Class Flashcards
What is a prestige variety?
A type of language that carries positive connotations. We associate it with success.
What are the prestige varieties in English?
R.P is the prestige accent of Britain
Standard English is the prestige dialect of English
What is a stigmatised variety?
A type of language that carries negative connotations. We judge people who use it
What varieties are the most stigmatised?
Working class and Urban accents and dialects
What is Overt Prestige?
Clear positives e.g. associated with rich, educated, powerful or successful people.
What is Covert Prestige?
Unclear positives, toughness or pride in region
What is Overt Stigma?
Clear negatives e.g. criminality, stupdity
What is Covert Stigma?
Unclear negatives e.g. coldness
What is prescriptivism?
What language “should” be like
What is descriptivism?
What language is actually like
Who studied U and Non-U language?
Alan Ross
What did Alan Ross call the words middle class used to sound more like the upper class?
Shibboleths
Give an example of a shibboleth and what the Upper Class actually call it
U= Chimneypiece
Non-U= Mantlepiece
Who studied Restricted and Elaborated Code?
Basil Bernstein
What did Basil Bernstein investigate?
Why working-class pupils underachieved in language-based subjects
What is Restricted Code?
The kind of language family and friends use in informal settings. It is highly implicit
What is Elaborated Code?
It is explicit, it doesn’t assume any shared background or prior knowledge.
Which code does the working class use according to Basil Bernstein?
ONLY Restricted Code
What code does the middle class use according to Basil Bernstein?
BOTH Restricted AND Elaborated Code
Did Basil Bernstein study the Upper Class?
NO
Who did the Norwich Study?
Peter Trudgill
What do many people in Norwich do according to Peter Trudgill?
G-Drop
What is /n/ called?
Alveolar Nasal
What is /ŋ/ called?
Velar Nasal
According to Peter Trudgill, what happens during Casual Chat?
The lower working class g-drop every time.
The upper middle class g-drop a third of the time
According to Peter Trudgill, what happens during the Word List?
The upper middle class g-pronounce all of the time
The lower working class g-pronounce a third of the time
According to Peter Trudgill in his Norwich Study, do all the groups g-drop?
Yes, all the groups g-drop at some point
According to Peter Trudgill in his Norwich Study, do all the groups g-pronounce?
Yes, all the groups g-pronounce at some point
According to Trudgill’s Norwich Study, what type of correlation was there between social class and the use of the /ŋ/ sound?
Direct Correlation
What is Style Shifting?
Adjusting accent according to the style of speech. e.g. use of g-dropping
According to Trudgill’s Norwich Study, what type of correlation was there between formality and g-dropping?
Inverse Correlation (The more formal the style, the less g-dropping)
