Codeswitching in Hemnesberget — Myth or reality?
1996; Elsevier BV; Volume: 25; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0378-2166(95)00027-5
ISSN1879-1387
Autores Tópico(s)Linguistic and Sociocultural Studies
ResumoIn this article I will discuss the main hypotheses in J.-P. Blom and J.J. Gumperz' (1972) classical and pivotal study ‘Social meaning in linguistic structures: Codeswitching in Norway’. The research of Blom and Gumperz was carried out in the village of Hemnes in Northern Norway, and the focus of the study is the internal relationship between Ranamål, i.e. the local dialect, and Bokmål, i.e. a standardized national spoken variety. According to Blom and Gumperz these two varieties play equivalent roles in the verbal repertoire of the Hemnes population, they are kept completely separate by the speakers and represent as such the main components in discrete codeswitching strategies in this community. My primary intention, then, is to demonstrate that Blom and Gumperz have given a portrayal of a situation that can not be comprehensive of any real-life Norwegian community. I will try to show that their assumptions are based on unjustifiable and unsatisfactory premises, both with respect to certain theoretical as well as methodological principles.
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