Date of Defense

4-22-2016

Date of Graduation

4-2016

Department

Speech Pathology and Audiology

First Advisor

Yvette Hyter

Second Advisor

Sarah Summy

Third Advisor

Kristina Wirtz

Abstract

Awareness and mastery of a country’s cultural norms provides a person with access to public services, ceremonies, traditions and an unlimited number of other dimensions that would be otherwise unavailable. This study looks specifically at linguistic culture, which is the entirety of views, attitudes, assumptions and other ideas people acquire about language (Schiffman, 2012). Although the linguistic climate in the U.S Midwest is different than that in Senegal, one cannot fully understand either culture without knowledge of the linguistic culture in both country contexts. This study examines the linguistic cultures in both country contexts and uses ethnomethodology to examine the beliefs, experiences, and perceptions people in these regions have about language. A review of the literature and ethnographic interviews were used to answer the following research questions.

R1: How does the process of globalization impact the beliefs about language held by people from varying generations?

R2: Are these beliefs related to a person’s perceived access to public services?

After a review of the literature and analysis of statements made by participants, it can be determined that there are differences in how one generation perceives the linguistic culture of another. Additionally, there are differences in how those from the United States view linguistic culture as compared to the views held by those from Senegal. A cause of these differences is an uneven distribution of wealth due to of the process of globalization. This study examines these findings and discusses how intergenerational views are linked to perceived access to public services.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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