Keyword : Language attitudes, language ideologies, ethnographic questionnaire, matched-guise test, stereotypes, small-scale multilingualism
Author(s) : Angiachi D. Esene Agwara
Abstract :
This study, informed by field research and results from an adapted form of matched-guise technique test, investigates whether stereotypes (i.e., social categorizations) shape language attitudes of speakers from the Missong village in the Lower Fungom area in rural North-West Cameroon, which is known to be a context of small-scale multilingualism. The study is based on data collected from both interviews and MGT. Semi-structured interviews were made using an ethnographically-informed questionnaire developed to capture information about respondents’ social affiliations and motivations for being multilingual. The matched-guise test sought to explore the evaluation reactions of listeners towards local languages, taking into consideration linguistic ideologies. Out of the 77 multilingual individuals from Missong interviewed, 31 (aged 23-92) were tested on their language attitudes using a culturally-adapted MGT test. Data were analyzed and interpreted on three axes: linguistic similarity, geographical proximity, and sociological factors. The findings of the study provide results about the language attitudes of Missong speakers and deal with some significant methodological insights. For the former, unlike what is found in the literature, the main factors shaping Missong speakers’ language attitudes are not stereotypical categorizations, but rather considerations of relational qualities. As for the latter, the inclusion of relational traits in the MGT captures locally salient features, calling for a deeper problematization of how to design MGT tests when targeting contexts of small-scale multilingualism. The study first represents one of the very few attempts to adapt the MGT to a small-scale multilingual context. Secondly, it shows how attitude judgments may not necessarily be rooted in social stereotypes. The results add to the body of language attitude research and question the validity of existing scholarly discourses on the importance of stereotypes as determining factors in people’s language attitudes
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