Abstract: Most studies of multilingual urban communities focus on variation and (super)diversity of linguistic practices. While this trend is understandable, in this talk I will argue that we need to also look at the unexpected moments of homogeneity. I draw on ethnographic research in the central Oslo neighborhood of Tøyen, where I found that seemingly opposed groups, from local activists to real estate developers, spoke about the neighborhood in the same ways, using the same key terms. Using Gal (2018)’s concept of grafting, I show how lexical convergence becomes a tool through which different actors work to make themselves, and their visions for the neighborhood, authoritative.
Biography: Janet joined the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics as an Assistant Professor in 2021. Before Leiden, she received a joint PhD in Anthropology and Linguistics from the University of Chicago. She has conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Oslo as a former MultiLing affiliate. Janet’s research focuses on how language practices are important to citizenship and belonging, paying particular attention to forms of listening and uptake.