Filling in the Blanks

AO2 & AO3 Fest

Reasons for Variation

Exam technique: Can be used throughout essay in both BP 1 & BP 2

A good understanding of these is awarded marks in B band of the mark scheme

Prestige

Overt

• Seeking prestige by assimilating to the standard.

Covert

• Choosing to differ from the standard.

Standard = Status

Which kind of prestige would

we link with this?

Educated

Wealthy

Intelligent

Upper class

Solidarity & IdentitySolidarity (e.g. young people

imitating fishermen on Martha’s

Vineyard)

Identity (e.g. Martha’s Vineyard

fishermen)

What kind of prestige would we

associate with this?

Example in essay• The use of the common concrete noun

“bairn” is specifically a feature of Northern English dialect, although the use of it also stretches up to Scotland. It is a dialect feature meaning a child of either sex, in this text it is distinctive because it is the first direct variation from Standard English. The reason people use dialect features is most prominently to distinguish themselves from others, through the ideas of identity and community. A person might diverge and speak in a stronger accent with more dialect features if talking to someone from a different area of the country for example, because they want to maintain the accent they are proud of. This is an example of Covert prestige.

Some of the concepts we have learnt so far:

Anti-language/Cryptolect

Pidginisation

Creolisation

Koineisation

Code-switching

Sociolinguistic maturation

Use of concepts in essays

• These score AO2 marks The notion of dialect levelling could support Jimmy’s(Text C) reason for using dialectal forms. We are told that he is relatively old and if dialect levelling is happening then his age means he is likely to use more non-standardforms than younger generations because of the idea of sociolinguistic maturation.

Research covered so far

Edwards & Cheshire

PetytTrudgil

lLabov x 2

Sebba

Fox

Edwards

Attitudes

Aesthetic appeal (pleasantness)

correctness

laziness

status

Intelligence

Trustworthiness

HW: Prescriptivism & Descriptivism

• What? – please find definitions of both words• Who? – gather a list of well-known

prescriptivists & descriptivists• Why? – Choose one person from your list on

either side and briefly sum up their views on the use of non-standard language.

• Now Blog it