Week 4 - Style and Class

Question 1

What are the 5 external variation factors?

Answer 1

• Gender
• Age
• Class
• Ethnicity
• Style

Question 2

How do we mark social class?

Answer 2

• Education
• Economic status
• Dress style
• Job
• Speech style

Question 3

What is an issue with class?

Answer 3

• Hard to define
• Inherently fuzzy compared to age and sex (Chambers)
• Women and children defined by husband/father (Trudgill)

Question 4

Study NYC

Name
Date
Method

Answer 4

• Labov 1972
• Assumes staff represent class divisions
• 3 department stores
• /r/ prestige
• Sampled natural speech

Question 5

Study NYC findings

Answer 5

• Lower class used more non-standard
• Upper class used most standard
• More prestigious forms higher the class

Question 6

Study Norwich

Name
Date
Method

Answer 6

• Trudgill 1974
• Indexed class using multiple factors
• Investigated /a:/ and /n/ variables
• Reading passage, casual and formal speech, word list
• LWC, MWC, UWC, LMC and MMC

Question 7

Why do we look at style?

Answer 7

• Depends on formality of situations
• Natural style and more conscious style
• Unconscious = more casual and vernacular
• Conscious = more formal and standard

Question 8

Define the observers paradox

Answer 8

Labov 1972

When the situation being observed is affected by the presence of an investigator.

Question 9

Study Norwich findings

Answer 9

• Lower social status and formality = more non-standard forms
• Men use more non-standard forms, as do WC
• UWC highest stylistic variation, MMC lowest

Question 10

Define broad stratification

Answer 10

Large changes in frequencies of use between groups of speakers

Question 11

Define fine/gradient stratification

Answer 11

Small changes in frequencies of use between groups of speakers

Question 12

Define indicator

Answer 12

A linguistic variable which shows little or no style shifting

Eg. Palatalisation of due in Australian or non-palatalisation in American

Question 13

Define marker

Answer 13

A linguistic variable which shows style shifting

Eg. AAVE she be going

Question 14

Define stereotype (linguistic)

Answer 14

A linguistic feature which is widely recognised and often the subject of overt comment

Eg. G’day mate in Australian

Question 15

What are some considerations we need to make for variation?

Answer 15

• Hypercorrection
• Linguistic insecurity vs change in progress
• Some classes are on the ‘cusp’ eg. UWC and LMC

Question 16

Define linguistic insecurity

Answer 16

Lack of confidence and self-consciousness in terms of linguistic style and ability

Question 17

Define hypercorrection

Answer 17

Over-application of a certain rule in order to avoid using non-standard variants

Eg. She invited my boyfriend and I (I should be me)

Question 18

What was said about class and mobility?

Name
Date

Answer 18

• Chambers 2003
• Upwardly mobile individuals don’t carry WC markers into MC
• They adjust the frequency of variables to sound like the class they are joining

Question 19

What is audience design?

Name
Date

Answer 19

• Style shifting in response to audience members
• Shift towards audience

Bell 1984

Question 20

What is speaker design?

Name
Date

Answer 20

• Recreating speaker identity through speech
• Speech used to re-shape position with respect to other people

Coupland 2001

Question 21

Oprah and /ay:/ study

Name
Date
Findings

Answer 21

Hay et al. 1999

• Bell 1983 referees and over-hearers influence speech style
• Hypothesis: Oprah use more monopthongisation when discussing AA guests
• Result: Switches to appeal to all sections of the audience

Question 22

Study Detroit

Name
Date
Findings

Answer 22

Wolfram 1969

• Black speech
• She think vs She thinks you’re right
• Class correlated
• WC speech contains variables not found in MC
• Eg. Non standard was: You was there too