Effects of Community Involvement and Age on Nativization: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Jewish Communities

Abstract

This study examines age and community involvement of Jewish people in North America as independent variables affecting the nativization of two phonemes, (χ) and (i) when using Hebrew loanwords in English or when reading out an Aramaic passage. Participants in this study filled out demographic questionnaires, listened to recordings of differing pronunciation of the variables in question to identify which one is closer to their own pronunciation, and finally recorded themselves saying target words. The (i) variable was found to be an indicator of change in progress towards a more Hebraic pronunciation. The (χ) variable is salient and nativization to /h/ is stigmatized, so it is highly sensitive to community involvement.