Belgian Journal of Linguistics - Volume 13, Issue 1, 1999

Abstract. Relying on recent sociolinguistic research, this paper questions some generally accepted ideas concerning the French spoken by Walloons and Brussels Francophones. In particular, it is shown that the observation of real linguistic usage does not allow one to postulate the existence of a variant like "Standard Belgian French", "Walloon French" or "Brussels French". Contrary to what is implied by naive collections of so-called "Belgicisms", any possible definition of "Belgian French" in terms of specific linguistic features is doomed to failure, because similar phenomena can be registered in other French-speaking areas. On the other hand, Walloons and Brussels Francophones often assume a kind of "identity by substraction" grounded on their own representation of " Belgian French" as a variant devoid of any normative legitimacy. Yet, it is argued here that sociolinguistic changes currently in progress will favour the emergence of an endogenous regional norm.

Abstract. The Flemish nation is a reality. Flanders has even become a state to some extent. Flanders no longer speaks French. French has been gradually ideologised from the language of prestige to the language of the enemy. Flanders has not chosen Flemish, but Dutch as its new language of prestige. There was no elite in Flanders speaking Flemish. Those who should have developed Standard Flemish in the 17th and 18th centuries, switched to French. After 1830, the Orangists put forward three major arguments to reject Flemish and to opt for Dutch. First, Flemish was not strong enough to compete with French. Second, Flemish was not good enough; it was corrupted by French, it was only a poor by-product of a Belgian nation-state that was dominated by French. Third, by opting for Dutch, the Flemings would link up with their history. In the second half of the 19th century, a process of dutchification gradually set in. As the importance of language as a social, economic and, therefore, political factor increased, the influence of Dutch grew stronger. Yet, there seem to be limits to the dutchification of Flemish society and, consequently, of the language of the Flemings. Even the most dedicated supporters of Pan-Netherlandic unity somehow reject the language of the Dutch as a model for Flanders.

Abstract. Secondary language attitudes are examined in the Brussels conurbation, in the communes of the Flemish periphery of Brussels and in the communes with linguistic facilities, especially by an analysis of a representative number of advertisements in the yellow pages of the Brussels region, focusing on various types of business. Our survey compares the situation of 1973 with these of 1987 and 1995, which means that the study covers a period of almost a quarter of a century. The interpretation of this qualitative and quantitative analysis of more than 7,000 advertisements - monolingual (French or Flemish) as well as bilingual - allows us to formulate a number of conclusions concerning the evolution of the relative position of French and Flemish in the Brussels conurbation, the Flemish communes of the Brussels periphery and the communes with linguistic facilities - always in terms of secondary language attitudes.

Abstract. This article discusses the structure of working class language use {Arbeitersprache) in Bruges during the 19th century. It will be demonstrated that the written language of this 'silent majority' of the population was a defective and ill-construed code, displaying defects at all linguistic levels, and consequently testifying of semi-literacy or near-literacy. Through a set of representative text samples, we will discuss such features as inconsequent spelling, word omission, unfinished sentences, lack of coherence and stylistic unstableness. Through a comparison of examples from the beginning and the end of the 19th century, written by both trade servants and masters, it will be shown that defective language use was not limited to lower groups of the working class, nor to the earlier years of the century. At the end of this article, we will argue that a discussion of 19th century language use (and of 'Arbeitersprache' in particular) should not only concentrate on the writer's social class; social processes like literacy and schooling, which go beyond class boundaries, may have a far higher explanatory value in these matters.

Abstract. This experimental study deals with the perception of regionally colored accents of Standard Dutch (from Groningen, Friesland, Limburg, Zuid-Holland, and West-Flanders) as compared to 'pure' Standard Dutch. Three different aspects were investigated: speech-based personality impression, perceived linguistic divergence, and geographic identifiability. Listeners originated from different parts of the Netherlands. As for personality impression, speakers of 'pure' Standard Dutch were perceived to be significantly more dominant (arrogant, self-assured, and active) than accented speakers from Groningen, Friesland, Limburg, and West-Flanders, and they received significantly higher ratings on the integrity dimension (reliable, fair, and education) than accented speakers from Limburg. No other significant differences (e.g. related to social attractiveness) were found. With respect to linguistic divergence, the speakers from the south (Limburg and West-Flanders) were perceived to have significantly stronger and more homogeneous accents than the speakers from the north (Groningen and Friesland) and the west (Zuid-Holland). Finally, the geographic origin of the speakers from Limburg appeared to be the easiest to identify and that of the speakers from West-Flanders and Groningen the most difficult.

Abstract. The article focuses on dialect change in the western and eastern periphery of the southern Dutch language area, i.e. in the province of West-Flanders and the province of Limburg. Both by a general survey of the dialect situation in these regions and by the analysis of two instances of phonological change, it is demonstrated that the actual state and dynamics of these areas is essentially different in terms of dialect loss and dialect vitality. The West-Flemish data reveal an intertwining of interdialectal and standard language influence, whereas the changes registered in the Limburg data unambiguously point to standard language influence.

Abstract. Recent research has pointed out that certain grammaticalization phenomena originate in substandard varieties and/or colloquial speech styles. However, the potential of insights to be gained from relating grammaticalization and sociolinguistics still remains largely unexplored. The present paper is an attempt at such an approach, discussing grammaticalization processes in contemporary German youth language (Jugendsprache). On a word formation level, the paper deals with nominal and verbal formatives, denominal conversions, and the use of verb stems as lexical morphemes. Syntactic phenomena include the development of the non-inflected negative null and a new intensifier word order pattern. After highlighting the relevant grammaticalization mechanisms for each of these patterns, the paper discusses the relation between slang creation and grammaticalization, emphasizing the role of expressivity as a discourse-pragmatic motivation for linguistic innovations. Finally, the paper draws attention to connections between youth specific language varieties and language change, and tries to account for the fact that some grammaticalization processes in substandard varieties never reach their potential end point.

Abstract. This contribution offers a historical survey of the views adopted by Romance scholars in methodological discussions tied up with dialectological work conducted between 1875 and 1925. Following an initial phase in which dialectology was strongly linked to folklore-based work and was mainly devoted to the collection of materials, the study of dialects gained a theoretical status within the historical-comparative model. Dialectology then became institutionalised as an academic discipline which developed in various theoretical directions, with Jules Gilliéron and Louis Gauchat as the two key representatives. Whereas Gilliéron favoured the semantic and psychological study of the history of words - to the neglect of the study of their phonetic evolution -, Gauchat stressed the primacy of phonetics, while paying due attention to sociolinguistic phenomena. The methodological principles on which dialectological work was based had a major impact on other domains within Romance linguistics. Walther von Wartburg, for example, integrated the results of dialectological work in his Romance etymological studies, and Antoine Meillet stressed the heuristic and methodological contribution of linguistic geography to historical and general linguistics.

Abstract. This article describes the methodology used to collect data on sociolinguistic representations in an urban situation - and, specifically, in Rouen (France) - by relying on a detailed study of the relationships between epilinguistic discourse and social space. In the discussion, emphasis is put not only on the initial assumptions of the research, on the problems which arose during the inquiry and the answers one can offer to those problems, but also on the methodological quandaries of any such work. Collecting the data involved two phases, the first qualitative and the second quantitative. A pre-inquiry which took the form of semi-directive interviews was carried out in order to select those items that the local speakers consider as sociolinguistically qualifying. Next, a written questionnaire was submitted to a second identical sample of local speakers who had to evaluate the items selected by the first group of speakers. The procedure was the same for both assessment recordings: the subjects heard pre-recorded representative verbal samples uttered by representative local speakers. In conclusion, it appears that a methodology combining the social evaluation of verbal samples and the measurement of attitudes could be appropriate in accounting for the complex encounters between several representations of urban space.