Theories/theorists (AO2) Flashcards
What is informalisation?
Informalisation has always occured, but informalities in language have occured over time (slang, colloquialism)
What is the substratum theory?
The idea that people who are underprivileged, working class, or young, create a lot of slang words
What is the functional theory?
The idea that when a new function emerges, a new word emerges - language is driven by necessity
What are the three language myths and who was the theorist?
Jean Aitchison
Damp spoon
Crumbling castle
Infectious disease
Describe the damp spoon myth and Aitchison’s view
Myth - Language changes because people are lazy, causing language to deteriorate - like leaving a damp spoon in the sugar bowl.
Aitchison’s view - Presupposes that one version of language is superior, one persons vulgarity and bad taste is another’s way of talking in everyday life
Describe the crumbling castle myth and Aitchison’s view
Myth - Language is like a beautiful castle that was once perfect and must be preserved
Aitchison’s view - Presupposes that there was a ‘golden age’ in language, whereas this isn’t true - language is in a constant state of change
Describe the infectious disease myth and Aitchison’s view
Myth - Poor language is ‘caught’ like a disease from those around us and we should fight it spreading
Aitchison’s view - Presupposes that we don’t voluntarily and happily pick up language habits from others
Who performed the Martha’s Vineyard study?
William Labov
Describe Labov’s Martha’s Vineyard study
Martha’s Vineyard was a very popular summer vacation for upper class people, causing friction between locals and ‘up-islanders’
Interviewed 69 participants of different races, ages and jobs, looking to see how people articulated their diphthongs
He found that the up-islanders pronounced their diphthongs in a way that mimicked the locals, subconsciously trying to fit in
What is the deficit model of gender and who is the theorist?
Lakoff
The 4 D’s of Gender
- Deficit Model (1970s) - women are ‘deficient’ to men
- Dominant Model (1980s) - male dominance
- Different Model (1990s) - genders are equals but different
- Dynamic Model (21st Century) - More fluid ideas of gender
What are restricted and elaborated codes and who was the studier?
Bernstein
Found that working-class speakers tend to use restricted codes - more context-bound and assume shared knowledge, while middle-class speakers more often use elaborated codes, which are more explicit and context-free
