DAVE SEMESTER 2, WEEK 4 LANGUAGE ATTITUDES

Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT):

p convergence: when speakers adapt their linguistic behaviour by switching to the code of their interlocutor p maintenance: when speakers maintain their own code, regardless of how their interlocutor speaks p divergence: when speakers accentuate the differences between their own speech style and that of their interlocutor by switching to their own native code these communicative strategies are thought to reflect (at least to a certain extent) the attitudes that interactants hold towards each other and their respective social groups

Exercise 1: It is generally agreed that attitudes consist of three components. What are these?

attitude

Exercise 2: In small groups, discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the different approaches to attitude elicitation and then fill in the table on page 2. y y y content analysis of the societal treatment of languages: all techniques which do not involve explicitly asking respondents for their views or reactions direct methods of attitude elicitation: techniques which do involve explicitly asking respondents for their views or reactions indirect methods of attitude elicitation: techniques which elicit attitudes in experimental situations

CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIETAL TREATMENT OF LANGUAGES

DIRECT APPROACHES TO ATTITUDE ELICITATION

INDIRECT APPROACHES TO ATTITUDE ELICITATION

methods

advantages

drawbacks

the benefits of using a combination of methods: A very limited number of studies can be found which utilize both direct and indirect techniques [] and we advocate a move towards accessing all three [] In that way, we are assured of a more rounded view of the relative values associated with and ascribed to contrasting language varieties. Indeed, we really cannot make definitive statements about peoples language attitudes without so doing. For instance, it is quite possible that direct and indirect methods will yield contradictory results. However, this is not an issue of relative methodological merit [] one method is no better than another but is producing results at different levels of analysis. (Ryan, E.B., Giles, H. and Hewstone, M. 1987. The measurement of language attitudes. In U. Ammon, N. Dittmar and K.J. Mattheier (eds.) Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of Language and Society. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 1068-1081. p. 1076.)

an important issue to bear in mind when collecting attitudes data and any other kind of data: ethics! Please consult e.g. the BAAL ethics guidelines on WebCT for information.

Exercise 3: It is generally accepted that language attitudes do not reflect either linguistic or aesthetic quality per se -- rather, they should be considered as expressions of social convention and preference which, in turn, reflect an awareness of the status and prestige accorded to the speakers of these varieties (Edwards, J.R. 1982. Language attitudes and their implications among English speakers. In E.B. Ryan and H. Giles (eds.) Attitudes towards Language Variation: Social and Applied Contexts. London: Edward Arnold. pp. 20-33. p. 21) In small groups, design a study that makes use of one (or more) of the methods of attitude elicitation above to prove the subjectivity of language attitudes.

Suggestions for further reading: y y Agheyisi, R. and Fishman, J. A. (1970) Language attitude studies: A brief survey of methodological approaches. Anthropological Linguistics 12, 5: 137-157. Ajzen, I. (1988) Attitudes, Personality and Behaviour. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.Allport, G. W. (1935) Attitudes. In C. Murchison (ed.) Handbook of Social Psychology, vol. 2. Worchester, Massachusetts: Clark University Press. pp. 798-844. Baker, C. (1992) Attitudes and Language. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Garrett, P. (2010) Attitudes to Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Giles, H. and Coupland, N. (1991) Language: Contexts and Consequences. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

y y y

Reading for next week:

y Holmes, J. (2008) Language maintenance and shift. In J. Holmes An Introduction to

Sociolinguistics, 3rd edition. Harlow: Pearson Longman. pp. 52-69.