k-style

Example Sentences

• "In a formal setting with an unknown papālagi visitor, a Samoan would be expected to use the formal t-style, but Ali’imalemanu started his performance in k'''-style and then switched over to t-style after a few minutes. Later on when he knew me better he mixed the two styles when he told me stories (and, of course, always used the k'''-style when we talked together with no recorder on, no matter what the subject was)."
• "This study shows that there are two important linguistic styles in modern Samoan which are marked primarily through the alternation of phonological features. These two styles have been termed the t-style and the k'''-style. Most past descriptions of Samoan have failed to account for linguistic variation in Samoan, and in particular, for the k'''-style of modern Samoan."
• "The two styles are in a diglossic relationship to one another, with the t-style used to mark respect and formality in contexts such as preaching, prayer and radio broadcasts, and in conjunction with use of “chiefly language”, while the colloquial k'''-style is used in more intimate and/or informal contexts such as the home, when joking, and in casual conversation. […] There are numerous examples from our factory data where code-switching serves to establish solidarity or minimise face threats between Samoan team members. In all these examples, the speakers use the informal k'''-style of Samoan."