|
|
Family Language Management in Czech-English Families in Lancashire
Baštová, Kateřina ; Sherman, Tamah (advisor) ; Bozděchová, Ivana (referee)
This thesis presents a research of a family language management in four Czech-English families in Lancashire. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, it examines various aspects of language ideology and language policy, language use, and the way of teaching and language acquisition of Czech language within the families. The first chapter introduces theoretical findings and essential ideas for the research. The second chapter describes the process of the research, provides information on the examined families, and presents the research questions. The third chapter describes the processing and analysis of interviews, and the fourth presents research results and answers the research questions. The aim of this thesis was to describe and analyse the mentioned aspects of family language management and based on this analysis show how the families approach bilingual education of their children.
|
|
|
Language biographies of the third generation of the Greek minority in the Czech Republic
Zahálková, Tereza ; Sherman, Tamah (advisor) ; Jílková, Lucie (referee)
This thesis explores the processes and mechanisms of the acquisition and use language as described by the third generation of Greek political immigrants living on the territory of the Czech Republic. It also deals with how the respondents talk about the questions of code switching and their ethnic self- identification. The text is divided into two main parts, theoretical and empirical. In the theoretical part, an introduction to the history of Greek refugees and the causes of their immigration in the context of their simultaneous maintenance of identity and language is elaborated. The methods available for this type of research are then described. In the empirical part, based on recorded interviews, the language behaviour of narrators was analysed and interpreted by using the language biography method. The main finding is that although the group is adapted to the Czech environment, it tends towards the Greek community and still learns the language of its ancestors. Though the respondents had been learning Greek since childhood, the main development of their competence in it began with the period of their adolescence. Within intergenerational communication, it was found that interactions between parents and their children were more homogeneous than in the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren....
|
|
|
English as Lingua Franca in Cyprus after 2003: Questions of identity
Savoglu, Mustafa ; Ira, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Czoch, Gábor (referee) ; Sherman, Tamah (referee)
As a multilingual and multicultural island, Cyprus has been segregated based on religion, identities, communities, and nationalities. In 1974, this segregation became a physical division of the island. After twenty-nine years of division, in 2003 April 23rd , the borders or in other words, the check-points were opened, and the two biggest communities of the island; Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, have been put in contact again. The phenomenon that the both communities were put in contact again also brought the question of language along with. This thesis investigates the evolution of the language policies and planning (LPP) in Cyprus. This research has found that since the beginning of the first crossings, English language has been functioning as Lingua franca, and being spread across the divide. The research analyzes the evolution of the LPP under three categories; A) Politics and Language Policies and Planning in Cyprus, B) Civil Society and Language Policies and Planning in Cyprus, C) Education and Language Policies and Planning in Cyprus. The results of the research have shown that the both sides (North and South) are willing to achieve a Greek and Turkish bilingual Cyprus, whereas the current situation points out that the lack policies and planning along with cooperation between the two...
|
|
|
The management of language maintenance and shift in the Czech language community in Chicago
Štěpánová, Marie ; Sherman, Tamah (advisor) ; Dittmann, Robert (referee)
The Master's thesis The management of language maintenance and shift in the Czech language community in Chicago examines (based on the analysis of the transcript of more than twenty hours of recordings of testimonies of thirteen speakers from Czech-speaking areas of western peripheries of American Chicago who have been living outside the Czech countries for more than forty years) the issues of language maintenance, transmission to future generations, and language shift in the expatriate community. The work analyses the environment and diverse situations of possible contact with the Czech language, reflected by the speakers, as well as the importance of national institutions (such as expatriate associations, minority schools, Czech parishes, etc.) for language maintenance of individuals. Respondents reflect also the conditions under which they were able to pass the Czech language to succeeding generations." It analyses testimonies of Czech Americans on what reactions they have received on language features showing their origin (such as foreign accent and name) and what assimilation strategies they used to moderate such stigma. The project examines, from the perspective of simple language management, how bilingual skills and the identity of respondents interact in a research interview.
|
|
|
Linguistic Gratifications
Novotný, Tomáš ; Nekvapil, Jiří (advisor) ; Sherman, Tamah (referee)
This paper aims to provide a basic overall description of the phenomenon called language gratification. In Language Management Theory this phenomenon represents a kind of metalanguage behaviour entailing a positive evaluation. Language Management Theory including language gratifications is presented in this paper extensively. Afterwards, various methodological procedures which can be used for obtaining relevant data are introduced. The use of these methods is then illustrated in the analytical part comprising a series of examples, while other sources of data are mentioned. Next part presents a basic typology of language gratifications, in comparison to the typology of language problems on the one hand, and based on the findings acquired during the work on this paper on the other hand. The problems related with the research on language gratifications and some research perspectives are discussed in the concluding parts.
|
|
|
Back to our Roots: Language and Sociocultural Management of Young Vietnamese in the Czech Republic
Ngo, Quynh Nga ; Sherman, Tamah (advisor) ; Adamovičová, Ana (referee)
A common phenomenon among migrants is called language attrition, or the partial loss of language skills caused by changes in the active use of the language. This phenomenon occurs in the Czech Republic, where numerous young Vietnamese are often praised (especially by teachers) for their quick acquisition of the Czech language in the school environment, but experience shortcomings in their Vietnamese language and socio-cultural competence during early adulthood, on the basis of which they begin to go "back to their roots." The main topics of research in this thesis are 1) the experience of loss of the Vietnamese language and socio-cultural competence by individual Vietnamese and by the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, 2) adjustment designs to remedy these deficiencies and 3) the (non-)implementation of these adjustment designs by both individuals and organizations in the Czech Republic. The theoretical- methodological framework is a Language Management Theory (Neustupný 2002) and the main methodological approaches are language biography (Nekvapil 2004) and ethnography. The results of the analysis indicate the critical points to be addressed in incentives for Vietnamese language teaching methodology for young Vietnamese, as well as in the experience and reflection of their personal identities.
|
|
|
The mutual intelligibility of Swedish and Danish in tourist interactions outside of Scandinavia
Kohoutová, Alexandra ; Sherman, Tamah (advisor) ; Slouková, Radka (referee)
The continental Scandinavian languages are very closely related and this fact often leads to the presumption that their speakers are able to communicate with each other without using another language (e.g. English); this type of communication is called semicommunication (this term firstly used Haugen in his paper from 1966). Although there are many historical, social and linguistic preconditions which favour semicommunication, interactions between Scandinavians can be characterized by frequent misunderstandings. This thesis focuses on semicommunication between Danish and Swedish and it consists of the author's research on Danish-Swedish conversations outside of Scandinavia with both native and non-native speakers of the languages. The research took place in Prague, in a tourist office with Danish owners and Scandinavian clients. It is based on audio recordings of conversations between non-native Swedish speaking employees of the office and Danish tourists. The aim of the research is to find out in which situations and why semicommunication fails, how the possible misunderstandings are solved and whether they create problems for subsequent communication. The conclusion of the analysis is that the extent of misunderstandings was about the same with Danish tourists and Swedish speaking employees of...
|
|
|
Forms of address in Finnish in the context of dynamic politeness norms
Štauberová, Markéta ; Sherman, Tamah (advisor) ; Fárová, Lenka (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to describe the current state of select politeness phenomena in Finnish which are expressed through language structure, namely the forms of address. My main research questions were: How do Finnish native speakers use T- and V-forms? Has there been any perceived development in the use of address forms in Finnish in the past ten years? Are there any special situations, occasions, places or institutions (...) in which speakers expect particular form of address? Have they experienced any recent changes? How is the possible rise in use of the V-form connected to the use of other politeness expressions in Finnish? The thesis begins with a general description of the most significant theoretical approaches to politeness. It, then, defines a place of forms of address within the linguistic politeness. The main theoretical basis for the thesis is linguistic pragmatics, in which politeness is seen as a dynamic interpersonal activity. Not only is politeness a linguistic phenomenon but it is also a matter of social behaviour. Therefore, it differs culturally but also situationally. In the second chapter, I examine the Finnish forms of address as a linguistic phenomenon. First, I consider nominal and pronominal forms of address, second, I explain the grammatical base for Finnish...
|
|
|
The language management of Russian-speaking university students and graduates in its socioeconomic context
Petrova, Natallia ; Sherman, Tamah (advisor) ; Hrdlička, Milan (referee)
This thesis is devoted to the language management of Russian-speaking university students and graduates in the socioeconomic context of the Czech Republic. The first, theoretical section, is based on the results of previous studies as well as statistical data. It delimits the concepts of language management and Language Management Theory describes the types of language management, and explains its processual character. The second, empirical section of the thesis, is devoted to a qualitative research study based on semi-structured interviews with 10 speakers of Russian as a first or second language who were studying or who had studies at universities in the Czech Republic. The aim of the research was to gain up-to-date information on respondents' subjective understanding of their position on the Czech labor market. The results reveal connections between language, communicative and socio- cultural (including socio-economic) management thus connect issues of language competence and linguistic repertoires and the socio-economic position of Russian-speaking university students and graduates in the Czech Republic.
|
|
|
On the Discursive Constitution of Language Norm Authorithies in German Schools and Their Influence on the Creation of the Standard Variety
Horbank, Olivia Josephine ; Dovalil, Vít (advisor) ; Sherman, Tamah (referee)
This master thesis analyzes the question, how norm authority constitutes itself in the context of school education. It is based on firsthand data from several adio- and audiovisual recordings of classes in two German schools (trade school and high school). The project provides a description of the mechanism by which the teacher establishes himself as the norm-authority and how he is able to assert this authority towards the student, the norm subject. At the same time, the reaction of the norm subjects towards the intervention of the norm authority into their language production is analyzed. Theoretically, the essay is embedded in the social force field of a standard-variety ("soziales Kräftefeld einer Standardvarietät") by Ulrich Ammon and the language management theory. By following the steps of the language management process, the handling of the language norm is described and an analysis is made of how language norms are actively adopted into the learning process. The analysis and evaluation of the class recordings underline the dynamic character of language norms and show the procedural nature of norm formation and their adoption. Key Words: norm, variety, social force field, language management, macro and micro level, norm authority, norm subject
|
guest ::
