english lang research

Jespersen

women speak without thinking so use more non-fluency features such as fillers and pauses.

Onnela

Disputed Jespersen, found that with students there was a very similar mean length of utterance (average time span of a piece of speech)

Jespersen evaluation

Relies on evidence from literature and travellers, therefore it is speculative and dismissed as folklinguistics.

Overt prestige

Value attached to generally agreed markers of status

Covert prestige

Value attached to markers of lower status

Labov (Martha’s vineyard)

Younger population used the vowels used by the local fishermen to appear different to tourists

You gov survey

29% of employers admitted to unconscious bias against regional accents

Penelope eckert

Ethnographic study of jocks (engaged in school life, respected authority and positive outlook) and burnouts (rebellious behaviour, negative outlook) - communities of practice more important than other differences

Emma Moore

Longitudinal study of teenage girls in Bolton - four groups: populars (anti-school), the townies (risky behaviour), the geeks (school orientated) Eden valley girls (desirable home area, shopping and dancing)

Emma Moore results

Certain contexts where speakers would use the non standard ‘were’ for example tag questions. Eden valley girls used the standard ‘was’ almost all of the time - higher social class, more standard form usage.