29.488, Diss: Portuguese; Sociolinguistics: Marie-Eve Bouchard: ''Linguistic variation and change in the Portuguese of São Tomé''

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LINGUIST List: Vol-29-488. Mon Jan 29 2018. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 29.488, Diss: Portuguese; Sociolinguistics: Marie-Eve Bouchard: ''Linguistic variation and change in the Portuguese of São Tomé''

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Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2018 13:37:17
From: Marie-Eve Bouchard [mebouchard at nyu.edu]
Subject: Linguistic variation and change in the Portuguese of São Tomé

 
Institution: New York University 
Program: Department of Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2017 

Author: Marie-Eve Bouchard

Dissertation Title: Linguistic variation and change in the Portuguese of São
Tomé 

Linguistic Field(s): Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): Portuguese (por)


Dissertation Director(s):
Renee Blake
Gregory Guy
John Singler
Sonia Das
Tjerk Hagemeijer

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation focuses on the variety of Portuguese spoken in São Tomé, the
capital of São Tomé and Príncipe, and its surroundings. From the sixteenth
century to the beginning of the twentieth century, Forro, Angolar, and Lung’ie
(three native creoles) were the most widely spoken languages on the islands.
However, the massive arrivals of contract laborers starting at the end of the
nineteenth century, and the use of Portuguese as a lingua franca completely
changed the sociolinguistic setting. As a consequence, a process of linguistic
shift (from creoles to Portuguese) started to take place. This shift was
intensified from the 1960s, with the rise of the nationalist movement, the
independence of the country (in 1975), and the generalized access to
education. Since then, children have been growing up with the local variety of
Portuguese as their first (and often only) language.

 
The objective of this research, therefore, is to investigate the emergence of
a Santomean variety of Portuguese, with special reference to rhotics and
subject pronoun expression (SPE), and to explore the differences between
Santomean Portuguese and other varieties of Portuguese. In a larger context, I
am also interested in understanding the social and ideological phenomena that
explain the linguistic choices, linguistic change, and language shift in São
Tomé and Príncipe. The study is based on 15 months of ethnographic fieldwork
and sociolinguistic interviews with fifty-six native speakers of Santomean
Portuguese, aged between 12 and 73 years old, who were born and raised in the
capital of São Tomé and its surroundings.

The results of the study show that the use of the rhotics is an innovative and
distinctive feature of Santomean Portuguese. Some Santomeans use the strong-R
(the historical trill) in word positions that would be considered non-standard
to European and Brazilian norms. This reflects a change in progress led by the
younger generations. Within the strong-R category, the rhotic fricative has
emerged as a variant that clearly distinguishes two generations, Santomeans
over forty years old and those under 39. This dividing point also marks the
year of the independence of the country, a milestone in the history of São
Tomé and Príncipe and the formation of its national identity. This suggests
that fricative rhotics are a marker of Santomean identity. Surprisingly,
however, the ideologies that surround this use of the rhotics are highly
pejorative. 

Regarding SPE, less social significance is attached to this feature. One
reason for this might be the fact that it is a feature that has maintained a
usage that is similar to European Portuguese. My results show that most of the
linguistic constraints on SPE in Santomean Portuguese are similar to those of
studies of other Portuguese varieties. The one element that differs from
previous studies is social: highly educated people favor the use of overt
subjects, while in European Portuguese null subjects are highly favored, and
usually used more by educated speakers.

I believe that this study of rhotics and SPE captures the nature of Santomean
Portuguese: it reflects a combination of creole influences, linguistic
conservatism, and innovation. Indeed, the history of the islands is reflected
in its languages: the creole influence that relates to the African origin of
Santomean Portuguese, conservatisms from European Portuguese that recall the
colonial society that endured for 500 years, and innovations that mark
development of São Tomé as an independent nation.




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