Survey 14: The Locally Spoken Word and Local Struggles

Local language usage is embedded in situated practices and power relations. Despite arguments to the contrary, the distinctive locally spoken word is not on the way out. The locally spoken word may serve as a weapon of the weak or as a site of ideological contestation and struggles over meaning. Seen in this light, a recent spate of literature on geographical variations in language usage is quite disappointing. A vast terrain of inquiry lies open.