English_with_an_Accent_-_Rosina_Lippi-Green_UserUpload.Net

(ff) #1
(1990: 35–36)

The radio broadcasters, of course, are reading from prepared texts and
so the distribution of communicative burden does not apply in the way
it does in discourse.
13 Most of the details of this case originate in Matsuda’s seminal 1991
article on language-focused discrimination in the courts (Matsuda
1991: 1902).
14 It seems that three distinct kinds of expert witnesses testify in these
trials: linguists (for example, Charlene Sato of the University of
Hawaii testified in the Kahakua case); speech pathologists; and
“speech consultants.” The last group is often composed of those who
teach “accent reduction” classes, or otherwise have a vested interest in
the official commendation of a *SAE. Some judges, especially the
judge who heard the Kahakua case, are very receptive to arguments
made by accent reduction witnesses.
15 Fragante is Filipino, a fact that might seem trivial most people outside
Hawai’i, but it is not. Japanese-Filipino relations are considered in
more depth in Chapter 12.
16 I was contacted by the Plaintiff’s attorney and asked to consult on this
case, should it come to trial. The case was settled after early
depositions, and thus my services were not required, and I took no
compensation for initial consultations.
17 English is the official language of instruction from first grade onwards
in Uganda; the University of Makerere’s language of instruction is also
English. English is the language of government and commerce and the
primary medium of education; official publications and most major
newspapers appear in English, and English is often employed in radio
and television broadcasts. There are other languages which serve as
lingua francas, including Swahili and French. Which is dominant at
any one time is dependent on a wide range of political and social
variables.
18 As the Chancellor of the University acknowledged in 1996, while Ms.
Kyomugisha does not speak “Wisconsin English, she nevertheless
speaks perfectly fine English” (Kyomugisha v. Clowney, complaint
filed October 16, 1997).

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