Abstract
The pharyngeal segments in Hebrew, [[glottal stop, reversed]] and [h[stroke]], are historically conservative and considered prescriptively correct, but are also socially stigmatized as a feature associated with Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) descent. I present data from sociolinguistic interviews in two Israel field sites and demonstrate a robust pattern in both communities: speakers who produce pharyngeals in the interview use more [[glottal stop, reversed]] in reading a word list than in free-form conversation, but show no such effect for [h[stroke]]. The results are difficult to reconcile with a single axis of standardness or formality and highlight the need for a more multidimensional approach to interpreting reading styles. Taking into account both the community's language ideologies that link reading styles to their ethnic identity and the fact that [[glottal stop, reversed]] has been shown to be more useful as a stylistic resource for performing Mizrahi personae, I argue for an interpretation that considers word list reading as a site for performing a Mizrahi ethnic identity.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 31-58 |
Number of pages | 28 |
Journal | Journal of Sociolinguistics |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Feb 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Ethnicity
- Hebrew
- Pharyngeals
- Read speech
- Standard language
- Stylistic variation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Sociology and Political Science
- Philosophy
- Linguistics and Language
- History and Philosophy of Science