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Language Accents and Attitudes

Appel and Muysken proposed that “If there is a strong relation between language and identity, this relation should find its expression in the attitudes of individuals towards these languages and their users”. (1987). This is also true for accents which are key in signaling someone as different or as part of an out-group. Language attitudes are not linguistic but social. People automatically and instinctively assign characteristics to speakers of a particular language or accent based on their sterotypes and beliefs about members of that community (Bonvillian, 2003). The level of Solidarity is typically highest in languages geographically or culturally closest to one’s own; the level of Competence in a language is associated with that people’s reputation for hard-work and good education; the level of prestige or Power in language can typically be equated with the amount of riches and technology that the country has. It is natural that, for example, Swedes, have more positive attitudes to and stereotypes of those nations and peoples closest to themselves (say Norway and Denmark) – both geographically as well as culturally. Additionally, Nesdale & Rooney pointed out that language attitude research has shown that the most powerful accents in a community receive high marks in status and competence while lesser known languages and minority accents receive higher marks in solidarity and integrity (1996).

Contact

Contact and experience are obvious factors that affect our stereotypes and attitudes. Just as one breaks the cycle of prejudice through exposure and knowledge, one can “liberate people from such prejudiced discourses” by exposing them to linguistic diversity (Kubota, 2001). Much exposure today happens naturally. Chambers (2002) cited the power of mobility as a powerful linguistic force today and it is undeniable that face-to-face interactions, personal contact, and broad international experiences are happening between more and more citizens of the world. Not only are our knowledge and understanding increasing but consequently our attitudes are also altering and changing course. Markham noted that in regards to his research on accents “Experience with or awareness of foreign and native accents must also play a role” (1997, p.100). Markham also pointed out that both specific familiarity with a particular non-native accent as well as broad experience with non-native speakers may help in identifying accent.

Caveat

In a study by Boyd (2004), the relationship between accents, attitudes and stereotypes is questioned. She pointed out that in order to have an attitude towards a speaker based on their acccent and one’s own stereotype of that culture, one must first be able to correctly identify that speaker’s first language/cultural identity. While her results showed clearly that while native Swedish speakers could quickly and correctly judge the degree of accent of a second language Swedish speaker, they were only able to correctly identify two accents (and therein cultural identities/first languages) of the participants. Both of these languages, Finnish and German, are languages with a long historical connection to Sweden. She also proposed that English and French accents in Swedish would be correctly identified by Swedish speakers but that accents from languages other than these four would be difficult to identify (even for trained phoneticians). While Boyd’s study focused only native speakers’ ability to identify accents, it is reasonable to assume the same principal applies to non-native and second-language speakers.

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