Salsa, Language and Transnationalism

By (author) Britta Schneider

Publication date:

29 May 2014

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

210x148mm
6x8"

ISBN-13: 9781783091898

What happens in globalised social contexts if people identify with a language that is not traditionally considered to be ‘their’ language? This unique contribution to the field of sociolinguistics scrutinises language ideologies of German and Australian Communities of Practice constituted by Salsa dance and asks what languages symbolise in transnational, non-ethnic cultures. Using ethnographic methodology and a deconstructive approach to language it examines these different Salsa communities and gives insight into the interaction of social discourses from local, national and transnational realms, examining differences, similarities and a simultaneous multiplicity of languages’ symbolic functions. This book will be welcomed by postgraduates, professional sociolinguists and linguistic anthropologists as well as scholars of cultural anthropology, sociology and cultural studies who are interested in the development of modernist categories in transnational culture.

1. Salsa, Zombies and Linguistics
2. Transnational Language Discourse
3. Transnational Salsa – Cultural Re-inventions of the Global in Local Contexts
4. ‘…wenn ich Spanisch spreche, das macht mich immer unheimlich glücklich’: Multilingual Longing and Class Exclusion in Frankfurt Salsa
5. ‘It doesn’t matter what they sing and how sad they are, they always sound happy’: Evolutionist Monolingualism and Latin Branding in Sydney L.A. Style Salsa
6. ‘It’s the Cool Factor’ – Multilingualism and Authenticity in Sydney’s Cuban Style Salsa Community
7. Language in a Transnational Age – Mobile Meanings and Multiple Modernities
Appendix
References

Schneider’s book serves as a model for future ethnographic research into other diverse communities of practice in which one may seek to explore language use and ideology as co-constructed by its participants. She also provides a solid research survey for anyone interested in language and identity, as well as a methodological introduction to the tools of discourse analysis in sociolinguistics. It is a comprehensive contribution to the field in one situated context, making the concepts and theories easier to grasp for those new to the fields of applied linguistics and sociolinguistics.