Richard Y. Bourhis

Notes on the construction of a ‘subjective vitality questionnaire’ for ethnolinguistic groups

Group ‘vitality’ was recently proposed as a framework for objectively categorizing ethnolinguistic groups in terms of their ability to behave as distinctive collective entities in intergroup settings (Giles, Bourhis & Taylor, 1977). ‘Objective’ accounts of group vitality using status, demographic and institutional support data gathered from secondary sources appear a useful tool for comparing ethnolinguistic groups in cross‐cultural research. This article describes a new questionnaire designed to assess how group members subjectively perceive their owngroup position relative to salient outgroups on important ‘vitality’ dimensions. Group members’ ‘subjective’ vitality perceptions may be as important in determining interethnic behaviours as the Groups objectively assessed vitality. The article includes a discussion of how ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ vitality information can be combined to better account for the dynamics of interethnic relations in multilingual and multicultural settings.

Vitality Perceptions and Language Attitudes: Some Canadian Data

Italian (IC) and English (EC) Canadians, in two school settings, completed the Subjective Vitality Questionnaire (SVQ) and a sociolinguistic questionnaire concerning self-reported usage and evaluations of Italian and English in different domains. SVQ results from the two settings showed that subject perceptions do not necessarily match objective assessments of ethnolinguistic vitality. Both ECs and ICs had more realistic perceptions in a majority setting (study 2) than in an equal setting (study 1). Whereas in both studies, self reports of language usage reflected the dominance of the English language in Hamilton, ECs were more biased against Italian language usage in study 1 than in study 2. Setting and subjective vitality perceptions seemed to affect evaluations of language use rather than self-reported usage. These results show that the SVQ and sociolinguistic surveys, in combination, can prove to be powerful instruments in studying the dynamics of ethnic group perceptions and language attitudes in multilingual settings.

Language attitudes and self‐reports of French‐English language usage in Quebec

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the impact of Quebec language planning in favour of French (Bill 101) on self‐reports of language use in cross‐cultural encounters between Francophones (QFs) and Anglophones (QAs) in Montreal. A sociolinguistic survey was completed by QF and QA university students three months after the promulgation of Bill 101. Results showed that whereas QFs were in total agreement with Bill 101, QAs were in complete disagreement with this legislation. Although QAs disagreed with Bill 101, they reported being more likely to use French in conversation with QFs today than they had been in the past prior to the passage of the language legislation. QFs reported they were as likely to maintain French when conversing with QAs today as they had been in the past. However, discrepancies between respondents’ self‐reports of language use and their reported experiences with the language behaviour of outgroup interlocutors did emerge in this study. Finally, results suggest that motivatio...

The imposed norm hypothesis: A validation

Previous work suggests that standard dialects assume their prestige over other language varieties not because they are linguistically or aesthetically superior, but because of historical, cultural norms. An empirical investigation lends this view support by showing that British listeners cannot differentiate evaluatively speech styles having distinct social meanings in Greece.

Language Attitudes and Vitality Perceptions: Intergenerational Effects amongst Chinese Canadian Communities:

First (FGCC) generation and Canadian-born (CBC) subjects of Chinese origin in Canada completed the Subjective Vitality Questionnaire and a sociolinguistic questionnaire concerning self-reported usage and evaluations of Cantonese (CC) and English (EC) in different domains. Perceived vitality reflected the objective estimates of high EC and low CC vitality on demographic, institutional support and status factors. However, contrary to expectations, CBCs exaggerated perceived Cantonese vitality on some dimensions relative to FGCCs. Self-reports and evaluation of language use reflected the dominance of the English Language in public settings, but CBCs agreed less than FGCCs about Cantonese usage in the home and church. Overall, vitality perceptions of succeeding generations of Canonese-speakers were most useful in understanding language usage and evaluation patterns when used in conjunction with group identification and language proficiency information.

Voice and racial categorization in Britain

A comparative consideration of the Black in the United States with his counterpart in Britain led to the hypothesis that third generation West Indian immigrants in Britain would be vocally identical to local Whites from the same socioeconomic background. The hypothesis was confirmed, and in complete contrast to the American findings, working class Blacks in a British city were significantly misattributed as “Whites” 80% of the time. In addition, data collected on how people of different occupational levels are expected to speak showed that Blacks sounding “White” was far from an inconsistent cognition for many White subjects.