Language Variation - Ethnic Differences Flashcards
(21 cards)
Ethnolect
Lexical and grammatical differences depending on ethnic background
BBE(Black British English)/patois
English variation in the UK spoken mainly by black people in mid 20th century onwards
Pidgins
Forms of language that emerge between speakers of two different languages to facilitate communication trade and colonization
Creoles
When a pidgin becomes the predominant language and a speech community, as children are raised speaking the pidgin as their first language.
Code mixing
When ethnolects blend with regional dialects
1960s - 70s contacts between Jamaican English young people and white working class neighbours was an example of this
MLE/MUE (Multicultural Urban English)
Evolution of BBE in urban areas of Britain. 1960s- 90s a Creole mixed with English forms BBE with different code mixing.
“MUE is a pool of language characteristics adopted to differing degrees by its users depending on age, ethnicity, region and identity”
Resistance identity
When a code of speech with cover prestige values references to cultural heritage
Code switching
Ability to switch between SE and ethnolects or dialects
Jafrican/ghetto grammar
Label for MUE indicating linguistic and cultural appropriation
THESE TERMS ARE JUDGMENTAL AND DISMISSIVE
Covert prestige
A form of prestige is valued by smaller groups more than the whole society
Prescriptivism vs descriptivism
Different viewpoint an attitudes to have varieties of English are perceived
Jamaican Patois
Locally called Patois, is spoken by the majority of Jamaicans as a native language. It occurred when slaves from Africa learn the vernacular and dialectal forms during the middle passage.
It is often stigmatised as low prestige language
E.G. A Beg Yuh = can you please
Blouse an skirt = Wow
BBE (Black British English)
Is a combination of the Jamaican patois west African Creole and black British vernacular. Occurred when people from the Caribbean migrated to the UK are mass during windrush
Many people view it as slang or grammatically incorrect
E.G. Big up, Respect = Well done
Nyam = To eat
Ben Rampton
Notes that Creole was widely seen as cool, tough and good to use it’s associated with assertiveness, verbal resourcefulness, competence in heterosexual relationships and opposition to authority
Rodger Hewitt (1986) and Mark Sebba (1993)
Identify the development in the 1980s of black cockney used by black speakers in London
Cheshire et al (2008)
Found new forms of English emerging (mainly amongst young people) in London and spreading into cities further away multicultural London English (MLE)
John Pitts (2012)
Find some young black English speakers felt mainstream society ignored and constrained them they turned to covert prestige in a move from sounding like ‘Ian Wright to Bob Marley’
Features of MUE
Vocab: bare (a lot/very); ting (girlfriend or thing)
Phonology: diphthong vowel sounds (face= fes)
Grammar: dem = them; man is used as a new pronoun
Discourse features: innit- tag question; you get me - confirmation check
How are MUE and MLE different from previous contact languages in the UK?
1st language (English) is not as strong a force as the 2nd (Creole, Ghanian, Turkish or South Asian)
Attitudes to MUE
Creoles have historically been perceived by some as broken or incorrect forms of English.
MUE is often associated with gangs, violence and poor education.
Garrad McClendon
Wrote ‘Ax or Ask? The African American guide to better English’. This caused controversy amongst black people. He explained that the book was written not to rid Black English but allow people to code switch- allowing black people to succeed better in society.
