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The Linguistic Construction of Albanianness in Greece: Memes, Names, and Name-calling

Ndoci, Rexhina
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2204-0954
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720560243776974

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Linguistics.
As a result of migration starting in 1990 Albanians constitute the largest ethnic minority and a considerable part of the population of Greece today. This work examines how Albanianness is constructed in Greece through various avenues. First, a linguistic and thematic analysis of internet memes that target the Greek of Albanians shows that the stigmatization of Albanians is still present in the Greek society as it was when they first arrived albeit is less direct. The analysis also shows the enregisterment of a Mock Albanian Greek or a Pan-foreign L2 Greek that is evident and is disseminated through the internet memes. Second, an analysis of semi-structured interviews with Albanian migrants in Greece shows the strategies Albanians have developed in order to navigate this hostile environment in which they live. One of them is to reject ethnic labels such as Αλβανός [alvanos] ‘Albanian.MASC’ and Αλβανέζα [alvaneza] ‘Albanian.FEM’ that have come to be ethnoracial slurs in Greek along with being used as labels of ethnicity. These are replaced by high register forms that do not carry the slur potential such as Αλβανή [alvani] ‘Albanian.FEM’ or have been reclaimed and imbued with positive meanings that express ethnic solidarity. Others reject ethnic labels altogether and show preference for periphrastic constructions centering nationality such as από την Αλβανία ‘from Albania’. Periphrasis allows them to make a cautious claim to Albanianness but not the negative indexicality of Albanianness, as well as to cautiously suggest a claim to Greekness. While Greekness is not something the second-generation can openly claim despite most of them holding Greek citizenships and spending their formative years in Greece, they feel that Greekness describes part of their identities. Another strategy by which Albanians navigate xenophobia is family and personal name changes and Hellenizations which deracialize them, removing the indexical link to their Albanianness, and reracialize them by helping them pass as Greek. These name changes are rooted in power imbalances and assimilatory forces which demand their name assimilation in order to find or maintain employment. Finally, the work examines experimentally the social effect of the name Hellenizations among Albanians. In the experiment, the degree of Albanianness or Greekness of named persons did not affect their employment prospects nor how they are socially evaluated. What emerged as important was the variety that speakers produced, Standard Modern Greek (SMG) or Albanian L2 Greek, suggesting that speech is a powerful factor in these settings. Moreover, Albanian L2 Greek being rated more favorably than SMG attributed to a lowering of acceptability standards when it comes to L2 speech. Overall, the dissertation discusses the linguistic means by which an ethnic minority is racialized, deracialized, and reracialized as individuals attempt to succeed in their migratory project.
Brian Joseph (Advisor)
Anna Babel (Committee Member)
Kathryn Campbell-Kibler (Committee Member)
309 p.
Linguistics
racialization; lexical variation; graphematic variation; social meaning; indexical meaning; ethnoracial slurs; enregisterment; speaker evaluation; ethnic identity; internet memes; migration; Albanian; Greek

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ndoci, R. (2024). The Linguistic Construction of Albanianness in Greece: Memes, Names, and Name-calling [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720560243776974

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ndoci, Rexhina. The Linguistic Construction of Albanianness in Greece: Memes, Names, and Name-calling . 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720560243776974.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ndoci, Rexhina. "The Linguistic Construction of Albanianness in Greece: Memes, Names, and Name-calling ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1720560243776974

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1720560243776974
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© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.