Language and Identity

English in advertising in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

“…There might also be an underlying symbolic function. Through ‘crossing’ (Rampton, ) or ‘truncated multilingualism’ (Blommaert, Collins, & Slembrouck, ) by ‘the use of hybrid scriptural landscape involving a global language’ (Kasanga, , p. 198), Congolese advertisers may be projecting a hybrid and complex identity (Mesthrie & Tabouret‐Keller, ), a global imagery (Martin, ) which reflects ‘the many commitments, allegiances, loyalties, or affiliation and expertise’ (Tabouret‐Keller, , p. 321). These local advertisers seek to project themselves as cosmopolitan (Piller, ), that is, ‘culturally sophisticated, and knowledgeable about the ways of the world’ (Poon, , p. 31), or as ‘well‐travelled’ world citizens.…”

Impact of Change of the Language Environment on the Extent of Language Shift in the Context of Linguistics

“…Tabouret-Keller 2000:317, Mills 2001, Kidd 2002:192, Iskanius 2005 stress the importance of the language in developing identity. The main point of these directions is the fact that the language is the mediator of the personal and also the social identity, i.e.…”

“…the language choice is seen as the method of the definition of the identity, at the same time the language offers tools to create and to express this bond (ibid.). Language choice is seen as the most important part of developing ethnic identity (Tabouret-Keller 2000, Skutnabb-Kangas 2000, Iskanius 2005, Shannon 2007), but it does not mean just speaking a language, but also feeling a bond with the other groups speaking the same language that is true for the ethnic minorities also (ibid. ).…”

The Sociolinguistic Integration of Immigrant Populations: Reflections on Its Study

“…In short, the further the advance of integration, the greater and, in interpersonal terms, the closer the contact between different groups; and as this contact grows, the new context will acquire a negotiated re-definition in terms of shared values. On the basis of Tajfel's theory (Tajfel 1984) of social identity, and in view of the relation between language and identity (Tabouret-Keller 1997;Moreno Fernández 2006;Coupland 2007), theories of communicational accommodation and ethnolinguistic identity (Giles and Jonhson 1981;Giles et al 1991;Viladot i Presas et al 2007) highlight the importance of the linguistic plane in the process of group categorization, where its role is crucial as a defining attribute of group identity. Thus, we take as our hypothesis that, as the integration processes advance and intersubjective relations are established between residents and arrivals, thereby leading to social recategorization-as, then, social identities come closer to each other (group limits are diluted)-the linguistic practices of members of the group will come closer together since, if the group is redefined, its defining characteristics will be modified, its linguistic ones among them.…”