Linguistic racism in inter-culture service encounter

Abstract

Purpose Language plays an important role in a successful service exchange, but it can become a source of discrimination if one party is a non-native speaker in the host country. This study aims to examine the linguistic racism that non-native customers experience in Inter Culture Service Encounters (ICSEs) and delves into factors that contribute to the underlying psychological responses and the behavioral outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A phenomenological approach was used where 16 individuals were interviewed to discover themes through non-native customers' lens using an inductive process. Next, the emerged categories were classified based on extant literature, using a deductive approach. Findings The findings highlight the role of language varieties as a strong social identity cue for non-native customers where the associated stigma makes them see ICSE as a stereotype threat. Most importantly, these experiences shape their future behavior by avoiding direct interactions with the servers and adopting other service channels. Several “social others” influence this process. Originality/value This study explores the notion of linguistic racism in an ICSE from a non-native consumers’ lens and thus adds to this under-researched literature. Using a phenomenological approach, the authors propose a framework focusing on the perception of language-related stigma and discrimination experienced by non-native consumers’ along with possible behavioral responses.

Social media influencer (SMI) as a human brand – a need fulfillment perspective

“…To escape, people may also turn to close others (Thapa et al , 2022). Research indicates that seeking social support helps individuals more effectively with long-term health benefits and psychological well-being (Gurung et al , 1997; Malik and Paswan, 2022; Pierce et al , 1996). Escapism or the self-selected detachment from one's immediate world through the consumption of social media resources (Dolan et al , 2016; Eisenbeiss et al , 2012; Whiting and Williams, 2013) such as text messaging (Grellhesl and Punyanunt-Carter, 2012), gaming (Billieux et al , 2015; Kuss and Griffiths, 2012), storytelling (Lund et al , 2018), gambling (Griffiths et al , 2010) and celebrity following (Maltby et al , 2001; McCutcheon et al , 2002; Reeves et al , 2012) has long been a popular topic in consumer research.…”

Language-related stereotype threat, customers’ well-being and its outcome

“…The negative psychological responses experience by nonnative customers would encourage them to avoid direct interaction with the service provider and, if possible, choose technology-mediated channels, i.e. smart services (Malik and Paswan, 2022). There is evidence that individuals who attribute communication difficulties to the stereotypes attached to their language varieties are more likely to avoid direct conversations in the future (Derwing, 2003).…”

“…One dimension that reflects such an assessment is one’s sense of social integration, which is based on the evaluation of the quality of their relationships, depicting the extent of commonness, and the feeling of belonging to the society (Feng et al , 2019; Keyes, 1998). Moreover, sociolinguistic literature also indicates that vulnerability among non-native speakers may arise due to the stigma attached to their limited language proficiency, eventually affecting their well-being (Jang and Kim, 2019; Jayasundara et al , 2020; Malik and Paswan, 2022). These studies have identified two psychological outcomes of the perceived stigma attached to their language variation – intergroup anxiety (Osborne, 2001; Stephan, 2014) and lack of social belongingness (Chaffee et al , 2020; Gluszek and Dovidio, 2010a, 2010b; Richman and Leary, 2009; Walton and Cohen, 2007).…”

“…Recently, Malik and Paswan (2022) suggested that discrimination based on one’s language variety is not limited to some of the more evident forms, e.g. access to better schooling, hiring, promotion, housing status, medical treatment and health services (Derwing, 2003; Lamberton, 2002; Link et al , 2008; Wated and Sanchez, 2006).…”

“…It is not difficult to see that non-native consumers would feel awkward and unwanted if they sense that they are not understood by the server or if they do not understand the server. Such interactions are turned into a non-enjoyable experience due to a language-related stereotype threat (Malik and Paswan, 2022). This may not only reduce the hedonic benefit but also reduce the utilitarian benefit due to a suboptimal order.…”