Theories

Question 1

Howard Giles capital punishment experiment

Answer 1

Presentation to students in Somerset, south welsh, Birmingham and RP accent. RP= most impressive. Birmingham= least impressive. Regional= more persuasive.

Question 2

Labov’s NYC research

Answer 2

Study of postvocalic ‘r’- viewed as socially prestigious. Believed higher class = more likely to pronounce the ‘r’. Used more by higher class speakers in casual speech and less in formal speech.

Question 3

Labov’s Martha’s Vineyard research

Answer 3

Study accent of inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard. Pronunciation of certain vowels was shifting away from standard American pronunciation.

Question 4

Petyt’s Bradford study

Answer 4

Study dropped ‘h’ at the start of words. 94% of lower w/c dropped the ‘h’ whereas 67% of upper w/c dropped the ‘h’.

Question 5

Milroys social networks

Answer 5

W/c area of Belfast. How well integrated individuals were wishing social network and lang used.
Strong tight knit social networks= more regional accent features. Network exerts pressure on members.

Question 6

2008 BBC act

Answer 6

Mark Thompson called for more regional accents due to complaints of lack of inclusivity.
Opinions after- regional are harder to understand and less credible

Question 7

Paul Kerswell Paper

Answer 7

Accents/dialects are dying out due to reduction of rural employment.
1831 = 34% of ppl lived in cities
1991 = 90% of ppl lived in cities
Increase in social mobility and increased interactions of different speech varieties.

Question 8

Kerswell and Williams

Answer 8

Children in Milton Keynes in 1994
Use more Estuary English features (eg glottal stop) more than parents