Ethnicity Flashcards
How did Sebba define ‘London Jamaican’?
A language with a combination of phonological, lexical and grammatical elements from all three sources.
Mark Sebba.
The choices of young speakers born into London’s Caribbean communities is between: Caribbean Creole, Cockney, Standard English/RP.
Sue Fox.
Looked at dialect of youths from different ethnic backgrounds across London. She proposed a ‘multi-ethnic youth dialect’ (MEYD) or ‘multicultural London English (MLE). Seems also to be gaining ground in other cities in white, black and Asian communities.
Kerswill.
Suggests MLE is a genuine and evolving dialect.
Sue Fox.
The phonology of MLE is more like RP than Cockney.
Laura Wright.
Cockney is falling into oblivion in London and is moving to other towns/boroughs.
David Crystal.
We have seen an increasing cultural diversification across the country. Accents are a reflection of society and as society changes so accents change - e.g. in Liverpool, there is Caribbean-Scouse, Indian-Scouse.
Mark Sebba on ‘codeswitching’.
Young black Londoners can alternate and change their languages depending on the context - e.g. Caribbean Creole with friends, Standard English at a job interview. It is a high level linguistic skill.
Manning.
Two reasons why Black English features seem desirable for white kids: It has a dynamic, forceful, immediate effect suited to the hard, fast life of city kids. Gives the chance to thumb noses at SE and all it stands for.
