Language essentialism and social hierarchies among Giriama and Swahili

Mobile phones and Mipoho's prophecy: The powers and dangers of flying language

“…In certain contexts, too, each language tends to take on religious associations. In Giriama ritual, for instance, Kigiriama tends to be mapped onto the ritual patterns and occult powers associated with what is called “the Giriama side,” including the Giriama ancestors, ethnically identified Giriama spirits, and the Giriama god Mulungu, whereas Kiswahili may be used to communicate with emissaries from “the Muslim side,” including Muslim spirits, which Giriama routinely call on in their divination and healing rituals (McIntosh 2005a, 2005b, 2009a). And, although Christian services may be carried out in any language, biblical language is often quoted in English.…”

“…Giriama interpretations of their use of Kigiriama in text messaging draw on language essentialisms that stipulate deep, intrinsic connections between the language and ethnically based rights, obligations, cultural patterns, or attitudes (cf. McIntosh 2005a, 2005b). Says one informant, “If I talk about home matters I always use Kigiriama … I actually don't know why; I just find myself doing it.”“Texting in Kigiriama,” several informants told me, “means respect.” One informant implies that the texting medialect of manipulated language and rapid code‐switching is culturally contaminated in ways that might offend respected elders: “When communicating with an elder I would use pure language.” Another man justifies his use of Kigiriama in exchanges with family members by linking the language to a kind of weightiness and responsibility: “I can send these funny mixed‐up texts to the people I drink with, but not my wife or my daughter; I’m not her age mate to play with.…”

Enregistering authenticity in language revitalisation

“…These directions are also present in the Hungarian language discourses about Hungarian in Moldavia. Discourses of endangerment refer to the endangerment of Hungarian: this means that local practices are almost completely described as belonging to the Hungarian language and its situation in Moldavia – following the ideology Janet McIntosh (: 1926) calls ‘ethnolinguistic linking’ – is viewed as mirroring the situation of the Hungarian people in the region. In this framework, the Moldavian Hungarian dialect, also known as the ‘Csángó’ language, becomes significant in the discourses about Hungarian as epitomised by the common belief that this dialect is the furthest from Standard Hungarian on account of the archaic features it has preserved due to its high degree of isolation from other speakers of the language (Ferdinand : 79; Sándor : 176–177).…”

Clean people, unclean people: the essentialisation of ‘slaves’ among the southern Betsileo of Madagascar

“…) and, more rarely, anthropologists. In social psychology it has been investigated in a variety of domains including gender, religion, sexual orientation and political groups (Prentice and Miller ), while in anthropology it has been notably discussed in relation to racism (Hirschfeld ), ethnicity (Gil‐White ) and language (McIntosh ).…”

“…Since psychological essentialism appears to be particularly frequent in social categorisation it has attracted the attention of social psychologists (see in particular the contributions in Yzerbyt et al 2004) and, more rarely, anthropologists. In social psychology it has been investigated in a variety of domains including gender, religion, sexual orientation and political groups (Prentice and Miller 2007), while in anthropology it has been notably discussed in relation to racism (Hirschfeld 1996), ethnicity (Gil-White 2001) and language (McIntosh 2005).…”