This study investigates language use and code switching (CS) in parliamentary sessions of the People’s Council of Representatives in Aceh, Indonesia. Three recordings of plenary sessions of the...Show moreThis study investigates language use and code switching (CS) in parliamentary sessions of the People’s Council of Representatives in Aceh, Indonesia. Three recordings of plenary sessions of the Council were transcribed and used as data sources for the research. The study used transcriptions to obtain frequency and syntactic constructions and interviews with speakers of Acehnese to obtain social functions and perceived attitudes toward CS. It was found that the use of Acehnese relative to Indonesian and other languages in the parliamentary was 26.5% in terms of word count and 3.3% in terms of continuous speech duration and furthermore could be classified as CS wherein Acehnese served either as Matrix and Embedded Language based on Matrix Language Framework (MLF – Myers-Scotton and Jake, 2009). The CS were mostly intersentential in both direction and extrasentential CS were found only from Indonesian to Acehnese. In addition, the CS mainly functioned as a manner of quotation and interlocutor addressing. This study contributed to a better understanding of language and code switching in politically-motivated settings in Aceh or other multilingual regions in Indonesia. Future research in this area could focus on the intellectual and political factors underlying deliberate code switching.Show less
Language attitude is one of the most critical issues in sociolinguistics and since the study of Lambert et al. (1960), relevant research with various research methods has proliferated. The research...Show moreLanguage attitude is one of the most critical issues in sociolinguistics and since the study of Lambert et al. (1960), relevant research with various research methods has proliferated. The research results can help explain the nature of the distribution of language variations and is of vital importance when considering language restoration, maintenance or death. Besides, the language attitude research has theoretical significance on language planning and policy. The purpose of the current study is to determine the evaluative reactions of the younger generation in Rongcheng towards speakers of the standard language, Putonghua, and the non-standard variety, Rongcheng dialect. 47 high school and university students in Rongcheng participated in the study and the direct method of questionnaire and the indirect method of the matched guise technique are combined. In the matched guise experiment, six guises were selected for evaluation in the dimensions of social status and group solidarity. Generally speaking, on solidarity dimension, Rongcheng dialect is rated higher than Putonghua, while on status dimension, Putonghua is rated higher. The accented Putonghua is a form between Putonghua and Rongcheng dialect. On social status dimension, it is rated lowest compared with Putonghua and Rongcheng dialect and on group solidarity it is rated similarly to Putonghua. The findings indicate that Rongcheng dialect is the language variety with covert prestige in Rongcheng. Besides, subjects’ language attitude tend to be multi-valued: factors such as gender, educational level and etc. are linked to subjects' differentiated attitude towards Rongcheng dialect and Putonghua.Show less
The current report is an examination of language and identity in the context of Brussels. Brussels is sociolinguistically interesting as an official bilingual city with great diversity in languages...Show moreThe current report is an examination of language and identity in the context of Brussels. Brussels is sociolinguistically interesting as an official bilingual city with great diversity in languages and cultures. Theoretical notions of language attitude, accommodation and social identity are linked in the multilingual context of Brussels. To investigate a possible relation between language and identity, the language choice preferences of speakers of Dutch are mapped, as well as identifications they make on different levels. The link between language choice and identification is examined by investigating three small groups of speakers of Dutch in Brussels. An attitudinal online survey, expert interviews and a rapid and anonymous survey offer data that provide insights in the language, and identifications the speakers make. Qualitative analyses imply that speakers of Dutch in Brussels show a tendency to be flexible towards language switch and being addressed in another language. The Dutch language tends not to be a distinctive feature to the speakers’ identity, but multilingualism and positive traits attributed to multilingualism are part of the identity of the speakers of Dutch in Brussels.Show less
