Abby Buckingham's English Language Blog

Multicultural London English - Paul Kerswill One of the key factors of merging variations of English is migration. MLE = multicultural London English is a dialect made up of people's native tongue and SE. This is often found in London schools where 50% of pupils have English as their second language. Kerswill states core users of MLE combine it with youth slang so they can think of it as both an accent and a dialect, the most commonly found elements originate from Afro-American or Jamaican dialects. The influence of MLE spreads throughout the country through media and further migration. Core speakers are in East London where opportunities are low so people unable to make progress in life speak differently as a rejection of norms, authority and the status quo. Exclusionary strategies - teenagers often reject the notion of speaking normally because of the stress and persecution they face.

Fry's Planet Word - notes taken when watching: 'How language and our accents shape our identity' Accents are shaped by both where we are born and where we are raised Geographical location can sometimes be an indicator of social class or status Some accents are ' better' or more desirable than others because they represent different things Geordie accent is popular, friendly and reassuring RP/SE accents are more powerful as they represent a higher social status Call centre - geordie picks up phone, if there are problems the phone is given to someone with a posh accent who says the exact same thing and the problem is resolved Variations between language can affect how we think/ see the world, e.g. if a person's language has gendered objects then people often describe said objects relating to the gender Language can depend on who you're addressing, especially when there are different ways to say the same thing, e.g. a colloquial phrase compared to a ...

A-level Language theories Theorist Area of Research Details Naomi Wolf Uptalk Vocal fry Unlike uptalk, which is a rising intonation pattern, or valleyspeak, which covers a general grab bag of linguistic features, including vocabulary, vocal fry describes a specific sound quality caused by the movement of the vocal folds. In regular speaking mode, the vocal folds rapidly vibrate between a more open and more closed position as the air passes through. In vocal fry, the vocal folds are shortened and slack so they close together completely and pop back open, with a little jitter, as the air comes through. That popping, jittery effect gives it a characteristic sizzling or frying sound. (I haven’t been able to establish that that’s how fry got its name, but that’s the story you hear most often.) Deborah Cameron Gender Deborah Cameron and verbal hygiene Deborah Cameron says that where...