Changes In Accents Flashcards
What’s convergence?
When an individual adjusts their speech matters to match those surrounding them
What’s divergence?
Happens when an individual adjusts their speech to be different from those around them.
Upwards Convergence
When regional speaker changes to have an RP accent
Downwards convergence
When an RP speaker becomes more regional
Upwards divergence
When a speaker becomes more RP to distance themselves from someone with a regional accent
Downwards divergence
When a speaker becomes more regional to distance themselves from RP speakers
What’s a Pidgin?
It’s speech that combines two or more languages, enabling members of two different communities to communicate
Why might a pidgin have to be created?
When a situation (such as trade) forces people who wouldn’t normally communicate to find language that they have in common.
What’s a characteristic of a Pidgin?
They normally have simple clauses, reduced grammatical structures and limited vocabulary
What’s a creole?
When a pidgin becomes the first language of a new generation of speakers
What’s an acrolect?
The most socially prestigious variety of a language
What’s a basilect?
The variety of language which and the least in common with the parents language
What’s the typical attitude towards pidgins and Creoles?
They used to be seen as deficient and intellectually inferior
Now seen as efficient and functional
