School of Languages and Linguistics - Research Publications

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    Introductions at international academic conferences: Address and naming in three national varieties of English
    Norrby, C ; SCHUPBACH, D ; Hajek, J ; Kretzenbacher, HL ; Kluge, B ; Moyna, MI (John Benjamins Publishing, 2019)
    This chapter investigates preferred introduction routines in first encounters in the context of international academic conferences where English is used as the conference language. We focus on reported use of first and last names as well as titles in introductions in American, Australian and British English based on a large-scale survey of reported introduction in three scenarios: introduction of self, of others and expected introduction of self by others. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data the results demonstrate that while use of first and last name is the unmarked choice, there is also significant variation among speakers of different national varieties, different scenarios and age groups. The results also show the importance of situational factors, seniority and hierarchy for introductions.
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    Transition from V to T address among restaurant customers and waiters in Italy
    Kretzenbacher, H ; Bresin, A ; Hajek, J ; Kluge, B ; Moyna, MI (John Benjamins Publishing, 2019)
    Drawing on a large-scale study on reported address practices in restaurant encounters in Italy, this chapter examines transition from formal V to informal T singular address pronouns in Italian, focusing on five geographically dispersed regions. Quantitative data suggest that the customer/waiter interaction provides opportunity for frequent V to T transition, with restaurants of a more modest type and those in small towns facilitating such a shift. The region where respondents live also seems to play a role and may be indicative of the effect of local dialects on regional varieties of Italian. Qualitative data indicate that the issue of who initiates the switch is revealing of power dynamics, sometimes involving imposition and resistance. Morphological aspects, such as the complex management of the V form lei, may also be involved.
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    Now you Sie me, now you don’t: the history and remnants of the 3pl V address pronoun calque in Slovak (onikanie) and in Czech (onikání)
    Kretzenbacher, HL ; Hajek, J ; Lagerberg, R ; Bresin, A ; Kluge, B ; Moyna, MI (John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2019-11-15)
    Among the neighbouring languages that calqued the third person plural (3pl) address pronoun Sie from German in the 18th century, the closely related languages Czech and Slovak offer contrasting diachronic and synchronic uses of their respective Sie-calques. In Czech, onikání (literally ‘addressing with the 3pl masculine pronoun oni’) was among the German linguistic influences hotly fought against by linguistic purists in the Czech National Revival of the 19th century, and, as a consequence, its use today is restricted to jocular or ironic use only. In Slovakia, the national revival came later, and purist proponents of Slovak as a national language did not just have German as a linguistic adversary, but also Hungarian, and to a certain degree, even Czech. Therefore, there was less pressure for onikanie, the Slovak version of onikání, to be ousted so clearly. As a result, the subsequent history and development of 3pl address differs somewhat in Slovak from Czech, something which is confirmed by the status we can still find today of remnants of Slovak onikanie. The diachronic development of Slovak onikanie shows some differences to that of Czech onikání, due, we argue, to the different social and political histories of both languages and of their respective national states. We conducted a pilot study (including data drawn from online discussions by native speakers) into the extent, varieties, and domains where Slovak onikanie is still used. Results show its present usage to be different from that of its Czech counterpart.
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    Address and introductions across two pluricentric languages in intercultural communication
    Kretzenbacher, HL ; Hajek, JT ; Norrby, C ; Muhr, R ; Amoros Negre, C ; Fernandez Juncal, C ; Zimmermann, K ; Prieto, E ; Hernandez, N (Lang - Peter Lang, 2013)
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    Meet and greet: nominal address and introductions in intercultural communication at international conferences
    KRETZENBACHER, HL ; Clyne, ; Hajek, J ; Norrby, ; Warren, JL ; Hajek, J ; Slaughter, Y (Multilingual Matters Limited, 2015-01-01)
    This volume challenges the monolingual mindset by highlighting how language-related issues surround us in many different ways, and explores the tensions that can develop in managing and understanding multilingualism.