Schedule 73. StuTS

The Azerbaijani language has gone through changes in pronunciation over many years, which has become more apparent recently. Unlike Turkish, known for its pronunciation equivalent to written form, Azerbaijani has various morphonological processes affecting its pronunciation. (Law on Orthoepy Norms of Azerbaijani, 2021) However, there is a tendency nowadays to avoid these processes in formal settings, which could be explained in people’s view of the written language as ‘excellent’ using it as a basis for their speech, as observed in many other nations. (Kristiansen 2001) Our empirical study explores how Azerbaijani people perceive the formal register and how their understanding of it affects their pronunciation. Research questions aim to confirm and explain the differences in pronunciation between informal and formal situations, analyse demographic and sociolinguistic factors and investigate the attitudes of Azerbaijani people. The research employed a mixed-methods approach and was carried out in two stages using Google Forms for data collection. In Stage 1, 30 participants recorded themselves talking about a memory naturally. Afterwards, they were instructed to read 15 selected words likely to generate sound alternation in the most formal way possible. Data analysis included labelling differences in pronunciation and visualising them using PRAAT. The findings suggest that when telling a memory, participants sometimes used morphonological processes and sometimes did not, which could have been an unconscious choice. Furthermore, according to the second task, which required participants to read the words formally, half of the participants pronounced almost every word as written, and 30% did so for most of them. In the second stage, a questionnaire was prepared to find out about the reasons for these changes and the attitudes of the participants. Questions provided potential reasons for participants to select from: 1) prestige, 2) solidarity with Turkish, 3) hypercorrection, 4) linguistic purification, 5) distancing from Persian roots, 6) trying to sound different from the South Azerbaijani variety (Karimzad 2017). The results of the second stage will be revealed once the answers have been collected from all the participants. This research could be relevant to linguists, teachers and policymakers interested in language use in formal and informal settings.

Azerbaijani language has gone through changes in pronunciation over many years, which has become more apparent recently. Unlike Turkish, known for its pronunciation equivalent to written form, Azerbaijani has various morphonological processes affecting its pronunciation. (Law on Orthoepy Norms of Azerbaijani, 2021) However, there is a tendency nowadays to avoid these processes in formal settings, which could be explained in people’s view of the written language as ‘excellent’ using it as a basis for their speech, as observed in many other nations. (Kristiansen 2001) Our empirical study explores how Azerbaijani people perceive the formal register and how their understanding of it affects their pronunciation. Research questions aim to confirm and explain the differences in pronunciation between informal and formal situations, analyse demographic and sociolinguistic factors and investigate the attitudes of Azerbaijani people. The research employed a mixed-methods approach and was carried out in two stages using Google Forms for data collection. In Stage 1, 30 participants recorded themselves talking about a memory naturally. Afterwards, they were instructed to read 15 selected words likely to generate sound alternation in the most formal way possible. Data analysis included labelling differences in pronunciation and visualising them using PRAAT. The findings suggest that when telling a memory, participants sometimes used morphonological processes and sometimes did not, which could have been an unconscious choice. Furthermore, according to the second task, which required participants to read the words formally, half of the participants pronounced almost every word as written, and 30% did so for most of them. In the second stage, a questionnaire was prepared to find out about the reasons for these changes and the attitudes of the participants. Questions provided potential reasons for participants to select from: 1) prestige, 2) solidarity with Turkish, 3) hypercorrection, 4) linguistic purification, 5) distancing from Persian roots, 6) trying to sound different from the South Azerbaijani variety (Karimzad 2017). The results of the second stage will be revealed once the answers have been collected from all the participants. This research could be relevant to linguists, teachers and policymakers interested in language use in formal and informal settings.

References:
The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2021). Law on Orthoepy Norms of Azerbaijani. Azerbaijan. Decision No. 175, approved on June 18, 2021. Retrieved from https://e-qanun.az/framework/47674
Kristiansen, Tore. (2001). Two Standards: One for the Media and One for the School. Language Awareness, 10(1), 10. doi:10.1080/09658410108667022
Karimzad, Farzad, & Sibgatullina, Gulnaz. (2017). Replacing “Them” With “Us”: Language Ideologies and Practices of “Purification” on Facebook. International Multilingual Research Journal, 8. doi:10.1080/19313152.2017.1401449

Info

Day: 2023-05-27
Start time: 12:15
Duration: 00:30
Room: SH 3.103
Track: Sociolinguistics

Links:

• iCalendar

Feedback

Click here to let us know how you liked this event.