Factors affecting the salience of social group membership
Although a person's membership groups are part of his_ or her social identity
and can be remarkably potent (even by seven years of age; Vaughan, 1978),
they will not all be equally salient at any one time. It is only when groups with
distinctive linguistic characteristics (often ethnic and social class collectivities)
are salient that we would expect accentuation or attenuation of ingroup
speech markers as inter-group strategies. Four variables may be suggested
as relevant in this regard: perceived ethnolinguistic vitality, perceived group
boundaries, multiple group membership and social attributions {cf. Ball et
al., in press; Giles and Johnson, 1981). Each of these can be briefly dealt
with here.