Rhotacization and the ‘Beijing Smooth Operator’: The social meaning of a linguistic variable¹

TLDR

Sociolinguistic research on style has examined how language constructs social meaning in context, yet little work has explored the specific meanings embedded in linguistic resources. The study investigates the social meanings and sociocultural associations of rhotacization in Beijing Mandarin. The authors analyze rhotacization by examining its co‑occurrence with key Beijing cultural terms and its frequent use in written representations of authentic Beijing‑ness. Rhotacization gains semiotic saliency by co‑occurring with key Beijing cultural terms and appearing in written depictions of authentic Beijing‑ness, is linked to the “Beijing Smooth Operator” male archetype, and illustrates how a linguistic variable can shape meaning and inform its contextual use.

Abstract

Recent sociolinguistic studies on style have focused much attention on the construction of social meaning in situated discursive practices. Despite a general recognition that the linguistic resources used are often already imbued with social meanings, little research has been done on what these meanings may be. Focusing on rhotacization, a sociolinguistic variable in Beijing Mandarin, this article explores its imbued social meanings and sociocultural associations. I demonstrate that rhotacization takes on semiotic saliency through co‐occurrence with key Beijing cultural terms and frequent use in written representations of authentic Beijing‐ness. Furthermore, this feature is associated with the ‘Beijing Smooth Operator,’ a salient male local character type, and is ideologically construed as reflecting its characterological attributes. The findings of this study shed light on the meaning potential of a linguistic variable, rhotacization in this case, which can enhance understanding of the possibilities and constraints for its use and meaning in new contexts.