Understanding the je ne sais quoi of mock language

Abstract

The literature on mock language (ML) is centered around cases of language appropriation reproducing derogatory stereotypes of the speakers whose language is appropriated. However, ML, understood as the integration of linguistic features of a language not native to the speaker in a discourse that is otherwise in a different language, is not necessarily derogatory. I offer a model that explains the interpretation of ML across cases using US European-American English speakers as the empirical domain. The key to understanding ML lies in the fact that speakers presuppose an ideology prevailing in the context of utterance. I appeal to perspectives (à la Camp) as part of ideologies and responsible for stereotypes, and argue that ML is a meta-frame. This allows me to link derogatory ML to slurs.