Disciplines
Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics
Abstract (300 words maximum)
According to the United Stated Census Bureau, the population of Asians in the United States has increased from 12 million in 2005 to 17 million in 2016. As populations of minority races in the U.S. grow, so does the representation of them in popular culture and mass media. From ABC’s TV show Fresh Off the Boat to the rising generation of Asian American Youtubers, a wave of Asian American linguistic and languaging presence in today’s entertainment is higher than ever before. In my presentation, I will discuss a close analysis of sociolinguistics connected to these representations spoken by contemporary Asian American comedians to provide perspective on their influence on the general public’s view of Asians. As Author Jess C. Scott states, “People are sheep. TV is the shepherd.”
With the 2018 Winter Olympics being held in South Korea, Asian Americans have come to the forefront of the media and brought greater attention to Asian people who were born in America. In my presentation, I will describe and analyze the linguistic phenomena of the appearance of an Asian accent that emerges among some American-born Asians. In an effort to describe and analyze this phenomenon, I will present a literature review of scholarly articles along with editorials and YouTube videos of subject matter experts who have previously discussed this topic as well as look for instances of accidental discrimination against Asian Americans who speak without an accent. As Connie Zhou said, “I’m tired of taxi drivers asking where I’m ‘originally’ from.”
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - English
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Jeanne Bohannon
Sociolinguistic Analysis of Asian American English
According to the United Stated Census Bureau, the population of Asians in the United States has increased from 12 million in 2005 to 17 million in 2016. As populations of minority races in the U.S. grow, so does the representation of them in popular culture and mass media. From ABC’s TV show Fresh Off the Boat to the rising generation of Asian American Youtubers, a wave of Asian American linguistic and languaging presence in today’s entertainment is higher than ever before. In my presentation, I will discuss a close analysis of sociolinguistics connected to these representations spoken by contemporary Asian American comedians to provide perspective on their influence on the general public’s view of Asians. As Author Jess C. Scott states, “People are sheep. TV is the shepherd.”
With the 2018 Winter Olympics being held in South Korea, Asian Americans have come to the forefront of the media and brought greater attention to Asian people who were born in America. In my presentation, I will describe and analyze the linguistic phenomena of the appearance of an Asian accent that emerges among some American-born Asians. In an effort to describe and analyze this phenomenon, I will present a literature review of scholarly articles along with editorials and YouTube videos of subject matter experts who have previously discussed this topic as well as look for instances of accidental discrimination against Asian Americans who speak without an accent. As Connie Zhou said, “I’m tired of taxi drivers asking where I’m ‘originally’ from.”