Taking an Interactional Approach to Multilingualism
Tomando un enfoque interaccional al plurilingüismo
Object Details
| Subject Language | Wanano Piratapuyo Tucano |
| Language PID(s) | ailla:119591 ailla:119651 ailla:119653 |
| Title [Indigenous] | |
| Language of Indigenous Title | |
| Title | Taking an Interactional Approach to Multilingualism |
| Language Community | |
| Country(ies) | |
| Place Created | |
| Date Created | 2021-06-25 |
| Description [Indigenous] | |
| Language of Indigenous Description | |
| Description | Presentation abstract: The Vaupés region is recognized as one of Amazonia’s better-known examples of small-scale societal multilingualism, with individuals commonly described as proficient in multiple indigenous and colonial/national languages. Continuing investigation of Vaupes society, however, is revealing a great deal of internal diversity that includes nuanced dynamics involving how individuals from different ethno-linguistic groups use languages as they navigate diverse social contexts. Analyses of language ideology among Tukanoan groups credits the notion of “loyalty” to one’s father’s language as a force shaping broadly purported linguistic practices, including frequent simultaneous or “receptive” exchanges, curtailed lexical borrowing, and generally restrained displays of multilingual prowess. Nevertheless, little is known about the actual use of multiple languages in people’s daily lives, a gap our work seeks to address through investigation of a large corpus of video recordings of informal, everyday interactions among members of Kotiria and Wa’ikhana (East Tukano) communities. We highlight contrasts between what people say they do (or don’t do, or shouldn’t do), focusing primarily on cases of codeswitching and accommodation, both long presumed to be either unattested or highly dispreferred language behaviors. We provide empirical evidence for a wider range of multilingual practices than previously claimed for the Vaupés, demonstrating the everyday accomplishment of multilingualism in social interaction. |
| Genres | Presentation |
| Source Note | |
| References | |
| Contributor(s) Individual / Role | Stenzel, Kristine (Author) Williams, Nicholas (Author) |
| Contributor(s) Corporate / Role |
Media Files
There are 1 objects in this resource| Object | File Types | Access Level |
|---|---|---|
| multiling_NW_Amazon_STENZEL-WILLIAMS.pdf | application/pdf | 1 |
