ERIC Number: ED412761
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1997-May
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
"Why Be Normal?": Language and Opposition in Nerd Girls' Communities of Practice.
Bucholtz, Mary
A study examined patterns of language use, including intonation, in a single social group of high school students, six "nerd girls." The group formed an "anti-club" to celebrate the individuals' disparate interests. Student narratives and group exchanges are analyzed for expressions of nerd group affiliation and identity, indicated by both content and linguistic form. Characteristics identified include an intellectual orientation, enthusiasm for writing a poem, subversion of school values and conventionally "feminine" interests, use of a varied registers (formal, educated, and colloquial), and rejection of "cool" slang. Transcriptions include intonation marking. (Contains 6 references.) (MSE)
Descriptors: Behavior Patterns, Females, High School Students, High Schools, Identification (Psychology), Intonation, Language Patterns, Language Role, Language Usage, Phonology, Social Integration, Social Isolation, Social Psychology, Student Attitudes, Student Behavior, Student Characteristics, Student Subcultures, Suprasegmentals, Womens Education
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A