2018, Vol.26, No.4

The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.57

pISSN : 1226-4822
https://journal.kci.go.kr/socioling

This study investigates how sociolinguistic factors such as gender and language proficiency affect speech rhythm by examining the spoken data of 40 Korean learners of English. Prosodic rhythm, which has been perceived to differentiate various regional varieties of English from General American English, is applied to L2 speech. By using the Normalized Vocalic Pairwise Variability Index (nPVI-V; Low, Grabe & Nolan 2000), L2 speech rhythm is quantified and results indicate that nPVI-V scores are higher for advanced learners of English (indicating more stress-timed speech) than for non-advanced speakers. The effect of gender on rhythm metrics is also tested. Results show that L2 male speakers are more likely to be syllable-timed, whereas L2 female speakers more stress-timed. This may reflect an aspect of gender paradox: women are more apt to adopt the new language than men. Overall, the results of the present study disclose how sociolinguistic factors such as gender and language proficiency interact with rhythm metrics in L2 speech.

The Kazak honorific system has been described to consist of a number of second person forms and terms of address. In addition to these core honorific expressions, however, my recent study of spoken Kazak in the Chinese Altai reveals that there are many other politeness features — both linguistic and non-linguistic — that constitute a loosely integrated honorific register system. They include grammatical distinctions (e.g., singular/plural, past/perfect, confirmative/non-confirmative), lexical distinctions (e.g., Chinese titles/Kazak kin terms), prosody (e.g., loud/quiet, fast/slow), as well as non-linguistic features (e.g., smoking/ non-smoking, male facial hair grown/removed, serving of black tea/milk tea). This paper describes these “non-core” expressions and the semiotic processes in which they, together with the core expressions, form a dichotomous system of contrast between plain and honorific registers.

Reform and opening-up in China brought rapid changes in the society of ethnic Koreans in China. And those changes caused following changes in language identity and language attitude of those ethnic Koreans that eventually led to change in their language use. The present study investigates relation between changes in language identity and language attitude and their language use. The rates that Ethnic Koreans living in Jilin, China consider their mother language to be Korean(Joseon language, South Korean language and North Korean language) are different by their generations. Middle aged and older people tend more to consider Korean as their mother language compared to younger generation. Those two generations, however, showed opposed opinions about the future language they will use. More of older generation predicted that Korean will be rarely used among ethnic Koreans living in China in the future compared to younger generation. The difference of language identity and the attitude to the language across generations was reflected in their actual language use. Older generations use Korean in general. They may borrow Chinese words when they can’t come up with appropriate Korean words or sometimes show code mixing by using Chinese words and sentences while speaking in Korean. In generations younger than middle age, code mixing and code switching are more frequently observed when their conversation topics are Chinese politics and Chinese cultures. The youngest generation mainly uses Chinese and showed code switching most frequently among all generations. The language use observed differently among the generations is reflection of changes in language identity and language attitude.