Ascribed Status, Lexical Diversity, and Accent: Determinants of Perceived Status, Solidarity, and Control of Speech Style

The effects of status ascriptions (high vs. low) and accent (standard American vs. Mexican-American) upon perceptions of speaker status and solidarity are examined. Consequences of the independent variables for a novel dependent variable, perceived control of speech style, are examined also. One hundred and twenty-two respondents rated one of eight message versions in a between-group design. Results indicated, among other things, that: (1) status ascriptions and accent combined additively to affect judgements of speaker status, as did status ascriptions and diversity; (2) lexical diversity and accent affected both solidarity judgements and status judgements interactively, although the nature of the interactive effect differed across measures; and (3) lexical diversity was an especially potent determinant of perceptions of control of speech style. It is suggested that a clear picture of linguistic and non-linguistic determinants of judgements of speaker status is emerging.

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