Influence of Social Class/Groups on how we speak: Snell

Question 1

When did she do her research?

Answer 1

2015

Question 2

Was her research more qualitative or quantitative?

Answer 2

Qualitative

Question 3

Why was her research qualitative?

Answer 3

She got to know the individuals who she was observing better rather than giving them an abrupt interview

Question 4

What model of language was she challenging?

Answer 4

The Deficit Model

Question 5

What did Snell claim about regional dialect features?

Answer 5

They were not wrong and should not create a disadvantage for the people who use them

Question 6

Snell claimed there was “More substance to linguistics than…”

Answer 6

It just being grammatically correct

Question 7

Where did Snell do her studies?

Answer 7

2 schools in Teesside in the North of England

Question 8

What feature did Snell focus on in her study? (Be as technical as possible here)

Answer 8

The non-standard regional dialectic singular feature ‘us’

Question 9

What was the main social class of both schools Snell visited?

Answer 9

One was a lower-working-class school and the other was a lower-middle-class school

Question 10

How many months did Snell study these two schools?

Answer 10

7 months

Question 11

What age group did Snell observe?

Answer 11

Year 4, so 8 and 9 year olds

Question 12

How many children from each school did Snell record?

Answer 12

10 children from each school

Question 13

How many hours of interactions did Snell record?

Answer 13

50 hours

Question 14

What did Snell do once she had gathered all of the interactions?

Answer 14

She counted the frequency of the singular ‘us’ for both schools to see if there was a difference in frequency and why this was

Question 15

What approach did Snell take with her study? (Not the qualitative part - say the actual approach)

Answer 15

Linguistic Ethnography

Question 16

What is a Linguistic Ethnography approach?

Answer 16

A more in-depth participant observation and also immersing yourself in understanding how the people speak

Question 17

What percentage of instances did the lower-working-class children use singular ‘us’ to refer to themselves?

Answer 17

16.9%

Question 18

What percentage of instances did the lower-middle-class children use singular ‘us’ to refer to themselves?

Answer 18

3.8%

Question 19

When did the singular ‘us’ feature only appear in?

Answer 19

Imperative sentences

Question 20

Give an example of when the singular ‘us’ feature appeared in an Imperative

Answer 20

‘Give us my shoe back’

Question 21

What was the reason Snell found for children using the singular ‘us’ feature?

Answer 21

They used it to show solidarity

Question 22

What do many people argue about regional variations?

Answer 22

They should be reduced or not be used at all?

Question 23

What does Snell’s study show about the importance of regional dialect features?

Answer 23

They are an important part of interactions and express solidarity

Question 24

What is the impact of attempting to reduce regional dialect features in class?

Answer 24

It discourages students to participate in class, which harms their attainment