AQA English Language - Sociolects & Occupational Groups

Milroy & Milroy

Belfast study of social networks:

Dense networks operate norm reinforcement. Collected data from 3 areas in Belfast.

Two were protestant - Ballymacarrell in the east, Hammer in the west. Expected to have features of Ulster Scots dialect, as majority of working class didn’t mix with people of different religious backgrounds.

Catholic Clonard district in west Belfast showed features of Anglo-Irish or “Ulster English” dialect.

Milroy & Milroy Method

Introduced herself as “friend of a friend” in each community in order to explore the correlation between how integrated individuals were within the community and style of speech.

She allocated each subject a network score based on no. of connections. They focus on phonological features with certain words.

The higher the network score, the more frequent use of vernacular and non-standard forms

Milroy & Milroy Results

Men with high frequency non-standard speech belonged to dense social networks. Women’s social networks were less dense with less non-standard forms.

Large differences between Hammer and Clonard. High unemployment in Clonard of 35% meant women went out to work and formed dense social networks, whereas men looked for work in Hammer and displayed their language features.

Occupational dialect

People working together form a social organisation and distinct lexis for words in their common lexicon.

Halliday and language variety

Suggested language we use in different contexts is determined by 3 aspects: mode, manner and field.

Mode - range of language frameworks under the wider title ‘modes of address’ i.e multimodal texts

Manner - reveals relationship between participants

Field - The topic

Trudgill

Conducted study in Norwich demonstrating that when reading aloud, subjects pronounced endings such as “-ing” yet in casual conversation they dropped the “-g”.

Abbreviated forms occur with higher frequency in informal situations i.e contractions

Features of Jargon

• Abstract nouns

• Passive voice

• Noun phrase constructions

• Euphemisms

• Unnecessary use of Latinate words

Case Study: Civil Court Reform (1999)

Terms pre-1999

Paintiff/ writ/ in camera/ ex parte/ inter partes/ subpoena

Terms post-1999

Claimant/ claim/ in private/ without notice/ with notice/ summons

Royal Navy Jackspeak

Waster - best workers assigned to work on ship’s rigging. Remainder were sent to work on the waist of the ship. ‘Waister’ became ‘waster’