The fate of the local in light of the global
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Agata Daleszynska-Slater
Abstract
This paper investigates variation in the use of past tense preverbal markers bin and did by two generations of speakers in Bequia. Preverbal markershave been characterised as socially stigmatised indexing rural dialects, speakers’ lower socioeconomic status, or older age. Results of the quantitative multivariate analysis in two of the Bequia communities, Hamilton and Paget Farm, point to differences in the use of bin between older and younger speakers showing that adolescents in Paget Farmhave recycled the form and are using it significantly more thantheir grandparents, as well as their peers in Hamilton. I suggest that the increase of preverbal bin in Paget Farm can be considered as aresponse of adolescents in this community to the recent socio-economic transformations on the island. Iargue that the new socio-economic landscape has led to a change in the social meaning of bin from a stigmatised rural form to a marker of local authenticity. This is important consideringthe social and linguistic judgements surrounding this community which is assigned little symbolic power according to the socio-economic criteria which usually constitute the linguistic marketplace. The study demonstrates that to interpret the patterns of variation between creole and standard variants the effects of globalising processes need to be considered next to local ideologies. Keywords: social meaning of variation; tense marking; language and identity; globalisation
Abstract
This paper investigates variation in the use of past tense preverbal markers bin and did by two generations of speakers in Bequia. Preverbal markershave been characterised as socially stigmatised indexing rural dialects, speakers’ lower socioeconomic status, or older age. Results of the quantitative multivariate analysis in two of the Bequia communities, Hamilton and Paget Farm, point to differences in the use of bin between older and younger speakers showing that adolescents in Paget Farmhave recycled the form and are using it significantly more thantheir grandparents, as well as their peers in Hamilton. I suggest that the increase of preverbal bin in Paget Farm can be considered as aresponse of adolescents in this community to the recent socio-economic transformations on the island. Iargue that the new socio-economic landscape has led to a change in the social meaning of bin from a stigmatised rural form to a marker of local authenticity. This is important consideringthe social and linguistic judgements surrounding this community which is assigned little symbolic power according to the socio-economic criteria which usually constitute the linguistic marketplace. The study demonstrates that to interpret the patterns of variation between creole and standard variants the effects of globalising processes need to be considered next to local ideologies. Keywords: social meaning of variation; tense marking; language and identity; globalisation
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
- Sociohistorical and linguistic account of St Vincent and the Grenadines 1
- The fate of the local in light of the global 45
- Subject and object pronoun use in Bequia (St Vincent and the Grenadines) 67
- “A she gi me words; well me gi she back de change” 87
- The distribution of diagnostic features in English-lexified contact languages 113
- Creole reflexes of do 141
- Languages in St Vincent and the Grenadines 165
- Biographical notes on the contributors 181
- Subject, Language and Place Index 183
- Name Index 189
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction xi
- Sociohistorical and linguistic account of St Vincent and the Grenadines 1
- The fate of the local in light of the global 45
- Subject and object pronoun use in Bequia (St Vincent and the Grenadines) 67
- “A she gi me words; well me gi she back de change” 87
- The distribution of diagnostic features in English-lexified contact languages 113
- Creole reflexes of do 141
- Languages in St Vincent and the Grenadines 165
- Biographical notes on the contributors 181
- Subject, Language and Place Index 183
- Name Index 189
