Accent and Dialect Flashcards
What are the 7 key concepts to Accent and dialect?
1- Variants
2- Changing accents
3- Regional dialects
4- Teenagers
5- Standard English
6- Estuary English
7- Code switching
8- MBE
1- What study links to variants and who conducted it?
William Labov- Martha’s Vineyard
What did Martha’s Vineyard study conclude about variants?
It was a social dialect study which found that certain key variables that differed
- interspeaker variation (between speaker)
- intraspeaker variation (within speaker)
Regional divide
- fishing industry = centralised variants
- lowest rates of centralisation were from those who actively disliked the island (diverge)
2- What key theorists are involved in changing accents?
Giles
Trudgill
Setter
Why is Howard Giles important when discussing changing accents?
Accommodation theory
convergence- move towards speakers accent
divergence- move away, set yourself apart
Why is Peter Trudgill important when discussing changing accents?
NORWICH STUDY
All social classes in how they pronunciated the suffix ‘ing’
- more careful walking
- men more likely to say walkin
- more women said they said walking
Why is Jane Setter important when discussing changing accents?
She discusses misconceptions
X accents not codified
X not always regionally based
X rustic associated with WC/rural areas
- bidialectism
- accent softening/levelling
- accent modification
- accentism
- linguistic prejudice
- ethnolect
JANE SETTER
What does bidialectism mean?
Using 2 dialects of the same language
e.g. teaching of SE to pupils who normally use a nonstandard dialect
JANE SETTER
What does accent softening and levelling mean?
S- the process of altering, reducing or changing your accent
L- regional variations are reduced for interaction
JANE SETTER
What does accent modification mean?
Focuses on speech sounds (consonants and vowels), stress, intonation and naturalness factors such as rate of speech
- improved clarity, learn new accent, personal choice
JANE SETTER
What does accentism mean?
Discriminatory or unfair behaviour centred on someone’s accent or language use
- unfair treatment because of their speech
JANE SETTER
What does linguistic prejudice mean?
When people hold implicit biases about others based on the way they speak
JANE SETTER
What does ethnolect mean?
A language variety that marks speakers as members of ethnic groups who originally used another language or distinctive variety
3- Regional dialects
- origins of our regional dialects
- invasion/immigration- UK
- dialect specific to where we live/brought up
- distinctive way of speaking (Liverpool n The Wirral)
- linked to identity
- sense of belonging/pride
LEXIS- lexical variation a significant aspect
e.g. Cockney rhyming slang
Regional dialects
What are idiomatic phrases?
Phrase known/accepted that is different from dictionary definition of each individual word
- hot the nail on the head
Regional dialects
What is social mobility?
Social class level movement
- job, marriage, family
- economic or financial situation
Regional dialects
What is code switching?
Bilingual speaker will use/alternate between different language while talking
4- Who are the 7 key people in terms of language studies on teenagers?
1- Gary Ives
2- Jenny Chesire
3- Martinez
4- Berland
5- Eckert
6- Anna-Brita Stenstrom
7- Bigham
Teenagers
1- Gary Ives- West Yorkshire school
63Qs, 100% agreed that age meant you spoke differently
- concluded that you got more standard and ‘posh’ as you got older
X Eckert- define the concept of age- social or biological
Teenagers
2- Jenny Chesire- Reading study
- language develops in terms of important life events
- girls and boys conformed to conventions of group
- language was the integral part of the group
Teenagers
3- Martinez
Teenagers use more negatives and double negatives
- never, no way
Teenagers
4- Berland
The use of tags was an important factor and indicator of social class
Teenagers
5- Eckert
- slang establishes a connection to youth culture
- diverge from older generation
- cool n tough attitude
- coin new lexical items
Teenagers
6- Anna-Brita Stenstrom
Discusses teenage talk
- irregular turn-taking
- abbreviations
- feature such as slang, taboo, teasing, overlaps
Teenagers
7- Bigham
Important life events are likely to occur post 18
- the age termed ‘emerging adulthood’
5- Who are the key people involved in Standard English?
1) David Crystal
2) Janet Holmes
3) Lindsey Johns
4) Jean Aitchison
What does David Crystal say about Standard English?
‘enables members of a community to understand each other’
- leads national institutions to use it as their primary means of expression
UNIVERSAL COMPREHENSIBILITY
What does Holmes say about SE?
Generally written, been codified, recognised as prestigious/standard variety of language
- code by a community
- very few are brought up with it as a home dialect
What does Lindsay Johns say about SE?
Prescriptivist
- power of language/threat to power
- urban music- street slang
- words assist and articulate thoughts which shows intelligence
RP- make big decisions
- progress in social order
- taken more seriously
What does Jean Aitchison say about SE?
Language rules in a re-occurring pattern
- without it, communication would break down
What are typical features of nonstandard English?
- multiple negation
- subject-verb discard (we was hoping)
- marking/not marking tense
6- Key linguists involved in Estuary English?
1- David Rosewarne
2- Davis Crystal
3- Coggle and Wells
4- Kerswell
5X Trudgill/Maidment
Estuary English
- Rosewarne
Intermediate language variety existing between RP and regional southern-eastern accents
‘continuum of accents’
- reflects changes leading British society to a more democratic system with blurred class barriers
- those who hold power, WC attaractive, not too posh or common
Estuary English
- Crystal
Confrontational questions tags
- ‘I said I was going to didn’t I?
Estuary English
- Coggle and Wells
Oppose to claim that expressions like ‘cheers’ or ‘mate’ are markers of estuary English
W- stylistic variation not distinctive lexical features, the young use it too
Estuary English
- Kerswell
Dialect levelling accompanied by standardisation
How do Trudgill and Maidment criticise Estuary English?
They say there is no evidence to say that it originates from the Thames
7- Who is a key linguist involved in code switching?
Gary Ives- Bradford Asian English
Bradford
- 95% Pakistani backgrounds
- ‘freshies’ born in Pakistan and moved to England
- isn’t where you live
London
- group identity
- show ethnicity
- lexical choices (South L) from other countries (Jamaican Afro-Caribbean originate)
- is where you live
Key facts about code switching
Alternating between two or more languages/varieties of language in conversation
- allows people to communicate ideas y consciously adjusting language to fit the dominant culture
8- What is MBE?
Multicultural British English
- over-arching variety of English that is related to and emerged from MLE
- incorporates features associated with MLE alongside features from their local accent or dialect
What is MUBE?
Multicultural Urban British English
- far more widespread than jus urban city areas
- no longer makes geographical sense
What is MLE?
Multicultural London English
- MBE is characterised by a combination of these features
- new way of speaking
- becoming an urban language
- West African influence
What features of MLE does Chesire outline?
- monophthongisation
(flattening vowel sounds- price, mouth) - raised position
(tongue position higher in vowel sounds- face) - lowered position
(tongue positioned lower in mouth- price) - very fronted
(tongue further forward- goose) - DH stopping
(use d for th- them) - TH stopping
(t for th- three) - Article simplification
( use a for all indefinite articles) - ‘man’ as a pronoun
- use of pragmatic markers
(you get me, innit)
Local vs hyper-local in MBE?
Although both are maintained, research to suggest that MBE speakers might reject hyper-local features
- speakers in Manchester maintain the supralocal northern English variety ‘put’, but not use more local pronunciation in happeh
Vernacular or style in MBE?
Dependent on their own view of language and its relationship to other social behaviours
- some fundamental shifts in pronunciation
- MBE features are available to sue as a stylistic source, alongside social practises
What does vernacular mean?
A natural, unconscious way of speaking
What does style mean?
Consciously or subconsciously used to enact particular identities
What are some phonetic features of MLE?
- dipthongs become shorter vowels
face-fehs - th fronting third-fird
What are some lexical features of MLE?
- creps, yard, bare, ends, wagwan
- shoes, home, a lot, area- west end/east end
- nang, sick, chat
- good, good, talk back or contradict
What are some grammatical features of MLE?
- nonstandard subject verb agreement e.g. he was, I were
- tag questions ‘innit’
What does Tony Thorne say about MLE?
Teenagers are very inventive and playful when it comes to coining new words and expressions, or giving existing words a new spin
