Handbook of Language & Ethnicity

Chapter 8: Psychology

By Amado M. Padilla

What is psychology?

What is psychology?

• The science of behavior• Language is of course a behavior – unique

to humans• Developmental psychologists look at

language acquisition• Cognitive psychologists look at

relationship between language & thinking• Clinical psychologists use language to

help clients understand their thoughts

What are the psychological purposes of language?

• Gather, sort, and store information

• Communicate with others

• Writing makes knowledge cumulative and available

• Think abstractly and creatively

• Form social units (families, communities, cultures)

Attribution theory

• We attribute people’s behavior to enduring motives or qualities or to the needs of the situation

• What needs are relevant to language?– Need to understand world around us– Need to control factors that influence our

interactions with others

Attributions made based on accent

• Positive attributions made about people with prestige accent, negative attributions about people with low-status accent

• Attributions also made when foreign language is heard– Cf. the contribution of attribution to the US

English-only/bilingual education debates

Ethnicity and Language

• Ethnicity – if a person self-identifies as a member of a particular ethnic group, they are willing to be perceived and treated as such

• Identification comes through socialization with family & friends

• Language is the vehicle for socialization• Language is a crucial element of ethnicity

for most groups

Reactions to threats to identity

• When a people’s language is threatened, they will form unions of resistance, which may be legalistic or violent

• Language is important because it is used to convey the values of the group and is associated with the emotional texture of the group

• Language establishes in-group vs. out-group boundaries

• Status of the language is equated to status of the group, which is communicated to members

More on ethnicity and language

• An ethnic group is defined by social networks

• Language is not necessary, but it sharpens distinctions among social networks

• Strife is engendered when one ethnic group has more power/access to resources – this also sharpens distinctions

Ethnicity and social situation

• Ethnic identification changes across social situations

• Ethnic identification only becomes important when there is cross-ethnic contact

Overall

• Ethnicity is something that is learned, through socialization, usually through the medium of a specific language