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).