Sociolinguistics of Identity

In tune with this goal and with the interdisciplinary tradition in sociolinguistics, the chapters contain different theoretical and methodological references and study identity in research projects that focus on linguistic variation, language planning, dialectology, social interaction, and language learning, among other classical themes in the fields of sociolinguistics. [...]Suleiman adds that the construction of a language and its function in the construction of national identity have to be coherent with the collective memory of the community in question. Based on data from questionnaires and interviews, the author identifies informants' attitudes toward the endangered language, to conclude that (i) Guernsey French is not necessarily a central issue in their identities, and (ii) the movement to revitalize the language is part of a folklorization process directed toward attracting tourists. In the analysis of talk produced in group discussions in the classroom, the author considers that in students' identity performance there is a conflict between at least three available identities, linked to three communities of practice: their peers, their families, and the university.