Speech Stereotypes in French Newfoundland: An Investigation of Language Attitudes on the Port-au-Port Peninsula

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation, of French Newfoundlanders' attitudes towards local French and its perceived role in everyday life. A modified version of Lambert's "matched guise" technique was employed with four subject groups, who rated taped speakers on a variety of personality traits. Four dialect types were presented for evaluation: European French, Quebec French, Port-au-Port French and Standard Canadian English. Subjects also responded to a number of direct questions relating to the value of the local French dialect. The results reveal a downgrading of local French by comparison to external French dialects - whether European or Québécois - and in particular by comparison to Canadian English.¹