Book Description

"There are many subtle and not so subtle cues that allow people to make decisions about who a person is, but nothing is as common or as telling as someone's speech. Linguistic Planets of Belief presents a way for people to notice, examine, and question the role language plays in identifying, recognizing, and understanding those around them. Introducing the metaphor of 'Planets of Belief' as a framework for understanding both the connections of language and identity and the reasons we hold these perceptions so dear, this book looks into why we make up our minds about who people are and what they are like, even if they have only spoken a few words to you, and how is it that language can dictate what we think of others as a whole. By taking a large survey of linguistic research in the field of perceptual dialectology and assessing hundreds of accounts of people and their speech from hundreds of respondents and using maps at the state, regional, and national level in the US, this book exposes these planets of belief. In doing so, it presents a way for readers to critically assess these assumptions and empowers readers to shift the way they think about language and understand why they stereotype others based on speech. The analysis of such a large data set reveals patterns in nonlinguistic perceptions, and to present these complex cognitive processes within the framework of Planets of Belief. Equipped with so much data, Linguistic Planets of Belief explains the patterns that labels from perceptual maps show us and reveal this complex cognitive process and present it to expert and novice audiences alike. Linguistic Planets of Belief will make you consciously aware of the interaction between language use, perceptions, and stereotypes"--