accent and dialect

Question 1

who says: “one of the fundamental ways we have of establishing our identity, and of shaping others views of who we are, is through our use of language”

Answer 1

Joanna Thornborrow (2004)

Question 2

idiolect

Answer 2

the speech habits peculiar to a particular person
- the unique combination of words, expressions and constructions that an individual habitually uses.

Question 3

sociolinguistics

Answer 3

the study of the relation between language and society
(a branch of both linguistics and sociology)

Question 4

dialect

Answer 4

regional varieties of a language

Question 5

ethnolect

Answer 5

dialect associated with specific ethnic groups
- formed when an ethnic group start speaking another language and form colloquialism

Question 6

genderlects

Answer 6

the distinctive ways men and women speak
(a speech variety or communication styles particular to one sex)

Question 7

indiosyncratic speech

Answer 7

a form of communication characterised by unconventional word choices, neologisms, unconventional grammar or sentence structures

Question 8

neologisms

Answer 8

newly coined words

Question 9

inflections

Answer 9

associated with sounds/pitch of your voice more than your specific word choices

Question 10

sociolect

Answer 10

a variety of language used by social groups

Question 11

why do we use sociolects?

Answer 11

to display our membership and solidarity of specific social groups (e.g. age, gender, etc) but also to create exclusion from particular groups if we aren’t to conform to their sociolect

Question 12

what are the 2 key quote in Sclafans article on Trump?

Answer 12

• “to say that all language varieties are equally valid systems of communication doesn’t mean they are equally valued in society” (due to experiential context)
• “connection between form and meaning is a two way street with lots of roundabouts” (metaphor)

Question 13

highlight key evaluations/takeaways from Sclafans article on Trump?

Answer 13

• polarizing evaluations are taken from one speech even though we all hear the same idiolect, due to experiential context like external factors such as our upbringing influencing our individual perceptions on a person before they even open their mouth. This is why some people view trump as “authentic” and others as his speeches being “non-substantive”.

Question 14

polarizing evaluations/opinions

Answer 14

2 different opinions that are on opposite sides

Question 15

linguistic accommodation

Answer 15

the way people adjust their speech and communication style

Question 16

experiential context

Answer 16

context behind the experience occuring, which helps to convey meanings and form opinions

Question 17

non-substantive words

Answer 17

words which have no real meaning or purpose
e.g discourse markers

Question 18

what influences your idiolect?

Answer 18

includes linguistic features related to dialect and sociolect influencing it alongside external factors that create variation (e.g. upbringing, jobs, what you read/listen to)

Question 19

(eval) if idiolect reflects our identity, why are people’s attitudes towards it a) diverse and b)problematic?
(link to Scalfani)

Answer 19

Scalfani “to say that all language varieties are equally valid systems of communication doesn’t mean they’re equally valued in society”.
This shows how we place value on different idiolects due to societal misconceptions we are socialised to carry through into our own views, that causes bias in many areas of society. Therefore, it is diverse based on our different socialisations and views we are influenced to believe within our family or social group.

Question 20

why might our idiolect be different from our sociolect and what factors may influence it?

Answer 20

idiolect refers to an individuals use of language whereas sociolect is a variety of language spoken by a particular social group/class.

idiolect is influenced by all aspects of an individuals environment, sociolect is influenced by social factors (e.g. age, status, gender, race)

Question 21

why do we use language to show our membership to a group or to exclude others?

Answer 21

Certain sociolects are used to ensure that people can only access a group if their language meets a certain criteria (as a password to a group) to maintain solidarity within certain groups and ensure conflict is avoided by separating groups by their language that matches others.

Question 22

how does Labov’s Martha’s Vineyard study connect to ideas of using language to show membership or to exclude others?

Answer 22

many islanders used older vowel sounds to respect the way of the island life in the past and to feel included in the community within the island.
This showed that language is malleable and constantly changing but acts as a factor of creating cohesion and a sense of belonging within a bigger group.

Question 23

what is communication accommodation theory (CAT) and who coined this term (including his quote)?

Answer 23

Howard Giles
used to explain how individuals adapt aspects of language depending on who we are with (context & identity).

He focussed “on the patterns of convergence and divergence of communication behaviours, particularly as they relate to people’s goals for social approval, communication efficiency and identity”.

Question 24

why do we converge and/or diverge (upward or downward) in some communication contact with others?

Answer 24

upward converge: used to match our interlocutor by making our speech sound more upper class to sound of higher prestige as RP is seen as being a sign of being intellectual and of higher value (e.g. job interview).
downward converge: downplay social status when talking to someone of a lower class to make them feel included and reduce distance between them.

Question 25

is CAT a positive or negative speech habit? (eval)

Answer 25

May be considered a positive speech habit as it allows people to feel a sense of inclusion when there is greater social distance between a group of people when in conversation. Negative: insinuates there is a certain habit of speech we should all be trying to achieve to maintain social cohesion that wouldn't be achieved if we all spoke with our own speech habits.

Question 26

prestige

Answer 26

the social value which is ascribed to a linguistic variety. A prestigious variety is one that is socially widely accepted and most highly valued.

Question 27

what is the difference between overt and covert prestige?

Answer 27

overt is one widely recognised as being used by a culturally dominant group, whereas covert is regarded as one generally perceived by the dominant culture group as inferior and allows solidarity within its speakers.

Question 28

is it necessary for a standard form of English to have the highest degree of overt prestige?

Answer 28

yes because it is widely socially acknowledged as 'correct' and valued highly among all speakers as part of the labels attached to it as being intellectual due to the general acceptance of RP being the most prestigious.

Question 29

what does Labov's Marthas vineyard study tell us about prestige?

Answer 29

The islanders speak of covert prestige, due to how their small group of speakers show positive evaluation and orientation towards a certain non-standard variety (subconsciously done by the islanders). This variety isn't accepted in all social groups due to how it differentiates from the norm.