Computational Sociolinguistics: A Survey

Language is a social phenomenon and variation is inherent to its social nature. Recently, there has been a surge of interest within the computational linguistics (CL) community in the social dimension of language. In this article we present a survey of the emerging field of "Computational Sociolinguistics" that reflects this increased interest. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of CL research on sociolinguistic themes, featuring topics such as the relation between language and social identity, language use in social interaction and multilingual communication. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential for synergy between the research communities involved, by showing how the large-scale data-driven methods that are widely used in CL can complement existing sociolinguistic studies, and how sociolinguistics can inform and challenge the methods and assumptions employed in CL studies. We hope to convey the possible benefits of a closer collaboration between the two communities and conclude with a discussion of open challenges.Comment: To appear in Computational Linguistics. Accepted for publication: 18th February, 201

From Statistical to Geolinguistic Data: Mapping and Measuring Linguistic Diversity

The aim of this paper is describing a new methodology for mapping and measuring linguistic diversity in a territory. The three methods that have been created by the Centro di eccellenza della ricerca Osservatorio linguistico permanente dell’italiano diffuso fra stranieri e delle lingue immigrate in Italia at the Università per Stranieri di Siena are the following: - the Toscane favelle model, a procedural application which passes from quantitative statistical data to a demolinguistic paradigm; - the Monterotondo-Mentana model. The surveys of quantitative and qualitative data are carried out using traditional tools (questionnaires, audio and video recordings) as well as advanced technologies; - the Esquilino model. Digital maps are created which present the distribution of the immigrant languages through the presence of signs in linguistic landscape. The final objective is putting together the data surveyed by the three methods in order to have a “speaking” territory, in which each point surveyed identifies the languages spoken and the various linguistic manifestations.Language Contact, Linguistic Diversity, Immigrant Languages, Geolinguistic Data, New Methodologies in Sociolinguistic Research

Italian Schools and New Linguistic Minorities: Nationality Vs. Plurilingualism. Which Ways and Methodologies for Mapping these Contexts?

According to the latest findings of the MIUR (Ministry of Education, University and Research), Alunni con cittadinanza non italiana 2004-2005 (MIUR, October 2005), 4.2% of the school population in Italy is made up of non-Italian citizens, with no reference to students who have one Italian parent or adopted children. These findings show that schools have become multilingual, not so much or solely because of the proposed linguistic offerings, nor for the linguistic heritage of Italian-speakers, which alternates among dialect, regional Italian and standard Italian, but mostly because of the dimension created by the contacts developed between different linguistic and cultural heritages. The paper aims at emphasizing and showing different ways for mapping the role played and the weight exercised by these “new linguistic minorities” – (defined as such) so-called because they are related to immigrant settlements in the territory and, hence, “immigrant languages” – in redefining the linguistic landscape of a school and of a territory.Language Contact, Immigrant Languages, School System, Linguistic-Cultural Identity

The dynamics of contacts and multilingual practices in the Chinese community in Britain. Revisiting social network analysis

This article revisits the application of Social Network Analysis to the study of language maintenance and language shift in the Chinese community in Britain. An approach that focuses more on individual variations, including variable behaviours by the same speaker in different contexts, is proposed. The approach is illustrated with new data from Chinese-speaking families in London. The role of the social media in language maintenance and language shift, and in promoting multilingual practices is explored

Predicting executive functions in bilinguals using ecologically valid measures of code-switching behavior

One of the factors claimed to impact on executive functions in bilinguals is code-switching. New insights into how exactly code-switching affects executive functions can be obtained if attention is paid to the kind of code-switching bilinguals engage in, and not just the frequency of code-switching. This raises the question how code-switching habits can be assessed in experimental research. This study presents two ecologically valid, yet efficient, methods of assessing code-switching habits: a frequency judgement task based on authentic stimuli, and a bilingual email production task. The two tasks converged in revealing differences in Dense code-switching in two groups of German-English bilinguals. Moreover, the frequency judgement task predicted code-switching frequency in the ecologically more valid email production task. Importantly, both tasks revealed code-switching patterns that explained group differences observed in executive performance. The bilinguals engaging in frequent Dense code-switching excelled at the aspect of executive functions (conflict-monitoring) predicted to be related to code-switching based on existing processing models. Hence, both methods are recommended for use as code-switching measurements in bilingualism research

Code-switching between Cairene mothers and their children in public: A study in language attitudes

This study investigates the reasons causing a rising number of Cairene mothers to code-switch into English when they speak to their children in public. Further exploration of the mothers’ attitude towards their children’s nascent bilingualism is pursued along with an attempt to identify the mothers’ perspectives on the phenomenon in question when manifested by other parents in their community. To this end, the researcher implemented a mixed methodological approach for data collection starting with a snowball sampling strategy for distribution of a questionnaire, and culminating with a number of follow-up semi-structured interviews of a selected group from the questionnaire participants. Ninety-two participants completed the questionnaire, and eight of them participated in a follow-up interview. Findings of this study show the most prominent reason causing the language behavior of code-switching to spread among Cairene mothers is an attempt to scaffold the child’s linguistic aptitude to prepare them for school. Furthermore, mothers associate fluency in English with a better socio-economic future for their children which justifies their use of English to promote their children’s early bilingualism. However, many of the mothers, despite engaging in this linguistic behavior themselves, have a tendency to perceive the act of code-switching into English in public as intentional to reflect social prestige. The perspectives and attitudes are highly affected by the speakers’ accent, pronunciation, the length of the utterance spoken in English and the context of occurrence. Perspectives are negative when the speakers’ accent and pronunciation are flawed, when the conversation is fully conducted in English or when the context does not require the use of a foreign language

The roots of 'multiethnolects' : effects of migration on the lexicon and speech of German-speaking school children

Traditionally, German identity was based on an ethnic and linguistic notion of membership. Today, over 20% of Germany’s population are migrants or of migrant descent, including one-third of the population under the age of thirty. Most of them are multilingual. ‘Multiethnolects’ are distinctive speech practices attributed to adolescents in inner city settings, that are alternatively described as ‘styles’ or ‘lects’ typically spoken by Turkish-German youth (Auer 2003, Eksner 2006, Kern & Selting 2006), general ‘youth languages’ (Wiese 2009), new dialects (Wiese 2012), or remnants of L2 acquisition (Dittmar 2013). Each term implies different presuppositions about the nature and origin of the phenomenon. My dissertation unites experimental methods, variationist analysis and ethnography to establish a fuller picture of the emergence of multiethnolects and the factors behind them in Germany, in particular. Sixty-six German-born fourth graders in two districts of Braunschweig with a recent migration history completed a questionnaire, and a free-sorting test of German motion verbs while a subset of thirty-eight students also took part in a video-retelling task. The data allowed for a quantification of potential multiethnolect features at the lexical and morphosyntactic level. The motion verb lexicon was examined with the help of cluster analysis and regression analysis over speakers’ background data. This step revealed that there are differences in lexical scope and the perception of word meaning that are best predicted by participants’ migration background, district and heritage language. At the same time, morphosyntactic features associated with the German multiethnolect are present at low rates, but are predicted by similar combinations of background factors. Overall, a complex picture emerges that becomes interpretable with the help of ethnography. Participant observation and interviews with family members, social workers and educators highlighted the role of speaker networks and in-group orientations within certain neighborhoods. The observations call into question many of the current labels and descriptions of multiethnolects. Most importantly, there seem to be speakers to whom these ways of speaking German are the first-acquired vernacular. A wholesome understanding of these children’s linguistic situation along with well- planned pedagogic responses in school can pave the way for sustainable academic careers and successful processes of integration.Germanic Studie

Language abilities in bilingual children : the effect of family background and language exposure on the development of Turkish and Dutch

Aims and objectives: The study investigates the effects of family background and language exposure on the language abilities of Turkish-Dutch bilingual children in their heritage language, Turkish, as well as in the majority language, Dutch. Methodology: Thirty-five children (3;01-6;11) participated in the study. All children took two standardized proficiency tests: CELF-Preschool 2 in Dutch and TEDIL in Turkish. Parents were interviewed on the family background and on the children's use of and exposure to Dutch and Turkish. Data and analysis: Children's test scores in Dutch and Turkish were analyzed in relation to the amount of exposure to Dutch and Turkish and the socio-economic and linguistic background of the parents. Findings: The results reveal that the children's home context-both the linguistic background of the parents and the socio-educational level of the mother-affected the children's scores, especially for Dutch. The amount of exposure to and use of Dutch and Turkish was correlated to the Dutch and Turkish scores. A qualitative discussion of children's profiles revealed that children's performance can only be fully understood when details of the home context, obtained through interviews with the parents, are taken into account. Originality: To date, few studies on bilingual children from families with a migration background have examined young children's general language abilities in both the heritage language and the majority language. Limitations: The children's language abilities were mapped on the basis of widely recognized standardized tests originally developed for the assessment of monolingual children. As more bilingual instruments are being tested and developed, future research will benefit from these tools