Alien species: the discursive othering of grey squirrels, Glasgow Gaelic, Shetland Scots and the gay guys in the shag pad

Messy creativity

“…This is perhaps best exemplified in the embrace of the notion of indexicality (see in particular the papers by Deumert and Storch), a concept that has migrated to linguistics from semiotics and which seeks to capture the way meanings shift and change as language interacts with contexts and experiences, beliefs and prejudices, and all of the other messy aspects of human social life. Although much of the work on indexicality in sociolinguistics in the past decade has been devoted to understanding how indexical meaning becomes progressively 'solid' or 'enregistered' in particular communities, other work has highlighted the essentially fragile, and 'messy' nature of indexical meaning (see for example Jones 2013, Joseph 2013, Johnstone and Kiesling 2008, the fact that the concept of indexicality is often better suited to revealing the fundamental indeterminacy of relations between forms and meanings than to resolving it. In fact, following the trails of indexicality formed by some of the examples in these papers reminds one a bit of the parable that Perry (1979) tells as a warning against essentialising indexicals of the messy shopper who follows a trail of sugar through the aisles of the supermarket, trying to catch whoever it is that is making the mess, only to discover that he is the shopper that he is trying to catch.…”

Desigualtats legitimades: drets lingüístics i ideologia

“…Triar i interactuar és un flux que ocorre en contextos socials estructurats per regles i normes, que són el resultat de les trajectòries històriques de les relacions en els espais socials. La llengua que usem assenyala afiliacions, que gestionem en una cerca constant d'acceptació i connexió (Goffman 1961), o de rebuig i desvinculació (Joseph 2013). Adaptem com ens comuniquem per encaixar (Ervin-Tripp 1996), perquè ens entenguen (o no) i per alinear-nos amb normes que ens esforcem col•lectivament per mantenir i que encotillen les nostres possibilitats.…”

“…The process of choosing and interacting unfolds within social contexts governed by rules and norms, shaped by the historical trajectories of relationships within societal spaces. The language used serves as a signaling mechanism for affiliations, constituting a continuous exploration of acceptance and connection (Goffman 1961) or, conversely, rejection and disengagement (Joseph 2013). Individuals adjust communication patterns to fit in (Ervin-Tripp 1996), to be understood (or to prevent understanding), aligning their behavior with norms that they collectively strive to maintain, and that constrain their possibilities.…”

Can Schools Dispense with Standard Language? Some Unintended Consequences of Introducing Scots in a Scottish Primary School

“…Accordingly, I approach education as “a key site for defining legitimate language” as well as “for constructing what counts as knowledge, what counts as displaying knowledge, and who may define and display knowledge” (Heller and Martin‐Jones :3). I will also make use of two other tools: first the notion of othering , which I briefly define for now as the discursive, permanent association of a group of meaningful others with certain characteristics (Joseph ). I will also refer to the notion of stance, “taking up a position with respect to the form or the content of one's utterance” (Jaffe ).…”