'Chicano English' and 'Türkendeutsch': A comparison of two ethnic dialects

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,0, University of Würzburg (Neuphilologisches Institut), course: American English: History, Variation, and Change, language: English, ... Read more

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,0, University of Würzburg (Neuphilologisches Institut), course: American English: History, Variation, and Change, language: English, abstract: 'In every living language, processes of change are as inevitable as rain.' New dialects develop out of isolation as well as out of contact with other varieties. Thereby they are influenced by ongoing socio-cultural changes and, in turn, affect culture and way of speaking. This paper will summarize results of latest linguistic research on two ethnic dialects - Chicano English, a Hispanic variety of American English and Türkendeutsch , a relatively new variety of German. First, both varieties will be presented with regard to their history, their structural features and sociolinguistic aspects, starting with Chicano English. After outlining characteristics of both individually, major similarities and differences will be highlighted. Finally, difficulties in the context of this paper will be discussed and future prospects will be given. Less