Singapore Teochew as a heritage language

Situated in Southeast Asia, Singapore’s sociolinguistic situation has undergone several changes due to active language planning policies, with English and Mandarin becoming the two socio-politically majority languages in Singapore society. Over time, this has led to the restricted usage of various non-Mandarin dialects, including Teochew, both in public settings and within the home. This paper examines how Teochew, a heritage language in Singapore, has been affected in its vocabulary usage in apparent time. The data was collected from 41 Teochew male and female speakers aged 12–86 years. This paper contributes theoretically by showing the properties of a heritage language, Singapore Teochew, in an environment with multiple shifts of several major languages in Southeast Asia, instead of the more common situation of one major language shift.

Literatur – grundsätzlich mehrsprachig!? Das politische Potenzial literarischer Mehrsprachigkeit heute, am Beispiel von Barbi Marković’ Superheldinnen

Literature – Multilingual on Principle?! The Political Potential of Literary Multilingualism Today, using the Example of Barbi Marković’s Superheldinnen. Research on literary multilingualism is increasingly based on the assumption that literature per se is multilingual. This is true for concepts such as Mikhail Bakhtin’s ‘polyphony’, in which multilingualism occurs in the form of social, regional and historical variants within one major language. Similarly, it applies to Rainier Grutman’s concept of hétérolinguisme, which expands Bakhtin’s notion and includes actual language changes. Recently, Till Dembeck has even called for a philology of multilingualism that would accommodate literary multilingualism in literary criticism. Using Barbi Marković’s novel Superheldinnen (2016) as an example, I discuss this recent development in multilingual literary studies and analyse concepts, forms and function of literary multilingualism. In so doing, I underline the transcending character of literary multilingualism that expresses itself on various levels: linguistically, formally, medially and with respect to culture. Thus, I aim to illustrate the enormous political potential of literary multilingualism. In fact, multilingualism in literature, as opposed to literature in times of a “monolingual paradigm” (Yasemin Yildiz), poses a political challenge on various levels. Concepts, such as national literature, literary field, but also literary studies and their institutions (i.e. language departments) reach their limits if literature is understood as being multilingual. In the second part of this article, I discuss the difficulties that come with literary prizes, literary studies and the access to the literary field. These often express themselves as concrete problems for individuals who, for instance, have difficulties accessing the literary field.

Translating Hungarian Drama for the British and the American Stage

Reflecting on my experience of translating contemporary Hungarian theater into English, this paper examines the fluidity of dramatic texts in their original and in translation, and charts collaborations between playwrights, translators and theater-makers. Mindful of the responsibility when working from a “minor” to a “major” language, the paper signals the discrepancy between the indigenous and foreign ‘recognition circuit’ and observes that translations from lesser-known languages are predominantly marked by a supply-driven agenda. Through case studies from the work of Transylvanian-Hungarian playwright András Visky, the paper argues that considerations regarding such key tenets of live theater as “speakability” and “performability” have to be addressed in parallel with correspondences in meaning, rhythm and spirit. The paper also points out that register and the status of certain lexical choices differ in various languages. Nuancing the trajectory of Visky’s plays in English translation, this paper makes a case for translations created with and for their originals, in full knowledge of the source and receiving cultures, and with a view to their potential in performance. The paper posits the need for multiple options encoded in the translation journey, including hypothetical concepts for future mise-en-scène, and situates the translator as a key participant in the performance making process.

Sourcing the Academic Works for English References: An Analysis of Students’ Perceptions

The role of English as the major language in the world has been impacting language policy in non-English speaking countries, including policy on scientific publication. Scholars are urged to access English sources. This study aimed to qualitatively explore Islamic economic students’ perceptions about referencing their academic works with sources written in English. The data were obtained through interviewing the students and were analyzed descriptively. The majority of students did not refer to English-written sources. There are several factors which limit them in doing so, despite its importance and even though most of the participants have access to the sources. Keywords: Academic works. English, Islamic economic, references, scientific works

Saudis’ Attitudes Towards Their Dialects: A Keyword Technique

Language attitude research uncovers perceptions about the diversity of languages and dialects. It follows how such diversity is stereotypically perceived, which influences the usage of dialects among people. Therefore, diverse contexts, such as Saudi Arabia, necessitate research attention to reveal how stereotypes Saudis hold towards their dialects might affect their usage. Little research has focused on the broad language attitudes in Saudi Arabia, and none of the previous studies have identified the major language attitudes in the region using keyword technique. Using an open-ended questionnaire, the present study identifies the major attitudes regarding the main dialects in the country: Central, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western dialects. The names of the dialects were represented conceptually in the questionnaire. Seventy-eight participants were recruited for the study. First, they were asked to write down their first impressions of Saudi dialects. Second, they were asked to name the most dominant spoken dialect. Eight evaluative themes emerged from the study: affective positive, affective negative, linguistic features, awareness of language variation, cultural association, geographical association, tradition and modernity. Each of them reflects vivid stereotypical suppositions of the dialects. Furthermore, 68% of participants perceived Najdi as the most dominant dialect in Saudi Arabia. KEYWORDS Sociolinguistics, language attitudes, perceptions, stereotype, evaluative profiles, Saudi Arabia

THE PEOPLE OF KAO AND THEIR LANGUAGE IN THE NORTHERN COAST OF HALMAHERA

There are two major language families existing in Indonesia. Those are Austronesian and Papuan languages. Most of Austronesian language speakers live in all over Indonesia. However, the other one, the Non-Austronesian or Papuan language speakers live in some parts of Eastern Indonesia such as North Maluku, Papua, West Papua and East Nusa Tenggara. The focus of this study will lie on one of the language communities in Halmahera island, North Maluku, namely Kao which is on the northern coast of the island. Based on the researches conducted from 2013 up to 2014, it is shown that Kao language which is categorized as Papuan language has been affected by Austronesian feature. It seems that the environment where Kao people live has influenced their life especially their language. One of the influences is on the structure of their language which has changed and shown the domination of the Austronesian characteristic in the case of word order, that is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). Meanwhile, the existence of lingua franca as an inter-ethnic communication tool such as Ternate Malay which is also Austronesian language has contributed to form the present language of Kao as well. This article aims to explain the Kao people and their language which has started to be influenced by Austronesian feature.

English Language: Unravelling the Secrets

English has surely walked an exceptionally long path, from humble beginnings in the streets of Angla-land to being the major language on earth. Once regarded as the language of the lower class, English is today a global power to be reckoned with, a force that pushes the world forward and a language with immense glory and a rich history. Propelled by the various works of eminent writers, English has been able to develop, grow and expand to a standardised language which holds the key to future. Through this article I would like to unravel the secrets of this language and to achieve the objective, we must travel through the various ages English and England has plodded.

Methodological Typology of Grammar Content of German as a Minor Language With English as a Major Language

The article under consideration addresses problems of teaching grammar (with German as a minor language and English as a major language) in modern Russian schools. Method of research. In order to solve the problems, the authors propose a methodological typology of the content of teaching grammar in 5th grade with English as a major language on the basis of training and methodology complex “Horisonte”, taking into account the difficulties in mastering grammatical material. This typology was created using the following methods: analysis (during looking for the content), synthesis (at the stage of creating a grammatical typology of the German based on English) and forming of hypotheses (in results of the research). Result of the research. As a result of grammatical typology, the grammatical units for the 5th grade in “Spotlight” Student’s book are divided into three unequal groups. This fact simplifies the perception of the material by pupils during the intensification of the educational process and helps to build the educational process so that both languages studied by pupils are mastered at the proper level and using an intercultural approach. Conclusions. The importance of the research lies in forming system of German as a minor language for learning it in Russian schools and in the even distribution of power and time while teaching German as a minor language.