Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-4hhp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-21T15:36:25.842Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Towards a theory of interpersonal accommodation through language: some Canadian data1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

Howard Giles ,
Donald M. Taylor  and
Richard Bourhis
Howard Giles
Affiliation:
University of Bristol
Donald M. Taylor
Affiliation:
McGill University2
Richard Bourhis
Affiliation:
McGill University2
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the process of speech accommodation between bilinguals from two ethnolinguistic groups. It was hypothesized that the greater the amount of effort in accommodation that a bilingual speaker of one group was perceived to put into his message, the more favourably he would be perceived by listeners from another ethnic group, and also the more effort they in turn would put into accommodating back to him. Eighty bilingual English-Canadians were divided into four groups and individually tested. Ss heard on tape a French-Canadian describe a picture and they were required to sketch this while listening. Ss were made fully aware that their speaker had a choice of language for his description. The four groups heard the same male speaker describe the drawing but each in a different guise: (1) French, (2) Mix-mix, (3) Fluent English and (4) Nonfluent English. Ss were then requested to rate their speaker and his performance, and to record a description of another picture themselves for that same French-Canadian to draw later. From analyses of the ratings and the Ss' tapes, the hypotheses were confirmed and different types of accommodation noted. A theoretical framework for these results and other forms of interpersonal accommodation was suggested. (Bilingualism; social interaction; accommodation theory; Canadian French, Canadian English.)

Type
Articles
Information
Language in Society , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , October 1973 , pp. 177 - 192
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aboud, F. E. & Taylor, D. M. (1971). Ethnic and role stereotypes: their relative importance in person perception. Journal of Social Psychology 85. 17–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
d'Anglejan, A. & Tucker, G. R. (in press). Sociolinguistic correlates of speech style in Quebec. In Shuy, R. (ed.), Social and ethnic diversity. Washington: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
Argyle, M. (1969). Social interaction. London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Argyle, M. & Kendon, A. (1967). The experimental analysis of social performance. In Berkowitz, L. (ed), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 3. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Benney, M., Reisman, D. & Star, S. (1956). Age and sex in the interview. American Journal of Sociology 62. 143–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Black, J. W. (1949). Loudness of speaking: I. The effect of heard stimuli on spoken responses. Joint Project No. 2, Contract N70nr-411, T.O.I. U.S. Naval School of Aviation Medicine and Research. Pensacola, Ohio.Google Scholar
Blom, J. & Gumperz, J. J. (1972). Social meaning in linguistic structures: Code-switching in Norway. In Gumperz, J. J. and Hymes, D. (eds), Directions in Sociolinguistics: The Ethnography of Communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.Google Scholar
Botha, E.The effect of language on values expressed by bilinguals. (1970). Journal of Social Psychology 80. 543–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourhis, R., Giles, H. & Lambert, W. E. Group membership and dialect shift: some cross-national data. Paper delivered to the Annual Social Psychology Section Conference of the British Psychological Society, Brighton, 09, 1972.Google Scholar
Brown, R. & Gilman, A. (1960). The pronouns of power and solidarity. In Sebeok, T. (ed.), Style in Language. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Dabbs, J. M.Similarity of gestures and interpersonal influence (1969). Proceedings of the 77th Annual Convention, American Psychological Association 4. 337–8.Google Scholar
Ervin, S. M.Language and TAT content in bilinguals (1964). Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 68. 500–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ervin-Tripp, S. M. An analysis of the interaction of language, topic and listener. In Gumperz, J. J. and Hymes, O. (eds) The ethnography of communication. (AmA 66 (6) Pt 2.) Washington, D.C.: American Anthropological Association, 86–102.Google Scholar
Feldman, R. E. (1968). Response to compatriot and foreigner who seek assistance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 10. 202–14.Google Scholar
Fishman, J. A.et al. (1966). Language loyalty in the United States. The Hague: Mouton.Google Scholar
Giles, H. (1971). A study of speech patterns in social interaction: Accent evaluation and accent change. (Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, University of Bristol.)Google Scholar
Giles, H. (1973). Accent mobility: A model and some data. AnL (in press).Google Scholar
Giles, H. & Powesland, P. F. (in preparation). Social evaluation through speech characteristics. Academic Press: European Monographs in Social Psychology.Google Scholar
Granowsky, S. & Krossner, W. J. (1970). Kindergarten teachers as models for children's speech. Journal of Experimental Education 38. 23–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gumperz, J. J. Linguistic and social interaction in two communities. In Gumperz, J. J. and Hymes, D. (eds) The ethnography of communication (AmA 66 (6) Pt z.) Washington, D.C.: American Anthropological Association, 137–53.Google Scholar
Herman, S. (1961,) Explorations in the social psychology of language choice. Human Relations 14. 149–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Homans, G. C. (1961). Social behavior. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World.Google Scholar
Hymes, D. (1967). Models of the interaction of language and social setting. Journal of Social Issues 23. 8–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hymes, D. (1972). Models of interaction of language and social life. In Gumperz, J. J. and Hymes, D. (eds), Directions in Sociolinguistics: The ethnography of communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.Google Scholar
Jaffe, J., and Feldstein, S. (1970). Rhythms of dialogue. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kimple, J. (Jnr.), Cooper, R. L. & Fishman, J. A. (1969). Language switching and the interpretation of conversations. Lingua 23. 127–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Labov, W. (1966). The social stratification of English in New York City. Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics.Google Scholar
Lennard, L. & Bernstein, A. (1960). Interdependence of therapist and patient verbal behavior. In Fishman, J. A. (ed.), Readings in the sociology of language. The Hague: Mouton.Google Scholar
Macnamara, J. (1967). Introduction: Bilingualism in the modern world. Journal of Social Issues 23. 1–7.Google Scholar
Macnamara, J., and Kushnir, S. L. (1971) Linguistic independence of bilinguals: the input switch. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 10. 480–7.Google Scholar
Matarazzo, J. D., Weins, A. N., Matarazzo, R. G. & Saslow, G. (1968). Speech and silence behavior in clinical psychotherapy and its laboratory correlates. In Schlier, J., Hunt, H., Matarazzo, J. D. and Savage, C. (eds.), Research in Psychotherapy: Volume 3. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Mosher, D. L., Mortimer, R. L. & Grebel, M. (1968). Verbal aggressive behavior in delinquent boys. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 73. 454–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ratner, S. C. & Rice, F. E. (1963). The effect of the listener on the speaking interaction. Psychological Review 13. 265–8.Google Scholar
Rubin, J. (1962). Bilingualism in Paraguay. AnL 4. 52–8.Google Scholar
Sechrest, L.; Flores, L. & Arellano, L. (1968). Language and social interaction in a bilingual culture. Journal of Social Psychology 76. 155–61.Google Scholar
Simmel, G. (1950). The sociology of George Simmel. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Simons, H. W., Berkowitz, N. N. & Moyer, R. J. (1970). Similarity, credibility and attitude change: A review and a theory. Psychological Bulletin 73. 1–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slobin, D. I., Miller, S. H. & Porter, L. W. (1968). Forms of address and social relations in a business organization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 8. 289–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, D. M. & Simard, L. M. (1972). The role of bilingualism in cross-cultural communication. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 3. 101–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triandis, H. C. (1960). Cognitive similarity and communication in a dyad. Human Relations 13. 175–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, J. T. (1970). Interview synchrony: an investigation of two speech rate measures in the automated standardized interview. In Siegman, A. W., and Pope, B. (eds) Studies in dyadic communication. Proceedings of a Research Conference on the Interview. Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Welkowitz, J. & Feldstein, S. (1970). Relation of experimentally manipulated interpersonal perception and psychological differentiation to the temporal patterning of conversation. Proceedings of the 78th Annual Convention, American Psychological Association 5. 387–8.Google Scholar