8 Speech rhythm in Cameroon English: A cross-generational study
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Giuliana Regnoli
Abstract
Recent years have seen an increase of sociolinguistic interest in World Englishes and second language acquisition (Buschfeld 2020; Lacoste 2012). However, little attention has been given to the language of children and adolescents as well as to suprasegmental variation in postcolonial contexts. This paper aims to contribute to this growing body of research by providing insights into patterns of rhythmic variation among pre-adolescents and their parents in Cameroon. Drawing on conversational data collected in a primary school in Yaoundé through sociolinguistic interviews, map drawing tasks, and memory games, the study investigates the speech rhythm of four children and five adults. Speech rhythm was calculated using duration-based metrics (%V, ΔC, nPVI-V, rPVIV-V). The reported results indicate that the children’s rhythm is more syllable-timed than that of their parents and suggest insights into the process of accommodation to L2 speech rhythm.
Abstract
Recent years have seen an increase of sociolinguistic interest in World Englishes and second language acquisition (Buschfeld 2020; Lacoste 2012). However, little attention has been given to the language of children and adolescents as well as to suprasegmental variation in postcolonial contexts. This paper aims to contribute to this growing body of research by providing insights into patterns of rhythmic variation among pre-adolescents and their parents in Cameroon. Drawing on conversational data collected in a primary school in Yaoundé through sociolinguistic interviews, map drawing tasks, and memory games, the study investigates the speech rhythm of four children and five adults. Speech rhythm was calculated using duration-based metrics (%V, ΔC, nPVI-V, rPVIV-V). The reported results indicate that the children’s rhythm is more syllable-timed than that of their parents and suggest insights into the process of accommodation to L2 speech rhythm.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 The current role of children and adolescents in World Englishes research 1
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Part I: Language in the family
- 2 Language among Trinidadian-heritage children raised in diaspora 13
- 3 Language use patterns and strategies for children’s English language development: Insights from Chinese descendant mothers in multilingual Malaysia 37
- 4 Family language policies in Thailand: Multiliteracy practices and Global Englishes 59
- 5 Parental language ideologies and children’s language use in Singapore – raising speakers of “Standard” English? 83
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Part II: Language acquisition and language learning in multilingual contexts
- 6 Syntactic and lexical complexity in CLIL and EFL written production: Evidence for ELF as a WEs paradigm in Turkey 111
- 7 Investigating child language acquisition from a joint perspective: A comparison of traditional and new L1 speakers of English 133
- 8 Speech rhythm in Cameroon English: A cross-generational study 159
- 9 From second to first language: Language shift in Singapore and Ireland 177
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Part III: Attitudes and identity
- 10 Children’s language attitudes in a World Englishes community: A focus on St. Kitts 205
- 11 Youth identity as linguistic identity: Political engagement and language acquisition and use in Hong Kong 227
- 12 Varieties of English and Third Culture Kids in Hong Kong 255
- 13 Variation and change in the NURSE vowel in Trinidadian English: An apparent-time analysis of adolescent and adult speakers 279
- 14 How linguistically tolerant or insecure are school-aged children? A matched-guise, gamified approach for 6- to 12-year-olds in Canada 307
- 15 Caught between languages and cultures: Exploring linguistic and cultural identity among Maldivian adolescents 335
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Part IV: Summary and discussion
- 16 Conclusion and envoi: Language acquisition at the intersection of sociolinguistics and World Englishes research 361
- Index 379
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- 1 The current role of children and adolescents in World Englishes research 1
-
Part I: Language in the family
- 2 Language among Trinidadian-heritage children raised in diaspora 13
- 3 Language use patterns and strategies for children’s English language development: Insights from Chinese descendant mothers in multilingual Malaysia 37
- 4 Family language policies in Thailand: Multiliteracy practices and Global Englishes 59
- 5 Parental language ideologies and children’s language use in Singapore – raising speakers of “Standard” English? 83
-
Part II: Language acquisition and language learning in multilingual contexts
- 6 Syntactic and lexical complexity in CLIL and EFL written production: Evidence for ELF as a WEs paradigm in Turkey 111
- 7 Investigating child language acquisition from a joint perspective: A comparison of traditional and new L1 speakers of English 133
- 8 Speech rhythm in Cameroon English: A cross-generational study 159
- 9 From second to first language: Language shift in Singapore and Ireland 177
-
Part III: Attitudes and identity
- 10 Children’s language attitudes in a World Englishes community: A focus on St. Kitts 205
- 11 Youth identity as linguistic identity: Political engagement and language acquisition and use in Hong Kong 227
- 12 Varieties of English and Third Culture Kids in Hong Kong 255
- 13 Variation and change in the NURSE vowel in Trinidadian English: An apparent-time analysis of adolescent and adult speakers 279
- 14 How linguistically tolerant or insecure are school-aged children? A matched-guise, gamified approach for 6- to 12-year-olds in Canada 307
- 15 Caught between languages and cultures: Exploring linguistic and cultural identity among Maldivian adolescents 335
-
Part IV: Summary and discussion
- 16 Conclusion and envoi: Language acquisition at the intersection of sociolinguistics and World Englishes research 361
- Index 379
