Language Attitudes
Language Attitudes
What are language attitudes?
z Language
attitudes are the feelings people
have about their own language variety or
the languages or language varieties of
others.
2
What are language attitudes?
z “Women
z “Children
talk too much.”
much.”
can’
can’t speak or write properly any
more.”
more.”
the Appalachians they speak like
Shakespeare.”
Shakespeare.”
z “Black children are verbally deprived.”
deprived.”
z “They speak really bad English down
south and in New York City.”
City.”
z “Everyone has an accent except me.”
me.”
z “In
3
1
Language Attitudes
Implications of Language Attitudes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Language attitudes usually entail attitudes to
the speakers of the particular language or
dialect.
There is evidence that language attitudes
influence sound change.
Language attitudes may influence how
teachers deal with pupils.
Attitudes about language may affect second
language learning.
Language attitudes may affect whether or not
varieties are mutually intelligible.
4
Language Attitudes from
“American Tongues”
Tongues”
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
A Yalie girl’
girl’s attitude to her boyfriend’
boyfriend’s Southern accent
A Northerner’
Northerner’s attitude to the “Southern brogue”
brogue”
Mike Hardin on New Yorkers’
Yorkers’ attitudes to the speech of
Ohio
… and his attitude to the New York accent
A Southern woman’
woman’s attitude to “the way they speak”
speak” in
the North
The importance of darlin’
darlin’
Northerners’
Northerners’ and Southerners’
Southerners’ attitudes to the /ay/ - /æ/
variable
Molly Ivins on the prejudice against a Southern accent
5
What are your attitudes to
some varieties of American
English?
2
Language Attitudes
What are Your Attitudes to Some
Varieties of American English?
Name the variety that you have chosen
How pleasant is it?
1.
2.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
3.
Very pleasant
Pleasant
Neutral
Unpleasant
Very unpleasant
How prestigious is it?
Very prestigious
Prestigious
Neutral
Not prestigious
It has no prestige at all
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
The people who speak this variety are
4.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
5.
6.
Very intelligent
Intelligent
Neutral
Dumb
Really dumb
What kind of house would you expect a speaker of this variety live
live in?
What kind of your job would you expect a speaker of this variety to have?
7
Attitudes to Social Dialects
z
In the clip from “Friends”
Friends”,
z
z
z
Why does Phoebe change her accent?
What accent does Phoebe imitate?
Do you agree or disagree with these statements?
z
z
z
z
z
z
You can tell a lot about a person by the way they talk.
My language use at home is different from my language use at
school.
Learning to do a new job can involve learning new ways to use
language.
I adapt the way I talk depending on the people involved.
Communication difficulties cause interpersonal problems.
Communication difficulties cause political problems.
8
Language attitudes and
linguistic capital
z French
that …
sociologist Pierre Bourdieu argued
z Linguistic
exchanges invoke a complex
network of power relations in which the
producer, by producing an utterance or text,
makes a bid for social authority, and the
recipient or audience decides to what degree
to recognize that claim to authority.
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3
Language Attitudes
Language attitudes and
linguistic capital
z Bourdieu
introduced ….
z The
concept of linguistic capital to describe
the respect or authority enjoyed by a speaker.
z Those with high linguistic capital speak with
“command,”
command,” i.e., the power to influence a
listener toward the desired interpretation.
z Utterances are always ventured in a particular
field or market, in which certain social
expectations for speech and interaction
obtain.
10
Language attitudes and
linguistic capital
z In
a linguistic market …
z People
undertake speech production with a
certain anticipation of profit, or anticipation of
the expected reception of their words.
z Thus, according to Bourdieu,
Bourdieu, linguistic capital
is created, adapted, asserted, and rereevaluated through linguistic encounters.
11
Language attitudes and
linguistic capital
z Linguistic
production is governed by …
z linguistic
habitus,
habitus, or a historically and socially
constituted sedimentation of experiences in
linguistic markets.
z Linguistic habitus signifies the internalized
inclination toward certain types or styles of
linguistic production, which is considerably
shaped by one’
one’s personal history of social
interaction and one's sense of the value of
one’
one’s language.
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4
Language Attitudes
The Contribution of
Animated Movies
to the reproduction of linguistic
habitus
What do you think of these female
Disney characters?
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Snow White and the Prince
Feline and Bambi in “Bambi”
Bambi”
Cinderella and the Prince
Wendy and Peter in “Peter Pan”
Pan”
Lady and the tramp in “Lady and the Tramp”
Tramp”
The beauty and the prince in “Sleeping Beauty”
Beauty”
Perdita and Pongo in “101 Dalmatians”
Dalmatians”
Ariel and Prince Eric in “The Little Mermaid”
Mermaid”
Belle and the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast”
Beast”
Princess Jasmine and Aladdin in “Aladdin”
Aladdin”
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What do you think of these female
Disney characters?
z Are
they tall or short?
they fat or thin?
z Are they rich or poor?
z What is the color of their skin?
z What is the color of their hair?
z What do they sound like?
z Are
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5
Language Attitudes
When were the films released?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
“101 Dalmatians”
Dalmatians”
“Aladdin”
Aladdin”
“Bambi”
Bambi”
“Beauty and the Beast”
Beast”
“Cinderella”
Cinderella”
“Lady and the Tramp”
Tramp”
“Peter Pan”
Pan”
“Sleeping Beauty”
Beauty”
“Snow White”
White”
“The Little Mermaid”
Mermaid”
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
1938
1942
1950
1953
1955
1955
1961
1989
1991
1992
16
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
©1938
17
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
z Snow
White:
White: ((Sings. Each line is echoed
from the bottom of the well))
I’m wishing
for the one I love
to find me
today.
I’m hoping
and I’
I’m dreaming of
the nice things
he’
he’ll say.
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6
Language Attitudes
Bambi
©1942
19
Cinderella
©1950
20
Cinderella
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Cinderella:
Prince:
Cinderella:
Prince:
Cinderella:
Prince:
Cinderella:
Prince:
Cinderella:
Prince:
Cinderella:
Prince:
oh my goodness!
what’
what’s the matter?
it’
it’s midnight.
yes. so it is but [why
[Goodbye
no no wait you can’
can’t go now it’
it’s only,
oh I must. please please I must.
but why?
well I I oh the prince ha ha I haven’
haven’t met the prince.
the prince but didn’
didn’t you know that ((clock chimes))
good↑
good↑bye.
bye.
no wait (.) come back oh please come back.
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7
Language Attitudes
Peter Pan
©1953
22
Peter Pan
z Wendy:
z Peter
Pan:
z Wendy:
Neverland oh I’
I’m so happy I
(.) I think I’
I’ll give you a (.) a
kiss.
(.)
what’
what’s a (.) a (.) kiss?
oh well (.) I’
I’ll show you. (.)
↑oh
23
Lady and the Tramp
©1955
24
8
Language Attitudes
Lady and The Tramp
z
z
z
z
z
z
Lady:
Tramp:
Lady:
Tramp:
Lady:
Tramp:
((Rooster crows))
o:h (.) oh dear
is something wrong Pidge?
Pidge?
it’
it’s morning.
yeah (.) ((yawns)) so it is.
↑I should have been home ↑hours ago
why? (.) because you still believe in
that ever faithful old dog Trey routine?
25
Sleeping Beauty
©1955
26
Sleeping Beauty
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Prince:
Aurora:
Prince:
Aurora :
Prince:
Aurora :
Prince:
Aurora :
Prince:
Aurora :
what’
what’s your name?
mm? oh (.) my name. why it’
it’s (.) it’
it’s oh no
no I can’
can’t I (.) good↑
good↑bye
but when will I see you again?
oh never (.)↑
(.)↑never.
never?
(.) well maybe some day.
when? tomorrow?
oh no (.) this evening.
where?
at the cottage. (.) in the glen.
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9
Language Attitudes
101 Dalmations
©1961
28
101 Dalmations
z Perdita: a:h.
z Pongo:
Perdita. darling. are you alright?
mmhum oh of course dear
after all (.) dog were having
puppies ↑long before our time.
mm huh hum
z Pongo:
Pongo: huh huh.
huh.
z Perdita:
Perdita: mhm
29
The Little Mermaid
©1989
30
10
Language Attitudes
The Little Mermaid
z Ariel:
z Bird:
z Ariel:
I’ve never seen a human this
close before o:h (.) he’
he’s very
handsome isn’
isn’t he?
(.) I dunno he looks kinda hairy
and slobbery to me.
Huh (.) not ↑that one (.) °the one
playing the snarfblat°
snarfblat°
31
Beauty and the Beast
©1991
32
Beauty and the Beast
z Beast:
Belle? (.) are you (.) happy here
with me?
z Belle: yes. (.)
z Beast: what is it?
z Belle: (.) if only I could see my father
again. just for a moment. I miss
him so much.
(.)
z Beast: there is a way.
33
11
Language Attitudes
Aladdin
©1992
34
Aladdin
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Jasmine: what?
Aladdin: Abu says uh (.) that’
that’s not fair.
Jasmine: oh did he?
Aladdin: yeah. (.) of course.
Jasmine: and does: A↑bu have anything else to
say?
Aladdin: well uh (.) he wishes there was
something he could do to help.
Jasmine: °mm°
mm° (.) tell him that’
that’s very (.)
↓sweet.
35
What was happening in women’
women’s
lives when these films were released?
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
1938
1942
1950
1953
1955
1955
1961
1989
1991
1992
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
Dwarfs”
“Bambi”
Bambi”
“Cinderella”
Cinderella”
“Peter Pan”
Pan”
“Lady and the Tramp”
Tramp”
“Sleeping Beauty”
Beauty”
“101 Dalmatians”
Dalmatians”
“The Little Mermaid”
Mermaid”
“Beauty and the Beast”
Beast”
“Aladdin”
Aladdin”
36
12
Language Attitudes
Compare the female and male leads
and answer these questions
z Who
is taller?
is thinner?
z Who is richer?
z Who has darker skin?
z Who has darker hair?
z Who has the better accent?
z Who
37
Compare your own accent with the
characters in these movies
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Snow White and the Prince
Feline and Bambi
Cinderella and the Prince
Wendy and Peter
Lady and the tramp
The beauty and the prince in “Sleeping Beauty”
Beauty”
Perdita and Pongo
Ariel and Prince Eric
Belle and the Beast
Princess Jasmine and Aladdin
38
What about foreign languages?
z “French
is a logical language.”
language.”
is beautiful, German is ugly.”
ugly.”
z “Indians speak a primitive language.”
language.”
z “Languages like Chinese have no
grammar.”
grammar.”
z “I love your British accent.”
accent.”
z “Italian
39
13
Language Attitudes
What about foreign languages?
z French
z Lumiere
z The
in “Beauty and the Beast”
Beast”
chef in “The Little Mermaid”
Mermaid”
z Italian
z The
cook in “Lady and the Tramp”
Tramp”
z British
z Mrs.
Potts and Chip in “Beauty and the Beast”
Beast”
40
Learning Activity
z Describe
the linguistic models of young
women that are portrayed in Disney
cartoon movies.
z Are they good role models for our
daughters?
z Why or why not?
41
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