Attitudes Towards Accents Flashcards
Descriptivism
Say….
No incorrect or correct language use
Don’t judge people based on accent or language
Prescriptivism
Say…
Correct language use is favourable
Should follow language rules
What did Martin Montgomery research?
How accents were used in TV advertising
What did Martin Montgomery find?
Rural accents- used for selling natural products
Urban accents- used for adding comedy
RP accent- used for expertise
What did BBC voices research?
Looked at the attitudes towards different accents and which were preferable
What were the findings of the BBC Voices research?
78% of people enjoyed a variety of different accents Liverpool/Birmingham is unpleasant and shows lack of social class Standard English is beneficial when applying for jobs
What did George Bernard Shaw say about accents?
Someone only has to open the mouth to be hated.
What was John Humphrys opinion on accents?
A prescriptivist view, that the misuse of an apostrophe is vandalism
What was Jean Aitchison’s view on Accents?
Descriptivist view, says language is constantly changing and evolving, speaking quickly isn’t an example of laziness it’s the total opposite.
What’s David Crystal’s Tidal Metaphor?
It’s how he explains change, he says it’s like a tide, constantly changing.
It ebbs and flows bringing in new words and taking out others in a natural and progressive way.
What’s David Crystal’s attitude towards change of accent?
They’re not for the worse or for the better- they’re just changes
What was Howard Giles’ research?
He ran the Howard Giles Capital Punishment Experiment
Showed people find regional accents more persuasive than RP
Showed people find RP accents more impressive than regional
What did Urzula Clark find during her research?
RP accent-indicated membership of a financially comfortable family
Regional accent- state education and working class
Found accents can cause a divide
What did Halliday and Mcintosh find during their research?
Rural accents are judged more positively than urban accents
Judgements are often made about social importance eg people with RP accent are more Important
