Testing variables of linguistic prestige in sociolinguistic questionnaires

This paper outlines a questionnaire to investigate the influence of sociolinguistic descriptions on language attitudes and prestige.It follows a design commonly employed in customer choice and market research: A (semi-)fictitious entity is presented to different respondents with a range of descriptors or values to test the effect of particular variables of interest.Respondents are then asked to rank or share their perception of the entity's different attributes.This design can be transferred to sociolinguistic descriptions regarding speaker numbers, degree of urbanity, institutional support, or historical importance.The goal is to learn more about sociolinguistic factors that influence language attitudes and to be able to quantify their effects.This knowledge can be used by activists and stakeholders when discussing language vitality.