The Dynamics of Language Obsolescence in a Divided Speech Community (eBook)

The Case of the German Wischau / Vyskov Enclave (Czech Republic)

Filippo Nereo (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2016
145 Seiten
Franz Steiner Verlag
9783515108058 (ISBN)

Infos

Using the Wischau/Vy?kov speech enclave (Czech Republic) as a case study, this e-book considers the impact of the highly controversial population transfers of ethnic Germans at the end of World War II. Particular attention is paid to processes of identification amongst community members, the post-war sociolinguistic context, and aspects of the language variety itself, which has remained structurally intact. Importantly, the study reveals the stories and experiences of forced migration and integration from the perspective of both stayers, who until 1989/90 lived under communism, and expellees, who started new lives in the capitalist Federal Republic of Germany. Methodologically, the study is based on data elicited chiefly from participant observations of, and unstructured interviews with the last remaining witnesses of the 1945/46 population transfers. As such, this is the first and probably last detailed study of this small, rural German enclave community. From a theoretical perspective, it draws heavily on Sasse's (1992) framework on language death.

Filippo Nereo is Principal Lecturer in German at Coventry University (UK). He studied at the Universities of York, Regensburg and Manchester. His interests include sociolinguistics, identity politics and migration.

Inhalt

LIST OF CONTENTS 8
LIST OF FIGURES AND PICTURES 10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 12
TRANSCRIPTION CONVENTIONS 14
1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 16
2 METHODOLOGY 26
2.1 DATA SOURCES 26
2.2 PROBLEMS SURROUNDING DATA ELICITATION 27
2.3 QUALITATIVE METHODS 31
3 THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT 34
3.1 ‘EASTERN COLONISATION’ AND HABSBURG DOMINANCE 34
3.2 THE RISE OF CZECH NATIONALISM 36
4 CONSTRUCTING RESIDUAL MARKERS OF IDENTITY FROM BELOW 41
4.1 FUNCTIONALISM OF, AND RESISTANCE TO IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION 46
4.2 AGENTS AND VEHICLES OF IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION 63
4.3 SYMBOLISM 74
4.4 REFLECTIONS ON IDENTITY 87
5 THE CHANGING STATUS AND USAGE OF LANGUAGE VARIETIES 92
5.1 FOCUS ON THE STAYERS 92
5.2 FOCUS ON THE EXPELLEES 103
5.3 CLOSING REMARKS 110
6 THE LANGUAGE VARIETY IN CONTACT 112
6.1 ENCLAVES 112
6.2 FEATURES 115
6.3 ACCOUNTING FOR THE LANGUAGE VARIETY 123
7 A SYNOPSIS OF WISCHAU IN ITS MORIBUND STATE 127
8 APPENDIX: TRANSCRIPTION FROM HOBITSCHAU / HLUBO?ANY 129
9 BIBLIOGRAPHY 133

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.4.2016
• Reihe/Serie: Zeitschrift für Dialektologie und Linguistik – Beihefte
• Reihe/Serie: Zeitschrift für Dialektologie und Linguistik – Beihefte
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft
• Schlagworte: German enclave community • German Wischau • Language Variety • Linguistik • Sociolinguistik • Sprachwissenschaft
• ISBN-13: 9783515108058 / 9783515108058