Meaning of k-style | Babel Free

Definitions

The consonant system of colloquial Samoan, differing from that of formal Samoan in a few particulars, among them the pronunciation of /t/ as [k].

uncountable

Examples

“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.”

CEFR level