Chapter 2: Attitudes & Ageism and how language is interwoven with both.

Chapter 2 Attitudes amp Ageism

and how language is interwoven with both

Attitudes 3 components behavioral cognitive

affective These components color

how young people feel toward old people how people feel and think about the aging

process

how people behave as they grow older

Concerns young people have

For better or for worse January 20 2006

Age norms you assign them wersquoll talk

1 Wearing a short skirt and high heels

2 Living alone 3 Getting married 4 Raising children 5 Being considered

sexy 6 Drinking alcohol 7 Driving a sports car 8 Having others make

decisions for you

9 Displaying affection in public

10 Running a marathon 11 Running for US

president 12 Retiring 13 Becoming pregnant 14 Enrolling in a 4 year

college degree program

15 Receiving a heart transplant

Age norms cultural reflections

Ben httpwwwcomicscom

Clips from httpwwwbiologydukeeducunninghamVillainshtml

Age normscultural reflections 2

What do these have in common

Age norms language development

Age 3 ndashtalk about ideas and feelings Age 7 ndash milestones with

abstractions Age 8 ndash milestones jump in

complexity Teen years ndash social and linguistic

complexity

Psychological state terms by age 3

ldquoAs children approach their third birthday their talk about psychological states changes in several ways Children begin to refer to the causes and consequences of feelings more often and discuss a wider variety of feeling states Brown and Dunn (1991) suggested that these developmental changes in childrenrsquos emotional state language influence their ability to enter into conversations about psychological states Through these conversations children have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the mental states motivating human behavior

A second important developmental change that takes place around age 3 is that children begin to make references to cognitive states and to use words such as think and know ldquo

Lee amp Rescorla (2002)The use of psychological state terms by late talkers at age 3 Applied Psycholinguistics 234

Child language development age 7

Should have mastered the consonants s-z r voiceless th ch wh and the soft g as in George

Should handle opposite analogies easily girl-boy man-woman flies-swims blunt-sharp short-long sweet-sour etc

Understands such terms as alike different beginning end etc

Should be able to tell time to quarter hourShould be able to do simple reading and

to write or print many wordshttpwwwchilddevelopmentinfocomdevelopmentlanguage_developmentshtml

Child language development age 8

Can relate involved accounts of events many from a time in the past

Should be few lapses in grammar eg pronouns pluralsAll speech sounds including consonant blends

establishedShould read with ease and write simple compositionsSocial amenities should be present in appropriate

situationsControl of rate pitch and volume are wellappropriately

establishedCan carry on conversation at rather adult level

Follows fairly complex directions with little repetitionHas well developed time and number concepts

httpwwwchilddevelopmentinfocomdevelopmentlanguage_developmentshtml

Advanced language stage over 12

Adolescents essentially communicate in an adult manner with increasing maturity throughout high school Teens comprehend abstract language such as idioms figurative language and metaphors Explanations may become more figurative and less literal Literacy and its relationship to cognition linguistic competency reading writing and listening are the primary focus in this age group Teens should be able to process texts and abstract meaning relate word meanings and contexts understand punctuation and form complex syntactic structures

httpwwwmedemcommedlbmedlib_entrycfm

Language stage amp identity formation

ldquoItrsquos weird I was so madrdquo Developing Discursive Identity Defenses in Conversational ldquoSmallrdquo Stories of Adolescent

BoysLuke Moissinac amp Michael Bamberg Clark University

Accepted for publication in the Texas Speech Communication Journal Special Issue ldquoNarratives We Live Byrdquo October 2004

Abstract We view identities (and masculinities) as fluid and contextually

sensitive constantly being accommodated to interlocutors through the use of increasingly sophisticated discursive skills especially during adolescence Based on analysis of the interactions of one cohort group of boys observed at the ages of 10 and13 we show how the development of discourse abilities is intertwined with the management of situated identities Specifically our data demonstrate that 10-year-olds mount only rudimentary defenses to threatened identities whereas 13-year olds are able to construct more elaborate devices against identity challenges such as such as hellip concessions externalizations and normalizations

Sampling advanced language (adapted from Retherford 2004)

Sample the changes Oral and written narrativesHadley (1998) Nippold(1998) Scott amp Stokes (1995)

Semantics 1048723Cohesion Markers (Hallidayamp Hasan 1976) ndash how words are connected within a sequence

lexical cohesion-by selection of vocabulary using semantically close items repetition synonym antonymmetonymy

reference personal (Sharon her) demonstrative comparative

substitution These cookies are stale Buy some fresh ones 1048723Connectives

Quirk et al (1985) Nippold Schwarz amp Undlin(1992) Nippold(1998)

In English cohesion is most simply marked by connectives such as and but or so

httpwwwthinkingpublicationscomLangConf04PosterSessionsPostersessionsPDFsRetherfordpdf

Semantics of advanced language

How Literate is the Lexicon (Nippold 1998)

Does the speaker producecomprehendNouns for technical and curriculum activities

1048723salutation oppression circumference proton

Verbs to refer to metacognitive activitiesdoubt infer hypothesize conclude assume

Verbs to refer to metalinguistic activities assert concede imply predict interpret confirm

Verbs with presuppositional aspects to their meaningFactitive [truth assumed] know notice forget regret

Nonfactitive[truth is uncertain] think believe figure suppose

Retherford 2004 continued

(what is a presupposition)

A presupposition is background belief relating to an utterance that

must be mutually known or assumed by the speaker and addressee for the utterance to be considered appropriate in context

generally will remain a necessary assumption whether the utterance is placed in the form of an assertion denial or question and

can generally be associated with a specific lexical item or grammatical feature (presupposition trigger) in the utterance

Identify the presuppositions in Jane regretted that she had stopped buying crystal before she left Ireland

httpwwwsilorglinguisticsGlossaryOfLinguisticTermsWhatIsAPresuppositionhtm

Social expectations about language

Value judgments about language are socially based

People notice ndash and evaluate ndash ways of talking that are different from their own

They hear words and accents and assign gender age region class and even ethnicity

And attitudes arise

When reality intersects with attitude

Female adult voices typically show a pitch that is 75 higher than the malersquos

different vocal cord length amp massMale vocal tract length is 15 longer resulting in different resonance (and greater risk of choking on food)Vocal organs show sexual dimorphismGender is something assigned or constructed

Gender-cued language and attitudes

Lexical and morphological differencesmorphology in some languages (Japanese)

emotive words color termsStylistic differences claimed go-aheads hedges F+ interruptions direct orders M+Difference or dominance rapport or informational

Generational differences in lexicon

Pickles January 20 2006

Preston on linguistic prejudice

A primary linguistic myth one nearly universally attached to minorities rural people and the less well educated extends in the United States even to well-educated speakers of some regional varieties That myth of course is that some varieties of a language are not as good as others

httpwwwpbsorgspeakspeechprejudiceattitudes

Preston collected perceptions of lsquocorrectrsquo speech

Mean scores for lsquocorrectrsquo Lowest ratings South and NYC

150 EuroAm both sexes all ages amp classes from Michigan

httpwwwpbsorgspeakspeechprejudiceattitudes

Perceptions of lsquopleasantrsquo speech

Mean scores for pleasant

By Alabamians

Again 1=low

httpwwwpbsorgspeakspeechprejudiceattitudes

Just in case you didnrsquot lsquoget itrsquo

Hand-drawn from Michigan

httpwwwpbsorgspeakspeechprejudiceattitudes

You try it rate this speaker

Use the rating form provided Transcript goes with the voice clip

Wersquoll listen to it three times

Now I was born in Charlotte in the Presbyterian Hospital And it was downtown on the corner of Mint and Trade Upstairs over the drugstore

And um my father was afraid the doctor who lived down the hill wouldnt get there in time so he took my mother to the hospital on the streetcar -- on a Saturday night and I was born Easter Sunday morning

Easter SundayYeah (laughter)

Auditor perception of discourse F1 of 3bull Factor 1 About the Tellers Competence including Credibility(Multiple Regression Relationship with Construct of Auditorrsquos Rural--Urban Place of Origin)bull Loading Item Responsebull 67 5 The Teller is friendlybull 67 7 The Teller likes telling storiesbull 62 17 The Teller knows other storiesbull 59 21 I think the Interviewer as a person is politebull 51 28 In everyday life the Teller is politebull 47 23 I believe that people said what the Teller reported them as sayingbull 41 12 The story the teller says is truebull 40 35 The Interviewer likes talking with the Tellerbull 37 8 The Teller likes the Interviewerbull 37 43 The Teller tells stories superblybull 36 33 The Teller knows more than shehe tellsbull 35 38 The Interviewer thinks the Teller tells stories

wellbull 35 40 I know the Tellers story stylebull 32 24 The Interviewer is interested in the Teller

(Note Multiple Regression finds a Relationship between Place of Origin and Factor Score 1 when controlling for other demographics which accounts for 12 of the variance

As auditorsrsquo construct of place of origin is more rural they assign greater competence to the Teller)

Item Demographics

Class Place of origin M Educ F Educ [w-lmc-mc-] [country-town-smcity- [gr-hs-some coll- [gr-hs-some coll-

umc-u bigcity suburb-big city] full coll-profess] ull coll-profess]

5 Teller is friendly 01436 00050

7 Teller likes telling stories 00957

12 Tellerrsquos story is true 01357 04700

17 Teller knows other stories 00248 00275

21 Interviewer is polite 00007 04879

24 Interviewer is interested in Teller 04469 00040

28 Teller is polite 00013 02437 04729

43 Teller tells stories well 03421 03422

Additional significant relationships in Factor 1 Evaluating competence of TELLER

Factors affecting language in aging

Each of these factors can affect language production and cause social withdrawal as people age

hearing and vision impairment slower processing of information mild memory difficulties shrinking network of friends

What aging sounds like

Voices are heard as hoarse high pitched breathy tremulous or shaky

Men are heard as hesitant Women are heard as passive

Mulac amp Giles 1996

Stereotyped projections of elder speech

Tangential ndash speaker wanders off the topic

Vacillating ndash speaker canrsquot make choices Repetitive ndash speaker repeats same

words Too wordy ndash speaker gives too many

details

Age-biased reactions Ryanrsquos research

avoidance impatiencecontrolling talk baby talk orElderspeak

(simplified speech)

overly familiar talkshouting non-listeningshowing disapprovalcondescensiondismissive

comments

Often we donrsquot realize that we have changed our speech when we talk to an older person

Overaccomodation

Can be seen as patronizing wrong message

Overaccommodation - such as babytalk Elderspeak or being overly familiar - means we are talking to the stereotype of being old and not to the individual

Thatrsquos not the message we want to send

(Ryan amp Cole 1990)

UnderaccommodationFreezing people out sending the wrong

messageWe under-accommodate a speakerrsquos needs

when we show that we are not listening or use dismissive comments condescension or controlling talk We move away from them

Thatrsquos not the message we want to send

(Giles et al 1990)

How we change our speech 1

Conversation with adult 54 years old

1 I tended to display my interest by nodding much more instead of interrupting

Conversation with adult 94 years old

1 I was much more likely to interrupt with interjections and clarifying statements

Example from Batson 2003

How we change our speech 2

With the person aged 54

2 I participated actively with my honest opinions in this dialogue

With the person aged 94

2 I was much more likely to ldquosugar-coatrdquo my opinions andor modify my more ldquomodernrdquo points of view

Example from Batson 2003

How we change our speech 3

With the person aged 54

3 I spoke more softly and more quickly

With the person aged 94

3 My voice was much louder and I spoke slower than usual

Example from Batson 2003

How we change our speech 4

With the person aged 54

4 I was less ldquounnecessarilyrdquo pleasant meaning I didnrsquot use complimentary language unless very appropriate

With the person aged 94

4 I consistently mentioned how nice the individual looked and how I enjoyed talking to himher

Example from Batson 2003

Age-associated differences in communication expectations

Ryan amp Butler (1996 192) comment that ldquosome distinctions between young and old adults that influence intergenerational relationships arise from historical differences in socializationrdquo

This affects patient-provider roles Haug (1996252) reports less time given to consultations for patients 60 and older and that ldquodoctors may speak more slowly in a louder voice use simplified language and take on a patronizing air blaming older patients but not younger for forgetfulnessrdquo

Special issue Health Communications 83 (1996)

Healthcare worker interactions

Burda (20058) notes that older people either have little experience with or feel questioning professionals is inappropriate Since many interactions involve tasks (ADL) noncompliance may ensue -- particularly if the older person doesnrsquot understand the healthcare workerrsquos accent

Hmmm Wersquore back attitudes

Burda A amp Hageman C Perception of accented speech by residents in assisted-living facilities J Medical Speech-Language Pathology 13 7-14

Language issues for new nurses whatrsquos beneath the surface

Smith JONAS Healthc Law Ethics Regul Volume 6(1)March 200415-16

Workforce demographics NC

wwwnursencorgresearchTrends2001workforce_demospdf

Ageism in general

In North America and Europe ldquoOlder adults are often marginalized given low social status and either ignored in the media or portrayed in roles reinforcing negative stereotypes (Nelson 2002)

Unfavorable stereotypes characterize older people as forgetful sick unattractive useless lonely and dependent (Hess amp Blanchard-Fields 1999 Nelson 2002 Palmore 1999)

Trait sorting studies have identified several negative prototypes of older persons such as lsquoshrew-curmudgeonrsquo lsquodespondentrsquo and lsquoseverely impairedrsquo ldquo(Ryan et al 2004 344)

Nussbaum J Pitts M Huber F Krieger J Ohs J 2005 Ageism and ageist language across the life span Journal of Social Issues Vol 61 pp 287--305

Jigsaw Ageism news stories httpwwwcsmonitorcom20041018p07s01-woaphtml

Japanese homeless httpnewsbbccouk1hiuk4041713stm Ageism UK httpjmmaaanetauarticles13141htm Australia httpwwwgraypanthersmetrodetroitorgAgeismhtml

Gray Panthers in Chicago httpwwwtrentucanewsviewaginghtml Canada httpnewsbbccouk1hibusiness4411937stm BBC on

US legislation httpnewsbbccouk2hiuk_news2975754stm

Generation X UK httpwwwsuzannetvshowaspsid=410 Ageism -

boomers httpwwwzwirecomsitenewscfm

newsid=12815371ampBRD=1817ampPAG=461ampdept_id=222087amprfi=6 Ageism - boomers

Intergenerational communication 3 models

CAT communication accommodation Convergent X divergent strategies

CPA communicative predicament Problematic talk lt negative stereotypes

CEM communication enhancement Tailor speech to individual needs and

thereby reduce stereotypes

Nussbaum J Pitts M Huber F Krieger J Ohs J 2005 Ageism and ageist language across the life span Journal of Social Issues Vol 61 pp 287--305

Youth X old age in Asia X Canada

Views of the old in the East often resemble the Westrsquos

Expectations about declining personal vitality amp increasing benevolence in old age were found among young and old respondents in the East (Peoplersquos Republic of China Hong Kong Korea Philippines and Thailand) and West (USA Australia New Zealand Harwood et al 1996 2001)

Accepting public norms of filial obligation and honor need not conflict with negative inner beliefs about aging and older people Ryan E Jin Y Anas A Luh J (2004 )Communication beliefs about

youth and old age in Asia amp Canada J Cross-Cultural Gerontology 19 343ndash360

Ryanrsquos cross-cultural work suggests

Educational interventions ndash the CEM model - to improve intergenerational communication between young and old may be more likely to succeed if they target

fostering of positive attitudes toward empathic socially skilled story-telling aspects of communication in later life

rather than the reduction of negative attitudes

Ryan E Jin Y Anas A Luh J (2004 )Communication beliefs about youth and old age in Asia amp Canada J Cross-Cultural Gerontology 19 343ndash360

Ageism language and marketing

What are the appealsWhat are the stereotypes

While wersquoll discuss aging and the media later in the semester here we pause to preview some pervasive features of ageism --

• Age normscultural reflections 2
• Auditor perception of discourse F1 of 3
• Additional significant relationships in Factor 1 Evaluating competence of TELLER
• Slide 46
• Slide 47
• Slide 48