Transcultural Voices: Narrating Hip Hop Culture in Complex Delhi
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Transcultural Voices: Narrating Hip Hop Culture in Complex Delhi by Jaspal Naveel Singh This thesis is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Communication Submitted to the Centre for Language and Communication Research, School of English, Communication and Philosophy at Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. 30 September 2016 Singh Transcultural Voices Statement 1 This work has not been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at this or any other university or place of learning, nor is being submitted concurrently in candidature for any degree or other award. _________________________________ _____________________ Jaspal Naveel Singh Date Statement 2 This thesis is the result of my own investigation, except where otherwise stated, and the thesis has not been edited by a third party beyond what is permitted by Cardiff University’s Policy on the Use of Third Party Editors by Research Degree Students. Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. The views expressed are my own. _________________________________ _____________________ Jaspal Naveel Singh Date Statement 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for interlibrary loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. _________________________________ _____________________ Jaspal Naveel Singh Date ii Singh Transcultural Voices Für Eva iii Singh Transcultural Voices Contents List of figures ................................................................................................................... ix List of tables ...................................................................................................................... x Transcription conventions ................................................................................................ xi Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... xii Glossary of terms ........................................................................................................... xiv Abstract ..........................................................................................................................xvii Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Normalising, voice, narrative ...................................................................................... 1 1.2 The ethnographic complex .......................................................................................... 4 1.3 Complexifying global hip hop linguistics ................................................................... 6 A post-varieties approach to researching global hip hop ............................................. 6 Transculturation ............................................................................................................ 9 More than rap music ................................................................................................... 12 1.4 Developing research questions .................................................................................. 14 Emic questions ............................................................................................................. 14 Etic questions .............................................................................................................. 18 1.5 Structure of the thesis ................................................................................................ 21 Chapter 2 – The study of transcultural voices ................................................................. 23 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 23 2.2 Voice as a heuristic ................................................................................................... 23 The physical and the social voice ................................................................................ 23 The semiotic surface and the deep structure ............................................................... 25 2.3 The dialogic indexicality of voice ............................................................................. 29 Indirect meaning-making ............................................................................................ 29 Presuppositions and entailments ................................................................................. 29 2.4 The complexity of voice ........................................................................................... 31 Mobility ....................................................................................................................... 31 Hybridity ...................................................................................................................... 33 iv Singh Transcultural Voices 2.5 A model for analysing voice ..................................................................................... 34 2.6 Voice styles ............................................................................................................... 36 Recognising difference ................................................................................................ 36 The primacy of the social ............................................................................................ 38 Introjecting the other ................................................................................................... 38 2.7 Audible heteroglossia ................................................................................................ 40 Constructed dialogues ................................................................................................. 40 Dialogism .................................................................................................................... 42 2.8 Stance, positionality or point of view ....................................................................... 44 Clarifying the terminology .......................................................................................... 44 Epistemic and affective stancetaking .......................................................................... 45 2.9 Narrative voices ........................................................................................................ 46 Turning towards narrative .......................................................................................... 46 Evaluation and the ‘own’ voice ................................................................................... 47 Narrative structure ...................................................................................................... 47 Three levels of narrative positioning ........................................................................... 48 2.10 Inaudible heteroglossia............................................................................................ 50 Beneath the semiotic surface ....................................................................................... 50 Markers of enunciation ............................................................................................... 51 2.11 Authorial voices ...................................................................................................... 54 Subjectivity? Identity? Authorship? ............................................................................ 54 Samplin and appropriation ......................................................................................... 55 2.11 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 57 Chapter 3 – A linguistic ethnography of hip hop in Delhi .............................................. 59 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 59 3.2 Turning towards ethnography ................................................................................... 59 3.3 Linguistic ethnography.............................................................................................. 61 Tying ethnography down and opening linguistics up .................................................. 63 Pluralising my locus of enunciation ............................................................................ 65 3.4 Fieldwork details ....................................................................................................... 67 3.4.1 Collecting data .................................................................................................... 68 Participants: Local hip hop heads and hip hop travellers ...................................... 68 Recording field notes and interview talk ................................................................. 70 v Singh Transcultural Voices Interviews and conversations................................................................................... 72 Narratives in interviews ........................................................................................... 74 Recording public performances ............................................................................... 76 Recording hip hop music ......................................................................................... 77 3.4.2 Research ethics ..................................................................................................