In a previous video, we saw
how we use linguistic cues to identify people as members of different social groups.
We also use these linguistic cues to judge the speaker.
We discussed accents in another video.
Of course, the way we sound is a linguistic cue in this process.
We also saw that an accent is more than just how you sound.
But how do we perceive speakers based on the grammar structures
and vocabulary they use?
Stick around.
We’ll take a look at stereotyped perceptions
of accents and non-standard grammar.
Hi!
Welcome to Snap Language.
My name is Marc Franco.
Just a quick word before we begin...
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So, back to work now...
This is the title of this video.
It’s not very precise...
But, you see, a more accurate title would be... kind of long...
“Phonological and syntactical cues in listeners’ stereotyped perceptions
of speakers categorized as having standard and non-standard accents
and categorized as using standard
and non-standard vocabulary and grammar.”
Phew!
That’s a mouthful.
“Phonological cues” are the differences between the sounds
we and another speaker produce.
We use these phonological differences to identify the speaker’s speech
as “having an accent.”
“Syntactical cues” are differences in structure...
Well, in plain English, you hear differences in grammar.
For example, if you hear “... nobody has time for that”
or if you hear “... ain’t nobody got time for that,”
you pick up not only on an accent but also on different grammar structures.
By the way, these phonological and syntactical differences also
come with lexical differences.
That’s when you know someone is from a certain linguistic group
because of the words or expressions they use.
For example, if you say “biscuit” for these...
you’re likely from the United States.
In other Englishes, these are biscuits...
which are called “cookies” in the United States.
In this video, we’ll consider lexical and syntactical differences
as expressions of grammar... to simplify things.
Now, it’s about to get really interesting...
So... we use these phonological and syntactical cues to determine
the speaker has one accent or another.
These linguistic cues are also social cues
in the sense that we associate them with group memberships.
We perceive -- we actually hear -- the speaker as from a certain
area or even a certain social class.
It’s our perception of a speaker
as a member of a particular social group that triggers stereotyped perceptions.
There’s a vast body of research on how we perceive standard
and non-standard speech.
Let’s look at the broad highlights.
People make judgements along two social-psychological dimensions:
a perceived social status dimension and an interpersonal dimension.
Perceived social status means just that.
We perceive a speaker as
having high or low social status based on perceptions of level of education,
success, self-confidence, or being upper or lower class.
On the interpersonal dimension, we perceive the speaker as being
more or less friendly, sociable, sincere, trustworthy, and so on.
Based on the speaker’s accent alone, we perceive standard speakers
higher on the social status dimension than non-standard speakers.
However, a non-standard accent triggers more positive perceptions
on the interpersonal dimension.
That’s why someone using a standard accent is generally perceived as
more educated, more successful and self-confident...
and more likely to be upper class...
but the speaker using a non-standard accent
is perceived as more friendly, sociable, sincere, trustworthy, and so on.
That’s in general terms, though, because it depends on the accent
and on the listener’s own socio-linguistic group.
You see, these judgments depend on what we’re conditioned to think of
as “the standard.”
That’s what “educated people” are supposed to sound like.
[VIDEO CLIP] “What makes one person sound eloquent
and another person sound...
[pauses]
uneducated?...”
[MARC FRANCO] Sadly, if you want to work in broadcast, for example,
you’re often supposed to “lose” your thick, regional or ethnic accent.
Essentially, you are being told you need to sound more “neutral.”
[VIDEO CLIP] “And then, I met with the chair
of the department,
and he says, ‘Jorge, everything is fine with you.
but you have a very thick accent in English.
I said, ‘You know what...
I cannot get rid of my accent!”
Well, that’s supposedly
what makes you sound professional and successful...
less “colorful” or “ethnic.”
Now, remember that we perceive
not just phonological cues
but also syntactical and lexical cues.
We’re calling that just standard and non-standard grammar in this video
to keep it simple.
So, what perceptions do we have when the speaker has an accent,
but uses either standard or non-standard grammar?
What stereotypical perceptions get triggered?
Here we see how people perceive a speaker with a non-standard accent
who uses standard grammar.
We see a difference in perceptions on the status dimension
and on the interpersonal dimension.
As you might expect, a speaker who uses non-standard grammar
in addition to a non-standard accent
gets rated even lower on status...
and even higher on the interpersonal dimension.
Think of a non-native,
Spanish-accented speaker in the United States, for example.
If the speaker has an accent and has trouble with standard grammar,
we tend to perceive the speaker as uneducated and low status...
but... also very friendly, sociable...
so, perhaps not part of the prestige in-group,
but someone folksy... fun to be around.
Now, imagine a situation where a speaker changed his or her speech
to conform to the standard accent but still uses non-standard grammar
and regional vocabulary.
Will using the standard accent perhaps make up for the effect of
the non-standard syntactical cues?
Well, surprisingly, if you have a standard accent
(that so-called “neutral” accent),
but you use non-standard grammar, you're actually worse off.
These cues seem to be in conflict.
You sound like a standard speaker, but you use non-standard grammar?
Listeners perceive you low on status and on interpersonal attributes.
To put it bluntly, “you sound educated
so you have no excuse to use that kind of grammar.”
Let’s look at all these conditions together.
Depending on your non-standard accent, if you use non-standard grammar,
your accent seems to have a discounting effect.
It’s as if people expect you to use different grammar based on
your accented speech.
However, it seems you don’t get that discounting effect
if you sound like a standard speaker,
but use what some may consider “bad grammar.”
[VIDEO CLIP] “But Mark, honey.”
Don’t you remember them good times?
“Remember what you and me went to Nantucket Island?
“Just two of both...
We was happy then, wasn’t we?”
[MARC FRANCO] On the contrary, your speech triggers
the most negative stereotypical perceptions
on both the status and the interpersonal dimensions.
I teach English as a second language, and sometimes some of my students
feel discouraged because...
they say, “I’ve been working so hard on my pronunciation, but
people still can’t understand me very well.”
I always tell them, “You may be better off sounding like a non-native speaker.
If people think you sound really good,
they’ll be less forgiving of your grammar and vocabulary mistakes.”
Now, let’s go over some really
important caveats.
First, what I’ve presented here are
very broad, very general findings in the socio-linguistic and
social psychological research literature.
I mentioned a Spanish-accented speaker
as an example of a low-prestige accent in the United States.
That example works in the United States, but
in another language community, it could be any other accent
(native or non-native) within that particular community.
What is considered a prestige or non-prestige language variety
is simply a function of culture and stereotypical perceptions.
For example, around the world, having an American accent
may be considered prestigious in some language communities
but not in others.
Also (I cannot stress this enough) when you find that a particular accent
triggers stereotyped perceptions
as “low status,” or “the speaker sounds uneducated” or “unintelligent,”
these are stereotypes that we learn to associate with that language variety.
This is a really serious conversation with very real social consequences.
And it should not be taken lightly.
It’s definitely not a good topic
for some quick comments on social media.
Again, what I’ve been discussing here
are only broad highlights of a whole body of literature.
There are many other factors that explain stereotyped perceptions,
for example, the speaker’s physical appearance,
voice quality, perceived race and gender, and so on.
Stereotyped perceptions are also changeable.
Linguistic cues may trigger initial stereotyped perceptions,
but by interacting with the speaker, we may collect information that
dispels our initial perceptions.
I had a professor in college who had a particular accent.
What did I know at the time?...
I thought he sounded kind of... dumb.
Well... he turned out to be
one of the best professors I’ve had, and he inspired me a lot...
I suppose...
I was the dumb one.
We all have these stereotyped perceptions.
I guess what I’m saying is you get to choose what you do with them.
This is deep stuff... isn’t it?
Now that you know... be aware of your own biases that are triggered by
phonological and syntactical cues in your stereotyped perceptions
of speakers you categorize as having standard and non-standard accents
and that you categorize as using
standard and non-standard vocabulary and grammar.
Phew!
It’s still a mouthful.
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Till the next time, Thanks for watching.
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