Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
2022-02-01T00:00:00Z
Much of the literature on heritage language phonology finds heritage speakers to show some influence from their dominant language compared to homeland speakers, but heritage speakers still perform...Show moreMuch of the literature on heritage language phonology finds heritage speakers to show some influence from their dominant language compared to homeland speakers, but heritage speakers still perform more accurately in their heritage language than do naïve speakers. Yet, research on heritage language phonology is limited compared to that on heritage language syntax and morphology. This is even more so the case for research on heritage speakers’ suprasegmental phonology: for instance, very little is known about heritage speakers’ perception of lexical tone. The present study used an ABX task to investigate perceptual segment-tone integration in heritage speakers of Vietnamese in the Netherlands, compared to monolingually raised Dutch and Vietnamese speakers in the homeland, respectively. Heritage speakers were found to have a stronger segment-tone integration than the monolingually raised Dutch, whereas the homeland Vietnamese showed a slightly stronger integration than the heritage speakers. Moreover, the groups’ integrations were asymmetrical: heritage speakers considered both tones and segments in word identification but had a clear preference for segments; the Dutch controls almost exclusively considered segments and the Vietnamese controls had a slight preference for tone-based word identification. The findings thus conform to previous literature on heritage language phonology: the heritage speakers performed intermediately between monolinguals of their heritage and dominant languages.Show less
This thesis has looked at the case of approximately 450 Vietnamese refugees who came from Czechoslovakia to the Netherlands in the 1990s after the Velvet Revolution.
This thesis provides evidence for a perceived overextension of labialisation of coda consonants following rounded vowels in the speech of (Saigon) Vietnamese speakers in the Netherlands. The...Show moreThis thesis provides evidence for a perceived overextension of labialisation of coda consonants following rounded vowels in the speech of (Saigon) Vietnamese speakers in the Netherlands. The regular labialisation of velar codas after rounded vowels seemed to appear in alveolar codas as well. Sixteen speakers participated in a picture-naming task designed to elicit words containing both types of codas following rounded and unrounded vowels. The speakers were either second generation/heritage speakers, first generation/baseline speakers or homeland speakers. Although the data were limited, evidence was found that the overextension is a change in progress (at least in the Netherlands). This change has made most progress in heritage speakers, followed by baseline speakers and homeland speakers show the fewest signs of the overextension. The overextension is also limited to codas following two of the three rounded vowels of Vietnamese, whereas the original labialisation occurs after all rounded vowels. It was thus concluded that the overextension is a change in progress, possibly limited to speakers of Vietnamese in the Netherlands. The fact that heritage speakers show the greatest change, provides new perspectives in the field of the phonologies of heritage languages.Show less
This dissertation explains why the British government, in 1979, resettled Sino-Vietnamese refugees regardless of Margaret Thatcher’s initial inhospitableness towards them. Based on original...Show moreThis dissertation explains why the British government, in 1979, resettled Sino-Vietnamese refugees regardless of Margaret Thatcher’s initial inhospitableness towards them. Based on original research conducted in the United Kingdom’s National Archives, the dissertation’s findings are used to engage with academic debate on who and what directs refugee policy change. Thatcher’s hostility towards the Sino-Vietnamese refugees is uncovered to be due to personal racism and a fear of restrictive public opinion. Her views were formed by decades of animosity towards black and minority ethnic immigration in Britain by politicians and parts of the public. Meanwhile, Britain’s decision to relocate the refugees is discovered to be a consequence of territoriality. Hong Kong was, at the time, a British colony and Britain’s eventual involvement in the Indochinese crisis was to aid Hong Kong’s own refugee crisis. After the analysis, case studies of other refugee groups are used to make comparisons with the Sino-Vietnamese. These studies prove that legislation can influence refugee policy whilst international pressure and politics are proven to only guarantee success to nation-states that have strong international powers.Show less
