Signs of Difference
Language and Ideology in Social Life
Published on 27. June 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
326 pages
978-1-108-74129-3 (ISBN)
Description
How are peoples' ideas about languages, ways of speaking and expressive styles shaped by their social positions and values? How is difference, in language and in social life, made - and unmade? How and why are some differences persuasive as the basis for action, while other differences are ignored or erased? Written by two recognised authorities on language and culture, this book argues that ideological work of all kinds is fundamentally communicative, and that social positions, projects and historical moments influence, and are influenced by, people's ideas about communicative practices. Neither true nor false, ideologies are positioned and partial visions of the world, relying on comparison and perspective; they exploit differences in expressive features - linguistic and otherwise - to construct convincing stereotypes of people, spaces and activities. Using detailed ethnographic, historical and contemporary examples, this outstanding book shows readers how to analyse ideological work semiotically.
Reviews / Votes
'Systematically mapping out new theoretical and empirical ground, this field-defining book richly develops the promise of Susan Gal and Judith T. Irvine's influential approach to understanding ideologies of linguistic and social difference. In crystal-clear analyses of ethnographic and historical material from Africa, Central Europe, and the United States, they make accessible the interlocking semiotic processes through which ordinary folks and experts alike create consequential contrasts between kinds of people. This landmark study will be essential reading for scholars of social relations well beyond the borders of linguistic anthropology.' Kathryn A. Woolard, University of California, San Diego 'Gal (Univ. of Chicago) and Irvine (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor) gather in this volume an eclectic assortment of oral and literary texts to which they apply a semiotic analysis ... Recommended.' L. Lindstrom, Choice 'The book is readable and very well written, using vivid language with striking examples, metaphors and metonymies to illustrate and emphasize stances and angles. This makes Gal's and Irvine's volume not only important to academics and faculty of various linguistic subdisciplines, but also worthwhile for graduate and PhD students.' Katharina Klara Tyran, LINGUIST List '... the book walks the reader through the semiotic experience of everyday life, making it possible to see meaning-making as it happens, a quality that makes it particularly valuable for students.' Cambridge University PressMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 8 Tables, black and white; 1 Halftones, black and white; 2 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
482 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-74129-3 (9781108741293)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
06/2019
Cambridge University Press
€136.40
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
06/2019
Cambridge University Press
€22.49
Available for download
Persons
Susan Gal is Distinguished Service Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Chicago. She is author of 'Language Shift' (1979), co-author with Gail Kligman of 'Politics of Gender After Socialism' (2000) and co-editor with Kathryn Woolard of 'Languages and Publics: The Making of Authority' (2001). Judith T. Irvine is Edward Sapir Collegiate Professor of Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Michigan. Author of many articles and chapters in linguistic anthropology, she is co-editor with Jane H. Hill of 'Responsibility and Evidence in Oral Discourse' (1993); co-editor with Regna Darnell et al. of the 'Collected Works of Edward Sapir' (1999) and Associate Editor of the journal 'Language in Society'.
Content
Prologue: questions and exhibits; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Ethnography: 1. Wolof in Senegal; 2. German-Hungarians in Hungary; Part II. Semiotics: 3. Ingredients: signs, conjectures, perspectives; 4. Comparison: the semiotics of differentiation; 5. Dynamics of change in differentiation; Part III. Sites: 6. Situating ideological work; 7. Among and between sites; 8. Scales and scale-making: connecting sites; Part IV. Pasts: 9. Library to field: ideologies in nineteenth-century linguistic research; Coda: avenues of inquiry.