The Languages of Global Hip Hop [Paperback]

In the case of hip-hop, the forces of top-down corporatization and bottom-up globalization are inextricably woven. This volume takes the view that hip-hop should not be viewed with this dichotomous dynamic in mind and that this dynamic does not arise solely outside of the continental US. Close analysis of the facts reveals a much more complex situation in which market pressures, local (musical) traditions, linguistic and semiotic intelligibility, as well as each country's particular historico-political past conspire to yield new hybrid expressive genres.

This exciting collection looks at linguistic, cultural and economic aspects of hip-hop in parallel and showcases a global scope. It engages with questions of code-switching, code-mixing, the minority language/regional dialect vs. standard dynamic, the discourse of political resistance, immigrant ideologies, youth and new language varieties and will be essential reading for graduates and researchers in sociolinguistics and discourse analysis.

1. Introduction: A Fresh Look at Some Old Questions, Marina Terkourafi (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)\ 2. Multilingualism, Ethnicity, and Genre: The Case of German Hip-Hop, Jannis Androutsopoulos (University of Hamburg, Germany) \ 3. Kiff my zikmu: Symbolic Dimensions of Arabic, English and Verlan in French Rap Texts, Samira Hassa (Manhattan College, USA) \ 4. 'We ain't terrorists but we droppin' bombs': Language Use and Localization in Egyptian Hip Hop, Angela Williams (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) \ 5. Roma Rap and the Black Train: Minority Voices in Hungarian Hip- Hop, Sarah Simeziane (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) \ 6. Empowerment Through Taboo: Probing the Sociolinguistic Parameters of German Gangsta Rap Lyrics, John Littlejohn & Mike Putnam (Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, USA & Pennsylvania State University, USA) \ 7. Glocalizing Keepin' it Real: South Korean Hip Hop Playas, Jamie Shinhee Lee (Unl4