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From: Athel Cornish-Bowden <me@yahoo.com>
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: John Gumperz died (29-3-2013)
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2024 19:06:50 +0200
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On 2024-04-01 01:53:04 +0000, Ross Clark said:

> On 31/03/2024 5:20 a.m., Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
>> On 2024-03-30 09:17:30 +0000, Ross Clark said:
>> 
>>> Born Germany, 1922. Jewish. Left Germany 1930s, eventually reached the 
>>> USA. Here his interests swung from chemistry to linguistics.
>>> PhD, University of Michigan, 1954. Thesis on the dialect of a 
>>> Swabian-German community in Michigan.
>>> At University of California, Berkeley, from 1956.
>>> What exactly was his field?
>>> Sociolinguistics? (Crystal), but quite a different tradition from the 
>>> Labovian variationists
>>> specifically, Interactional Sociolinguistics? (Crystal)
>>> Ethnography of Communication? (Crystal)...he was a close associate of 
>>> Dell Hymes.
>>> I haven't read much of Gumperz.
>>> 
>>> Crystal mentions a "famous example", a case arising at Heathrow Airport.
>>> Fortunately I don't have to retell it since it's here,
>> 
>> Only to subscribers.
> 
> Yes, sorry. Somehow I was afforded a glimpse of it.
> 
> Here's Crystal's version:
> 
> ...Gumperz went to Heathrow Airport to investigate a culture clash 
> between newly hired cafeteria staff from India and Pakistan and the 
> baggage handlers who were eating there. The handlers said the new staff 
> were being rude, while the cafe people felt the handlers were being 
> discriminatory, as no complaint was being made against the older 
> British cafe staff. Both sides were puzzled by the situation and wanted 
> it resolved.
> 
> Gumperz recorded the conversations, and found a tiny but profound 
> difference between the way the two groups of cafe staff spoke to 
> customers. The word _gravy_ was the prime example. When offering it to 
> customers, the British staff said it with a high rising intonation, as 
> would be normal for their accent -- Gravy? The new staff used a falling 
> intonation -- Gravy! It was the contrast between 'Are you asking me or 
> telling me?' To British ears, the latter would sound like 'This is 
> gravy,' and was being interpreted as a rude 'Take it or leave it!', 
> when the intention was only to be polite.

Thanks.

-- 
Athel cb