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Standard & non standard examples & theorists - Coggle Diagram
Standard & non standard examples & theorists
Link between standard English and social prestige
Standard English developed around the 'triangle' of Oxford, Cambridge & London
Examples- telegraph news report on Bristol Brewery. "So enuf chatting shall ee pour yes a draf?" underneath it include a standard English version- derogatory
Theories- Howard Giles' capital punishment experiment. RP speaker delivering presentation were seen as most impressive. Links to connotations of good education & social prestige
Discrimination that may suffer as a result of accent
People make assumptions about people based on accents & dialects
Examples- The article "your Yorkshire accent makes you sound thick". "They can't do nothing about it" multiple negation typical of Estuary English seen as lazy
Worecester college study- Brummie speaker twice as likely to be convicted of a crime and regarded as less intelligent
Dialect- "I seen the presentation last week" incorrect use of past participle, not seen as appropriate for workplace
Situation where standard English may seem more appropriate
Educational textbook, interview/ workplace due to positive connotations
Examples- Daily mail article suggested non-standard grammar may affect educational attainment
Primary school sent a letter home asking parents to correct language such as "I done that, yous, dunno"
Theory- Honey argues/ encourages the use of Standard English due to its superiority in all situations.
Dr to a patient- use RP/SE to show professionalism and add authority to what they're saying
Trudgill's Norwich study- in formal situations, all classes increased the use of the velar nasal (ing) and hesitated to drop it. Shows awareness of speech and that people adopt more socially prestigious forms in more formal contexts.
Situation where non-standard may be advantageous
Sometimes, non standard may be advantageous for seeking group identity- some regional accents are seen as more trustworthy/friendly
Covert prestige- chosing to differ from the standard
Examples- British Black English plays an important role and a huge symbol of group identity amongst the youth. collective, colloquial term- "mandem"
Theories- Labov. Martha's Vineyard- fishermen in the Chillmark area have high social prestige even though they use non standard forms like centralised vowels. Seeking covert prestige away from the mainland and the tourist industry
Howard Giles' capital punishment- regional accents seen as more persuasive- shows how they are uniting
Tony Blair famously adopted Estuary English to reduce social distance from voters. First direct bank have a call centre in Yorkshire due to warmth & honesty associated
Michael Rosen argued for non-standard and that people are bidialectal and code switching should be taught
RP authority is diminishing- 2% of population
Link between language and social identity
Language varieties are a key tool for young people to demonstrate their social identity and seek group solidarity
MLE being used in informal settings to show group solidarity and seek covert prestige. 'Mandem, gyaldem, innit'
Linguist David Crystal argues there are many regional variations and they link to people's social identity.
Cheshire discovered boys use more non standard forms than girls due to their language being controlled more by peer groups.
Prescriptivist view- argue that young people should present themselves properly for future opportunities by using standard English
Lindsay Johns argues that teens can gain social mobility if they use standard English & allows them to have equal opportunities
2012 mail article discourages slang in formal settings as it "doesn't really give the right impression of a person"
'Bad language' by Trudgill & Andersson- social accents aren't bad but they have negative connotations on low social status
Representations of accent/dialect in media
media have perpetuated stereotypes about certain accents/dialects and encouraged the use of a BBC accent
Examples- Wilfred Pickles- Yorkshire broadcaster during WW2. People mostly complained they couldn't trust the news if a regional accent read it.
Trudgill & Chambers- accented speakers are often negatively judged and this leads to disadvantages in social situations.
Boddington advert in 90s- fancy item portrayed then Mancunian accent describing it is a shock to viewer