Influence of Social Class/Groups on how we speak: Snell Flashcards
When did she do her research?
2015
Was her research more qualitative or quantitative?
Qualitative
Why was her research qualitative?
She got to know the individuals who she was observing better rather than giving them an abrupt interview
What model of language was she challenging?
The Deficit Model
What did Snell claim about regional dialect features?
They were not wrong and should not create a disadvantage for the people who use them
Snell claimed there was “More substance to linguistics than…”
It just being grammatically correct
Where did Snell do her studies?
2 schools in Teesside in the North of England
What feature did Snell focus on in her study? (Be as technical as possible here)
The non-standard regional dialectic singular feature ‘us’
What was the main social class of both schools Snell visited?
One was a lower-working-class school and the other was a lower-middle-class school
How many months did Snell study these two schools?
7 months
What age group did Snell observe?
Year 4, so 8 and 9 year olds
How many children from each school did Snell record?
10 children from each school
How many hours of interactions did Snell record?
50 hours
What did Snell do once she had gathered all of the interactions?
She counted the frequency of the singular ‘us’ for both schools to see if there was a difference in frequency and why this was
What approach did Snell take with her study? (Not the qualitative part - say the actual approach)
Linguistic Ethnography
What is a Linguistic Ethnography approach?
A more in-depth participant observation and also immersing yourself in understanding how the people speak
What percentage of instances did the lower-working-class children use singular ‘us’ to refer to themselves?
16.9%
What percentage of instances did the lower-middle-class children use singular ‘us’ to refer to themselves?
3.8%
When did the singular ‘us’ feature only appear in?
Imperative sentences
Give an example of when the singular ‘us’ feature appeared in an Imperative
‘Give us my shoe back’
What was the reason Snell found for children using the singular ‘us’ feature?
They used it to show solidarity
What do many people argue about regional variations?
They should be reduced or not be used at all?
What does Snell’s study show about the importance of regional dialect features?
They are an important part of interactions and express solidarity
What is the impact of attempting to reduce regional dialect features in class?
It discourages students to participate in class, which harms their attainment
