Indexicality Indexical Intersections-I ¤ Meaning making through language ¤ 3 types of (linguisc) signs 7-2-2019 ¤ Referenal indexes and nonreferenal/social indexesl, indexical presupposion, indexical creavity/entailment ¤ Indexical order ¤ Indexical field

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The Linguistic Sign Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914)

¤ De Saussure’s definion of linguisc sign: link between a concept (signified) and a sound paern (signifier), e.g., ‘cat’, ‘tree’ ¤ The link is arbitrary ¤ Symbol

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The Semiotics of Linguistic Signs The Semiotics of Linguistic Signs ¤ “Semiocs”: The study of signs – things that stand for other things – and their nature and funcon. Peirce called the ¤ The sign itself: producon of meaning “semiosis” ¤ The object: ¤ A sign has three inseparable parts: ¤ The interpretant: 1) The sign itself or sign vehicle (Something A stands for something else) 2) The object for which the sign stands 3) The interpretant, which takes the sign for a sign (“the effect or outcome of the semioc relaonship between the sign and the object” (Ahearn 2012, 27)) Example?

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1 The Semiotics of Linguistic Signs The Semiotics of Linguistic Signs

¤ Three different ways that signs stand for their objects. ¤ Idenfy the type of the following signs 1. INDEX or INDEXICAL: signs are grounded in relaon to their objects by spaotemporal connecon or conguity (context 1 2 3 dependent) 2. ICON or ICONICITY: signs are grounded in relaon to their objects by resemblance/similarity 3. SYMBOL or SYMBOLISM: signs are grounded in relaon to their objects by convenon; the relaonship is arbitrary. 4 5

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The Semiotics of Linguistic Signs The Semiotics of Linguistic Signs

¤ Some linguisc signs have a very important indexical ¤ More examples: Tense elements in English verbal construcons dimension: they require context for interpretaon. (like –ed and ‘will’),‘this, that’, ‘here, there’, and pronouns ‘I’, e.g. “yesterday”: what day was it uered? ‘you’, etc. ¤ When someone says “yesterday” the context of ¤ These kinds of linguisc elements are somemes called uerance, “today”, must be there. Saying ‘shiers’ (because their meaning changes/shis depending on “yesterday” can be said to index a 24-hour me context) (Silverstein 1976). period that is located prior to “today.” ¤ Michael Silverstein (1976) refers to these forms as ‘referenal indexes/indexicals.’ § They are indexical: meaning requires context § They are referenal: picks out some piece of the world and designate it (i.e., referent) § They are “duplex signs”

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Social Indexes/Indexicals

¤ ‘Social indexes/indexicals’nonreferenal indexes “pure ¤ Indexical presupposion: An aspect of the indexes” (Silverstein 1976): Language can ‘point to’ something social or contextual without funconing in a referenal way. speech situaon is presupposed by the sign Such indexes can call into being the very social relaons that token. they are indexing. Linguisc elements can index a relaonship, a character type, an aribute, atude, stance, etc. They create social meanings. ¤ Indexical creavity/performance: Social indexicals have a creave potenal: They create ¤ e.g., Forms of address/address terms: the world – they are part of accomplishing or dude, bro, girl, babe, Honey, Bobby, Robert, Ms/r. Smith, Dr. Smith, Ma’am/Sir producing relaonships (inmacy, distance), stance, power, social categories, character(isc)s, etc. 11 12

2 Functional Characteristics of Indexes/ Social Indexicals Index Types and Tokens ¤ Social indexicals have a creave potenal: They create the world – they are part of accomplishing or producing relaonships (inmacy, distance), stance, power, social categories, personae, character(isc)s, etc.

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Social Indexicals

¤ How do social indexicals create social categories, character(isc)s, relaonships, etc.? ¤ Examples: ¤Address terms ¤Dialect or accent features

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Indexical Order, Indexical Field Silverstein 2003 ¤ Indexical order § ‘Indexical order’ is the concept necessary to showing us how to relate the micro-social to the macro-social frames of analysis of any sociolinguisc phenomenon. (p. 193) § Dialeccal relaonship between indexing and indexed § Order not defined as linear (by Silverstein)

3 Johnstone et al. 2006 *however, this table implies linearality nth order (+ nth order)… pp. 194

¤ nth order (a.k.a. “1st order indexicality”) § Any form with indexical value (Eckert 2008) § “…this creave indexical effect is the movated realizaon, or performable execuon, of an already constuted framework of semioc value.” § nth order presupposes its referent

¤ n + 1st order (a.k.a. “2nd order indexicality”) § “…always already immanent as a compeng structure of values potenally indexed in-and-by a communicave form of the nth order…” § “…drive entailing indexicality at the 1st, and thus become instruments of strategic, “performave” social interacon constuted by lile acts of use of any of the indexical forms.” (pp. 216)

¤ The two orders are in dialecc compeon

¤ n + 1st order can supplant or merge with the nth order

¤ Dialeccal effect causes linguisc change

Johnstone et al. 2006 *however, this table implies linearality Silverstein’s examples

1. T/V deference entlement i. 1st order – deference indexicality ii. 2nd order – enregistered honorificaon 2. Contrast b/w English thou/thee vs you/ye) 3. Javanese speech levels i. 1st order (Ngoko: Krama) – lexical variants of pragmac paradigms ii. 2nd order (Ngoko: Krama Inggil) – binary system where Ngoko items can substute for a Krama Inggil form iii. 3rd order (Ngoko: Krama Andap) – grammacosemanc codings of ‘agents’ and ‘daves’ iv. 4th order (Madya) – usage level between Ngoko and Krama in deference-indicang value

Silverstein’s examples Paraphrased

3. Norms informed by standardizaon (Labov’s NY study) ¤ Eckert 2008 § st th st 1 order index = indicator (Labov) in variaon i. Dialectal (n ) vs. superposed (n + 1 ) variability o What indexes people’s membership in a populaon a. dialectal (also presupposing) index of group- or category-identy of § 2nd order index = marker (Labov) the Speaker o When Speakers begin to use the 1st order index styliscally and creavely b. Superposed index is informed by group-internal cultural expectaon of alternaon à usually leads to enregisterment of a variety ¤ Compernolle 2011 § nth order (1st order): any feature of language that can be associated with a 4. “Wine talk” or oinoglossia parcular group or semanc funcon § n + 1th order (2nd order): assigned ethno-metapramacally driven nave i. Lingo, or a way of speaking, can have “the indexically interpretaon (Silverstein 2003) à carries meaing in one or more local entailing effect or creave power to index consubstanal ideologies traits in the speaker.” (pp. 226) § (n + 1) + 1th order (3rd order): a feature that has realized meaning within another (not necessarily local) ideological schema ii. “fashion of speaking” iii. Higher-order indexical authorizaon ¤ Both emphasize the “orders of indexicality” are not linear

4 Indexical Field (Eckert 2008)

¤ The meanings of variables are not precise or ¤ "Variables occur only as components of styles, fixed but rather constute a field of potenal and interpreng variables requires an analysis of meanings--an indexical field, or constellaon of these components" (Eckert 2008: 456) ideologically related meanings, any one of ¤ Styles associated with types in the social which can be acvated in the situated use of the landscape bear an important relaon to class, variable. The field is fluid, and each new but not a direct one. They are the product of acvaon has the potenal to change the field enregisterment (Agha 2003) (Eckert 2008: 456) by building on ideological connecons (Eckert 2008: 453; see also p.464)

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Beijing Yuppies Linguistic Variables Examples (Zhang 2005, 2018) ¤ Rhotacizaon “Beijing Smooth Operator Variable” “Beijingers are said to be to be smooth, the so- hua ‘flower’ [Standard Mandarin] è huar [Beijing Mandarin] called Beijing Smooth Operator, mainly because ¤ Lenion “Beijing Smooth Operator Variable” Beijing speech has a lot of rhotacizaon. xuesheng ‘student’ [Standard Mandarin] è xuereng [Beijing Mandarin] Beijingers are naturally gied with gab, and with ¤ Interdental realizaon of (ts) “Alley Saunterer Variable” heavy r-sounding, then [Beijingers] appear to be hai-zi ‘child’ [Standard Mandarin] è hai-thi [Beijing Mandarin] smooth. Have you heard anybody saying the ¤ Full tone realizaon of neutral tone “Cosmopolitan Cantonese have ‘oily accent, slippery tone’? That’s Variable” because their tongues can’t curl.” piao4liang0 ‘prey’ [Standard Mandarin] è piao4liang4 [Southern, non-Mainland Mandarin]

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5 [Beijing speech] sounds mellow, familiar, and smooth. Such accent features … are determined ¤ Rhotacizaon and lenion by Beijingers’ cultural character, formed over a long history of being the residents of the capital. … As such, Beijingers are well versed in the ways of the world. This makes their speech sound smooth and mellow…. The extensive use of ‘rhotacizaon,’ which smoothes out the edges and corners of speech … [makes it] sound smooth and mellow, and engenders a feeling of warmth and inmacy” 31 32

Different Linguistic Styles

¤ Interdental Full tone ¤ Comparison between state managers and yuppies

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¤ Gender variaon in each group Rebecca, chief representave of a European Bank

David, deputy representave of the same bank

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