The foregrounding of place in Trainspotting: A discourse-stylistic analysis

In this paper, we investigate how place is foregrounded through language in Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel Trainspotting. We establish that many of the linguistic features which occur in the novel are associated with and represent Scots, a stigmatised language variety of Scotland. Drawing on Silverstein (2003), Johnstone (2009, 2010, 2013), and Eckert's (2008) work on indexicality, we argue that these linguistic features in Trainspotting function as indexical markers connecting the characters and the novel to place, more specifically to Scotland. In the analysis, we explore three channels through which the foregrounding of place is evident. First, the foregrounding of place happens through the sheer volume of nonstandard English associated with Scots throughout the novel in that the extensive appearance of nonstandard English deviates from most novels, and in that the nonstandard variety indexes Scotland. Second, place becomes foregrounded through the discourse surrounding language in the novel; throughout the novel, several characters comment on their own styles of speech and linguistic abilities, which highlights the focus on language and directs the reader’s attention hereto. Finally, the foregrounding of place happens through the ideology that favours Standard English over nonstandard English. This channel of foregrounding appears through the characters' ability or inability to style-shift between nonstandard English and Standard English, and the effects of the ability or inability to do so. We argue that the unique nature of the vernacular language used in Trainspotting emplaces the characters and novel solidly in Scotland through the indexical nature of language.

本研究探讨欧文·威尔士（Irvine Welsh）1993年小说《猜火车》（Trainspotting）中，语言如何凸显地域属性。本研究发现，小说中大量出现的语言特征均与苏格兰语（Scots）相关且代表该语言，而苏格兰语是苏格兰地区一种带有污名化的语言变体。本研究借鉴西尔弗斯坦（Silverstein，2003）、约翰斯通（Johnstone，2009、2010、2013）以及埃克特（Eckert，2008）关于索引性（indexicality）的研究成果，指出《猜火车》中的这些语言特征作为索引标记，将小说人物与小说本身与地域，更具体地说与苏格兰，建立起关联。在分析环节，本研究探讨了地域属性凸显的三种具体路径。其一，地域属性的凸显源于小说中大量与苏格兰语相关的非标准英语（nonstandard English）的使用：这类非标准英语的大规模出现异于多数小说，且该非标准语言变体指向苏格兰。其二，地域属性通过小说中围绕语言展开的话语得到凸显：小说中多位人物会对自身的言语风格与语言能力进行评述，这强化了对语言的关注度，并引导读者将注意力投向这一主题。其三，地域属性的凸显还通过推崇标准英语（Standard English）而非非标准英语的意识形态得以实现：这一路径具体体现为人物能否在非标准英语与标准英语之间进行语体转换（style-shift），以及这种转换能力所带来的影响。本研究认为，《猜火车》中所使用的本土方言的独特属性，借助语言的索引性特征，将小说人物与小说牢牢锚定于苏格兰地域语境之中。