Accent and Dialect

http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/britishisles.htm
http://www.putlearningfirst.com/language/research/cheshire.html


Dialect describes a language variety where a user's regional or social background appears in his or her use of vocabulary and grammar


Accent denotes the features of pronunciation (the speech sounds) that show regional or social identity

1. Jenny Cheshire, Reading

Jenny Cheshire used long-term participant observation to gain data about the relationship between use of grammatical variables and adherence to peer group culture by boys and girls in Reading. She gained acceptance from three groups(two of boys, one of girls) in two adventure playgrounds in Reading and recorded how often they used each of the 11 variables.


For the girls she made a distinction between the girls who did not have positive attitudes to such group activities and carrying weapons, fighting , participation in minor criminal activities, preferred job, dress and hairstyle and use of swearing.

1. non-standard -s	They calls me all the names under the sun
2. non-standard has	You just has to do what the teachers tell you.
3. non-standard was	You was with me, wasn't you?
4. negative concord	It ain't got no pedigree or nothing.
5. non-standard never	I never went to school today.
6. non-standard what	Are you the little bastards what hit my son over the head?
7. non-standard do	She cadges, she do.
8. non-standard come	I come down here yesterday.
9. ain't = auxiliary have	I ain't seen my Nan for nearly seven years.
10. ain't = auxiliary be	Course I ain't going to the Avenue.
11. ain't = copula	You ain't no boss.

	Group A girls	Group B girls
non-s 5	25.84	57.27
non-s has	36.36	35.85
non-s was	63.64	80.95
negative concord	12.5	58.7
non-s never	45.45	41.07
non-s what	33.33	5.56
non-s come	30.77	90.63
ain't = copula	14.29	67.12

Similar findings when boys against boys and when boys against girls were compared, showed clearly that those who conformed to the conventions of the group also used the linguistic standards of the group - and that conforming boys conformed most of all.




    


    2.  Labov, Martha's Vineyard




Martha's vineyard is an island on the East Coast of the United States of America, with a permanent population of about 6000. However, much to the disgust of a number of locals, over 40,000 visitors, know as the 'summer people' flood in every summer. The Eastern part on the island is more densely populated by the permanent residents, and is the area mostly visitor visited by the summer visitors. This is known as Down Island.  The Western third - where most of the original inhabitants live is knows as the Up-Island.
A small group of fishermen began to exaggerate a tendency already existing in their speech. They did this seemingly subconsciously, in order to establish themselves as an independent social group with superior status to the despised summer visitors. The innovation gradually became the norm for those living on the island.




    
     3.  Labov, Fourth Floor




Labov's research in the Lower East Side on New York City showed that individual speech patterns were part of a highly systematic structure of social and stylistic stratification. He studied how often the final or preconsonantal (r) was sounded in words like guard, bare and beer. use of this variable has considerable prestige in New York City. It can be measured very precisely, and its high frequency in speech makes it possible to collect data quickly.


One self-contained part of the research has become particularly well known. The speech of sales assistants in three Manhattan stores, drawn from the top(Saks), middle (Macy's) and bottom (Klein's) of the price and fashion scale. Each unwitting informant was approached with a factual enquiry designed to elicit the answer 'Fourth floor" - which may or may not contain the variable final or preconsonantal (r). The findings were that the sales assistants from Saks used it most, those from Klein's used it least and those from Macy's showed the greatest upward shift when they were asked to repeat. Frequency of use of the prestige variable final or preconsonantal (r) varied with level of formality and social class.