Linguistics ETDs

Author

Evan Ashworth

Publication Date

12-1-2013

Abstract

The use of writing to represent the heritage language represents a contentious issue for many members of Puebloan societies in the American Southwest. Many community members resist the use of writing for this purpose on the grounds that it acts as a form of colonialism, while others accept the use of writing in the heritage language because it is seen as valorizing the heritage language itself. This study seeks to address three research questions: 1) What factors motivate either a resistance to or acceptance of the use of writing to represent a heritage language? 2) If the use of writing is accepted or even promoted, what factors motivate the decision to use one writing system (e.g., alphabet, syllabary) over another? and 3) What factors motivate the decision to employ certain sound-symbol correspondences within that system? Ultimately, the factors that motivate a general resistance to the use of writing will be shown to involve the view of writing as a centrifugal, or disunifying, force, whereas the factors that motivate a general acceptance of the use of writing will be shown to involve the view of writing as a centripetal, or unifying, force. Further, by using language ideologies (i.e., syncretism, variationism, utilitarianism) as a heuristic, the decisions made regarding the development of the Than Ówîngeh orthography will be shown to support the principles of learnability, transparency, and acceptability.

Language

English

Keywords

anthropology, linguistics, linguistic anthropology, writing system, orthography, language ideology

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Linguistics

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Department of Linguistics

First Committee Member (Chair)

Gómez de Garcia, Jule

Second Committee Member

Gorbet, Larry

Third Committee Member

Margolin, David

Comments

Submitted by Evan Ashworth (evantheus@gmail.com) on 2013-11-15T16:14:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 EvanAshworthDissertationFinal.pdf: 1174919 bytes, checksum: 081008deaca0e516304768c0f72cbbf1 (MD5), Approved for entry into archive by Doug Weintraub (dwein@unm.edu) on 2014-02-13T23:17:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 EvanAshworthDissertationFinal.pdf: 1174919 bytes, checksum: 081008deaca0e516304768c0f72cbbf1 (MD5), Made available in DSpace on 2014-02-13T23:17:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 EvanAshworthDissertationFinal.pdf: 1174919 bytes, checksum: 081008deaca0e516304768c0f72cbbf1 (MD5)

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