RC Complete Diss Uni Mannheim Version June 16 2021
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Being a South Tyrolean: Examining Identity in Conversation and Linguistic Landscapes Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie der Universität Mannheim Vorgelegt von James Ryan Carroll Mannheim, 2020 i Abstract In this dissertation, I examine the role of language in the enacting of identity in the German-speaking community in the province of South Tyrol, Italy. Within this province on the border between Austria and Italy, the languages of German, Italian, and Ladin are recognized as official languages, and the vast majority of the population there is multilingual. Group and cultural identities in this province are strongly connected to language. Despite the close proximity of these language groups, there is relatively little mixing between them. This dissertation focuses on the German-speaking community in South Tyrol and examines conversation and publicly-displayed signs in order to offer a better understanding of how this community enacts and negotiates these identities. I follow Zimmerman’s (1998) approach to identity, which holds that how identities are made relevant in a particular stretch of talk-in-interaction can reveal information about the interlocutors’ “transportable identities” and the larger social order. Blommaert (2005) echoes this notion, arguing that identities extend beyond the practices that both construct them and are influenced by them. Using this methodological approach, I use both interactional data from interviews with German-speaking South Tyroleans and the linguistic practices found in the linguistic landscape of South Tyrol to examine aspects of identity. Using the evidence found in these two data sets, I show that broader Discourses (Gee, 2014) can be found in these examples of day-to-day interactions and practices. Using the tools of interactional linguistics, I analyze transcribed interview data to show how my interview participants construct membership categories for the food traditions and the geography of South Tyrol. For these participants, “being South Tyrolean” is something that is greater than the sum of the parts, as well as contradictory at times. I show through selected examples from the linguistic landscape of South Tyrol how an official Discourse is displayed and reinforced on ii not only government-produced signs, but also on private signs. Fundamental to this Discourse is the viewpoint that the German language and language group are to be equal to the Italian language and language group, a viewpoint that has helped to protect the German language, but has also contributed to more rigid boundaries between the two groups. These Discourses can offer a more fine-grained understanding of group and cultural identities. Further, they can inform political and language policy decisions not only in the province of South Tyrol but also in the broader context of the country of Italy and the European Union. iii Acknowledgements I first want to thank the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), whose funding over the past two and half years has made it possible for me to complete this dissertation at both the University of Waterloo and the Universität Mannheim. Additionally, I would like thank the Universität Mannheim and the Liesel-Weiler- Foundation for their financial support during my time in Mannheim. Next I would to thank my two supervisors, Prof. Grit Liebscher and Prof. Dr. Ludwig Eichinger. They both have remained positive and supportive throughout this process, even when I was despondent. They were patient with me as we navigated the requirements of completing a dissertation at two universities simultaneously. I know it was not always easy, but I want to thank them for being willing to undertake the joint supervision of this dissertation. Without their wisdom and advice, this dissertation would not have been possible. I am also thankful to my dissertation committee: Prof. Emma Betz, Prof. Dr. Heidrun Kämper, Prof. Dr. Evelyn Ziegler, and Dr. Albrecht Plewnia. Their feedback throughout this process was critical in helping shape this dissertation. Prof. Dr. Kämper deserves special recognition, as she joined the committee with minimal notice, but still gave my work her fullest attention. I am extremely grateful for Janet Vaughan’s assistance throughout this process. She has been invaluable in helping me navigate almost every kind of issue at the University of Waterloo. Even when I was panicked over paperwork or deadlines, she was always calm and made sure everything got sorted out. At the University of Waterloo, I want to thank Prof. Ann Marie Rasmussen for being my mentor. I am grateful to her for sharing her wisdom on writing, teaching, grading, applying for funding, and almost any other facet of academia. iv At the Free University of Bozen, I would like to thank Dr. Alexander Glück, Dr. Mara Leonardi, and Prof. Dr. Rita Franceschini for their guidance and insight on South Tyrol, and for the use of their space at the University of Bozen for interviews. I would like to thank my study participants for taking the time to speak with me about their lives in South Tyrol. Without their participation, this dissertation would not have been possible. At the Universität Mannheim, I want to thank Julia Potapov and Claudius Werry of the Welcome Center. Thank you to Julia for assisting me with every visa application and extension, which made that experience much less stressful. Thank you to Claudius for helping me with enrollment and with finding and applying for the funding that was absolutely necessary for me to stay in Mannheim. Thank you to all of the doctoral students at the Institut für Deutsche Sprache for the community and support during the writing days at the IDS. I especially want to thank Isabell Neise, Santana Overath, and Sam Schirm for sticking with our side- by-side writing days, during which large portions of this dissertation were written. I would to thank my parents, who were a continuous support during my graduate studies. It was on a trip with them to South Tyrol in 2007 that the seed for this dissertation was planted. Although my time as a graduate student kept me far away from them geographically, they were always a phone call away, ready to offer guidance or just listen. On occasion, they even made the long journey to me in order to visit or to help with a long-distance move. Their unending support and love have been a great encouragement to me during this process. Thank you to my dear friend Kurt, who has been a great source of encouragement and motivation in my times of doubt. He knew how to push to think about a problem differently when I was bogged down in my own thoughts. I am also grateful to Kurt for making our multiple mini-vacations possible, which offered a chance to get away from the stress of the dissertation for a few days at a time. v Thank you to my great friends Brigid, Lindsey, and their son Conor in Madison, Wisconsin, for your support and encouragement in this process, and especially for the many Sunday Skype calls. Finally, I am grateful to my close friend Ally, who has been an indispensable support during my time in Mannheim. She helped me up from some of my lowest points during this process and offered the reassurance that I needed. vi Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 South Tyrol in the 21st Century ..................................................................... 13 Chapter 3 The History of South Tyrol in the 19th and 20th Century .......................... 20 Chapter 4 Language use in South Tyrol in the 20th and 21st Century .......................... 30 4.1 Overview of research on language varieties in South Tyrol ................................32 4.2 Statistics on South Tyrol ..........................................................................................47 Chapter 5 Identity and the Constructivist Approach ....................................................49 Chapter 6 Interview Data and Analysis ..........................................................................56 6.1 The concept of Membership Categorization Analysis..........................................57 6.2 Data Overview .........................................................................................................62 6.3 Data Analysis ...........................................................................................................65 Membership Category Gast ..............................................................................65 Membership Categorization Device: Describing food choices and attitudes toward food ................................................................................................................73 Mapping South Tyrol ........................................................................................92 Chapter 7 Linguistic Landscape Data and Analysis ................................................... 107 7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 107 7.2 The Concept of the Linguistic Landscape............................................................ 108 7.3 Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to the LL .......................................... 112 7.4 Methodologies for my LL analysis. ..................................................................... 131 Synthesizing the Methodologies from Previous LL Research ..................... 131 Interaction