Dialect Theory Flashcards
Varieties Revision
What is dialect?
The words and grammar that we use
Regional dialects are specific to a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the country.
location
What is the non-regional dialect in the UK?
Standard English
In the manchester dialect, one might say ‘chuddy’ to mean?
Chewing gum
In Manchester, someone might use the term ‘pants’ to mean _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
trousers
What is the name of the theorist who looked at ‘dialect levelling’?
Paul Kerswill
Paul Kerswill observed that regional varieties of English are d _ _ _ _ o _ _
dying out
Kerswill states that increasing geographical mobility results in greater dialect c _ _ _ _ _ _ between speakers from different regions and so more pressure to use Standard English.
Contact
Because increasing social mobility means that tight-knit working-class communities are breaking down, there is less pressure to speak in a r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ form.
regional
In the Surrey dialect, they used the verb ‘bannick’ to mean what?
To beat or thrash
In the Surrey dialect, they used the adjective ‘timmersome’ to mean what?
Timid
An example of non-standard grammar in the Surrey dialect is?
When they use the non-standard copular verb ‘be’ in ‘how be you?’ instead of ‘how are you’
Most Forest of Dean people live in very closed or open networks?
very closed networks
The Forest of Dean people have preserved a very d _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ regional variety.
distinctive
In the Forest of Dean dialect what does ‘Dree on’t’ mean?
Three of us
In the Forest of Dean dialect, what does the term ‘ship’ mean?
Ship; an insult to describe someone who wanders aimlessly around a village.
In the Forest of Dean dialect, how do you say ‘How are you, mate?’
How bist dau, butt?
In the Forest of Dean dialect, they say ‘How bist dau, butt’ to mean ‘how are you’ - What term can we use for ‘dau’
dau - “thou”, an archaic second person pronoun
In the Forest of Dean dialect, they say ‘How bist dau, butt’ to mean ‘how are you’ - What term can we use for ‘bist’
an archaic second person inflection.
In the Forest of Dean dialect, they say ‘How bist dau, butt’ to mean ‘how are you’ - What term can we use for ‘butt’
butt - Welsh borrowing
Milroy and MIlroy found that because people are moving out of their local area for work, dialect levelling is reducing what?
Regional dialect variation
Milroy and Milroy argued that Britain is an increasingly socially _ _ _ _ _ _ society
mobile
Milroy and Milroy argued that there is now more pressure to use standard or non standard forms?
Standard forms.
Cheshire studied a _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ group of teenagers whom she met in an adventure playground in Reading.
mixed-sex
The subjects of Cheshire’s Reading Study were all truanting from school and shared a distinctive dress that marked them out from which culture?
mainstream culture
Cheshire recorded the speech and identified how many non-standard features?
11
Cheshire also measured the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of these 11 non-standard features
frequency
Cheshire found that the subjects in her study said: “They calls me names.” This is an example of what?
non-standard ‘s’ inflection
Cheshire found that the subjects in her study said: “You was with me, wasn’t you?” - This is an example of what?
Non-standard copular
Cheshire found that the subjects in her study said: “You ain’t no boss.” - This is an example of what?
Multiple negation
Cheshire found that which gender used 10 of the 11 features more?
Boys
Cheshire also investigated the effects of her subjects’ _ _ _ _ _ _ networks on their use of non-standard English.
social
Cheshire discovered that there was a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ correlation between social network and six of the eleven features
Positive
Cheshire also discovered that some features (e.g. non-standard ‘s’) were very closely linked to _ _ _ _ _ _
status
Cheshire study revealed that which gender used more non-standard forms?
boys
Cheshire study revealed that which gender is more affected by social network density?
Boys
Cheshire study revealed that there is a link between _ _ _ _ _ _ prestige and some non-standard features.
covert
A Matched Guise experiment is an attempt to identify attitudes to and prejudices about _ _ _ _ _ _ _
accents
What is the name of the theorist who conducted the Matched Guise Experiement?
Howard Giles
Giles performed a matched guise experiment with an actor using which two accents?
RP and Birmingham accent
In the Matched Guise Experiment, which speaker was more likely to be considered guilty?
The Birmingham speaker was significantly more likely to be considered guilty.
