AURELIJA ČEKUOLYTĖ

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

YOUNG PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES TOWARD ENGLISH WORDS IN ADULTS’ SPEECH

1. INTRODUCTION

In contemporary society, the cult of youth is pronounced. We want to be modern, youthful, and energetic, and language can also help us appear that way. Young people’s language differs from adults’ language; it is characterized by slang, insertions from English, onomatopoeic words, and direct quotations (Jørgensen, Quist 2008: 12). Young people are well aware of the differences between their own language and that of adults and, as research shows, use youth language when talking among themselves, while tending to reduce its characteristic features when interacting with older people (Rathje 2008: 247). Thus, youth language is one way in which young people express their identity.

One distinctive feature of youth language in non-English-speaking countries is the use of English words such as nice, sorry, and cool. The English words used by young people and the role of English more generally in the youth language of Western European countries have attracted considerable scholarly attention. Sociolinguistic studies show that English primarily serves a social function in youth language. One example is the dissertation by the Swedish scholar Harriet Sharp, in which she compared how adults and young people insert English words into their speech (Sharp 2001). Adults use English insertions only at work, when speaking with colleagues, whereas young people insert English words into everyday conversations, even when interacting with unfamiliar peers. English words and expressions are especially common in the speech of members of so-called youth subcultures (Preisler 1999). Marianne Rathje, who studied the oral communication of three generations in Denmark, found that Danish young people use more English words in their speech than older generations do (Rathje 2008). However, the fact that young people fairly often insert English words into their speech does not mean that they could not say the same thing in their native language. English simply gives an utterance a particular stylistic nuance (Kotsinas 2007: 69).

322

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

Scandinavian scholars have also studied young people’s attitudes toward the use of English words in Danish. Danish young people described a person who inserts English words into their speech as energetic and modern, but not particularly trustworthy or competent (Andersen 2004: 181). There is also some information on Lithuanian young people’s attitudes toward English insertions. Young people view the use of English words favorably and like to insert them into their speech (Girčienė 2004). Loreta Vaicekauskienė noted that Lithuanians associate a large number of English loanwords in speech with young men (Vaicekauskienė 2006).

Several Danish scholars have observed that the speech of some adults contains many features characteristic of youth language. For example, M. Rathje’s study of the oral communication of three generations in Denmark showed that women, too, use a considerable amount of youth vocabulary (Rathje 2008). However, in her dissertation, Margrethe Andersen mentions that young people tend to view English words in adults’ speech negatively (Andersen 2004). Danish upper-secondary students who participated in the study had to describe five people who retold the same article. One person’s account stood out for its abundance of English words characteristic of youth. Although the speaker’s age was not mentioned¹, the students inferred from the voice that the person was an adult, so some of them found it strange and unnatural for someone of that age to use English words such as drive-by, pusher, and others.

However, young people’s attitudes toward English words inserted into adults’ speech have not been studied in depth. The aim of this study² was to find out whether an adult who inserts English words into their speech is considered modern and energetic or, conversely, is viewed negatively. The study also sought to investigate whether young people consider speech containing English insertions appropriate for use in the public sphere—on television.

2. RESEARCH METHOD

The research method is the matched-guise test³ (The Matched Guise Technique). It belongs to the so-called indirect methods, because respondents do not know

¹ This participant in the experiment was 29 years old.

² The article is based on Aurelia Čekuolytė’s master’s thesis Danų ir lietuvių jaunimo požiūris į jaunimo kalbos angliškus žodžius suaugusiojo kalboje / De litauiske og de danske unges holdninger til det ungdomssproglige engelsk i voksnes tale (2010).

³ The term matched-guise test is translated from the Danish sociolinguistic term The Matched Guise Technique as “masketest.”

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

323

the true purpose of the study. In sociolinguistic research using the matched-guise test, language is not mentioned directly. Researchers sometimes even deliberately present a different research objective. For example, Scandinavian researchers studying their compatriots’ attitudes toward English told respondents that the aim of the study was to find out which person was best suited to work as a radio journalist (Kristiansen 2006). For instance, L. Vaicekauskienė titled her study, which sought to determine which language users are associated with an abundance of English loanwords, “Civil Society and Social Change in Lithuania” (Vaicekauskienė 2006). Such “deception” of respondents is considered the main advantage of the matched-guise test, since it makes it possible to reveal so-called indirect individual attitudes.

In the matched-guise test, respondents listen to recordings of several people, usually five, and describe them. However, they do not know that the same person speaks twice. This person is the so-called research “guise.” On one occasion, the person speaks normally and neutrally; on the other, it is as if they put on a guise and speak differently, expressing the features whose evaluation the study aims to investigate. For example, foreign words or dialect vocabulary may be inserted into the speech, or the person may speak in a dialect, with an accent, and so on. After the test, researchers examine how respondents rated the same person speaking in two linguistic varieties and what differences there are. The other three people are simply “fillerfiller” voices (cf. Lambert et al. 1960: 44); they prevent respondents from realizing that one person speaks twice.

The respondents in the study described in this article were 55 students from two tenth-grade classes at a Vilnius secondary school. The study included 40 boys and 14 girls; one respondent did not indicate their gender. A similar study was also conducted at one of the upper-secondary schools in Copenhagen. In total, 52 students in the first year of Danish upper-secondary school⁴ were surveyed, including 30 boys, 18 girls, and 4 who did not indicate their gender. This article presents the results of the Lithuanian study and compares them with the results of the Danish study.

Respondents had to listen to stories told by five women and describe them. Each woman told a recipe for preparing a meal. At the beginning of her story, each woman introduced herself and stated her age. Thus, respondents knew that the authors of the texts were middle-aged women. One woman spoke twice: once entirely in Lithuanian (the Lithuanian guise), and once with English words inserted into her speech (the English guise). The women’s age (about 40) was chosen deliberately.

⁴ In Denmark, the first year of upper-secondary school corresponds to the tenth grade in Lithuania.

324

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

A person of this age usually has a steady job and has started a family; in other words, they are a typical adult. The age threshold of 40 is also the most appropriate in Lithuania in terms of adults’ proficiency in English: most Lithuanians of this age do not know English or speak it very poorly (Vaicekauskienė 2010).

In addition, pupils were also asked to answer four open-ended questions: which woman they liked and disliked the most, and which of them could (or could not) host a television cooking show. The pupils had to justify their answers. By asking whether a woman was suitable to host a television show, the researchers sought to determine which form of linguistic expression—standard language, conforming to normative requirements, or language mixed with youth slang—pupils considered most appropriate in the public sphere, namely on television. They also wanted to find out whether the young people would identify the same woman as the one they liked most and the one most suited to hosting a television show, or whether their choices would differ.

English words used in youth language were inserted into the English guise: ok, sorry and nice. These words were selected because they were frequent in youth blogs—on the portal www.blogas.lt—and in teenagers’ discussions on the social networking site Facebook. When selecting English words for the study, care was taken to ensure they would be understood by all respondents, so words associated with specific youth subcultures were deliberately excluded.

The study guises are presented below: a purely Lithuanian narrative (the Lithuanian guise) and a narrative containing English words used in youth language (the English guise).

Lithuanian guise

My name is Daiva. I am forty years old. I will tell you how to prepare stuffed zucchini. You will need a few zucchini, two onions, one carrot, and various seasonings: salt, pepper, and various herbs. Then about five hundred grams of minced meat and around two hundred grams of cheese. Take the zucchini, wash them first, scoop out the insides, and shape the zucchini into little boats. Meanwhile, we start frying and preparing the minced meat. First we fry the onions, add the carrot and seasonings, and then add the minced meat. We stew the meat until it is almost cooked through. We put the prepared minced meat into the zucchini boats. Then we grate the cheese and sprinkle it on top. We put the prepared boats in the oven and bake them for about thirty to forty-five minutes. Enjoy your meal.

English guise

My name is Eglė. I am forty years old. I suggest making a vegetable stew with chicken. For the dish, you will need four chicken breasts, a few cloves of garlic, and various vegetables: broccoli, half a cauliflower, and a few carrots.

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

325

…what, one bell pepper. OK. We cut the chicken breast into strips and fry it; heat the oil in a pan and fry the finely chopped onions, oh sorry, garlic. Then we add the chicken breast and cook it until it browns. Now it’s time to add all our vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, or any others you have. Then all of this simmers for about thirty minutes. And at the end of the simmering, if you still have some cream, that would be really nice.

Only respondents’ answers about the study’s masks were included in the analysis that follows. The young people’s views of the other women who participated in the study will not be examined in this article. Since considerably more boys than girls were surveyed, boys’ and girls’ views of English words in adults’ speech are not analyzed separately. However, any differences observed between boys’ and girls’ views are highlighted in the analysis itself.

3. RESEARCH RESULTS

When describing the women, the young people most often mentioned their character traits. However, the students also tried to guess whether the women had families, what they looked like, and so on. The respondents’ answers can be divided into the following groups:

Character traits. These are answers describing the students’ perceptions of the person herself, for example: “modern,” “young,” “pleasant,” and so on.

Linguistic expression. This group includes answers that evaluated the women’s speech, for example: “she uses English words,” “bad language,” “knows English,” and so on.

Marital status. This group includes answers in which respondents guessed whether the women had children or were married.

Suitability for television work. In response to questions about the women’s suitability for hosting a television program, several respondents identified certain qualities that a host should have, for example: “in show business you need a cheerful person who always has something to say.”

Appearance. These are answers about the women’s appearance, for example: “probably pays a lot of attention to her appearance,” “I think she has big lips and a small head.” Such answers were not included in the study analysis.

Recipe. Answers in this group mention recipes and the women’s food-related qualities, for example: “vegetarian,” “likes vegetables,” “eats healthily and has a varied diet with various vegetables,” and so on. These answers are not analyzed in the article.

326

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

Other cases. The “Other cases” group includes responses that do not belong to the listed groups, as well as those from which it is difficult to determine which group they should belong to, for example: “works with children or simply loves them,” “communicates with foreigners,” “grew up in an environment surrounded by friends,” “emotions change,” “I think fyfa. Well, at least it would be good if there were fyfa,” and so on. The analysis included those responses that are related to the aim of the study.

FIG. 1. Distribution of responses by group

As can be seen (see Fig. 1), in their responses, pupils most often mentioned character traits, recipes, and linguistic expression. Slightly more than one fifth of all respondents drew attention to the speech of the woman who used English words. Thus, such words in an adult’s speech make young people take notice. It is also interesting that not a single pupil mentioned that such a woman might have started a family; however, several respondents wrote that a woman who spoke purely Lithuanian could be married and have children. This is probably related to young people’s views about what kind of woman might use English words from youth language and what kind might not. However, respondents most often attributed to women—

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

327

various character traits. This result should not be surprising, since it is natural that, when asked to describe a stranger from their voice, respondents mention precisely character traits. These responses are discussed in greater detail below.

3.1. Character Traits and Evaluation Dimensions

As already mentioned, the most frequent description of the women was in terms of character traits or, in other words, a word denoting a particular character trait. The main words were: self-confident, energetic, eloquent, friendly, sweet, modern, ambitious, and tidy.

Pasak danų mokslininkų (Andersen 2004: 176; Kristiansen 2006: 15–16), visos charakterio savybės tokiuose eksperimentuose skirstytinos pagal penkis vertinimo aspektus: kompetencija (iškalbus, savimi pasitikintis, tvarkingas, ambicingas, mielas), draugiškumas (atsipalaidavęs, įdomus, draugiškas), viršenybė, pranašumas (iškalbus, mielas, tvarkingas, ambicingas), dinamiškumas (pasitikintis savimi, energingas, atsipalaidavęs, įdomus, draugiškas) ir šiuolaikiškumas (šiuolaikiškas, jaunas). Kaip charakterio savybės pasiskirsto pagal minėtus vertinimo aspektus, grafiškai pavaizduota 1-oje lentelėje.

TABLE 1. Character Traits and Evaluation Dimensions

Dynamism

Superiority, advantage

Competence

self-confident energetic

eloquent tidy ambitious

Friendliness

relaxed interesting friendly

sweet

Modernity

modern young

3.2. Character traits attributed to the research guises

The distribution of the character traits most frequently mentioned in young people’s responses when describing the research guises—that is, the woman who spoke with English insertions and the woman who spoke without them—is shown graphically in Figure 2.

328

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

FIG. 2. Distribution of character traits by research guise

In the pupils’ opinion, the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian is eloquent. One respondent even emphasized that she speaks very clearly and expressively and articulates her thoughts well. In the teenagers’ opinion, this woman is also self-confident, friendly, pleasant, and neat. However, it should be noted that it was mostly boys who described her as self-confident. The other traits pupils attributed to the woman who spoke Lithuanian were as follows: emotional, creative, cultured, polite, experienced, straightforward, meticulous, understanding, and educated. Only a small proportion of respondents spoke negatively about this woman; they thought she was boring and had an unpleasant character.

Respondents described the woman who used English words from youth speech as very modern, youthful, energetic, friendly, self-confident, pleasant, eloquent, and interesting. According to them, she is also responsible, ambitious, talkative, and not much of a liar. However, it was also mostly boys who described this woman as self-confident. Interestingly, girls do not mention this trait in their responses

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

329

of character. Perhaps too few girls were surveyed, or perhaps self-confidence is not the most important trait for girls when describing a person. A few pupils described the woman who used English words rather negatively; she seemed arrogant, artificial, and hypocritical to them. If we compare the character traits pupils attributed to the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian with those attributed to the woman who inserted English words into her speech, we can see clear differences. The first woman was attributed more traits indicating superiority and distinction; that is, she was thought to be eloquent, neat, and pleasant. The second woman was attributed more traits associated with dynamism; that is, she was considered modern, energetic, young, friendly, and interesting. However, pupils attributed not only different character traits to these women. In their opinion (as will be seen below), the women also differ in their marital status and leisure-time interests.

3.3. Research guises: marital status and leisure-time interests

A few young people, describing the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian, answered that she was a mother of several children. Others guessed that she worked with children or simply loved them very much. Thus, the experiment participants imagine that a woman who speaks purely Lithuanian should be a real homemaker.

When describing the woman who inserted English words into her speech, pupils did not even mention her possible marital status. However, respondents had quite a lot to say about this woman’s leisure-time interests and apparently tried in this way to explain why she stood out from other women. Pupils wrote that she must have a lot of free time, many friends, and pay particular attention to her appearance. A few young people tried to guess that she worked or interacted a lot with foreigners. Respondents also thought that such a woman would spend quite a lot of time at the computer. One pupil even mentioned that he would like to meet such a woman, because she would be interesting to talk to. Thus, to sum up respondents’ views of the woman who spoke in a way close to young people, one could say that she is a “superwoman,” as one girl described her.

3.4. The English mask: positive evaluation of linguistic expression

Some respondents also drew attention to this woman’s way of expressing herself. Most often, students mentioned that the woman knew English and inserted Eng-

330

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

lish words. However, several respondents gave more detailed answers about the speech of the woman hidden behind the English mask. They wrote that the woman spoke like a student and could not believe that she was really 40 years old. The students also noted that she used English slang and that they liked this very much.

3.5. The English mask: negative evaluation of linguistic expression

However, not all respondents were impressed by the speech of the woman who used English words from youth language. A few (about 5 percent) evaluated the use of English words in an adult’s speech negatively. In their opinion, the woman had listened too much to young people’s speech and was trying to imitate it, which was not appropriate for a forty-year-old. One respondent gave a very interesting answer: “Youthful, What is she pretending to be?”. We could interpret this answer as follows: the woman inserted three English words into her story – ok, sorry and nice. Perhaps she seemed youthful to the boy when she said the word ok. But after a while, when he heard the other English words, he realized that the woman had crossed the line. He crossed out his assessment, “youthful,” and wrote: “What is she pretending to be?”. Thus, the teenagers’ responses show that one should not overdo it when trying to look youthful and modern.

3.6. Summary: evaluation of the Lithuanian and English masks

The research results suggest that adolescents tend to associate English with a modern and youthful lifestyle, which is contrasted with a traditional lifestyle. They think that the woman who spoke in youth language represents modern life because she is a typical dynamic person: modern, energetic, friendly, knows a foreign language, and so on. The woman who spoke purely Lithuanian represents a traditional lifestyle. Respondents attributed to her characteristics especially typical of an adult: eloquence, neatness, and self-confidence, as well as having a family.

3.7. The woman respondents liked most and liked least

Respondents’ answers to the questions about which woman they liked more and which they liked less are shown graphically in Figures 3 and 4, respectively.

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

331

FIG. 3. Woman liked more

FIG. 4. Woman liked less

One respondent did not answer the question of which woman he liked more, and three did not identify which one they liked less.

Slightly more than two-thirds of all respondents indicated that they liked both masks. An almost equal number of respondents chose as their favourite the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian and the woman who inserted English words into her speech. However, more pupils chose the woman who spoke youth language as the one they liked less.

The teenagers offered various explanations for which woman they liked more. Tables 2 and 3 show the grounds (character traits, linguistic expression, the recipe, and so on) on which the pupils chose the woman they liked most and the woman they liked least, and how many of them gave each explanation.

TABLE 2. Pupils’ explanations for preferring one woman

Lithuanian mask

English mask

Character traits

15

17

Linguistic expression

1

3

Recipe

4

1

Other

1

3

Did not explain

1

332

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

TABLE 3. Students’ explanations for disliking one of the women more

Lithuanian mask

English mask

Character traits

2

2

Linguistic expression

4

Recipe

1

Did not explain

1

Students who chose the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian as the one they liked less said that she was unlikable and inexpressive. Those who chose the woman who inserted English words into her speech as the one they liked less explained their choice by saying that she was artificial and unlikable. Some respondents also disliked this woman’s language because she used too many English words. In their view, this style of speaking is inappropriate for an adult. One respondent, however, described the woman who spoke youth language as likable and friendly, while also noting that she used too many English words. The study results show that the negative assessment of the woman hiding behind an English mask was driven more by her language itself than by her character traits. However, as already mentioned, only a small proportion of respondents assessed the women in the study negatively. Most identified these women as the ones they liked more, attributed positive character traits to them, and some also liked the women’s linguistic expression (see Fig. 5).

It should be emphasized that the positive character traits attributed to the women in the study differ. The woman who spoke purely Lithuanian was judged to be likable and eloquent. One respondent noted that he liked this woman because she did not use foreign words in her speech.

According to respondents, the woman who inserted English words into her speech is youthful, friendly, modern, interesting, and energetic—in other words, very active. Several respondents also evaluated her speech positively: she speaks differently from others, her slang is just like theirs, and she would easily find common ground with young people.

The responses reveal a fairly clear tendency. Those young people who prefer a typical adult choose the woman whose speech matches that of a typical adult, while those who prefer an energetic and modern adult choose the woman who speaks in a youthful way.

But which woman, according to the experiment participants, is better suited to host a television cooking show, and which linguistic expression is most suitable for television?

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

333

FIG. 5. Positive evaluation of the study’s masks

3.8. A suitable and unsuitable television presenter

Respondents’ answers to the questions about which woman would be suitable or unsuitable as a television presenter are shown graphically in Figures 6 and 7, respectively. One respondent did not answer the question of which woman would be more suitable to host a programme, while two students did not indicate which woman would be less suitable for working in television.

Almost half of the respondents identified the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian as the best television presenter. Moreover, none of the students considered her unsuitable for such a job. Slightly more than one fifth of the respondents identified the woman who had used a few English words as the more suitable television presenter (although some students named this very woman as unsuitable). Thus, the study results clearly show that young people prefer pure Lithuanian in the public sphere, that is, language uncontaminated by elements of other languages.

334

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

FIG. 6. The woman more suitable to be a television presenter

FIG. 7. The woman less suitable to be a television presenter

Students gave various explanations for which woman should work in television. Tables 4 and 5 present what (character traits, linguistic expression, a recipe, etc.) students cited when choosing a presenter, and how many students gave such explanations.

Students who identified the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian as more suitable for working in television justified their choice by saying that she was eloquent, self-confident, pleasant, and interesting. Almost all respondents mentioned her eloquence; in their opinion, such a woman would not be afraid of the camera and would know how to communicate with people. Several respondents noted that people of different ages could watch a programme hosted by this woman. A few young people observed that the woman does not use English words and that this would make her suitable to host a programme.

One fifth of the students would like to see on television the woman hiding behind an English-language mask, because she is eloquent, friendly, interesting, energetic, young, and modern. Respondents also noted that she would be able to attract viewers. A few young people said that television lacked energetic people like this woman. Several were certain that a cooking programme hosted by her would be successful. In one respondent’s opinion, this woman is more suitable to host a cooking programme because people need a presenter who can not only cook but also put on a good show. Interestingly, none of the students who chose this woman paid attention to her speech—which means that English-language insertions are no longer a distinctive feature of speech for them.

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

335

TABLE 4. Students’ explanations for a woman suitable to be a TV presenter

Lithuanian mask

English mask

Character traits

23

12

Linguistic expression

2

TV

4

5

Recipe

2

1

Did not explain

1

TABLE 5. Students’ explanations for a woman unsuitable to be a TV presenter

Lithuanian mask

English mask

Character traits

2

Linguistic expression

4

Other

1

Did not explain

1

About 10 percent of respondents would not want to see on television a woman who inserts English words into her speech. In their opinion, one needs to be more pleasant and natural if one wants to work in television. One respondent wrote that this woman did not even try to “fit the mold” expected of a presenter. Several respondents, mostly girls, identified English words as an obstacle to hosting a program, saying that one cannot speak on television the way one speaks with friends. One respondent noted that a presenter is a public figure and must speak correct Lithuanian.

Thus, based on the research results, it can be assumed that Lithuanian language policy influences Lithuanian students’ attitudes, because when choosing the linguistic variety they consider most appropriate in the public sphere (television), they pay attention to language correctness.

The conclusions are based on a relatively small percentage of the results, but this was due to the specific nature of the mask method used in this study: respondents were not given possible options to choose from, and they indicated what they really thought.

336 KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

3.9. Comparison of the Results of the Lithuanian and Danish Studies

As mentioned, a similar study was also conducted at a school in Copenhagen, Denmark.

About a quarter of the Danish and the same proportion of the Lithuanian respondents, describing the woman concealed behind the English-language mask, noted that she used English words or youth slang. Thus, English in an adult’s speech attracted the attention of both Lithuanian and Danish school students.

A small proportion (about 5 percent) of both Danish and Lithuanian school students reacted negatively to English words from youth speech in an adult’s speech, saying that it was inappropriate for a forty-year-old woman to speak that way. This group of respondents described English in an adult’s speech as an unsuccessful attempt to be young. In their eyes, such a person is not youthful; on the contrary, she is more like a clown.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that a larger proportion of both Danish and Lithuanian school students viewed English in an adult’s speech positively. According to the young people, such an adult has a modern lifestyle—that is, they are a modern, ambitious person who spends their leisure time in interesting ways and has no children.

Comparing Lithuanian school students’ attitudes toward an adult who speaks with or without English insertions with the corresponding Danish attitudes, it was observed that Lithuanians evaluate an adult speaking with English insertions more positively. Lithuanian school students described a woman who did not insert English words as a sweet mother, while, in their view, a woman who used youth speech with English insertions is modern, energetic, and youthful. When describing a woman who had spoken with English insertions, Danish young people less often mentioned qualities such as modernity and youthfulness. However, both Danish and Lithuanian school students surmised that a woman who spoke that way spent her leisure time in interesting ways, travelled a lot, had friends, and was interested in fashion. But, unlike the Lithuanians, the Danes described a woman who spoke purely Danish as self-confident, having a good job, having started a family, and having built a career. The difference in Danish school students’ attitudes toward the woman who spoke with English insertions and the one who did not is well illustrated by several respondents’ guesses about what the women concealed behind the masks in the study might look like. Danish high-school students imagined a woman who inserted English words into her speech wearing brightly coloured clothes, and the woman who spoke purely Danish wearing a suit. Danish school students tend to evaluate the women studied according to their imagined social role: the woman who spoke purely Danish was self-confident and well established in society, while the woman who inserted English words into her speech looked like a young person

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

337

trying to find herself. Lithuanian respondents, when evaluating the women, relied more on the criterion of modernity: they thought that the woman who used English words in her speech was younger and more modern than the one who spoke purely Lithuanian. Thus, English seems more prestigious and modern to Lithuanian school students than to Danish school students.

The fact that a person who uses English words in their speech is more modern and youthful to Lithuanian young people than to Danish young people is probably related to the fact that English has become widespread in Lithuania relatively recently. For a long time, Russian held a dominant position, so English is a means of displacing Russian (House 2003: 56⁵; cited in Kristiansen 2005: 159). Adults generally know Russian better than English because they studied Russian at school and, in general, Russian was formerly used for writing and speaking in many places. Thus, in the eyes of Lithuanian young people, an adult who inserts English rather than Russian words into their speech is modern and stands out from other adults.

The attitudes of Lithuanian and Danish school students toward English words in an adult’s speech differ even more when the answers to the question “Which woman is more suitable to host a cooking television show?” are examined. Lithuanians viewed the use of speech with English insertions in the public sphere (on television) more negatively than Danes did. Far fewer Lithuanian respondents chose the woman who spoke that way as the show’s host, although it is worth noting that a third of the school students liked her. Danish young people maintained the same attitude toward English words in adults’ speech both when asked which woman they liked more and which was more suitable to work on television. Some Danish young people thought that a woman who used English words should host the show because she had a sense of humour, was self-confident, and could attract young viewers to their televisions. Indeed, some Danish respondents viewed such a woman’s chances of working on television negatively because she was boring, used slang, and so on. By the way, several Danish respondents noted that not all viewers understand English. The difference between Danish and Lithuanian young people’s attitudes toward Englishisms in the public sphere may have been determined by the different language-policy traditions observed in Denmark and Lithuania. Lithuania has a stricter language policy, so it is not surprising that Lithuanian young people tend to take linguistic correctness into account when evaluating a show host’s speech. Denmark follows a liberal language poli-

⁵ House, J. 2003: English as a lingua franca: A threat to multilingualism? – Journal of Sociolinguistics 7(4), 556–578.

338

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

…litics; therefore, language correctness and purity are discussed less in Denmark than in Lithuania. When evaluating the television presenter, the Danish young people chose what might appeal to the programme’s viewers.

4. CONCLUSIONS

An analysis of Lithuanian school students’ attitudes toward English words from youth language in an adult’s speech shows that, for many young people, such speech by an adult is acceptable, even interesting and modern. Somewhat unexpectedly, only a small proportion of students viewed an adult’s use of youth language negatively and stated that English insertions in the speech of a forty-year-old sound silly and artificial. Several reasons may have determined this result. First, the experimental text used common, one might say neutral, English loanwords from youth language. Perhaps inserting more specific English words characteristic of youth subcultures into an adult’s speech would have produced a somewhat different, more negative result (this is precisely what happened in one Danish study; see Andersen 2004). Second, English words currently give an impression of modernity and novelty in Lithuanian society. It is therefore unsurprising that, in the opinion of most respondents, an adult who uses youth language is youthful, energetic, and modern, has no children, spends their free time interestingly, and has friends abroad. All this is consistent with a modern lifestyle that resembles the lifestyle of young people. As mentioned, several respondents even guessed that a woman who spoke this way would spend considerable time at a computer, and computers and the internet are inseparable from the lifestyle of modern young people.

The students described the woman who spoke purely Lithuanian as a representative of a traditional lifestyle. She is a kind, self-confident, eloquent person who has started a family. The experimental results show that they would also like to see a person who speaks purely Lithuanian as a television presenter. The respondents justified their choice by saying that foreign words should not be used on television. Thus, it can be assumed that Lithuanian language policy influences young people’s implicit linguistic attitudes as well.

A comparison of Danish and Lithuanian school students’ attitudes toward English in an adult’s speech shows that English gives Lithuanian young people a stronger impression of novelty and modernity than it does their Danish peers. In addition, unlike a considerable proportion of Danish respondents, Lithuanian students do not consider the use of English in the public sphere (on television) acceptable.

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

339

LITERATŪRA

Andersen M. H. 2004: Engelsk i dansk: Helt vildt sjovt eller wannabeagtigt og ejendomsmæglerkækt?, København: Dansk sprognævn.

Girčienė J. 2004: Naujujų skolinių ir jų atitikmenų konkurencija sakytinėje vartosenoje. – Skoliniai ir bendrinė lietuvių kalba, Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas, 120–146.

Jørgensen J. N., Quist P. 2008: De unges sprog, København: Hans Reitzel Forlag.

Kotsinas U.-B. 2007: Ungdomsspråk, Uppsala: Hallgren & Fallgren Studieförlag.

Kristiansen T. 2005: The Power of Tradition. A Study of Attitudes towards English in Seven Nordic Communities. – Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 37, Copenhagen: C. A. Reitzels forlag, 155–169.

Kristiansen T. 2006: Nordiske sprogholdninger. En masketest, Oslo: Novus forlag.

Lambert W. E. et al. 1960: Evaluational Reactions to Spoken Languages. – Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 60 (1), 44–51.

Preisler B. 1999: Danskerne og det engelske sprog, Roskilde: Roskilde universitetsforlag.

Rathje M. 2008: Generationssprog i mundtlig interaktion. En sociolingvistisk undersøgelse af generationsspecifikke sproglige og interaktionelle træk i tre generationers talesprog, København: Dansk Sprognævn.

Sharp H. 2001: English in Spoken Swedish. A Corpus Study of Two Discourse Domains, Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell.

Vaicekauskienė L. 2006: Anglų kalbos svetimžodžiai ir socialinis identitetas Lietuvoje. – Darbai ir dienos 46, 65–78.

Vaicekauskienė L. 2010: Globalioji daugiakalbystės perspektyva: anglų kalbos vieta ir vaidmuo Lietuvos miestų erdvėje. – M. Ramonienė (red.), Miestai ir kalbos, Vilnius: Vilniaus universitetas.

Gauta 2010 09 09

YOUNG PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION

OF ENGLISH WORDS IN ADULT LANGUAGE

Summary

Contemporary society is based on youth cult. We want to be young, modern and efficient. One of the ways to look modern and young is to speak youth language. Youth language differs from adult language. One of the differences arises from

340

KALBOS KULTŪRA | 83

the inclusion of English words, or to be more precise, the use of certain English words, like nice, sorry, fuck etc. As evidenced by the results of a few surveys, adolescents are fully aware of typical features of youth language and they use such language only when speaking with other adolescents. But how will they react when they hear an adult use in his/her speech certain English words that clearly belong to youth language? Moreover, will adolescents tolerate the use of such English words in public, for instance, on TV?

The article presents an experiment known as The Matched Guise Technique, which was carried out in a secondary school in Vilnius. 55 pupils were asked to listen to recorded speech of five women and then describe the speakers. All the women indicated their age, so the respondents were aware of the speakers’ age. What pupils did not know was that one woman talked twice: the first time she talked plain Lithuanian (the Lithuanian guise), the other time she used three English words, namely, OK, sorry and nice (the English guise). The aim of the experiment was to investigate the pupils’ evaluation of the woman in the two different guises. The pupils were also asked to indicate the best and worst speakers and evaluate how the women would function as TV hostesses.

The results of the experiment showed that only a minority of the respondents reacted negatively to the use of English words in the adult speech. They described the speech of the woman in the English guise as contrived and unnatural and noted that the language she used did not become a 40-year-old woman.

However, the majority of the adolescents reacted positively to the use of youth English in the adult speech. The pupils described the women in the English guise as modern, efficient and young. They also hypothesized that such adults had many foreign friends and spent much time at the computer. The adolescents’ attitudes to English words in the adult speech show that they relate the use of such language to the modern lifestyle which resembles the young people’s lifestyle. Interestingly enough, the woman in the Lithuanian guise was described as a lovely and self-assured mother who represented the traditional life style.

As regards the question about which of the speakers they liked most, similar numbers of the pupils chose the woman in the English and in the Lithuanian guises. But when asked about the best TV hostess, the pupils gave preference to the woman in the Lithuanian guise reasoning that the use of English is not appropriate in public contexts. Obviously, the official Lithuanian language policy has an impact on the adolescents’ language attitudes.

AURELIJA ČEKUOLYTĖ

Lietuvių kalbos institutas

P. Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius

[email protected]

A. ČEKUOLYTĖ. Jaunimo požiūris į angliškus žodžius suaugusiųjų kalboje

341