Accent And Dialect Flashcards
Idiolect
- is the form of language unique to an individual
- it is influenced by factors such as family, where we live, occupation, hobbies etc
Sociolect
A style of language used in a particular social group e.g teachers
Identity
Means who we are. It can be made up of how we speak,what we wear, what we believe.
Convergence
The speech of 2 or more people move closer together.
Divergence
The speech of 2 or more people move away from each other
Dialect
The words you choose to say
Accent
Your pronunciation of words
What played a huge role spreading regional accents around the uk?
Media e.g radio and tv series’
Geographical mobility
Moving from one part of the country to another
Social mobility
Moving between social classes as a result of education, employment, marriage etc
Cockney rhyming slang
Is one of the most famous forms of dialectical variation. Examples of this are: apples and pairs (stairs), pork-pies (lies),Adam and eve (believe)
Standard English
The dialect of English that is considered to have the most prestige and is used in the education system and in formal written texts
Slang
Referring to words and phrases which are considered informal
Taboo
Lexical choices which can be deemed offensive, taboo language includes swearing or using words which are considered inappropriate and unacceptable
Technology influenced words and phrases
Words which are usually associated with written technology forms e.g lol
Neologisms
A new word/ new use of an old word e.g twerking and emoji
Occupational register/ jargon
Words with a shared understanding between certain groups of people
Received Pronunciation
This is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard for British standard English
Regional accent
This is the way you pronounce words depending on where you live
Code-switching
The idea that we don’t use the same language/dialect all the time. It depends on the context and what situation you’re in
When was the Martha’s Vineyard study and who conducted it?
1963 by William Labov
Where is Martha’s Vineyard?
Off the east coast of the United States, near New York. It is also an island which means it is an isolated community.
What did Labov discover?
He discovered that 30-40 year olds were using older vowel sounds and were diverging to become more traditional. They were marking out their own identity and resisting change.
Why did they feel the need to mark their own identity?
Because the island in the 1950’s/60’s was becoming a more popular tourist site.
When was cockney rhyming slang first used and where?
In the 1940/50’s, thught to have been used in the east end of London
How does CRS work? Example?
It work by replacing a word with a rhyming word/expression.
Joanna = piano, dog and bone = phone
Who was it used by?
Street sellers, beggars and petty criminals
How did CRS make a comeback?
It was in danger of dying out, but made a comeback through media and television series such as: the sweeney (1970’s series about detectives) ans only fools and horses
What did Mike Coles do?
He translated and rewrote some bible stories into a rhyming slang fashion, aiming to re-engage youngsters with the faith.
I want you to buid a big nanny
Nanny, nanny goat = boat
Who conducted the matched guise experiment and why?
Howard Giles (1975) to test peoples attitudes towards accents
How did he conduct this exeriment?
He presented a recording of the same speaker using 2 different accents and asked listeners to rate what they heard from 1-10 (1=low, 10=high)
What were the results?
The teens rated the RP accent higher in terms of competence and intelligence. Liverpool and Birmingham accents were deemed both unpleasant to listen to and lacking in social status
What did Peter Trudgill say?
In 2000 he said that RP speakers are percieved as haughty and unfriendly by non-RP speakers unless and until they are able to demonstrate the contrary. He aso found out that children with a working class accent and dialect may be thought to have less educational potential than those with middle class accents and dialects (by teahers!).
What are the causes of dialect levelling?
Leslie Milroy (2002) argues that increased geographical mobility is a cause Paul Kerswill believes movement of people led to; greater dialect contact and radical changes in peoples social networks, away from strictly local dialects.
What is a pidgin?
A language containing lexical and other features from 2 or more languages
What is a lingua franca?
A language in common
What is a creole?
A pidgin that has become a mother tongue
What is a mother tongue?
A person’s language learned from birth
What did Dixon, Mahoney and Cox test?
Attitudes towards accents in the criminal justice system
What did they find out?
They found that a suspect was significantly more likely to be thought of as guilty if they spoke with a Birmingham accent rather than a more ‘neutral’ accent
What is accentism?
Prejudice and descrimination based on a persons accent
What is accomodation?
A theory associated with Howard Giles suggesting we adjust our speech to ‘accomodate’ the person we are speaking to
What is dialect levelling?
The way in which dialect terms have been dropping out of use; the process by which dialects converge over time resulting in reduced regional diversity
What is Estuary English?
A ‘new’ accent used in the south-east of England around the Thames estuary which combines elements of RP with ‘cockney’ and london accents
What is familect?
A style of language used within a family
What is a glottal stop?
A closure of the vocal chords to replace /t/ in words like butter and water across some regional accents (like estuary english)
What is a proxy?
A substitute for someone or something else. Negative attitudes to language varieties are often a proxy for other forms of prejudice.
What is Queen’s English?
Another name for RP. The accent of the royal family.
What is RP?
A non-regional accent traditionally associated with high social status
What is regional solidarity?
Pride in one’s region which causes speakers to intensify their dialect
What is TH fronting?
The pronunciation of the english “TH” as /f/ or /v/ e.g three = free
What is TH stopping?
The pronunciation of the english “TH” as /d/ or /t/ e.g thing = ting
What is MLE (multicultural london english)?
A variety of language used by young people in london and other urban areas. MLE combines elements of the language of different ethnic groups, particularly afro-carribean english
What characteristics does the accent of MLE have?
Th fronting and th stopping
What characteristics does the lexis of MLE have?
‘Ends’ = neighbourhood ‘Wasteman’ = fool, idiot ‘Balling’ = making money, earning
What characteristics does the grammar of MLE have?
Subject/verb non-agreement = ‘we was running’
Tag questions = ‘innit’
What are elocution lessons?
Elocution lessons are used to soften accents, seen as helpful in job interviews
Why do people use MLE?
Because it signifies unity between people of different races.
What is an example of a regional accent in high power being descriminated?
Angela rayner is an mp who had many complaints that she was ‘thick’ after speaking in parliment due to her northern accent
Who represents a strong regional accent on the bbc?
Hugh edwards has a strong welsh accent and presents the bbc news at 10
