How are we alike? Language and ethnicity as determinants of similarity in three ethnic groups

• Published in: Psichologija 2007-01, Vol.36, p.7-21
• Main Authors: Norvilas, Algis, Valskytė-Janušaitienė, Ieva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1392-0359; 2345-0061
• DOI: 10.15388/Psichol.2007.0.2713

This study asked the question: what role do language and ethnic-cultural background play in perception of similarity amongst members of three ethnic groups: Lithuanians, Russians, and Poles in Vilnius, Lithuania. Based on the results of the classic studies of Taylor et al. (1973) and Giles et al. (1976) it was predicted that language would have a powerful consolidating effect on each respective ethnic group, but especially the two minority groups: Russians and Poles. Ethnic-cultural background would also draw people closer together, but less visibly so. It was also expected that the two factors would show interaction. Forty Lithuanian students from Vilnius University and 25 of each Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish students from Vilnius area high-schools participated in the study. The groups were about evenly divided in terms of gender. The study utilized the methodological technique of multidimensional scaling (MDS). The participants were first presented with labels (descriptions) of people living in Lithuania. The labels incorporated reference to one of three ethnic groups (Lithuanians, Russians, and Poles) and one of three spoken languages (Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish). Crossing the three ethnic descriptions with the three languages produced nine labels (e.g., A Pole living in Lithuania who speaks Russian, A Lithuanian living in Lithuania who speaks Polish, etc.), to which the label MYSELF, a reference to one’s own person, was added to serve as an anchor point in relation to the other labels. All told, then, the participants were exposed to ten labels. After viewing the labels, the participants were given a booklet in which the ten labels were presented as pairs in all possible combinations (e.g., A Lithuanian living in Lithuania who speaks Lithuanian: A Russian living in Lithuania who speaks Lithuanian, etc.). This time they were asked to leaf through the booklet and to evaluate each of the paired labels for their degree of similarity by circling the appropriate value on a nine-point rating scale. The value of one signified that the paired labels were “very different”, and nine that they were “very similar”. The results were analyzed by first computing the mean similarity values for each of the paired label combinations. The resulting matrix of mean values was then subjected to an MDS analysis. In the case of Lithuanian participants, it is clear that language exerts a potent effect on drawing people closer together. Not only did the participants see