Re: John Gumperz died (29-3-2013)

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.