Changing Dialects - Levelling and Diffusion

Question 1

What is levelling?

Answer 1

Levelling happens as the result of intense dialect contact, where marked varients are lost and the least marked are rettained to become new form tyical of that location.

Question 2

Who said that levelling was the result of accommodation?

Answer 2

Giles and Powesland

Question 3

What are the two types of accommodation

Answer 3

Convergence - Where there is a dominance of prestigious varients

Divergence - where there is an avoidance of negatively valued varients

Question 4

Case Study of levelling Millroy - RESULTS

Answer 4

Discovered that younger speakers used the unmarked northern main stream varients of FACE and GOAT whereas older generation used more traditional forms

Question 5

Case Study of levelling Millroy - CONCLUSION

Answer 5

They suggested that the movement of people in Tyneside from the ‘wider north’ has lead to dialect levelling - marked geordie features are lost but the pan northern features are retained.

Question 6

What is Diffusion?

Answer 6

Diffusion is distinctly different from levelling, instead of accommodation, varients spread from an influential area e.g main city. and therefore have a distinct geographical origin.

Normally arises through the media leading to globalisation therefore doesnt need such long-term contact as levelling does.

normally regards features of dialect rather than accent

Question 7

What are examples of diffusing features?

Answer 7

Glottalisation /t/= [?]
Th-fronthing /th/ = [f] and [v]
Lexis = selfie in US

Question 8

Why could there be hope regarding a change in dialects?

Answer 8

Even though levelling occurs the North and South are still VERY distinct.