Attitudes To Language Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

"Attitudes to Language" examines how listeners evaluate speakers based on their accent, dialect, and language variety rather than on the content of what they say. The passage draws on studies by linguist Howard Giles, including the matched-guise technique, to show that these judgements often reflect social stereotypes rather than the features of language itself. It comes from Cambridge IELTS 9, Academic Test 4, Passage 1.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on the passage below.

The passage contains two question types: True/False/Not Given (Questions 1–6) and Matching Sentence Endings (Questions 7–13).

Paragraph A 

What we notice when people talk, apart from the actual words they use, is that some people speak quickly and some slowly, some speak loudly and some quietly, some speak with a distinct local accent and others with what is considered a more 'standard' accent. We are very good at tuning into these non-content features of what we hear, and we respond to them. We form impressions of speakers about their personality, their regional background, their social class, and their education level on the basis of these features. Sometimes these judgements are accurate; sometimes they are not.

Paragraph B 

Since the 1960s, linguists and social psychologists have investigated these effects experimentally. In studies using the matched-guise technique, for example, bilingual speakers are recorded speaking the same passage in two different languages. The recordings are then played to groups of listeners, who are asked to evaluate the speakers on a range of personality characteristics. The results are consistent and predictable: listeners consistently give higher ratings to the same speaker using the 'prestige' language or dialect. This technique has been widely used to document the influence of language on social perception.

Paragraph C 

According to linguist Howard Giles, listeners assign attributes to a speaker based on what they hear, and these attributes reflect the social stereotype associated with the perceived language group. This finding has important implications for how people are treated in real-world situations. It suggests that, in many societies, speakers of a non-standard accent may be systematically underestimated. Giles argued that listeners' evaluations often say less about the actual speakers than about the listeners' own preconceptions.

Paragraph D 

One of the most striking findings in this area is the difference between how a speaker is evaluated on 'solidarity' dimensions, such as friendliness and trustworthiness, versus 'status' dimensions, such as intelligence and competence. Speakers of regional or non-standard dialects tend to score higher on solidarity dimensions, while speakers of prestige dialects score higher on status dimensions. These evaluations are not necessarily linked to any real differences between the speakers; they reflect the values placed on those varieties by the wider society.

Paragraph E 

These responses are not innate; they are learned. Children as young as five years old begin to show awareness of social differences associated with different language varieties, but it is not until early adolescence that their evaluations start to resemble those of adults. This suggests that attitudes to language are shaped by exposure to the values and norms of one's community. The process is gradual rather than sudden, and it tracks the wider process of social development in young people.

Paragraph F 

Importantly, these attitudes can change over time. Giles' work demonstrated that attitudes towards a language variety shift when the social circumstances of the group that uses it change. A dialect or accent that was once stigmatised can gain prestige if the group using it gains social power or visibility. This means that language attitudes are not fixed but are responsive to broader changes in society. Linguists argue, therefore, that attitudes to language varieties are best understood as reflections of social attitudes rather than assessments of any intrinsic quality of the language itself.

True/False/Not Given (Questions 1–6)

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write: TRUE if the statement agrees with the information, FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage

1. People judge other speakers on the basis of non-content features of their speech.

2. The matched-guise technique was first used in Canada.

3. The matched-guise technique uses speakers who speak only one language.

4. Howard Giles believed that listeners' evaluations of speakers tell us about the listeners as much as about the speakers.

5. Children under the age of five show no awareness of language varieties.

6. Speakers of regional dialects consistently score lower than prestige dialect speakers on solidarity dimensions.

Matching Sentence Endings (Questions 7–13)

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–G, from the box below.

Sentence stems:

7. Attitudes towards a particular language variety …

8. In matched-guise experiments, the same speaker …

9. Giles argued that listeners' judgements about a speaker …

10. Speakers of regional dialects tend to receive higher ratings than prestige dialect speakers …

11. Language attitudes in children …

12. By early adolescence, children's evaluations of language varieties …

13. When the social standing of a language group changes, …

Endings:

A. often reflect the preconceptions of the listener rather than the speaker's true qualities.

B. are not present from birth but develop through experience.

C. receives different ratings depending on the language used.

D. the status of the dialect or accent associated with that group can also change.

E. start to resemble those of adults.

F. can shift when the circumstances of the group using that variety change.

G. on dimensions such as friendliness and trustworthiness.