Graduate Student, School of Education
College of Language, Discourse & Society
Thesis Title: Bolzano-Bozen: A Linguistic Ethnography
About
Through Linguistic Ethnography, I seek to understand the often complex interrelationships that exist within a multilingual setting, characterised by conflict or tension. Applying the linguistic ethnography paradigm I seek to understand bilingualism in Bolzano in relation to issues such as identity, language ideologies and power. Of particular interest is how policies directed at groups affect individual choices and rights.
By paying close attention to the context – in which speakers interact and language discourse takes place – I seek to understand how higher order discourses (such as social, legal, economic and political frameworks) impact on the daily lives of bilingual German-Italian speakers.
My principal data are derived from:
• Participant observations and semi-structured interviews with a parents’ association that seeks to promote bilingual education and recognition for people from more than one cultural background;
• Examining public discourse, especially through print media;
• An exploration of the discourses in place in the semiotic environment.
Research Interests:
• Linguistic Ethnography
• Semiotic Landscape & Geosemiotics
• Nexus Analysis
