At the same time as a "minority group reaction" may exist, there is also the bonding or solidarity function to be reckoned with (Ryan et al., 1982). That is, one migJ:it ask why group members would retain a non-prestigious speech style if they accepted the more general social verdict as to its low prestige? There are several points to be made here. First, and most simply, members of certain visible minorities may find no advantage in changing speech styles; their disadvantage will not thereby disappear. Second, as Ryan (1981, p. 8) has pointed out: