Linguistic Correlates of the Transition to Literacy in Somali:

Language Adaptation in Six Press Registers By Douglas Bibber & Mohamed Hared Presented by Ingkhasond V. ID 5512210086 CEN 7201

الصومالية جمهور Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya

Somali Republic

The African Arab country Official language(s):

Somali, Arabic Ethnic groups:

Somali 92.4%, Arab 2%, Religion:

Islam 100% Independence from:

Britain and Italy

Assumption – Approach

Assumption The linguistic changes resulting from the introduction of written register (variation of the use according to situation).

The communicative-functional expansion associated with the introduction of written registers in a language will result in an expanded range of linguistic variability, reflecting new form or function associations

Approach The issue was investigated through an analysis of linguistic change in Somali written press registers over years in 3 periods including lexical, morphological and syntactic features

The Multidimensional (MD) framework was used to analyze the variation of linguistic features across communicative situations and none of these dimensions defines an absolute dichotomy between spoken and written registers.

no single dimension adequately describes the relations among spoken and written registers; each dimension reflects a different set of communicative functions relating to purpose,

general topic, degree of interactiveness,

personal involvement, production circumstances,

and other physical mode characteristics

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An ideal setting for the study of the evaluation of written language varieties relative to spoken varieties

Arabic, Italian, English were used for official purpose No written tradition

Mass literacy campaigns

Oct 1972

The development, standardization, spread of a unified Romanized Somali script

All Students in last two years of primary school

All Students in first year of secondary school

Civil servants

Military officers

15,000 literacy instructors

Why Somali is worth a case study

many official & professional varieties of writing i.e., dictionaries, grammars, textbook, newspapers, histories, biographies, storybooks, letters, and government documents

1973 - A national newspaper - Two periodical news mag. - Folk stories - Nonfictions pamphlets

1975

- Textbooks - Long fiction - Historical works

Social process involve in the introduction of mass literacy to Somali Society (sociolinguistic system)

The overt language planning efforts to extend the lexical stock of Somali for Math, Science, politic, etc.

The rapid spread of native-language literacy

- because the timescales relevant to Somali literacy practices from colonization and post-colonial- nation building. - Somali is unusual in that it has a very short history of literacy (only since 1973), but at present it has a wide range of written and spoken registers, including governmental, educational, and public information uses.

Multidimensional (MD) Approach

Linguistic features: 11 grammatical &functional categories -dependent & main clauses -verbal & nominal features -pronouns -adjectival feature -special lexical classes -features reflecting lexical choice -preverbal particles -reduced & interactive features -coordination -focus construction

Texts : 9 Spoken registers i.e., conversation, family & formal meeting, sermons, lectures, sport broadcasts 7 Written registers i.e., press reportage, analytical press, sport review, academic essay, editorials, textbooks, fiction, folk stories, personal letters, memos, published speeches

**Put in computer** Pascal

In MD approach, Linguistic co-occurrence is analyzed in terms of underlying dimension of variation, with the assumption that MD will typically required to sufficiently account for the range of linguistic variation among registers in a language

Dimension 1

Dimension 2

Dimension 3

Dimensions are continuous scales of variation identified quantitatively by a factor analysis, and factor analysis is used to identify the groups of linguistic feature associated with each dimension Each dimension or factor consists of a group of linguistic features that co-occur with a markedly high frequency in texts

-With the explicit assumption that Multipledimension will typically required to sufficiently account for the range of linguistic variation among registers in a language -Dimension are continuous scales of variation identified quantitatively by a factor analysis -Each dimension or factor consists of a group of linguistic features that co-occur with a markedly high frequency in texts - Factor analysis is used to identify the groups of linguistic feature associated with each dimension

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Multidimensional (MD) Approach : Interpretation

The interpretation of the factors as functional dimension

is based on the assumption that Co-occurrence reflects shared communicative functions

associated with the situational contexts of texts

Analyze the distribution of 65 linguistic features across 279 texts from 26 spoken and written registers

Somali Dimension of Variation

3 dimensions derived from factor analysis :

Dimension 1: Structural Elaboration: Involvement VS. Exposition

Positive features Negative features

Yes/No questions Contrast-clause coordination (eh)

Dependent clauses Relative clauses WH clefts (wassa)

Common nouns Derived adjectives

Stance adjectives (neceb “hate”, jecel”like) Contractions 1st and 2nd pron.

Dimension 2: Lexical Elaboration: On-line VS. Planned/integrated production

Positive features => No negative features

Lexical characteristics once-occurring words number of different words

Spoken register => are produced on-line (purpose / interactiveness) => show little lexical diversity / elaboration Written register => extensive chance for careful word choice => show extreme or little lexical diversity

Dimension 3: Argumentative VS. Reported presentation of information Positive features Negative features

Present tense +Predicative adjectives +possibility modals +concession conj.

Press reportage Folk stories Sport reviews/broadcasts Novels, serial stories

Spoken register => Family & formal meeting Written register => Analytical press articles, academic essays

Past tense +proper & agentive n. +future modals +speech act verbs

Consider the feature grouped on dimension 1: Positive and negative features represent a set of co-occurring features

For example: 1. When there are frequent question and contrast-clauses coordination in a text, there also tend to be high frequencies of stance adjective and contraction 2. when there are frequent total dependent clauses, relative clauses and WH clefts in a text => There also tend to be high frequencies of common nouns and derived adjectives

The positive and negative grouping of features appear independently - When the positive feature are markedly frequent in a text, the negative feature are relatively absent from that text , and vice versa.

dimension 2: The stronger features on this dimension are lexical characteristics. Dimension 2 focus on lexical choice versus lexical forms which are short or simple and seems to represent a basic different between the production possibilities of speech and writing.

dimension 3: show basic opposition between present tense and past tense .

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3 Three Dimensions of Variation Among Somali Register Somali Registers used for the Present Analysis 1973-1989

The analysis is narrowed down to The initial expansion of Linguistic variation due to the introduction of written registers by comparative analysis of written press register to spoken registers to see the transition and adaptation

The Evolution of Somali Press Registers from 1973 – 1989

6 Press Registers 1. Reportage 2. Editorials 3. Analytical news 4. Editorial letters 5. Sports reviews 6. Serial stories

( looking at distribution of registers along 3 dimensions)

( looking at Trend of 6 press registers along 3 dimensions over 3 periods)

4 Somali Registers Used for the Present Analysis The initial expansion of Linguistic variation due to the introduction of written registers :

Dimension 2

Conversational narratives

Analytical press Serial Stories

Sermons

Sport reviews letter to editor

Approximate range of register variation before 1973

Sport broadcast

Lectures, family meeting,

Formal meeting

Announcement

press reportage

editorial

Dimension 1

Conversations

Family meeting, Conversational Narratives

Serial Stories

Lectures-Formal meeting, -Sport broadcast

Sport reviews-letter to editor

Analytical press- press reportage

Announcement -editorial

Approximate range of register variation before 1973

Sermons

Dimension 3

Serial Stories, analytical press Sermons Lectures, conversation

letter to editor, editorials

Approximate range of register variation before 1973

press reportage

Announcement Conversational narratives

Sport broadcast

Family meeting

Formal meeting

Sport reviews

Distribution of registers along Dimensions

1. Shows the expansion of linguistic variation along the structural elaboration dimension that resulted from the addition of written press registers in Somali

Before the introduction of written registers, there was already a wide range of variation among spoken registers along this dimension - Conversation-Family meeting- conversational narratives have high frequency use positive features like Yes/No question. Stance adjective, contractions - Spoken register such as university lecture, formal meeting, sport broadcast have value around 0 reflecting a lesser but balance use of both involved features and structural elaboration features

2. Shows the expansion of linguistic variation along the lexical elaboration In contrast to Dimension 1, Before the introduction of written registers spoken registers have limited range of variation along the lexical elaboration. - Sport broadcast have the largest positive score reflecting the most lexical repetition and least lexical elaboration because of restrictive online production constraints - editorials are extremely elaborated in their lexical characteristics, representing in a style of text

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3. Shows the expansion of linguistic variation along argumentative vs reported presentation of information - Clearly different from Di 1 and Di2 Before the introduction of written registers, most of written registers fall within the preexisting range of spoken variation - Family an formal meeting have a largest positive score reflecting frequent present tens verbs, possibility modals and concession conjunction - whereas Press reportage extremely represents a reported presentation of information using high frequent of past tense - Most of 1973 press registers have a moderately “ argumentative presentation

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Then, the analysis is further narrowed down to 6 press register evolution

The Evolution of Somali Press Registers from 1973 – 1989

The analysis showed how the introduction of Somali written press register greatly expanded the range of variation along 3 functional linguistic dimensions By tracing the linguistic evolution of the same written registers of press to determine; - in what respect they become normalized (a force pursing registers toward conformity ) and, - in what respect they further adapt (resulting in diversification to match communicative demands )

6 Press Registers 1. Reportage 2. Editorials 3. Analytical news 4. Editorial letters 5. Sports reviews 6. Serial stories

The press registers have undergone a steady progression toward more literate characterization, especially Serial stories that undergo a marked change to become more similar to the other written register

. The trend indicates normalization takes over register adaptation in which Somali continue to adapt across this timespan, and become more normalization through the development of a unified written style

The greater negative scores = more frequent use of rare words, long words, derivationally complex words like nominalizations & compound verbs => Editorial letters, Serial Stories, Analytical News, and Editorials The trend is not steady and indicates 6 press registers have evolved to become more different from speech and more distinct from one another. This diversification or variation is another form of adaptation as writers learn to exploit the production possibility of the written mode.

Only reportage has remained stable over the 3 periods with their Reported style. The other 5 registers shifted to be more reported style in the middle period then shifted back to more argumentative in the last period showing a strong pattern of adaption. The shifts along this dimension correspond to changing political , national and economic circumstances (1987-89 economic and government control become weaker , so no fear to counterattack and openly criticized the government, with greater freedom of speech )

The evolution and extension of language use patterns in Somali are strongly influenced by the introduction of written varieties and the nativization of public institutions (Nativization is the process that a language gains native speakers where a second language used by adult parents becomes the native language of their children).

Summary and Conclusion

The historical development of Somali press registers relative to the complementary forces of register adaptation and register normalization

Register adaptation has been particularly notable in the recent history of Somali, as reflected by 1. the extended range of variation along all three dimension due to the addition of written registers in 1973 2. the continuing evolution of written registers along Dimensions 1 ( Lexical Elaboration) and 2 (Argumentative versus reported style) when the press registers have evolved to become more distinct.

Register normalization has been a much weaker force in the evolution of these registers to date, being reflected primarily in the shift toward more similar characterizations among the press registers with respect to the structural elaboration dimension (Dimension 1)

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