The Austrians were surprised that I didn’t speak German”: The role of language in Czech-Austrian relations

0382401 - PSÚ 2013 RIV SK eng J - Journal Article
Petrjánošová, Magda - Graf, Sylvie
The Austrians were surprised that I didn’t speak German”: The role of language in Czech-Austrian relations.
Human Affairs. Roč. 22, č. 4 (2012), s. 539-557. ISSN 1210-3055
R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP407/10/2394
Institutional support: RVO:68081740
Keywords : content analysis * critical discursive analysis * intergroup contact * intergroup attitudes * communication * language
Subject RIV: AN - Psychology

Respondents from Austria (N = 146) and the Czech Republic (N = 165) noted down their experiences with people from their neighbouring country and their attitudes to their own country and the neighbouring nation on feeling thermometers. The quantitative content analysis and qualitative critical discourse-inspired analysis of the open statements focused on the role of language in the construction of Czech-Austrian relations. Using qualitative analysis we enquired as to which themes were intertwined with the topic of language, and as to the ways in which the participants perceived themselves, the Others, behind the border, and the relations between the two sides. Using statistical analysis we tested the link between language-related topics in the descriptions of intergroup contact and the evaluation of the neighbouring nation as a whole. Throughout the article we compare the findings obtained by the two kinds of analysis and comment on (dis)agreement and (dis)advantages of both approaches.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0212629