23.1263, Qs: Lexical Study of ''Alright'' in Immigrant Speech

Tue Mar 13 15:52:26 UTC 2012

LINGUIST List: Vol-23-1263. Tue Mar 13 2012. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 23.1263, Qs: Lexical Study of ''Alright'' in Immigrant Speech

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Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:52:11
From: Eric Byron [bear128 at verizon.net]
Subject: Lexical Study of ''Alright'' in Immigrant Speech

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I work at the Ellis Island Immigration museum, where among other 
things I am in charge of the Ellis Island Discography Project. The 
Project examines early commercial sound recordings and the various 
kinds of interaction that immigrants, whether internal or external, had 
with the general population in the United States. We examine the 
dynamics from the perspective of both the general public and the 
immigrants. The Project was undertaken because we discovered that in 
the early years of sound recording technology record companies made 
tens of thousands of records about and by people whom the general 
United States population considered to be outsiders. These outsiders 
primarily included immigrants, people of color and country folk. Most, 
but not all, of the recordings humorously played on the eccentricities 
and difficulties associated with foreignness.

One of the things we have noticed is that the language relationship that 
most of the immigrants had in this country can be characterized as 
bilingualism without diglossia. As our database suggests, the lexical 
interference one hears on the recordings tends to make perfect sense . 
Words that have something to do with outside contact, whether it be a 
job, geographical situation, new technology, and salutations with the 
average American are more likely to enter into an immigrant language. 
My question is what term(s) would one use to define words and 
expressions such as "sure" and "all right." "Alright" appears over and 
over again on the recordings as a way for an immigrant to respond 
when he/she doesn't completely understand and really doesn't want to 
answer.

Has anything been written on this subject? Any reading suggestions 
would be greatly appreciated. 

Linguistic Field(s): Language Documentation
                     Sociolinguistics
                     Translation

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