ACCENT AND DIALECT
Key Points:
William Labov and identit in language: 1961 Mariha’s Vinetard siudt inierviewed
69 people from difereni sooial groups (age, oooupaton & eihnioiit) and asked ihem
speoifo questons ihai would enoourage ihem io use words ihai used ihe vowels
diphihongs au and ai. He found a oeriain group of people pronounoed ihe
diphihongs diferenilt, beiween ihe ages of 31 and 45. Labov oonoluded ihis was
done io esiablish an identit of ihem as Vinetarders and separaie ihem from
iourisis.
Dialeois suoh as oooknet rhtming slang spread ihrough media and sooial mobiliit.
GRAMMATICAL VARITATIONS
Unmarked bt person: when subjeoi verb agreemeni is noi mei. E.g ‘tou was laie
tesierdat.’
Multple negaton, in English iwo negatves make a positve bui in oiher languages
double negatves are used io sirengihen an idea.
The use of ‘ihem’ as a demonsiratve, ennt Cheshire and Viv
Edwards found ihai ihis was used bt 97.7% of sohools who
iook pari in ihis survet, ihe highesi peroeniage of ant
dialeoial variaton. Also a oommon dialeoial variaton in
Amerioa.
Absenoe of plural marking: ‘ihere’s onlt iwo mile io go’
Double subjeoi: ‘I’m alwats laie me’
Ellipsis of defniie artole: ‘We’re going io shop’
ACCENTS
RECEIVED PRONOUNCIATION (RP)- Noi regionallt speoifo bui assooiaied wiih good
eduoaton, wealih, auihoriit, siaius and power. oometmes referred io as BBC
English (ihis is now inoorreoi as ihere is a shif io more regional aooenis)
DIALECT LEVELLING:
The prooess bt whioh language forms of difereni paris of ihe oounirt oonverge and
beoome more similar over tme, wiih ihe loss of regional feaiures and reduoed
diversiit of language.
Leslie Milrot (2002)- inoreased geographioal mobiliit leads io ihe ‘large-soale
disrupton of olose-knii, looalised neiworks ihai have hisiorioallt mainiained highlt
stsiemato and oomplex seis of sooiallt siruoiured linguisto norms.’
Key Points:
William Labov and identit in language: 1961 Mariha’s Vinetard siudt inierviewed
69 people from difereni sooial groups (age, oooupaton & eihnioiit) and asked ihem
speoifo questons ihai would enoourage ihem io use words ihai used ihe vowels
diphihongs au and ai. He found a oeriain group of people pronounoed ihe
diphihongs diferenilt, beiween ihe ages of 31 and 45. Labov oonoluded ihis was
done io esiablish an identit of ihem as Vinetarders and separaie ihem from
iourisis.
Dialeois suoh as oooknet rhtming slang spread ihrough media and sooial mobiliit.
GRAMMATICAL VARITATIONS
Unmarked bt person: when subjeoi verb agreemeni is noi mei. E.g ‘tou was laie
tesierdat.’
Multple negaton, in English iwo negatves make a positve bui in oiher languages
double negatves are used io sirengihen an idea.
The use of ‘ihem’ as a demonsiratve, ennt Cheshire and Viv
Edwards found ihai ihis was used bt 97.7% of sohools who
iook pari in ihis survet, ihe highesi peroeniage of ant
dialeoial variaton. Also a oommon dialeoial variaton in
Amerioa.
Absenoe of plural marking: ‘ihere’s onlt iwo mile io go’
Double subjeoi: ‘I’m alwats laie me’
Ellipsis of defniie artole: ‘We’re going io shop’
ACCENTS
RECEIVED PRONOUNCIATION (RP)- Noi regionallt speoifo bui assooiaied wiih good
eduoaton, wealih, auihoriit, siaius and power. oometmes referred io as BBC
English (ihis is now inoorreoi as ihere is a shif io more regional aooenis)
DIALECT LEVELLING:
The prooess bt whioh language forms of difereni paris of ihe oounirt oonverge and
beoome more similar over tme, wiih ihe loss of regional feaiures and reduoed
diversiit of language.
Leslie Milrot (2002)- inoreased geographioal mobiliit leads io ihe ‘large-soale
disrupton of olose-knii, looalised neiworks ihai have hisiorioallt mainiained highlt
stsiemato and oomplex seis of sooiallt siruoiured linguisto norms.’
