmatic variation in learner perception 209
- Chapter 8. Variationist sociolinguistics, L2 sociopragmatic competence, and corpus analysis of classroom-based synchronous computer-mediated discourse 239
- Research methods for describing variation in intercultural pragmatics for cultures in contact and conflict 271
- Chapter 10. Between pragmatics and sociolinguistics 295
- Chapter 11. Conclusions 319
- Index 337
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
- Chapter 1. Pragmatic variation by gender in market service encounters in Mexico 17
- Chapter 2. Cross-cultural stances in online discussions 49
- Chapter 3. Pragmatic variation in therapeutic discourse 81
- Chapter 4. Disagreement and sociolinguistic variables 113
- Chapter 5. Variation in the pragmatic use of conventional expressions 141
- Chapter 6. Variation in NS-learner interactions 175
- Pragmatic variation in learner perception 209
- Chapter 8. Variationist sociolinguistics, L2 sociopragmatic competence, and corpus analysis of classroom-based synchronous computer-mediated discourse 239
- Research methods for describing variation in intercultural pragmatics for cultures in contact and conflict 271
- Chapter 10. Between pragmatics and sociolinguistics 295
- Chapter 11. Conclusions 319
- Index 337
