Sociolinguistic proximity in animal-directed speech

Abstract

This article explores how sociolinguistic proximity i.e. different varieties of socially close relationships enacted through speech interaction, is formed with animals in Ibagué, Colombia. It is common to hear that people speak with pets using ‘baby-talk’ or as friends. However, there are a range of registers/stances available to construct different social relationships through speech. Data regarding talk with pets and non-pet domestic animals from a self-report survey with a sample of 500 in the regional Colombian city of Ibagué was analysed using an experimental scale of sociolinguistic proximity devised by the authors. The results show that a variety of different relationships are created in speech with both pets and non-pets and that these relationships range from socially close to distant. Factors such as gender, education and owning a pet all affect the sociolinguistic proximity enacted through linguistic interaction with animals, with gender being the most influential of the variables.

Keywords

• animal-directed speech
• pet talk
• sociolinguistic proximity
• human-animal relationships