A comparison of Hawaiian Creole and standard American English speakers by listeners familiar and unfamiliar with Hawaiian Creole

Abstract

This study examined whether listeners unfamiliar with Hawaiian Creole (HCU) judge a Hawaiian Creole (HC) speaker and a Standard American English (SAE) speaker differently than listeners familiar with HC (HCF). Ninety-nine listeners evaluated equivalent telephone conversations presented in counterbalanced order. Evaluations were made of the speakers' status, character traits, and the speaking context. Between-group comparisons showed the HCU group ranked the SAE speaker higher on more variables than the HCF group, although both groups surprisingly ranked the HC speaker lower in intelligence and education than the SAE speaker. Within the HCF group, listeners reported no difference in dependability, but the HCU group ranked the HC speaker lower than the SAE speaker. All listeners felt the HC speaker was more likely talking to a peer and socializing than the SAE speaker.