Accent Variation in Indian English

Name: Accent Variation in Indian English
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Author: Giuliana Regnoli
ISBN: 978-3-631-86415-9

Regnoli, Giuliana

Accent Variation in Indian English

A Folk Linguistic Study

by Giuliana Regnoli (Author)

Linguistics

Series: Variolingua. Nonstandard – Standard – Substandard, Volume 53

Summary

This is the first major sociolinguistic work on Indian diasporic communities in Germany. It investigates accent perceptions and attitudes to variation in Indian varieties of English. The study shows how differences in phonological characteristics index ethnic identities. Based on a network approach, it establishes the spatial dimensions of patterns of perceived language variation with a stratified sample of 60 Indians. The study uses an innovative mixed methodology to investigate overt stigmatisations as well as covert attitudes towards accent variation. It shows that metalanguage allows to understand what sociolinguistic stereotypes are at stake in diasporic communities and what criteria are made use of in such discriminations.

Excerpt

Cover
Title
Copyright
About the author
About the book
This eBook can be cited
Table of Contents
Map of India
Acknowledgements
List of Figure
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Transcription Conventions
1 Introduction
2 Theoretical Foundations: A State of the Art
2.1 Language in Society: Principles of Sociolinguistic Theory
2.2 Speech Community
2.2.1 Early Definitions of the Speech Community
2.2.2 Practicing Speech Communities
2.2.3 Transient Multilingual Speech Communities
2.3 Folk Linguistics and Perceptual Dialectology
2.3.1 Historical Background and Earlier Studies
2.3.2 Metalanguage
2.4 Language Attitudes: Attitudes and Identity
2.5 English in the Indian Diaspora
2.5.1 Phonetics and Phonology
2.5.2 Lexicon and Syntax
2.6 The Structure of L2 English Accents: Definitions, Norms and the ‘Neutral’ Accent
2.7 Indian Accents of English
3 Research Area
3.1 History
3.1.1 Indian Communities in Germany
3.1.2 Indian Communities in Heidelberg
3.2 Social Situation
3.2.1 Demographic Characteristics
3.2.2 Socioeconomic Profile
3.2.3 Religious Centres and Cultural Associations
4 Methodology
4.1 Research Design
4.1.1 Quantitative and Qualitative Formulae
4.1.2 Sampling Methods
4.1.3 Testing Aims
4.2 Oral and Written Questionnaires
4.2.1 Survey I: Language Background and Language Use
4.2.2 Survey II, Section I: Accent and identity
4.2.3 Cognitive Maps
4.2.4 Survey II, Section II: The Accent Recognition Test
4.2.5 The Sociolinguistic Interview
4.2.6 The Reading Passage
4.3 Data Collection
4.4 Data Preparation
4.4.1 Numerical Data: Statistical Testing
4.4.1.1 Descriptive Statistics
4.4.1.2 Inferential Statistics
4.4.1.3 Correlation
4.4.1.4 Multivariate Statistics
4.4.2 Qualitative Data: Bottom-up vs. Top-down Approaches
5 Results and Discussion
5.1 Quantitative Analysis
5.1.1 Characteristics of the Data
5.1.1.1 Extralinguistic Variables
5.1.1.2 The Use of English in the Heidelberg University Environment
5.1.1.3 Language Background and Language Use in Heidelberg
5.1.1.4 Network Bonds and Network Integration: Implicational Scaling
5.1.2 Identity and Diasporic Views
5.1.2.1 Ethnic Identities
5.1.2.2 Identity Development: Cluster Analysis and Bubble Matrices
5.1.3 Language Attitudes and Accent Variation
5.1.3.1 Indian Accents: Evaluation and Stereotyping from a Folk Perspective
5.1.3.2 Ethnolinguistic Differences: Origins and Clues
5.1.3.3 Correlation
5.1.3.3.1 Gender
5.1.3.3.2 Ethnicity
5.1.3.3.3 Time Spent in Heidelberg
5.1.3.3.4 Network
5.1.3.4 Similarities and Differences
5.1.3.5 Numerical and Implicational Scales
5.1.3.5.1 State-to-state Distinction
5.1.3.5.2 North/South Distinction
5.1.3.6 Cluster Analysis and Bubble Matrices
5.1.3.6.1 Reliability
5.1.3.6.1.1 Cluster I: Degree of Certainty
5.1.3.6.1.2 Cluster II: Degree of Perceived Difference
5.1.3.6.2 Intellectuality
5.1.3.6.2.1 Cluster III: Correctness
5.1.3.6.2.2 Cluster IV: Education
5.1.3.6.2.3 Cluster V: Intelligence
5.1.3.6.2.4 Cluster VI: Ambition
5.1.3.6.3 Amiability
5.1.3.6.3.1 Cluster VII: Confidence
5.1.3.6.3.2 Cluster VIII: Pleasantness
5.1.3.6.3.3 Cluster IX: Politeness
5.1.3.6.3.4 Cluster X: Friendliness
5.1.3.6.3.5 Cluster XI: Attractiveness
5.1.3.6.4 Readiness for Action: Cluster XII: Accent Improvement
5.1.3.7 Cognitive Maps
5.1.3.7.1 Adjective Map
5.1.3.7.2 Stimuli
5.2 Qualitative Analysis
5.2.1 Folk Scrutiny and Indexicality
5.2.1.1 Classification of Local Speech
5.2.1.1.1 Distinctiveness of Speech
5.2.1.1.2 Assessment of Indian Varieties of English within the Community
5.2.1.1.3 Affective, Conative and Identity-related Attitudes
5.2.1.2 Ethnic and Pan-Indian Identities: Integrative and Dissociative Attitudes
5.2.2 Diaspora Consciousness
5.2.2.1 Accent Awareness
5.2.2.2 Ideologies of Nativeness and the ‘Neutral’ Accent
5.2.2.3 Network Affiliations and Transnational Ties
6 Summary and Conclusion
7. Bibliography
8 Appendix: Research Instruments
Series index

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I wish to express my gratitude to the students of the Indian community of Heidelberg, without whom this study would not exist. Their warm welcome in 2016 and 2018 made me feel part of their ‘home away from home’ while I was away from home myself. Their friendliness, their dedication to my project and their cooking skills contributed to making my fieldwork an unforgettable experience. I would also like to thank the members of the Heidelberg Indian Students Association (HISA) for their kind support throughout my fieldwork.

Many people helped me at various stages of the project. I am very much indebted to Maurizio Gnerre (University of Naples “L’Orientale”) and Edgar Radtke (University of Heidelberg), who took an interest in the study from the very first planning stages in 2016 and offered many valuable ideas and comments which flew into the research design and methodology of my doctorate thesis. I would particularly like to thank my supervisors, Katherine E. Russo (University of Naples “L’Orientale”) and Beat Glauser (University of Heidelberg) who have been encouraging when I needed it and firm when they had to. Thank you for your precious comments and invaluable life lessons. I am grateful to the Cluster of Excellence Asia and Europe in a Global Context (University of Heidelberg) which provided an important platform for discussion, and in particular to Jule Nowoitnick. A special thanks to Hans Harder (University of Heidelberg) for challenging my ideas about language and India during the 2018 Bengali summer school held at the University of Heidelberg and over many coffee conversations. I wish to thank Gurdeep Singh (University of Heidelberg) for his help in coming to grips with statistics in general and cluster analysis and bubble matrices in particular. I am grateful to Thorsten Brato (University of Regensburg), who welcomed me to the English linguistics team at Regensburg while I was working on the present book. Thank you for your insightful comments and useful suggestions. It is a privilege to work with you.

Further, I would like to thank Rita Calabrese (University of Salerno), Robert Fuchs (University of Hamburg), Gerhard Leitner (Freie University Berlin), Olga Maxwell (University of Melbourne), Elinor Payne (University of Oxford), Frank Polzenhagen (University of Koblenz-Landau) and Britta Schneider (Europa-Universität Viadrina) for helpful suggestions. Thanks also go to the members of the research network New Englishes, New Methods for lively discussions on the topics raised in my project.

Heidelberg, May 2020 Giuliana Regnoli

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List of Figures

Fig. 2.3.1 Three approaches to language data, revised (Niedzielski/Preston 2003:xi)

Fig. 3.2.1 NRIs in Germany 2002– 2010 (DESTATIS)

Fig. 3.2.2 Foreign citizens in Germany – South Asia 2016 (DESTATIS)

Fig. 3.2.3 Immigration and emigration of Indian citizens to and from Germany 2000– 2009 (DESTATIS)

Fig. 3.2.4 NRIs and PIOs in Heidelberg 2003– 2018 (Stadt Heidelberg 2019)

Fig. 3.2.5 Ratio of men and women in the Heidelberg Indian community (Stadt Heidelberg 2019)

Fig. 3.2.6 Age profile of the Heidelberg Indian community (Stadt Heidelberg 2019)

Fig. 3.2.7 Numbers of people with resident permits for the purposes of studying (Mayer et al. 2012)

Fig. 3.2.8 Indian mobile foreign students the winter terms of 2012–2018 (Hoffmeyer- Zlotnik/Grote 2019)

Fig. 4.2.1 Range of data collection designs (adapted from Podesva/Zsiga 2013:180)

Fig. 5.1.1 Language use in Heidelberg (in %) (I.1.5 and I.3.1)

Fig. 5.1.2 Language use in Heidelberg (n = 60) (I.3.2)

Fig. 5.1.3 Use of English in personal interactions (in %) (I.2.1)

Fig. 5.1.4 Interactions with native English speakers (in %) (I.2.6)

Fig. 5.1.5 Use of English in reading general literature (in %) (I.2.11)

Fig. 5.1.6 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for identity development

Fig. 5.1.7 Identity development I (in %) (I.3.3 and I.3.5)

Fig. 5.1.8 Identity development II (in %) (I.3.4)

Fig. 5.1.9 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker One (female): West Bengal (n = 60)

Fig. 5.1.10 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker Two (male): Tamil Nadu (n = 60)

Fig. 5.1.11 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker Three (female): Karnataka, L1: Konkani (n = 60)

Fig. 5.1.12 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker Four (male): Maharashtra (n = 60)

Fig. 5.1.13 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker Five (female): Karnataka, L1: Kannada (n = 60)

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Fig. 5.1.14 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker Six (male): Punjab (n = 60)

Fig. 5.1.15 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker Seven (female): Uttar Pradesh (n = 60)

Fig. 5.1.16 Ratings for intellectuality and amiability categories; Speaker Eight (male): Andhra Pradesh (n = 60)

Fig. 5.1.17 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Degree of certainty (in %)

Fig. 5.1.18 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Degree of perceived difference (in %)

Fig. 5.1.19 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Pleasantness (in %)

Fig. 5.1.20 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Correctness (in %)

Fig. 5.1.21 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Intelligence (in %)

Fig. 5.1.22 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Friendliness (in %)

Fig. 5.1.23 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Politeness (in %)

Fig. 5.1.24 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Education (in %)

Fig. 5.1.25 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Attractiveness (in %)

Fig. 5.1.26 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Ambition (in %)

Fig. 5.1.27 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Confidence (in %)

Fig. 5.1.28 Ratings for ethnicity- clustered guises according to the community; Accent Improvement (in %)

Fig. 5.1.29 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker One (female): West Bengal (in %)

Fig. 5.1.30 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker Two (male): Tamil Nadu (in %)

Fig. 5.1.31 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker Three (female): Karnataka, L1: Konkani (in %)

Fig. 5.1.32 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker Four (male): Maharashtra (in %)

Fig. 5.1.33 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker Five (female): Karnataka, L1: Kannada (in %)

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Fig. 5.1.34 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker Six (male): Punjab (in %)

Fig. 5.1.35 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker Seven (female): Uttar Pradesh (in %)

Fig. 5.1.36 Perceived ethnicity of the guises; Speaker Eight (male): Andhra Pradesh (in %) 164

Fig. 5.1.37 Correlation between gender and accent identification

Fig. 5.1.38 Correlation between ethnicity and accent identification

Fig. 5.1.39 Correlation between time spent in Heidelberg and accent identification

Fig. 5.1.40 Correlation between network and accent identification

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Fig. 5.1.55 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Degree of Certainty

Fig. 5.1.56 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Degree of Perceived Difference

Fig. 5.1.57 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Correctness

Fig. 5.1.58 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Education

Fig. 5.1.59 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Intelligence

Fig. 5.1.60 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Ambition

Fig. 5.1.61 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Confidence

Fig. 5.1.62 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Pleasantness

Fig. 5.1.63 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Politeness

Fig. 5.1.64 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Friendliness

Fig. 5.1.65 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Attractiveness

Fig. 5.1.66 Cluster analysis and bubble matrix for Accent Improvement

Fig. 5.1.67 A Delhi male respondent’s hand- drawn map of IndE speech areas

Fig. 5.1.68 A Tamil Nadu male respondent’s hand- drawn map of IndE speech areas

Fig. 5.1.69 Composite perceptual map of India, showing aggregated English dialect areas

Details

Pages: 412
Year: 2021
ISBN (PDF): 9783631864142
ISBN (ePUB): 9783631864159
ISBN (Hardcover): 9783631857427
DOI: 10.3726/b18804
Language: English
Publication date: 2021 (December)
Keywords: accents dialects ethnicity identity Indian diaspora Indianness language attitudes language variation and change metalanguage mixed methods perceptual dialectology phonetics and phonology social networks sociolinguistics transient communities World Englishes
Published: Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Wien, 2021. 412 S., 20 farb. Abb., 70 s/w Abb., 44 Tab.

Biographical notes

Giuliana Regnoli (Author)

Giuliana Regnoli holds a PhD from the University of Naples „L‘Orientale" and the University of Heidelberg. She is currently a research assistant in English linguistics at the University of Regensburg (Germany). Her research interests include sociophonetics, language attitudes, perceptual dialectology and World Englishes.

Accent Variation in Indian English

Summary

Excerpt

Table Of Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Figures

Details

Biographical notes

Key Subject Areas