Discursive Constructions of Immigrant Identity: A Sociolinguistic Trend Study on Long-Term American Immigrants

Hardcover, xii + 219 pag, NOT ex-library. Clean and bright throughout with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps. A short crease to the upper edge of four leaves; firm secure binding. Boards show minor handling wear. Issued without a dust jacket. -- In which way can language be an indicator for cultural identity in immigration contexts? How are collective identity, social networks and the use of the inclusive pronoun 'we' connected? Does code-switching in additive bilingualism and first language attrition indicate a loss of home cultural identity? Designed as a longitudinal trend study, this book answers such complex questions as it investigates data collected from interviews with thirty U.S. Americans who immigrated to Germany between 1963-2001. On the one hand, in-depth discourse analyses take the discursive construction of identity within the sociopolitical context of Germany into account. Narrative structures, person and place deictics and code-switching are indexical for cultural identity. On the other hand, socio-demographic factors such as age at arrival, length of residence, social networks and education are relevant for the identification of the Americans and their linguistic choices. Qualitative and quantitative methods are applied and result in a synthesis of in-depth linguistic analyses and general trends of language variation within the cohort. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical Framework [Mational Culture and Identity; Social Constructivism and Identity in Discourse; Interlanguage Pragmatics and Conversational Routines; Code-switching, Language Attrition and Identity; Acculturation, Social Networks & Accommodation] 3. Context [Notes on Sociocultural Context; German American Relations and Americans in Germany; German and Global Views on America and Americans; Cultural Trauma; English as Lingua Franca and 'Prestige Language' in Germany] 4. Methodology [Data; Demographic Information on Participants; Research Design; Correlation Analysis; Field Work Methods; Reconstruction of Life Span Case Studies: Steps of Analysis; Quantification and Statistical Analysis; Triangulation: Rivalry of Paradigms; Transcription Symbols] 5. Life-Span Acculturating Identity in Narrative [Communicative Space; Origo & Parallel Structure; Place Formulations and Assimilation to Germany; Gambits, Directional Movement Verbs and Co-construction; Deictics, Socio-political Context and Diremption; Narrated Time and Narrating Time; Positioning and Gendered Identity; Narrative Structure of 9/¿11 Events and National Identity; Reconstruction of Biographical Events and Acculturation; Acculturation Throughout Life Span; Discussion] 6. Post 9/¿11 Identity in New Contexts [Hugh: 9/¿11 Narrative and Affiliation; Sandra: 9/¿11 Narrative and Identification; Dan: 9/¿11; Concealing National Identity; Gary and Elise: Hiding National Identity in Narrative; Sandra & Jack: Struggling With National Identity; Hiding and Struggling and Socio-political Context; Discussion of Discourse Identity and Socio-political Context] 7. Indexicality: Deictics, Place References and Identity [Deictics of Places and Name References; Person Deictics and Identity; Discussion of Person Deictics; Length of Residence and 'We' Americans and Germans; Triangulation of Discourse and Quantitative Analyses] 8. Socio-pragmatic Functions of Code-switching [Lexical Cultural and Strategic Borrowing; Necessary Loanwords in Initial Phases of Immigration; Strategic and Lexical Borrowing and Cultural Orientation; Code-switching, Distancing and Orientation; Code-switching, Learning and Agency; Code-switching and Agency in Narrative; Code-switching and Contrasting Values; Code-switching, Learning and Changing Rituals; Discussion of the Social Functions of Code-switching] 9. Demographic Factors, Code-switching and Language Attrition [Linguistic Variables; Code-switching and Lexical Attrition Data; Extra-linguistic Factors, Code-switching and Language Attrition; Discussion].…