Style and Social Networks

How do social networks influence children’s stylistic practices

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Social Networks and Language Practices in Adults and Adolescents

• Concept inherited from sociology: interdependent social actors rather than isolated individuals

• Taken up in different ways in linguistics by numerous authors: Labov, Gumperz, Milroy, Marshall, Eckert, etc.

• A level of social categorisation that is partly voluntary (certain degree of awareness/commitment), cf. Marshall (2004) et Eckert (2000)

• Open, closed, dense, multiplex networks, communities of practice – Open networks characterised by diverse norms, attitudes and

communicative conventions (Gumperz, 1989) – Dense and multiplex networks reinforce local norms – for the most

part illegitimate – and inhibit change (Milroy&Milroy, 2000 [1997])

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Social Networks and Language Practices in Children: the Importance of Horizontal Socialisation

• Role of peers essential in acquisition (Labov, Ochs & Schieffelin, Kyratzis, Hay, Caplan et al., Nardy, Ito, etc.)

• Few studies on the links between networks and children’s language practices, due partly to the lack of analytical tools adapted to this public

• How should peer group be defined ? – School? Class? Friendship group?

– Nardy (2008) : numerous interactional characteristics to consider

– Howes (2009) : very little information regarding developmental/linguistic consequences for children of frequenting peers who are not like them

> Choice to focus on degree of social diversity

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Social Networks and Language Practices in Adolescents and Children: Influences of Social

Diversity/Mixing

• Social mixing: socially diverse populations interacting, meeting and exchanging, as opposed to ‘segregation in school’ (Varro, 2003)

• Parallel with ethnic diversity? – Recent research on the way the ethnic segregation of children and

adolescents affects representations in North American schools (Killen, Rutland et al., 2009)

• Criteria of ethnicity less meaningful in explaining situations in heterogeneous schools

• Inter-ethnic friendships more easily envisaged in heterogeneous schools

– Does the social diversity of relationships allow more open representations of language variation and different vernacular practices?

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Hypotheses ?

• Children are pluristylistic whatever their social background

• Socially heterogeneous networks lead to larger and more varied stylistic repertoires than homogeneous networks

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Determining the Social Diversity of Children’s Social Networks

• The school context: how socially mixed the establishments are – Socially mixed school: 46% children from working-class

families, 32% from middle-class background, 22% from higher-class background

– Socially homogeneous school: 81% from working-class background, 15% from middle-class background, 4% from higher-class background

• Peer-groups/friendship groups: social heterogeneity of friendships – Networks of varying degrees of density and social diversity

(according to the children’s statements)

• Study centred on the girls from working-class backgrounds

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marianne

éloïse

leslie

ophélia

seynabou

élodie

méryl

bénédicte

adeline

élisabeth

lisa

lauraG

léa

margot

morgane

anne

sarah

lauraR

stéphanie

lauraC

lilia

wendy60, 70, 75

60, 68, 70, 72, 75

89

mariannemarianne

éloïseéloïse

leslieleslie

ophéliaophélia

seynabouseynabou

élodieélodie

mérylméryl

bénédictebénédicte

adelineadeline

élisabethélisabeth

lisalisa

lauraGlauraG

léaléa

margotmargot

morganemorgane

anneanne

sarahsarah

lauraRlauraR

stéphaniestéphanie

lauraClauraC

lilialilia

wendywendy60, 70, 7560, 70, 75

60, 68, 70, 72, 7560, 68, 70, 72, 75

8989

Socially mixed school

8/20

titouan

sabrina

dahlia

mélissa

yamin

rénatoadem

abir

laura

chaïmaa

dounia

amina

joëlle

nasma

belinda

sarah chaïnaize

titouantitouan

sabrinasabrina

dahliadahlia

mélissamélissa

yaminyamin

rénatorénatoademadem

abirabir

lauralaura

chaïmaachaïmaa

douniadounia

aminaamina

joëllejoëlle

nasmanasma

belindabelinda

sarahsarah chaïnaizechaïnaize

Socially homogeneous school

9/20

How Can the Amplitude of a Stylistic Repertoire be Determined?

• Looking for combinations of linguistic features – Which ones? – In what quantity? – Co-occurring? – Salient features?

• Focus on certain salient features (or those considered salient in the literature) – > How should they be chosen? One option (relevance to

be discussed…) : take situations as starting point; then analyse frequency

• Qualitative analyses at the level of the interactions

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Analysis of Stylistic Variation Through Two Discourse Markers Hein and Oh (1)

• Why discourse markers? – Variables that are rarely taken into account (Andersen, 2000)

– … Yet they are a good indicator of pragmatic development in children (Fernandez, 1994; Kyratzis & Ervin-Tripp, 1999; Tagliamonte, 2005)

– Variables that are considered salient in oral speech, particularly in French (Slosberg Andersen, Brizuela et al., 1999), and that play an important role in the construction of meaning in the interaction (Bell, 2001; Bruxelles & Traverso, 2001; Dostie, 2004)

11/20

Analysis of Stylistic Variation Through Two Discourse Markers Hein and Oh (2)

• Why hein and oh ? – All DM should not be considered necessarily informal

– Choice based on a preliminary corpus study • 6 children of 9/10 years, 3 boys and 3 girls, middle-class background

• Corpus of approximately 6000 words – 3000 in conversations between peers

– 3000 in formal context (oral, partly prepared, in front of an audience)

• Analysis of the distribution of 5 DM : bah, ben, hein, oh, eh

• Choice to retain the only two DM more systematically present in informal contexts: hein and oh

12/20

0,0

5,0

10,0

15,0

20,0

25,0

hein formel hein informel oh formel oh informel

Clément Denis Loan Guillemette Flora Suzie

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Analysis of Stylistic Variation Through Two Discourse Markers Hein and Oh (3)

4,14,8 5,6

15,8

18,6

11,3

7,06,2

14,813,0

21,7

24,8 24,6

14,2

9,0

16,8

0,0

5,0

10,0

15,0

20,0

25,0

30,0

LauraG

L ilia

Maria

nne

Morg

aneAbir

LauraS

Mélis

s a

Dahlia

formel informel

• Pluristylistic repertoires

Use of discourse markers hein and oh in 8 subjects according to the context of the exchange

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Analysis of Stylistic Variation Through Two Discourse Markers Hein and Oh (4)

• Peer conversations are similar in both schools (16 vs 19)

• Adult-addressed speech differs (6 vs 11) – Significant difference between

peer-addressed speech and adult-addressed speech in school 1 whereas this difference is not significant in school 2

– Stylistic variation in both schools but there is a significantly greater variety in school 1

6.42

11.39

16.63

19.42

0

5

10

15

20

25

mixed school disadvantaged school

adult interlocutor child interlocutor

*p(chi2)=0.03 p(chi2)=0.15

6.42

11.39

16.63

19.42

0

5

10

15

20

25

mixed school disadvantaged school

adult interlocutor child interlocutor

*p(chi2)=0.03 p(chi2)=0.15School 1 School 2

A Few Illustrations of the Difficulty in Analysing the Corpora on a Global Level (1)

• Role play in ordinary conversations between peers – Lilia : bonjou:r mes:dameS et messieurs nous allons vous présenter aujourd'hui

Ophélie< - bonjour Ophélie< - oh les filles v:ous vous venez on joue à:: - à:: - style star académie /…/ allez venez* - bonjour mesdameS et messieurs aujourd'hui nous allons vous présenter - mad(e)moiselle Ophélie qui va nous interpréter je n(e) sais quoi* - et: on va la laisser chanter* /…/ ah* ça va t'enregistrer:::* - ça saoule venez on arrête de jouer ça saoule

[Lilia : Hello: ladies and gentlemen today we are going to introduce Ophelie<- hello Ophélie<- hey girls are you: you coming we’re playing at:: - at:: - like Star Academy/.../ oy come on* - hello ladies and gentlemen, today we are going to introduce Miss Ophélie who is going to perform I do not know what* -and let’s let her sing* /.../ ah*, it’s goin(g) to record you... it’s boring come on let’s stop playing it’s boring.]

• “Style switches”, stylisation, polyphony and stylistic heterogeneity – Marianne : oh (il) y a la chérie de Baptiste - oh::* tu[u] eS une mongole* (accent

anglais) [oh there’s Baptiste’s girlfriend – oh::* you are a spaz* (English accent)]

– LauraS : oh mais arrêtez* -- (air solennel) nous allons prier mes enfants (rire) [oh stop it* - (solemn air) let us pray my children (laughs)]

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A Few Illustrations of the Difficulty in Analysing the Corpora on a Global Level (2) : Problems with the Methodological Choice Child

Interlocutor vs Adult Interlocutor (1) • Importance of the role taken on within the exchange: two

examples of ‘children’s register’

– Marianne to a younger child elle est où ta bavette< - elle est où ta serviette< - tu en reveux< - attention - enlève

ton doigt de dans la bouche on comprend pas -- t(u) aimes pas< /…/ t(u) aimes bien les pommes dauphines< /…/ c'est bon hein*<

[where’s your bib, eh< - where is your napkin, eh< - do you want some more< - careful –take your finger out from in your mouth we can’t understand – you don’t like it< /…/ you like pommes dauphine < /…/ it’s good huh*<]

– Laura to her mother LauraS: bah fais-le hein* si tu l(e) rates c'est pas grave< mère: bah tu sais mieux l(e) faire toi j(e) sais pas faire moi LauraS: bah j(e) le f(e)rai: j(e) le re[o]f(e)rai si tu l(e) rates mère : XX j(e) te l(e) laiss(e)rai faire à toi LauraS : nan nan c'est pas grave - fais-le m(a)man* - fais toi

plaisir* fais-le* - c'est pas grave mère : XXX t(u) sais mieux l(e) faire toi - ex[s]plique-moi

comment j(e) fais LauraS : tu mets quatre œufs [œ f] - tu mets un peu d(e)

farine< - pas beaucoup pas beaucoup euh - un- un verre et d(e)mi</…/

LauraS : tu veux qu(e) j(e) t'aide< mère : comme ça< LauraS : eh faut bien l(e) faire m(a)man faut qu(e) tu remues

bien après hein /…/ LauraS : s'il est bon j(e) te- j(e) te paye un voyage en Italie*

well do it huh* if you mess it up it doesn’t matter< well you know how to do it better I don’t know how to do it well I’ll do i:t I’ll do it again if you mess it up XX I’ll let you do it yourself no no it doesn’t matter- you do it mum* - have some fun*

do it* - it doesn’t matter XXX you know how to do it better you do – explain to me

what to do you put four eggs – you put a bit of flour< - not much not

much erm – a – a glass and a half </.../ d’you want me to help you< like that< eh mum you have to do it well you have to stir it well after

huh /.../ if it’s good I’ll buy you a holiday in Italy*

17/20

A Few Illustrations of the Difficulty in Analysing the Corpora on a Global Level (3) : Problems with the Methodological Choice Child

Interlocutor vs Adult Interlocutor (2)

• Influence of the teacher/of the class effect: example 1

• M: (shouting) - Abi/r* - and Mélissa* • Abir: (laughing) but Sir it’s her

</.../sir do we have school tomorrow • M: yes • Abir: nah: - we don’t have school* • M : yes – well – tough that’s just the

way it is • Abir: usually sir it’s: a: after a after

not a /.../ sir<- why aren’t we why do we have school on Saturdays usually there isn’t school

• X: actually school doesn’t exist without Louis I dunno who XX

• Abir : yeah who was it who invented school? /.../ sir, him who invented school I hope he’s dead huh

• M : (en criant) Abi:r* - et Mélissa*

• Abir : (en riant) ben maître c'est elle< / …/ maître on a l'école demain<

• M : oui

• Abir : nan: - on a pas l'école*

• M : oui - eh ben - c'est tant pis c'est comme ça

• Abir : normal(e)ment maître c'est: un: après un après pas un /…/ maît(re)< - pour(q)uoi on fait pa:s on pour(qu)oi on a école les sam(e)dis normal(e)ment (il) y a pas l'école

• X : normal(e)ment l'école ça existe pas si (il) y a pas Louis j(e) sais pas quoi XX

• Abir : ouais c'est qui qui a inventé l'école ? /…/ maître c(el)ui-là qui a inventé l'école j'espère qu'il est mort hein

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A Few Illustrations of the Difficulty in Analysing the Corpora on a Global Level (3) : Problems with the Methodological Choice Child

Interlocutor vs Adult Interlocutor (3)

• Influence of the teacher/of the class effect: example 2 • M: Lilia t(u) es capable de nous faire ça<

• Lilia: oui

• M: hein<

• M: personne n'a perdu sa fiche cinéma<

• Lilia: moi --- si moi --- moi - moi Christian j (e)l'ai pas dans mon cartable

• Lilia: (chuchote) putain::* /…/ il est intello c(e) gadjo* ah::: t(u) es un intello* - t(u) es un intello - ah::: t(u) as vu c(e) qu'il a fai::t* -- ouais ouais c(et)te pei::ne* - les p(e)tits bisous d'amour là* - derrière les arbres dans les buissons -- tu fais des p(e)tits bisous derrière les buissons* (rire) - j'ai peur j'ai peur -- t(u) as rien fai::t - arrête de dire ça j(e) vais t(e) marave* - ta race

• M: Lilia you’re capable of doing that<

• Lilia: yes

• M: huh<

• Lilia: yes

• M: no one’s lost their cinema sheet<

• Lilia: me --- yes me--- me - me Christian I don’t have it in my bag

• Lilia: (whispers) shi::t* /…/ he’s a boffin that bloke* ah::: you’re a boffin* - you’re a boffin - ah::: d’ya see what he di:d * -- yeah yeah how sa::d* - those little loved up kisses there* - behind the trees in the bushes – loved up kissing behind the bushes* (laughs) – I’m scared I’m scared– you haven’t do::ne anything – stop saying that I’m gonna fuck* you up

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Concluding Remarks and Discussion

• Factors that may influence the acquisition of stylistic flexibility – The social diversity of socialisation networks – Socially mixed vs socially homogeneous network – The diversity of conversational experiences Eg. the variety of social roles taken on in the exchange – Socialisation contexts, but also the normative discourse/linguistic stance of

adults

• Links between social and stylistic variation, between macro-level and

micro-level analysis (Snell, 2010) – Salient features that are socially marked are stylised within specific

interactions: relationship between social and stylistic variation = ‘indexicality’ – > a more heterogeneous network would lead to greater familiarity with all

sorts of features that are socially marked to varying degrees > more stylisation (features fed back into interactions and given new meanings) > greater variational amplitude in repertoires