King, Hannah Marie (2025) The complexities of transnational connection and belonging: 'Place-talk' and place identities in the interactional construction of a Spanish Language Group in London. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
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Abstract
This thesis uses linguistic ethnography to explore place-talk within a linguistically and culturally heterogeneous Spanish language group (SLG) in central London. As a transnational social space, the SLG sees learners of Spanish (intermediate and above) gather alongside L1 speakers to socialize in the Spanish language. Attendees, generally identifiable as cosmopolitan (Codó, 2014; Hannerz, 1996) and ‘elite’ multilinguals (Barakos & Selleck, 2019), gather to speak Spanish by choice and often display interest in the cultural other. The dataset includes naturally occurring conversations, interviews with core members, and ethnographic field notes as a participant-researcher, which are explored via a sociocultural linguistic approach that sees identity as produced in interaction (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005). Making use of (micro) discourse analysis, the project explores positioning primarily through stancetaking (Du Bois, 2007) and identity processes of adequation, distinction, and authentication (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005) as it seeks to understand how place-talk can be used to interactionally construct places and reject or claim subsequent place identities. The analysis focuses on three emergent categorizations of place-talk: (1) the local, (2) Spanish language places, and (3) the global. Results show that participants employ place-talk for numerous interactional purposes, such as to connect via shared experiences, position oneself as non-local, negotiate legitimacy and belonging, construct sameness or difference, and display cosmopolitan outlooks. These findings highlight the contradictions and complexities of transnational positionings, such as overlapping displays of national, supranational, and cosmopolitan identities. Place-talk is thus established as a multifaceted, discursive resource that may be particularly important when (co)constructing complex layers of connection and belonging in transnational spaces, especially in groups where members engage in primarily monolingual language practices. Ultimately, the study shows that members of linguistically and culturally diverse groups may connect primarily on an international level, with place-talk serving as a tool for individual and group identity formation.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Feb 2025 14:28 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Jun 2025 08:42 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/54986 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00054986 |
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