Language, the Singer and the Song: The Sociolinguistics of Folk Performance - Softcover

Watts, Richard J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 110753304X ISBN 13: 9781107533042

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2021

Synopsis

The relationship between language and music has much in common - rhythm, structure, sound, metaphor. Exploring the phenomena of song and performance, this book presents a sociolinguistic model for analysing them. Based on ethnomusicologist John Blacking's contention that any song performed communally is a 'folk song' regardless of its generic origins, it argues that folk song to a far greater extent than other song genres displays 'communal' or 'inclusive' types of performance. The defining feature of folk song as a multi-modal instantiation of music and language is its participatory nature, making it ideal for sociolinguistic analysis. In this sense, a folk song is the product of specific types of developing social interaction whose major purpose is the construction of a temporally and locally based community. Through repeated instantiations, this can lead to disparate communities of practice, which, over time, develop sociocultural registers and a communal stance towards aspects of meaningful events in everyday lives that become typical of a discourse community.

About this title

About the Authors

Richard J. Watts is emeritus professor of Modern English Linguistics, retired from the Chair in that discipline at the University of Bern since 2008. He is one of the world's leading experts in linguistic politeness research and is author of five books including Politeness (2003) and Language Myths and the History of English (2011).

Franz Andres Morrissey is a lecturer in Modern English Linguistics at the University of Bern, Switzerland. He has a background in TEFL, and has published language text books and several papers on teaching materials and language practice through games, music and creative writing, and sociolinguistics and the sociology of language.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 110753304X
• ISBN 13: 9781107533042
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 392