Texas Linguistics Forum Vol. 44(1) (2002)

Davies, Catherine Evans
Martha Stewart’s Linguistic Presentation of Self

Gendered use of language by mass media celebrities potentially both reflects sociolinguistic patterns and influences language change. Martha Stewart is a complex figure who has become a powerful corporate executive through representing the traditional woman's role of homemaker and commodifying her vision of upper-middle-class "good taste." Martha Stewart's linguistic presentation of self on her television show is analyzed in terms of three interrelated frames: politeness, credibility, and authenticity. Her language use is discussed in relation to scholarship on gender and language, and her potential for motivating language change is considered, as well as appropriate methodology for measuring any such influence.

Kang, Yoonhee
Addressing the Invisible World: Indexicality, Iconicity, and the Cultural Concept of Self in Belian, a Petalangan Healing Ritual in Indonesia

This paper analyzes a performance of the Belian, a shamanic healing ritual practiced by the Petalangan people in Indonesia to discuss the tensions between situatedness (contingency) and transcendence (analogy) of ritual speech. I analyze the usage of address and referential terms and personal pronouns, by which a shaman mediates the present context and the supernatural world during the performance. My concerns focus on the interrelations between indexicality and iconicity of the Belian performance and the importance of the Petalangan concept of the 'relational' self, which mediates 'contextualization' and 'entextualization' processes of the ritual.

Moses, Rae E.
The Discourse of Pharmaceutical Ads

This paper describes the form and structure of the discourse of print media pharmaceutical advertisements. The study is based on the analysis of fifty eight ads from popular magazines for thirty-four different This paper describes the form and structure of the discourse of media pharmaceutical advertisements. The study is based on the analysis of 58 ads from the popular press. I argue that these ads are a new marketing genre that is shaped by the regulations of the Food and Drug Administration and is modulated by the audience and context for each ad. I provide a description of the genre and show how gender and the nature of the malady to be treated trigger different discourse patterns. Further, I show the influence of governmental regulations and how they mediate doctor/patient communication.

Plourde, Eric
The Dubbing of The Simpsons: Cultural Appropriation, Discursive Manipulation and Divergencies

Analysis of the dubbing of The Simpsons offers insights into possible differences in discursive identity between France and Québec, two cultures that share a common language. Translations done in France and in Québec (a province of Canada and enclave of the French-speaking population in North America) for The Simpsons show various strategies of cultural appropriation, especially concerning elements considered intrusive by the target culture. The series is perceived as a children's show and the subversive discourse of the original is toned down accordingly. Dubbing stands as a buffer zone between two cultures and is also a potent tool for lingustic standardization.

Sherzer, Joel
Language and Ecology: The View from the Kuna Indians of Panama

This paper explores various ways in which the Kuna language is related to the Kuna natural environment. It will examine words for animals and plants, the organization of words into semantic systems, variation in the use of these words, and the use of the language of ecology in Kuna speaking practices. While not about language endangerment per se, to the degree that Kuna ecology is in danger, the language that is intimately related to ecology is also in danger.

Snow, Peter
Language Variation in Caribbean Creole/Non-Lexifier Contact Situations: Continua or Diglossia?

This paper surveys those Caribbean creoles in contact with non-lexically related national languages and discusses why the post-creole continuum model may be inappropriate for explanations of contact-induced language variation and change in this type of speech community. A consideration of the language contact between the Englishbased creole spoken on the Panamanian island of Bastimentos and the national language of Spanish suggests the relatively stable coexistence of two discrete systems where diglossia obtains. A discrete diglossic model is proposed as a provisional alternative for studies of language variation on the island of Bastimentos and in other stable Caribbean creole/non-lexifier contact situations.

Sun, Hao
Framing Interactions and Defining Relationships: Phatic Talk in Chinese Telephone Conversations

This article discusses forms and functions of phatic talk occurring in the opening phase of Chinese telephone conversations between female participants, utilizing naturalistic data. Context- and addressee-sensitive phatic talk in Chinese defines relations, frames interactions, and indexes multiple contextual factors. It will also be demonstrated how phatic strategies may interact with discourse sequence, ratifying and restructuring the organization of conversation to display speakers' local concerns in particular discourse contexts.

Tetreault, Chantal
"Tom-boy talk," Girls from the 'Cité', and the Limits to Gender as Performance

This paper analyzes girls' use of competitive verbal performances, slang, and ritualized insults that are associated with masculinity in the stigmatized space of a French cité, or low-income housing project. In addition to girls' strategic use of these verbal performances, this paper addresses the conflicting ideologies surrounding girls' use of masculine-styled language and stereotypically masculine behavior. The paper thus investigates how processes of language and gender socialization among adolescents are contingent upon local prescriptions for gender roles and language use.

Yamaji, Harumi 
Addressee-Oriented Nature of Referent Honorifics in Japanese Conversation

This study investigates Japanese referent honorifics in reference to socially distant third parties. Thirteen conversations between native speakers reveal that such honorifics are rarely used. Additionally, the addressee-oriented nature of Japanese honorifics is proposed, based on a correlation between addressee honorifics and referent honorifics, suggesting interdependent nature of these honorifics. Another observation made in this study is that stylemixing between referent honorifics and non-honorific forms in reference to an individual might be triggered by changes in the speaker's attitudes toward the referent.