Sociolinguistics and linguistic attitudes

Instructions: This guide can be answered individually or in pairs. Please, MAKE A COPY and go over all the tasks
proposed!

1.Filling the gaps.The following is a short explanation about linguistic attitudes. Please use the words/expressions provided to
complete the text. In order to check your answers, listen to this source from minute 9.38 on: Sociolinguistics and the basics of language
attitudes.

in-group (x2), linguistic attitudes, out-group (x2), , stereotypical perceptions, language variation, judge.

“As social beings, it is important for us to be part of a group and for that group to identify other members. We feel we are part of a community if
we behave more like its members and, of course, (1) language variation is a strong signal of group membership. In turn, this creates another
sociolinguistic phenomenon called (2) linguistic attitudes. As the language variety people use is associated with group membership, it is also a
social cue used to (3) judge them. In simple terms, we have (4) in-group and (5) out-group , so we favor the behaviors and language varieties of
our (6) in-group and if someone uses variety that is distinct from ours, we put them in the (7) out-group category so immediately, language
attitude triggers (8) stereotypical perceptions”
2. Linguistic attitudes towards English varieties. The same speaker in task 1 goes on by describing some linguistic attitudes United
States citizens have towards several varieties of language. Pay close attention and write the corresponding adjective in the spaces.

Negative attributes Positive attributes

Uneducated Charming, friendly

Southern English

Superficial sexy
clueless
California Valley female
speakers

stuck up, arrogant Educated, elegant

British speakers

French speakers arrogant sophisticated

New York Accent Rude, rough outgoing, approachable

low - status friendly

Spanish speakers
 strict, stern German people strives to perfection

German speakers

3. Defining linguistic attitudes. Take a look at the following source and answer the following questions:

https://www.sil.org/language-assessment/language-attitudes

a. How could we define a linguistic attitude?

It is the attitude that a person could has with respect to a language different from the mother tongue, this could be an attitude of approach and
acceptance or an attitude of avoidance and rejection. The attitude regarding a language is led by feelings, beliefs, and the opinion that a person
has make that him /her thinks that the own language spoke is the best.

b. What features could we assign to linguistic attitudes?

● Attitudes can’t be observed directly.
● Attitudes are demonstrated through casual behaviors.
● Feelings, beliefs, and opinions are so important to have a positive or negative attitude regarding other languages.
● There are patterns of attitudes in a community, it means that similar people can have similar attitudes.
c. What are linguistic convergence and divergence?

Convergence is when a person has a positive attitude regarding other languages and people who speak those languages. On the contrary,
divergence is when a person has negative attitudes with respect to different languages.

d. How can linguistic attitudes studies be helpful?

It could be helpful to be aware that an attitude can benefit or harm a person or community.
So a study could show the discrimination that could suffer a group of people for speaking a certain language. It would be amazing to think in
that all languages have an importance in the world because around any of them there is a lot of cultural, social, and historical factors of a
community. This would be the best attitude people might have regarding other languages and cultures.

e. How can linguistic attitudes be measured?

The best way to know is asking people about the opinion they have concerning other languages. In those questions it is possible to know what
is the position of certain language and people who speak it for someone.

4. The Oxford source. Linguistic attitudes. The Department of Education at the University of Oxford has launched a website about world
Englishes and there is a section for linguistic attitudes! Please, explore this section where you will find resources related to attitudes towards
variation in English. Complete the chart: http://www.globalenglishes.com/attitudes-to-englishes.html

What are the linguistic attitudes towards varieties of English?

Variety of English Linguistic attitudes What do you think these linguistic attitudes bring to
societies?

Boston accent According to the video Boston accent has a
good prestige, it could be a reference of an
accent to us in formal context, even thought
in the video also mention that other accents
are not wrong.
A good prestige for citizens in Boston, so people from other
places would want to speak like them. and maybe people
outside the city could think that people in Boston is so
educated more than other places around.

Northumbrian accent Teacher on the web you provided the This is an old accent in England, this accent has
information of this accent is not, but I based disappeared, in spite of this accent had not had a bad
the analysis from the video in this link reputation I think the fact it was hard to understand helps to
1976: NORTHUMBERLAND accents | … its extinguishing.
 In the video the presenter claim that this is
beautiful accent because it is musical, but it is
so difficult to understand, because the
pronunciation of many words are different, he
claims that is better to understand the
Queen’s English, although he does not
condemn this accent.

Singapore English
Singaporean’s speak good English Singapore has the prestige to be a great country to live, but
But that’s not true if we compare with the to speak English could arise that good prestige because it is
standard way to pronounce words, but it not the lingua franca.
means that it is wrong.
I think people give a high status to accents
that are easy to understand.

A variety of English or
Spanish you know
El acento de Pasto, Nariño en Colombia, se
generan al rededor de este actitudes de
cierta discriminación ya que se dice que los
pastusos no son inteligentes gracias a que su
acento es suave y calmado.
Gracias a esta mala fama, se piensa que los pastusos no
son inteligentes, ni astutos, cuando en realidad es todo lo
contrario. Esyo genera la percepción de que Pasto no es una
ciudad importante como lo es Bogotá, Medellin, Cartagena.

5. Linguistic attitudes towards Spanish : and now… let us explore linguistic attitudes related to the Spanish language!! Attached to the
assignment you will find four sources. Choose ONE and write a 10-line reflection about what you have read/watched.

Actitudes lingüísticas: español urbano y español rural

Para hablar de actitudes lingüísticas, primero debemos mencionar cuál es el papel que cumple la sociolingüística, la cual analiza la relación
entre las lenguas y la sociedad o el comportamiento social que son factores externos que influyen en la lengua. Para hacer un análisis
lingüístico se deben tener en cuenta los factores internos, que según Saussure (1916) citado en el video es un sistema abstracto de reglas
aislado del hablante y la sociedad, por otro lado, están los factores externos que son de los que se ocupa la sociolingüística, donde el hablante
es relevante porque es en la interacción entre los factores sociales y lingüísticos donde se genera la variación, que es muy importante para
poder hablar de actitudes hacia una lengua, de igual manera están los factores cognitivos los cuales hablan de la percepción que tienen los
hablantes de la lengua, teniendo en cuenta la medida en que valoran su lengua y las otras variedades y cuáles son las actitudes, posiciones o
creencias frente de ellas.

Según el video, las actitudes lingüísticas son las opiniones y prejuicios y la categorización social que se hace de una persona o comunidad de
acuerdo a la lengua o variedad lingüística, rasgos de la persona, la región a la que pertenecen y el uso que se hace de la lengua en los
diferentes contextos sociales. Se genera una pregunta y es si ¿existen las actitudes objetivas? Y quizá la objetividad sólo se pueda relacionar
al análisis interno de la lengua, donde es posible comparar las lenguas gramaticalmente, pero si se habla de cómo los individuos perciben las
lenguas y variaciones, la subjetividad es inevitable, porque cada individuo toma una posición y percepción diferente.

6. Language attitudes in the border Colombia, Perú and Brazil - Sharing session by Sandra L. Rojas