Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Race, Gender, and /u/: Social Perceptions of a Non-Stereotype Feature

De, Zachary
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1489588362846279

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Linguistics.
Research on sociolinguistic evaluation has under-examined how listeners judge linguistic variants that evoke a low degree of introspective awareness. The current study seeks to fill this gap by investigating sociolinguistic perceptions of a feature that cannot be classified as a Labovian stereotype: the fronting and backing of the back upgliding vowel /u/. To do this, a matched guise test with 12 talkers, equally and orthogonally divided by race (Black and White) and gender (male and female) was conducted. Recordings were manipulated for /u/ and then played to ninety-four listeners, who rated the recordings along a variety of scales, including how Black, masculine, and trendy each recording sounded. The results showed that evaluations of /u/ were neither fixed nor uniform—while listeners overall rated front /u/ guises as more feminine and White sounding, they also rated front /u/ guises as more trendy sounding in White voices, but not in Black voices. The study concludes by discussing implications for newer models of person perception within sociolinguistics.
Kathryn Campbell-Kibler (Advisor)
Donald Winford (Committee Member)
58 p.
Linguistics

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • De, Z. (2017). Race, Gender, and /u/: Social Perceptions of a Non-Stereotype Feature [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1489588362846279

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • De, Zachary. Race, Gender, and /u/: Social Perceptions of a Non-Stereotype Feature. 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1489588362846279.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • De, Zachary. "Race, Gender, and /u/: Social Perceptions of a Non-Stereotype Feature." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1489588362846279

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1489588362846279
869
© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.