The economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour markets

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorBurns, Justineen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorYagman, Eceen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-05-28T12:25:41Z
dc.date.available2015-05-28T12:25:41Z
dc.date.issued2014en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis thesis examines the role that English language, and accent in particular, might play in strategic interactions characterized by asymmetric information. The experiment in this study - named the Trust Game - is designed to reveal the degree of trust and trustworthiness individuals display towards each other when the only information they receive is the race and linguistic background of their partners. The results indicate that a mother tongue English accent matters in a positive way, both for trust and trustworthiness, and especially for Black participants. The second part of the thesis brings together third party evaluations to unpack the reasons why speaking English might be such a powerful asset to have. Here, the results provide evidence in support of the positive correlation between assessed trustworthiness and assessed positive attributes, especially for Black subjects who speak English with a mother tongue English accent. Overall, the empirical evidence suggests that speaking with a mother tongue English accent matters in strategic interactions and it operates through a strong link with positive connotations. Considering the historical and political background of South Africa and the powerful role that language played in colonialism and apartheid, its role in labour market outcomes is an important policy consideration. This is especially true since the post-1994 constitutional settlement envisages a multilingual setting for the citizens of South Africa.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationYagman, E. (2014). <i>The economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour markets</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13011en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationYagman, Ece. <i>"The economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour markets."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13011en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationYagman, E. 2014. The economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour markets. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Yagman, Ece AB - This thesis examines the role that English language, and accent in particular, might play in strategic interactions characterized by asymmetric information. The experiment in this study - named the Trust Game - is designed to reveal the degree of trust and trustworthiness individuals display towards each other when the only information they receive is the race and linguistic background of their partners. The results indicate that a mother tongue English accent matters in a positive way, both for trust and trustworthiness, and especially for Black participants. The second part of the thesis brings together third party evaluations to unpack the reasons why speaking English might be such a powerful asset to have. Here, the results provide evidence in support of the positive correlation between assessed trustworthiness and assessed positive attributes, especially for Black subjects who speak English with a mother tongue English accent. Overall, the empirical evidence suggests that speaking with a mother tongue English accent matters in strategic interactions and it operates through a strong link with positive connotations. Considering the historical and political background of South Africa and the powerful role that language played in colonialism and apartheid, its role in labour market outcomes is an important policy consideration. This is especially true since the post-1994 constitutional settlement envisages a multilingual setting for the citizens of South Africa. DA - 2014 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2014 T1 - The economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour markets TI - The economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour markets UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13011 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/13011
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationYagman E. The economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour markets. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2014 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13011en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Economicsen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Commerceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherEconomicsen_ZA
dc.titleThe economics of language: accents, trust and social exchange in labour marketsen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMComen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_com_2014_yagman_e.pdf
Size:
2.32 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters