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Language: Much neglectd yet important in cross-cultural psychology?

Language: Much neglectd yet important in cross-cultural psychology?. Itesh Sachdev SOAS, University of London, UK Presentation at 19th International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP), Bremen, Germany, July 2008. Plan Today.

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Language: Much neglectd yet important in cross-cultural psychology?

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  1. Language: Much neglectd yet important in cross-cultural psychology? Itesh Sachdev SOAS, University of London, UK Presentation at 19th International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP), Bremen, Germany, July 2008.

  2. Plan Today • Introduction to culture, language & identity • Conceptual framing, definitions etc • A little data from sunny bilingual Tunisia • Concluding notes

  3. “Language”, “Culture” & “Identity”in JCCP (1970-2008)

  4. “Language”, “Culture”, & identity in JCCP (1970-2008) & Bremen IACCP (2008)

  5. Definitions & framing • Language: Includes languages, dialects, accents, speech styles & even non-verbal communication • Identity (group/cultural): ‘…the individual's knowledge that s/he belongs to certain social groups together with the emotional and value significance to her/him of the group membership’ (Tajfel & Turner, 1986)

  6. What contributes to distinctive cultural identity? Clothes? Geographic origin? ethnic origin? Religion? Food? Values? Occupation?...etc Much previous research: ….language is perhaps the most important - even more than ‘cultural background’ and geographic origin, MDS studies by Giles et al in Wales, Canada & USA

  7. Language & Cultural Identity • “It is important to learn Gujarati to understand our culture. We have to keep Gujarati alive. By learning Gujarati we can keep our identity.” (Gujarati Interviewee of Creese et al, 2006, Language and Education). • “Mexican-Americans who can’t speak Spanish should CHOKE on their CHILLI BEANS” - New York subway graffiti • “Our languages are the cornerstone of who we are as a People. Without our languages our cultures cannot survive” - Assembly of First Nations, 1990

  8. Previous research… (i) ‘Language is the place where actual and possible forms of social organization and their likely social and political consequences are defined and contested. Yet it is also the place where our sense of ourselves, our subjectivity, is constructed’ (p. 21, Weedon, 1997), (ii) “…relationship between language and identity is not static and varies as a function of the power relations ...” (Sachdev & Bourhis, 1990) (iii)… next… a model of multilingual communication (Sachdev & Bourhis, 2001; Sachdev & Giles, 2004)

  9. MACRO • INTERGROUP • CONTEXT • - Ethnolinguistic vitality of • groups • State language policies • & Ideologies • - Stability, legitimacy of • intergroup stratification EVALUATION & BEHAVIOUR - speech accommodation - discourse - Non-verbal SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES - Similarity-Attraction - Social Exchange - Social Attribution - Intelligibility - Predictability - Social identification - Stereotyping - Vitality Beliefs - Acculturation Beliefs Additive- Subtractive Multilingualism & Multiculturalism MICRO SOCIOLINGUISTIC SETTING - Norms & rules - Networks of linguistic contact Language & Culture Maintenance & Shift

  10. Response to French AND Arabic use in streets of Bilingual Tunisia (Lawson & Sachdev, 1995, 2000) Method & procedure: Trained Tunisian Researchers made requests from 1000 Tunisian Arab pedestrians randomly in streets of city Excuse me, where is the post office? IVs: (i) Language of Question - Arabic or French (ii) Ethnic Background of Tunisian Researchers - Arab, European & African DVs: (i) Language of response – convergence, divergence or code-switching

  11. Response to French AND Arabic use in streets of Bilingual Tunisia (n = 1000+, Lawson & Sachdev, 1995, 2000)

  12. Response to French AND Arabic use in streets of bilingual Tunisia (n = 1000+, Lawson & Sachdev, 1995, 2000)

  13. Response to French AND Arabic use in streets of bilingual Tunisia (n = 1000+, Lawson & Sachdev, 1995, 2000)

  14. Concluding notes… Ignore language(s) at your peril!! • Language-Culture-Identity intertwined • Effects on intercultural & intergroup communication, acculturation, etc, etc • Language use reflects AND creates cultural identity • Language is key to expressing, conceptualising and constructing indigenous cultures and knowledge • ……. Methodologically, focus on language allows actual behavioural study… good for cross-cultural/social psychologists, (etc) whose mainstay is paper and pencil measures…

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