Style shifting

Question 1

APTS model - Labov 1972

Answer 1

• argues ppl adjust their language based on the attention they pay to their own speech
• hypothesises a direct correlation between the attention one pays to their own speech and the formality of their speech.
• more attention paid = more formal speech
• only considers style on a single dimension (casual-formal).
• consistent with interview data but not reflective or everyday speech practice
• useful in explaining multitasking of language use

Question 2

Eckert 2002 - Style definition

Answer 2

’ a clustering of linguistic resources, and an association of that clustering with social meaning’

Question 3

Linguistic Style

Answer 3

• speakers can employ resources at various levels of linguistic organisation > lexical choices, phonetics, morphosyntactic structures, tone
• can be influenced by personal aspects e.g. personality, background, social context

Question 4

Style shifting - Hernandez et al 2012

Answer 4

• the ability of speakers to adjust their language use based on the context in which they are communicating
• changes can occur in aspects of speech reflecting the speaker’s relationship with the listener, setting of communication or topic being discussed
• comparable but distinct to code switching > up for debate > style shifting believed to be distinct as it occurs within the same language/dialect
• can help speakers adapt language to fit different social situations e.g. formal style when teaching colloquial with friends

Question 5

ADM - Bell 1984

Answer 5

• speakers adjust their language to fit an intended audience and communicative goal
• speakers are able to manipulate various linguistic features to create an intended impression of themselves, the message they wish to express and the relationship they wish to establish to the listener
• ‘a strategy by which speakers draw on the range of linguistic resources available in their speech community to respond to different kinds of audiences’
• argued that social variation accounts for more variance than stylistic variation
• stylistic variation originates from social variation

Question 6

Preston 1993 - ADM

Answer 6

• argues social stratification exhibits a greater range than stylistic stratification
• implies that speaker’s derive their stylistic parameters by observing social differences in language use

Question 7

Coupland 2001 - Interpretation of Bell ADM

Answer 7

• interprets Bell’s claims as arguing that dialect variants acquire social meanings based on their distribution in a community making them available for stylistic significance
• indicates that to gain a complete understanding of stylistic difference > social differences must be examined

Question 8

ADM and Style Shifting

Answer 8

• argues speakers actively design their language to convey specific meanings
• choice based on speaker’s knowledge of the norms and expectations of the speech community they are addressing as well as their perceptions of the audience’s attitudes and expectations
• Bell 2010 - linguistic features serve as identity markers in this process

Question 9

ADM - Categorisation of audience members

Answer 9

Adressees - known, ratified, addressed (students in class)
Auditor - know, ratified but not addressed (TA)
Overhearer - known, not ratified, not addressed (outside glass window)
Eavesdropper - unaddressed, unratified, unknown (headteacher outside)
Adressees - known, ratified, addressed (students in class)
Auditor - know, ratified but not addressed (TA)
Overhearer - known, not ratified, not addressed (outside glass window)
Eavesdropper - unaddressed, unratified, unknown (headteacher outside)

Question 10

ADM - Responsive style shifting

Answer 10

• ## affected by the association between language used and social situation