German settlement varieties in Kansas
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William D. Keel
Abstract
After discussing the unique opportunity for linguistic investigation afforded by so-called “speech-islands,” speech communities embedded in a linguistic/cultural context far removed from the parent linguistic/cultural situation, we examine the appropriateness of the theoretical concept “speech-island,” determining that a vaguer concept of “speech settlement” allows for a more accurate depiction of the linguistic interaction with the surrounding dominant culture. After a sketch of German settlements in Kansas, we conclude that the current status of these settlements is rapidly approaching language death. In this context, a number of unusual developments in the phonology (e.g., velarization of [f]), morphology (emergence of a prepositional case) and lexicon (semantic transfer of English ‘to like’) in Kansas German varieties present linguists with explanatory challenges.
Abstract
After discussing the unique opportunity for linguistic investigation afforded by so-called “speech-islands,” speech communities embedded in a linguistic/cultural context far removed from the parent linguistic/cultural situation, we examine the appropriateness of the theoretical concept “speech-island,” determining that a vaguer concept of “speech settlement” allows for a more accurate depiction of the linguistic interaction with the surrounding dominant culture. After a sketch of German settlements in Kansas, we conclude that the current status of these settlements is rapidly approaching language death. In this context, a number of unusual developments in the phonology (e.g., velarization of [f]), morphology (emergence of a prepositional case) and lexicon (semantic transfer of English ‘to like’) in Kansas German varieties present linguists with explanatory challenges.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and tabula gratulatoria vii
- Introduction 1
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Section 1. Representations and contrast
- Prosodic Licensing and the development of phonological and morphological representations 11
- Covert contrast in the acquisition of second language phonology 25
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Section 2. Sources of individual differences in phonological acquisition
- Sibling rivalry 53
- Abstracting phonological generalizations 71
- Rapid phonological coding and working memory dynamics in children with cochlear implants 91
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Section 3. Cross-linguistic approaches to phonological acquisition
- What guides children’s acquisition of #sC clusters? 115
- The role of phonological context in children’s overt marking of ‘-s’ in two dialects of American English 133
- German settlement varieties in Kansas 155
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Section 4. Theoretical advances in the field
- The role of onsets in primary and secondary stress patterns 175
- A faithfulness conspiracy 199
- Superadditivity and limitations on syllable complexity in Bambara words 223
- Author index 249
- Subject index 253
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword and tabula gratulatoria vii
- Introduction 1
-
Section 1. Representations and contrast
- Prosodic Licensing and the development of phonological and morphological representations 11
- Covert contrast in the acquisition of second language phonology 25
-
Section 2. Sources of individual differences in phonological acquisition
- Sibling rivalry 53
- Abstracting phonological generalizations 71
- Rapid phonological coding and working memory dynamics in children with cochlear implants 91
-
Section 3. Cross-linguistic approaches to phonological acquisition
- What guides children’s acquisition of #sC clusters? 115
- The role of phonological context in children’s overt marking of ‘-s’ in two dialects of American English 133
- German settlement varieties in Kansas 155
-
Section 4. Theoretical advances in the field
- The role of onsets in primary and secondary stress patterns 175
- A faithfulness conspiracy 199
- Superadditivity and limitations on syllable complexity in Bambara words 223
- Author index 249
- Subject index 253
