AN INVESTIGATION OF THE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE OF TEENAGE BOYS IN A NORTHERN URBAN WARREN

BAILEY BELL BAKER, Purdue University

Abstract

Poor school performance and subsequent failure in the marketplace among black youths have been, in recent years, attributed to inadequate language skills (or black talk). Therefore, various programs have been proffered to enrich the language behaviors of these youths--that is, to teach them standard English. These programs have had minimal success. This study, too, was concerned with the alleged inadequate language skills of black youths. The focus of this study was the communicative competence of a group of warrenized teenage boys. Communicative competence was defined as those communication abilities necessary to function as a member of a given speech community. Black talk was therefore seen in terms of communicative competence. This allowed black talk to be studied both as communication behavior and as cultural behavior. (Black talk was seen as an instrument of adaptation.) A basic assumption of this study was that an understanding of black communicative competence is necessary for assessing specific language skills. Sixty teenage boys served as participants. Each participant was interviewed in one of five communication situations. The High Potency Background (HPB) situation was designed to elicit samples of talk in an informal, low-pressure climate. Cultural factors provided the topic in this situation. The High Potency Immediate (HPI) situations were designed to elicit speech samples in a more formal, high-pressure climate. Jobs and school were the primary topics discussed. The Overlapping Communication Situations (OCS) were also designed to elicit speech samples in a formal, high-pressure climate. However, conflict was added. Participants were told (in the cover story) that they would discuss the relevance of a high school education to employment opportunities, but were forced to discuss cultural issues. In both the HPI and OCS situations participants were interviewed alone; others were interviewed in groups of two or three. A white confederate was used in the OCS situation. Four variables were measured in each situation: consonant clusters, voiceless interdental fricative /O/, post-vocalic /r/, and third person singular present tense /s/. These variables were measured in free discourse (spontaneous talking) and reading styles. Four research questions were asked: (1) What is the language behavior of black youths in specific communication situations? (This question sought whether the situations would have a systematic or patterned influence on language behavior.) (2) By what criteria do black youths distinguish among varying communication situations? (3) What are the evaluative reactions of black youths to language behavior in specific communication situations? and, (4) To what extent do black youths identify particular language behavior as appropriate for specific communication situations? Findings indicated that the five situations had a consistent and patterned influence on language; pressure and clarity were primary reasons used for distinguishing the situations; participants were able to evaluate language behavior as appropriate for specific situations; and, participants did identify specific variants as appropriate or inappropriate. These findings suggested that black youths seem to resist becoming proficient with standard English. Further analyses were made using a cultural framework which posited cultural interference as the basis for resistance. Reasons and recommendations were given for surmounting cultural interference. A model of black communicative competence was also proposed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Communication

COinS