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Article published In:
Asia-Pacific Language Variation
Vol. 2:2 (2016) ► pp.157–187

Gender and second language style

American learner perceptions of Mandarin sajiao

Gender has been shown to be a salient factor in acquisition of second language variation (Adamson & Regan, 1991; Major, 2004; Meyerhoff & Schleef, 2012; Rehner, Mougeon, & Nadasdi, 2003; Schleef, Meyerhoff, & Clark, 2011). However, these studies have primarily focused on learner production of target language variation and style in the sense of attention paid to speech. There has been little focus on learner perceptions of the social meanings associated with L2 variants and styles. The present article addresses this gap in the research by examining L2 learner perceptions of a gendered style of speaking in Mandarin Chinese known as sajiao. Results from a perception experiment confirm the salience of gender in the acquisition of L2 variation and show that American L2 Mandarin learners have acquired some of the social meanings associated with sajiao but not others. An acoustic phonetic analysis of sajiao is also presented.

Keywords: second language style, second language variation, language and gender, stylistic variation, indexical field, Mandarin Chinese, sajiao
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Gender in L2 variation studies
    • 1.2The indexical field
    • 1.3 Sajiao as gendered
    • 1.4Acquisition of sajiao
    • 1.5Linguistic components of sajiao
  • 2.Perception experiment
    • 2.1Method
      • 2.1.1Auditory stimuli
      • 2.1.2Procedure
      • 2.1.3Participants
    • 2.2Analysis
    • 2.3Results
      • 2.3.1Cuteness
      • 2.3.2Pleasantness
      • 2.3.3Friendliness
      • 2.3.4Dominance
      • 2.3.5Femininity
      • 2.3.6Masculinity
      • 2.3.7Professionalism
      • 2.3.8Sexual orientation
  • 3.Acoustic phonetic description of sajiao
    • 3.1Methods for acoustic analysis
    • 3.2Results of acoustic analysis
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Implications for understanding of the acquisition of L2 variation
    • 4.2Implications for understanding Mandarin sajiao
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 6 April 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aplv.2.2.03har
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