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Diglossia in Switzerland? A Social Identity Analysis of Speaker Evaluations

Hogg, Michael A., Joyce, Nicholas, Abrams, Dominic (1984) Diglossia in Switzerland? A Social Identity Analysis of Speaker Evaluations. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 3 (3). pp. 185-196. ISSN 0261-927X. (doi:10.1177/0261927X8400300302) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:35471)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261927X8400300302

Abstract

Discusses diglossia (a term referring to a speech community in which 2 varieties of a language coexist), describes the language situation to be found in German-speaking Switzerland, and reports an experimental study adopting the matched-guise technique in which language variety (Swiss vs High German) and situational formality (formal vs informal) were orthogonally manipulated in a within-Ss design with 35 14–15 yr old Ss. Speaker evaluations revealed an upgrading with respect to formality of context only on status variables, and an interesting 2-way interaction on solidarity dimensions, whereby less solidarity is felt for a speaker of High German in a formal context. Results support the experimental hypotheses derived from a social identity perspective (H. Tajfel, 1982), but disconfirm predictions from C. A. Ferguson's (1959) concept of diglossia. It is concluded that an adequate taxonomy of language situations must include a consideration of the identity function of language.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1177/0261927X8400300302
Uncontrolled keywords: Swiss vs High German & situation formality, subjective social status & solidarity, 14–15 yr olds, Switzerland
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: M.L. Barnoux
Date Deposited: 16 Oct 2013 11:10 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:12 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/35471 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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