The view from within: Gendered language ideologies of multilingual speakers in contemporary Berlin

Abstract

Drawing on interview data on Kiezdeutsch, we argue that a focus on gendered language ideologies is much needed to understand the social meanings ascribed to multiethnolectal practices. By attuning carefully to the nuanced, subjective ideological stances of young multilingual women, we show that at the interactional level, Kiezdeutsch is constructed as a consequence of the interviewees' multilingual practice and thus activates a sense of belonging and entitlement. At the macro level, however, the belonging to a multilingual speech community is tied up with the representation of a racialized and ethnicized ‘other’ in the mainstream, dominant public discourse prevalent in Germany. As young males are the more salient figure in the construction this racialized and ethnicized ‘other’, Kiezdeutsch then becomes indexed with masculinity—even within the peer group. Saying that Kiezdeutsch is used among friends thus presents only a partial picture on how, for girls and young women, using Kiezdeutsch becomes socially sanctioned both in the public sphere and in private settings.