Accents and Dialects

dialect

variation in words and structures associated with a particular geographical region.

accent

variation in pronunciation associated with a particular geographical region

code-switching

the practice of alternating between two or more languages/varieties of language in conversation

sociolect

variation in language use associated with membership of a particular social group

idiolect

variation in language use associated with an individual’s personalised speech style.

linguistic relativity hypothesis

sapir and whorf - states that the particular language one speaks influences the way one thinks about reality. reflectionism vs determinism.

Thornborrow

2004 - one of the most fundamental ways we have of establishing our identity, and of shaping other people’s views of who we are, is through our language.

giles matched guise

a sociolinguistic experimental technique used to determine views and feelings of people towards a certain dialect or accent. different accents have different pragmatical connotations.

dialect levelling

describes the process of dialects or a specific dialect losing the marked features it once had. dialects don’t loose features, they are replaced with alternatives.

Labov

Matha’s vineyard 1961 - island study, identity through accent fishermen

Ives

2014 - use of code-switching and accents/dialects alongside age. in schools in Bradford and London