Accent and dialect

Question 1

Accent

Answer 1

The phonology ( the way it sounds )

Question 2

Dialect

Answer 2

The lexis, phrases and grammar used by people

Question 3

Received pronunciation

Answer 3

• The accent with the highest prestige and therefore more socially accepted.
• Doesnt reveal nationality of speakers.
• Typically associated with south east because of connections to the government and business but today can be found anywhere in the county.
• Most widely understood accent

Question 4

Standard English

Answer 4

• Associated with mainstream usage.

- Considered the norm.

Question 5

Non-standard English

Answer 5

• Less mainstream than standard and not considered the ‘norm’

Question 6

Prescriptivism

Answer 6

• There’s only one accent that’s correct and the rest are wrong.
• Will say that Received pronunciation is the correct accent to use.

Question 7

Descriptivism

Answer 7

• All accents are acceptable.

- No accents are better than others.

Question 8

Overt prestige

Answer 8

• Generally socially acknowledged as ‘correct’.
• Therefore valued highly among all speakers of the language.
• I’m guessing RP.

Question 9

Covert prestige

Answer 9

• non standard varieties of English.

- Not accepted in all social groups e.g. youth language.

Question 10

Convergence

Answer 10

• When people shift their speech pattern to more resemble their audience.

Question 11

Upwards convergence

Answer 11

• Speak more formally in social circumstances e.g. a job interview shifting the RP

Question 12

Downwards convergence

Answer 12

• Speaking like the person your talking too. e.g. moving to uni in brum and using a brum accent.

Question 13

Rhoticity

Answer 13

• Historical rhotic r in all contexts by speakers.

Question 14

Divergence

Answer 14

• Trying not to sound like the person you are talking too.
• Emphasis you own accent
• Showing disapproval.

Question 15

Glottal stop

Answer 15

• Some sounds are difficult to say as our voices are restricted.
• Some words can be hard to say like butter or water.

Question 16

Multiethnicity

Answer 16

• 2 languages forming into one

Question 17

Diphthong

Answer 17

• Two vowel sounds occurring in the same syllable

Question 18

Dialect levelling

Answer 18

• Process of a person or groups language becoming similar to one another.
• This will result in the reduction of variation between dialects of the same language where speakers of these dialects being brought together.

Question 19

Language attrition

Answer 19

• the process of losing a native or first language.
• Gradual over time
• Suddenly someone dies, only person speaking that language.

Question 20

Restricted code

Answer 20

• Highlights speech patterns used by the working class

- Used language to bring unity between people

Question 21

Elaborated code

Answer 21

• Middle and upper classes use this speech style to gain access to education and career advancement.

Question 22

‘T’ Fronting

Answer 22

• When someone doesnt pronouce the ‘th’ and replace it with a ‘v’ and ‘f’ as its easier to say.

Question 23

Estuary English

Answer 23

• English spoken with the accent of the south east of England.

Question 24

Watson

Answer 24

• Compared 1970 recordings of young people with modern day speech patterns.
• certain features of pronunciation are happening more in every accent.
• For example ‘baff’ instead of ‘bath’

Question 25

Multicultural London English

Answer 25

• sociolect of the English language.

- Predominantly spoken by young, working class. Normally in multicultural neighbourhoods like London.

Question 26

What did Giles (1970) Accommodation theory

Answer 26

• 3 diiferent accents using these 3 main parameters:
• Status - Testing how powerful and important the speaker appeared to be.
• Personality - testing what traits of character came across.
• Persuasiveness - testing how believable the person seemed.

Ranking order of results:

1. RP
2. National accents
3. Regional rural accents
4. Regional urban accent
   - However regional speaker are more trusted and warm hearted and honest.

Question 27

Double Negation

Answer 27

known as bad English in regional bad English. You can also find some double negatives in standard English as well as non standard.

Question 28

Labov Vineyard Study

Answer 28

• Labov investigated the au and ai vowel sounds in words like mouse and mice. In linguistic terms is called a diphthong.
• Martha’s vineyard, small island off north east coast of America.
• Population of 5,800 however on summer holiday up to 60k Americans would come.
• Labov found that the pronouciation of certain vowel sounds were changing from the standard American pronounciations and noted that locals pronouced these dipthongs were a more central point like eu and ei.
• They were rejecting the norm of mainland americans that they brought over.