This paper describes some of the difficulties involved in conducting language evaluation tests in Edinburgh and reports some results of a pilot study. Samples of speech were obtained from six different speakers, each one reading a text and speaking casually. These were presented to 10 subjects using Lambert's matched-guise technique. Subjects were asked to evaluate the speakers in terms of paired characteristics on a semantic differential scale. As in other evaluation experiments, the responses to linguistic behavior appeared to be mediated through the reaction to social groups. In this case, two dimensions of evaluation were highly salient: perceived identity of the speaker and the way in which the speech style of the speaker was evaluated in two different contexts.
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