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- Title
Displacement and local linguistic practices: R-lessness in post-Katrina Greater New Orleans.
- Authors
Carmichael, Katie
- Abstract
Variable r-lessness in New Orleans English is a salient linguistic feature tied to local place-based identity. In this study, I examine rates of r-lessness in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which caused large-scale displacement in the region. Participants come from the linguistically conservative suburb of Chalmette, where r-lessness is more robust than in New Orleans proper. Participants' connections to Chalmette were measured in two ways: (1) post-Katrina location status, i.e. whether participants returned or relocated after the storm; (2) place orientation, captured via an ethnographically informed, multifaceted measure of stance and exposure to places outside of Chalmette. Analysis revealed that place orientation better predicts rates of r-lessness than post-Katrina location. I argue that the marked quality of r-lessness makes it available for identity-driven use to express a connection to Chalmette. This study demonstrates one way to account for the linguistic implications of individuals' shifting allegiances to places they live(d).
- Subjects
NEW Orleans (La.); UNITED States; R (The sound); ENGLISH language -- Social aspects; AMERICAN English language; HURRICANE Katrina, 2005; REGIONAL identity (Psychology); RELOCATION; SOCIOLINGUISTICS; PLACE (Philosophy); PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
Journal of Sociolinguistics, 2017, Vol 21, Issue 5, p696
- ISSN
1360-6441
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/josl.12253