Theorizing a causal relationship between changing identity in a globalized community and language variation

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370496
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: Hokusei Gakuen University
• Principal Investigator: Takano Shoji 北星学園大学, 文学部, 教授 (00285503)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: アイデンティティー / 言語態度 / スタイルシフト / 地域方言 / 言語変異 / 言語変化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Integrating qualitative information on speakers' social practice and research techniques from previous social psychological studies into the quantitative sociolinguistic paradigm, this study aims to theorize a causal relationship between variable local identities in a changing community under rapid globalization and synchronic variation in uses of a local dialect. The results show that local identity is a multi-faceted construct that consists of ideologies about globalization of the community, self-images, and both overt and covert attitudes toward local dialects and Standard Japanese. Speakers' responses to self-report questionnaires on their uses of a local dialect and topic-related style shifts to the local dialect in sociolinguistic interviews are found to be often mismatched, and the discrepancies can be accounted for by differing orientations to local identity.

Free Research Field

社会言語学