Evaluate the view that the increased use of MLE is having a negative impact on the English
language.
MLE is a naturally occurring accent and dialect amongst our society, which evidently shows us the
diversity that has been gradually integrated into communities since the 1980’s, whilst some may see
this diversification negatively, the multicultural dispersion across England positively enriches our
communities with culture and diversity differences which is represented through the increased use of
MLE. However, prescriptivists could see MLE as a ‘bad thing’ due to multiple factors including the
variation and difference to received pronunciation and standard English that MLE has, raising
concerns that formal conversations and settings are being informalized and depictions of the
character and personality of MLE speakers is being perceived differently (the link between personality
perceptions and accent or dialect was researched in depth by Giles in the Matched Guise theory).
Another factor that causes prescriptivists to see MLE negatively is the stigmatisation surrounding the
sub cultures and sociolects, where these communities are often linked to youth crime and gang
culture. Alternatively, the use of MLE has enabled the stereotypical MLE speakers to use covert
prestige to create and differentiate their identities and memberships within ethnolects and sociolects
highlighting the high skilled ability the code switch within England today. This concept is strongly
supported by Penelope Eckert’s, The Jocks and Burnouts Theory developed in 1989 where Eckert
discovered that language use is a marker of identity within a sociolect similar to the frequent use of
MLE particularly by youth and younger generations within London.
From the perspective of prescriptivism, MLE could be seen negatively because it does not hold the
socially considered prestige that Received Pronunciation and Standard English has historically held in
England. Stereotypically, Received Pronunciation uses overt prestige to gain authority and prestige in
certain settings which traditionally has been considered as the most prestigious accent with MLE
variating so dramatically from Received Pronunciation, prescriptivists have harshly criticised the large
scale spread of MLE which enables particularly young men to utilise covert prestige through the use
of non-standard language to adapt and form an identity within MLE sociolects and ethnolects.
Furthermore, a prescriptivist presentation of accentism is highly evident in judgements towards MLE
speakers, specifically due to the stereotypes linked to MLE such as the use of the language features
such as ‘wagwan’, ‘bruv’ and ‘fam’ in the majority of youth crime and crime associated sociolects
implying that this use of English in MLE is a negatively connotated development of taboo and slang
becoming more susceptible to use and within English therefore denoting Standard English and its
prestigious impact within English society.
A theory that supports a prescriptivists perspective of MLE having a negative impact on the English
language is Howard Giles Matched Guise Theory, where Giles conducted a methodology that
contained three parameters: status (power and importance), personality (what character traits came
across) and persuasiveness (how believable and trustworthy a speaker was), using these Giles
formed a speaker performance using the same set speech to different audiences with a different
accent for each audience. This allowed Giles to find that Received Pronunciation conveyed traits of
language.
MLE is a naturally occurring accent and dialect amongst our society, which evidently shows us the
diversity that has been gradually integrated into communities since the 1980’s, whilst some may see
this diversification negatively, the multicultural dispersion across England positively enriches our
communities with culture and diversity differences which is represented through the increased use of
MLE. However, prescriptivists could see MLE as a ‘bad thing’ due to multiple factors including the
variation and difference to received pronunciation and standard English that MLE has, raising
concerns that formal conversations and settings are being informalized and depictions of the
character and personality of MLE speakers is being perceived differently (the link between personality
perceptions and accent or dialect was researched in depth by Giles in the Matched Guise theory).
Another factor that causes prescriptivists to see MLE negatively is the stigmatisation surrounding the
sub cultures and sociolects, where these communities are often linked to youth crime and gang
culture. Alternatively, the use of MLE has enabled the stereotypical MLE speakers to use covert
prestige to create and differentiate their identities and memberships within ethnolects and sociolects
highlighting the high skilled ability the code switch within England today. This concept is strongly
supported by Penelope Eckert’s, The Jocks and Burnouts Theory developed in 1989 where Eckert
discovered that language use is a marker of identity within a sociolect similar to the frequent use of
MLE particularly by youth and younger generations within London.
From the perspective of prescriptivism, MLE could be seen negatively because it does not hold the
socially considered prestige that Received Pronunciation and Standard English has historically held in
England. Stereotypically, Received Pronunciation uses overt prestige to gain authority and prestige in
certain settings which traditionally has been considered as the most prestigious accent with MLE
variating so dramatically from Received Pronunciation, prescriptivists have harshly criticised the large
scale spread of MLE which enables particularly young men to utilise covert prestige through the use
of non-standard language to adapt and form an identity within MLE sociolects and ethnolects.
Furthermore, a prescriptivist presentation of accentism is highly evident in judgements towards MLE
speakers, specifically due to the stereotypes linked to MLE such as the use of the language features
such as ‘wagwan’, ‘bruv’ and ‘fam’ in the majority of youth crime and crime associated sociolects
implying that this use of English in MLE is a negatively connotated development of taboo and slang
becoming more susceptible to use and within English therefore denoting Standard English and its
prestigious impact within English society.
A theory that supports a prescriptivists perspective of MLE having a negative impact on the English
language is Howard Giles Matched Guise Theory, where Giles conducted a methodology that
contained three parameters: status (power and importance), personality (what character traits came
across) and persuasiveness (how believable and trustworthy a speaker was), using these Giles
formed a speaker performance using the same set speech to different audiences with a different
accent for each audience. This allowed Giles to find that Received Pronunciation conveyed traits of
