Language and age Theories

Question 1

Thornborrow

Answer 1

Language choice contributes to the construction of our identity

Question 2

Eckert

Answer 2

Different ways of defining age:
chronological- years since birth
biological age- physical maturity
social age- linked to life events

Question 3

Cheshire

Answer 3

adult and child language develops in response to important life events

Question 4

Bigham

Answer 4

important life events are more likely to occur post 18

Question 5

Eckert

Answer 5

age is a person’s place at a given time in relation to the social order

Question 6

Stenstrom

Answer 6

found typical features of teen speak, such as:
Overlaps 
irregular turn taking 
indistinct articulation
word shortening 
slang
taboo

Question 7

Stenstrom, Andersonand Hasun

Answer 7

found that 14-16 year old teenagers in London used the common non-standard features:
ain’t
ellipsis of auxiliary verbs
non-standard pronouns

Question 8

Ives

Answer 8

Teenagers say that people speak differently depending on their age, language becomes more standard with age

Teenager language is informal, contains taboo and slang specific to their age group

Question 9

Berland

Answer 9

Class is a factor in language variation within an age group

Question 10

Martinez

Answer 10

Teenagers use negatives and multiple negations more frequently than adults

Question 11

Odato

Answer 11

children copy the language of those older than them

Question 12

De clerk

Answer 12

Young people seek to create identities and have the freedom to challenge linguistic norms

Question 13

Eckert

Answer 13

Teenage speak typical features include:
using like/okay
rising intonation
multiple negation
slang is used to establish a connection and set them apart form the older generation
Linguistic change is far more common in teenagers

Question 14

Cheshire

Answer 14

More is known about the language used at some life stages than others (more about childhood/adolescence than middle years)