Region Flashcards
DIALLECTS
Give four examples of a dialect
Regiolect, sociolect, idiolect, ethnolect
PRESCRIPTIVISM vs DESCRIPTIVISM
Define prescriptivism
The theory that language has an absolute accuracy; there are specific right and wrong ways of using language based on established rules of language in history
PRESCRIPTIVISM vs DESCRIPTIVISM
Define descriptivism
The theory that there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ language - that language should not be definable in only one manner and that language should be able to shift in various contexts
THE SURVEY OF ENGLISH DIALLECTS
When was the survey conducted?
1950 - 1961
THE SURVEY OF ENGLISH DIALLECTS
Where and who undertook the survey?
Harold Orten at the University of Leeds
THE SURVEY OF ENGLISH DIALLECTS
What was the aim of the survey?
To capture the most conservative forms of folk speech
THE SURVEY OF ENGLISH DIALLECTS
Who were the participants?
Male farm labourers, generally over 65
PHONETIC ALPHABET
What is the phonetic alphabet designed for?
Transcribing the sounds of all the worlds languages
PHONETIC ALPHABET
What does the phonetic alphabet help linguists see?
Variation in distribution of sounds across regions
PRESCRIPTIVIST HEADLINES
Give two examples of prescriptivist headlines
‘Brummie accents are worse than staying silent: study shows’
‘The Queen’s English: the English Language as written and spoken by correctly educated people in Britain’
‘THE PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH’
Who wrote this book, and when?
Daniel Jones, 1909
‘THE PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH’
What did Daniel Jones say about the original intent of this book?
‘This book is intended for students and teachers who aim to correct cockneyisms and other undesirable pronunciations in their scholars’
‘THE PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH’
How did Jones revise the book?
Jones revised the book to a more descriptivist attitude after the world wars, and encouraged readers to embrace their ideolects
RECIEVED PRONUNCIATION
Is received pronunciation a historically prestigious accent?
Yes
RECIEVED PRONUNCIATION
Is RP regionally bound?
No, because it is a type of sociolect
RECIEVED PRONUNCIATION
What is RP associated with?
Oxbridge and the aristocracy
RECIEVED PRONUNCIATION
What does Trudgill estimate about the amount of speakers who use RP?
3%
RECIEVED PRONUNCIATION
Describe the BBC’s role in RP
BBC used RP as it’s primary accent when it first broadcasted in the 20th century. Mark Thompson called for more regional accents in 2008.
COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG
Where and when does CRS originate from?
The east end of London from the first half of the 19th century
COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG
What did a study of 2000 adults show about CRS?
It is dying out amid London’s diverse, multi-cultural society
COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG
What did a survey commissioned by the museum of London show?
Almost 80% of Londoners don’t understand phrases such as donkey ears - slang for years
COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG
What was the most commonly used CRS phrase and what percentage used it?
Porky pies (lies) - 13%
COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG
What did 40% of the study say the felt about CRS?
It was dying out
COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG
What TV shows popularised CRS in the media?
The Sweeney, from the 1970s and only fools and horses
MLE
When did MLE emerge?
The late 20th to 21st century
MLE
Who is MLE mainly spoken by?
Young, working class people, in multi-cultural parts of London. It has also emerged in diverse cities such as Birmingham and Manchester.\
MLE
Who investigated MLE in 2014?
Gary Ives
MLE
Where does MLE language descend from>
Afro-Caribbean origins
MLE
Give three examples of MLE
Bare, bruv and calm
GILES 1975
What did Giles investigate?
Same speakers with different accents. Judging attitudes, same intelligences, appearances, etc. Matched guise.
DIXON, MAHONEY AND COCKS
What did these linguists investigate?
Accents and guilt. Pp listened to conversations between RP or Brummie, which one perceived to be more guilty.
CHOY and DODD
What did Choy and Dodd find?
Teachers are more likely to make judgements based on how students think
DIALLECT LEVELLING
What is there an argument of?
As a country we are moving towards a more national diallect
DIALLECT LEVELLING
What did Leslie Milroy say?
Increased geographical mobility leads to the large scale disruption of close knit, localised networks that have historically led to maintain systematic complex sets of socially structured linguistic norms.
DIALLECT LEVELLING
What does the reduction of rural employment and the subsequent construction of suburbs lead to?
The idea that local accents are being disrupted
DIALLECT LEVELLING
What does Paul Keswell say about dialect levelling?
Social mobility breaks down distinct sociolects
DIALLECT LEVELLING
Are some regional forms surviving?
- Use of aint
- Absence of adverb marking
- Multiple negation
REGIONAL VARIATION
What did a survey by linguistic researches at Manchester University show?
- Bread roll names differ, bap, bun, muffin, cob, teacake
REGIONAL VARIATION
What did Peter Trudeau’s research into isogloss boundaries show?
Around the country in the past people couldn’t really move around, little communities therefore had specific accents and lexis. Isogloss boundaries have therefore weakened because of media and transport.
REGIONAL VARIATION
What is a word for doctors in the midlands?
Croaker
REGIONAL VARIATION
What does to complain in Wales mean?
To gristle
REGIONAL VARIATION
What are linguistic features of cockney accents?
Glottal stopping, fronting words
REGIONAL VARIATION
Describe Dr Alex Bratton’s investigation
100pps, 1/3 would modify accents in a formal setting. Found there is a stigma around certain accents.
REGIONAL VARIATION
What is one negative of Dr Alex Bratton’s study?
Only 100 pps
ACEENTISM
Is aceentism a great problem today?
Not as much, because of greater media representation
ACEENTISM
How did BBC guidelines change?
So long as delivered in standard english any accent can be used. People still criticse this, such as Hugh Edwards.
