Neo-hosers up north: Locally constructed meaning and FACE and GOAT ungliding in rural Ontario
In this case study, I explore the phenomenon of FACE and GOAT ungliding in two communities in Northern Ontario, Dowling and North Bay. Data come from sociolinguistic interviews recorded with speakers of all ages in the towns between 2010-2018. In both communities, the strongest predictor is rural orientation; the most extreme ungliders are individuals with occupations and interests ideologically tied to notions of rurality. Taking into consideration this evidence from the production and evidence from (implicit) perception of FACE and GOAT ungliding, my findings suggest the features indirectly index rural orientation by virtue of their association with other qualities perceived to be related to this social category (e.g. being working-class and male). I argue this process of indexicalisation is motivated by rurally oriented individuals, the social group with the most extreme ungliding, and mediated by characterological performances of these individuals in alt-media as a persona I identify as the neo-hoser.
