P2 Section A (Accent and Dialect) Flashcards
what is accent
accent is the way a particular group pronounces words
what is dialect
dialect is the lexis used by a particular group
what is received pronunciation
received pronunciation is absence of an accent, the standard way people should speak.
what is standard english
standard english is the correct and formal form of the english language
covert prestige
covert prestige is the value and respect attached to non-standard variations of english e.g. yorkshire accent is respected for being hardworking and friendly.
overt prestige
overt prestige is value and respect attached to a largely used, general language
what is the most dateable accent study and its findings
the most dateable accent study was a study with 11,000 people in 12 cities asked what was the most dateable accent other than there own and the findings were that 27% of people voted british and 10th was american (8.7%)
call centre attitudes to accent
call centre employees hear accents and have initial views on the person, to stop this, call centres are based in regions of the accent so there is no preconceived values attached to a customer
What do sociolinguists say Hillary Clinton does and why does Deborah Tannen say it is done?
Sociolinguists say Hillary Clinton is subconsciously switching between her Chicago accent to a more Southern one which Deborah Tannen says everybody does as a sign of “acceptance and instinctive accommodation”
children’s speech tape recording study
children aged 11-15 in four English regions were examined for their speech on a tape recorder and found children refused to speak standard english/RP as they think it’s used for dominance, so choose their regional accent instead.
what did Professor Hudson say needs to be done in order to make children speak standard english (tape recorder study)?
Professor Hudson said in order to make children to speak standard English “mere exposure is not sufficient, and that some kind of direct teaching or encouragement is needed”
Features of the Cornish accent
The cornish accent features rhoticity - where speakers pronounce the “r” sound after vowels in words like better, hard and first.
what did linguistics expert Dr Lucy Ellis tell Cornwall Live about the change in cornish accent!
Linguistics expert, Dr Lucy Ellis, told Cornwall Live that the rhotic “r” is slowly dying as social migration and changing generations.
what is accent and dialect levelling
accent and dialect levelling is a process whereby dialects and accents become more similar due to migration and social desirability
what is Peter Trudgill’s Norwich study
Peter Trudgill’s Norwich study is a study of whether different class and gender pronounced words with “-ing” suffix differently - in Norwich.
Peter Trudgills Norwich Study Findings
Peter Trudgills findings included working and lower middle classes using the “-in” pronunciation. Men over-reported their use of non standard “in”, assuming they used more covert prestige forms. Women over-reported standard usage, assuming they used more overt prestige forms.
Peter Trudgill’s explanation for the Norwich study findings
Peter Trudgill explained his Norwich study findings by saying that women are more “status-conscious”, and men are valued on their occupation rather than their language. Trudgill also explained norwich findings by saying non-standard forms have a covert prestige particularly among male working classes.
What is Mary Talbots criticism of Peter Trudgill’s Norwich Study
Mary Talbot criticism of Peter Trudgill’s Norwich study is that Trudgill presents male as the norm, meaning it is arbitrary and biased and Trudgill’s interviews were done by middle class males which is an “unequal encounter” so could affect the language used due to social desirability bias.
Jenny Cheshire’s 1982 Reading Study
Jenny Cheshire Reading Study used 8 month observation to identify the use of 11 non-standard features in girls and boys and found children who approved of criminal activities used non-standard forms often, boys more so and children who disapproved used far less non-standard forms
What does individual identity include
individual identity includes gender, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality and class.
How is identity acquired?
identity is acquired by being ascribed (like first language and sexuality) and achieved (like a work role or relationship status).
what is nationality
nationality is the legal identification of a persons belonging to a nation
what was the believed connection between language and race?
there was a belief that language and race were inherently connected - certain races spoke different languages, but any human can speak any language
how are some ethnic groups expected to be?
some ethnic groups are expected to speak in the same accent and use the same dialect in order to be accepted.
what is divergence hypothesis
the divergence hypothesis is the idea that racial division and lack of integration between ethnic groups is causing accents and dialects to grow further apart.
what is multiethnolect
multiethnolect is a language variant containing influences from different languages and is formed in a community with a high proportion of second language speakers.
what demographic is multiethnolect used by
multiethnolect is used by young, north western european’s living in multicultural and multilingual districts of large cities - like London.
what does vernacular mean?
vernacular literally means your spoken language or dialect
sociolect
sociolect is the dialect used by a particular social group
idiolect
idiolect is the dialect used by one person.
what is multicultural london english
multicultural london english is a particular multiethnolect originating in east London and used by young working class people
What did Giles find was the most intelligent and prestigious accent
Giles found received punctuation was the most intelligent and prestigious accent
Which accents did Giles find people thought were friendly and honest
Giles found that people thought regional accents were friendly and honest
What are the phonological features of RP
The phonological features of RP are long /a:/ pronunciation in words like bath, non-rhotic /r/ pronunciation in words like mother and yod-coalescence in words like rain and Tuesday
How is RP prescriptivist
RP is prescriptivist as it is believed it is the correct use of English.
What prestige is RP
RP is overt prestige
How much of the population use RP
Only 2% of the population use RP
How is RP recognises by foreigners
RP is recognised by foreigners to be the most common from of English
What did AC Gimson argue about RP in 1962
AC Gimson argued about RP in 1962 that it was at times a disadvantage in social situations where empathy and affection are needed as it sounded to snobby
What did Worcester College find about the Brummie accent
Worcester College found about the Brummie accent that it was significantly more likely to be labelled as guilty by participants in clips from a police interview and more likely to be poor and from working class
What are Peter Trudgills two categories of dialectal words
Peter Trudgills two categories of dialectal words are traditional and mainstream
What is Peter Trudgills traditional dialect
Peter Trudgills traditional dialect is words that use old and rural lexemes and grammatical constructions
What is Peter Trudgills mainstream dialect
Peter Trudgills mainstream dialect is the more common lexical and grammatical constructions, used by a majority in a geographical area
traditional dialect is dying out by the process of…
traditional dialect is dying out by the process of lexical attrition
What is Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang is a dialectal variation found in London that originated from the criminal underworld of the 1800s as a way of communicating without the police knowing their doings
What are examples of Cockney rhyming slang
examples of Cockney rhyming slang are brown bread for dead and trouble and strife for wife
Why did Cockney rhyming slang stop being used
Cockney rhyming slang stopped being used because it was adopted into non-criminal language, so stopped being deictic
Where is cockney rhyming slang being propelled
cockney rhyming slang is being propelled in Eastenders TV soap, a weakened version of the cockney accent
What is David Rosewarnes Estuary English
David Rosewarnes Estuary English is a form of English that arose from the Thames Estuary area and is a mix of RP and Cockney
What are features of Estuary English
Feature of Estuary English are glottal stops (missing out the middle T in butter) and TH-fronting in words like thing, becoming fing
What purpose did Paul Coggle suggest Estuary English is being used for
Paul Coggle suggested Estuary English is being used for the purpose of a bridge between the classes of RP and Cockney in south east England
Where have elements of Estuary English been spotted
elements of Estuary England have been spotted as far as Glasgow
What is Paul Kerswills belief on multicultural London English
Paul Kerswills belief on multicultural London English is that it will completely replace Cockney within the next 30 years
What phrases does multicultural london english use
Multicultural London English uses Caribbean phrases (more particularly Jamaican) like “mandem” “wahgwaan” “bredrin”
How is MLE travelling
MLE is travelling by grime music to teenagers all across the county
What problem does MLE pose to linguists
The problem MLE poses to linguists is that it is difficult to draw the line between and idiolect and sociolect and dialect
What are features of MLE
Features of MLE are use of the indefinite pronoun “man” and TH-stopping (creating a harsh stopped T instead of a TH) in words like thing - ting
Why do foreign teachers of British English teach RP
foreign teachers of British English teach RP as it’s the easiest to understand
Why shouldn’t foreign teachers of British English teach RP
foreign teachers of British English shouldn’t teach RP as it is the most rapidly changing dialect, especially from influence of Estuary English
What do Wells and Altendorf say about Estuary English
Wells and Altendorf say about Estuary English that it has southern features like diphthong shifts but includes none of the working class accent features
How does professor gimson support WELLS AND ALTENDORF views on Estuary English
professor gimson supports WELLS AND ALTENDORF views on Estuary English by saying it is “mainly used by young people of exclusive social groups” so not working classes
