In‐Group/Out‐Group Dynamics, Contrast, and the Listening Subject in Sociolinguistic Perception

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research in linguistic perception has shown that social knowledge shapes how speech is processed, with listeners’ social biases influencing their interpretation of the speech signal. Such findings are inherently in step with the concept of listening practices in linguistic anthropology. Miyako Inoue's foundational work on the “listening subject” highlights how meaning emerges through listeners’ ideological positions, demonstrated through an analysis of Japanese schoolgirl speech. I argue that sociolinguistic perception work has much to be gained from integrating a listening subject framework, foregrounding the social conditions enabling perception and emphasizing interpretive agency. In this commentary, I focus on how the listening subject is constituted through contrast with the object of speech perception and explore how this dynamic intersects with ongoing work on in‐group/out‐group identity and the role of experience in shaping sociolinguistic perception, specifically drawing on my research on US regional dialect perception. Finally, I discuss how experimental sociolinguistics and public engagement efforts might be enhanced by critically examining the listening subject positions of research participants.

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