GENDER PARADOX

Investigating the Sociolinguistic Gender Paradox in a Multilingual Community of Republic Of Palau

Investigating the Sociolinguistic Gender Paradox in a Multilingual Community of Republic Of Palau

Introduction

In this journal, the focus of all investigation is based on the multilingualism in the region of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau in the Western Pacific. In the past, it has been estimated that the social network tool can be used as to study the variation of linguistic and its systematicity in various settings. There variations are found to occur in urban and rural bilingual and monolingual communities. Using the social network framework, the primary purpose of the study is to investigate the post-colonial community of rural multilingual. In addition to this, mechanism of language shifts and its maintenance is also discussed in the sociolinguistic literature (Matsumoto and Britain, 2009, pp.2-10). Similarly, another purpose of this research conducted by the author presents the concepts of social network and its methodological issues. There are two methodological issues in particular; the procedure for field research and the characteristics of the community that are reflected by the restructuring of the already existing social networks. In addition to the research studies conducted, comparison between the social networking of the immigrant and non immigrant communities and between the urban and rural communities has been made.

Summary

The Palau Island comprising a population of approximately 17,000 people is located in the Western Caroline region of the Pacific. Palau has been imposed to numerous colonial domination in its language contact such as by the United States, Japan, Spain and Germany. There have been various engendering factors that the brunt the prime sources of the language. The most dominating factor engendering the language in contact is Christianity, politics, militarism and commercialism. These factors in the past have been quite imperative in their period because of the successive administration of colonial ruler. In the history of Palau, the most successful administration has been led by German's, Spanish, Japanese and the American. All these forceful administration and factor have led significant shifts in the language and its contact (Mills, 2007, p.1).

Although after several years, Palau became an independent Nation but the impact of America and Japan can still be seen significantly in the regions of Palau. The main reason behind such strategically impact of America and Japan in the region of Palau's is merely because of their reforming administration. The administration of both America and Japan brought many radical changes and reforms in the social and educational reforms of Palau. In addition to the social and educational reforms, both countries were the major players in introducing the laws and school systems. Besides the school systems, the textbooks and teachers used in the schooling were also brought into the region by these two countries from their own homeland. These administrations came along with significant enforcement of their homeland languages such as English and Japanese especially during the colonial era (Guzzo, 2003, p.232). The impact of Japanese and American administration was so influential that even after Palau's independence in ...