The Sociolinguistic Experiment in Language Attitudes Using the Matched-Guise Test

This course introduces students to the linguistic subfields fields of phonetics and phonology so that they can analyze the sound components of spoken language in order to systematically describe what makes a regional or foreign accent. We will apply this knowledge to creating and conducting a sociolinguistic experiment known as the matched guise test. This is a research method used to investigate attitudes and biases by presenting identical information or content through different "guises" or presentations to evaluate how perceptions and judgments may vary based on manipulated variables. In this way, students can learn an experimental method, learn phonetics and phonology, and see how it applies to real-world problems such as linguistic discrimination and biases.

Our class style will be interactive discussion mixed with some explanation of concepts presented by the instructor. Students should expect to contribute to all classes actively in each session.

Week 1: Articulatory Phonetics, the Building Blocks of Spoken Language
The first lesson will introduce students to the consonants and vowels of the more than 6,000 languages spoken on Earth, as well as how to use transcription methods applying the International Phonetic Alphabet. We will listen to these sounds in both laboratory and real contexts.

Week 2: Syllable Structure
The first topic within phonology will be to examine a universal of human language: the structure of a syllable. We will learn the parts of the syllable, examine a few languages as examples, and imagine how syllable structure constraints affect the rhythm of a language.

Week 3: Phonological Processes
The second topic within phonology will be an exploration of the "sound grammar" rules of language. We will learn to categorize several phonological processes such as addition/deletion, assimilation/dissimilation, strengthening/weakening, and metathesis. We will examine several of these in real contexts using the Speech Accent Archive.

Week 4: Variation and Attitudes
We will probe the idea that phonological variation is a natural fact of human language and consider some of the existing attitudes toward different varieties. We will analyze some sound variations among Chicano English, Black English, and Standard English-- all US varieties of English. Once we have isolated the patterns and rules for each, we will assess some of the existing attitudes toward speakers of these varieties.

Week 5: Choosing Your Independent Variable
This week, students will use their background knowledge and personal interests to choose appropriate accents from the Speech Accent Archive to use in their matched guise test. Each student will justify their choice, setting up their hypothesis for the experiment.

Week 6: Creating the Questionnaire
This class will focus on designing the questionnaire that will be used in the experiment to gather language attitudes from research participants. Students will decide which factors to isolate such as education, professionalism, friendliness, etc. in their experiment, and will justify their choices.

Week 7: Collecting Data from Research Participants
We focus on selecting research participants using ethical research guidelines such as explaining the participants' rights and protecting identities. Students will justify the reasons for choosing the family members, friends, etc. they do for the experiment, as well as the procedures for the data collection.

BETWEEN WEEK 7 AND WEEK 8, STUDENTS CONDUCT THE EXPERIMENT!

Week 8: Describing Results both Visually and in Prose
This week, we share our results and decide on appropriate ways to describe those results systematically in writing and using visuals such as bar graphs, tables, or other charts.

Week 9: What Does it All Mean?
This week, we analyze the results and draw conclusions using critical thinking skills such as synthesizing, evaluating, and comparing. While not required, students are encouraged to summarize their conclusions in writing for feedback from the instructor.

Week 10: Disseminating Your Research
In the final class, students are given 5-10 minutes to share with the class which accents they chose and why, which participants they chose and why, their results, and their conclusions. This is an informal presentation and does not require written work or slides, but students should be able to make specific statements based on notes or memory. We finish by comparing our conclusions to see what takeaways we have from the course.