Language and social class Flashcards
What did Labov (1966) investigate?
The use of ‘r’ in words such as farm, floor or car
What did Labov find about people in New York?
‘r’ was socially prestigious so the higher the social class of the speaker the more likely they were to use it
What did he not expect to find about lower-middle class speakers?
In formal situations the lower middle class were more self conscious about their speech and made for of an effort to make a good impression through speech
What did Trudgill investigate? (1983)
The relationship between social class and linguistic variables such as ‘-ing’ at the end of words like singing or fishing
What did Trudgill find?
- People in the lower social classes tended to drop the ‘g’ in the pronunciation
- The use of ‘ing’ increased in formal situations
What did Petyt (1980) investigate?
He studied the ‘h’ sound at beginning of words such as house
What did Petyt find?
Lower working class speakers dropped 93% of the ‘h’ sounds
What did Milroy (1980) investigate?
Social networks
Why is Milroy’s theory different?
She studied how relationships affect language instead of focusing on the assumption that society can be divided into classes
What did Milroy find?
The relationships people have affect the language they use because of repetition and association
