What do people actually think? on scale measuring and personal narratives in attitude studies

Abstract

Based on experiences from a study of language attitudes within the framework of the research project Modern Import-Words in the Languages of the Nordic Countries (the MIN project), this paper deals with advantages and disadvantages of closed-ended and open-ended research methods. Two different sets of data are discussed: questionnaire responses and personal narratives excerpted from a free speech material. The questionnaire responses, marked on Likert scales, makes comparisons between studies from different Nordic countries relatively easy, but the Swedish study shows that the Likert scales and the pre-formulated responses pose problems to quite a few of the informants. Data collection also included a less structured discussion and yielded personal narratives from some informants. Those narratives show how informants reason about language issues when they are free to choose topic and wording, and thus contribute valuable data. To conclude, the paper suggests a bigger emphasis on free spoken material in attitude studies.