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Place (VH chptr 3)
- 1. PLACE (Van Herk, chapter 3)
- 2. OVERVIEW 1. How regional differences in a language develop 2. Isolation and contact of languages 3. The social meaning of place and space
- 3. KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS Dialect leveling (and its 3 stages) Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles Lexical set / items / variation Physical Isolation Linguistic Isolation Social Isolation Pronunciation and grammatical features Shibboleth Physical Vs. Social perceptions of distance Reify Enregisterment Covert / Overt Prestige Supralocal Dialectology Isoglosses
- 4. PLACE
- 5. PLACE •Different places/varieties established by people from different places, backgrounds, varieties •Barriers to interaction let each variety develop in its own way (or avoid changes that happen elsewhere) •Different varieties are in contact with different other languages or varieties •This is easier to understand by looking at actual examples •Regional differences are something everybody acknowledges •Because there are differences even at the level of formal language •For example, British vs. American English
- 6. THE STORIES OF ENGLISH •English is diverse from the start! •450 a.d., different parts of England settled/conquered by people from different Germanic tribes/regions (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) –For example, Sussex means South Saxon •800–1000, north influenced by Norse invaders •1066 onward, French influence –especially on upper classes •Later, London/Oxford/Cambridge becomes the prestige dialect, variably influences others – including the language in the courts.
- 7. SPREAD OF ENGLISH Mostly post-1500s: exploration, colonialization Ireland: Normans, then upper classes through land confiscation Scotland: very distinct local variety, maybe moves closer to England- English once they share royalty Newfoundland and Caribbean settled largely from SW England, SE Ireland
- 8. NORTH AMERICAN MAINLAND East Anglia > New England Southern England > coastal south, Midland Northern England, N. Ireland > Appalachia (e.g. Mountain Talk Documentary) US midland, New England > central Canada Dialects spread west, boundaries blur Some other inputs (e.g., Scots English in Cape Breton Island)
- 9. SOUTHERN VARIETIES Australia, New Zealand, South Africa Largely settled from southern England Especially London (Cockney) Some other inputs (e.g., Scots English in southern NZ) Differences develop due to separation
- 10. CIRCLES OF ENGLISH Associated with scholar Braj Kachru Not everybody finds the distinctions useful Inner circle: all the countries just mentioned English is official language, first language of most Outer circle: former colonies of UK or US English plays a big role, not first language of most Expanding circle: lots of other places! English plays a role, as foreign or shared language
- 11. RECOGNIZING REGIONAL ENGLISHES Many pronunciation differences Especially vowels (which change fast/easily) Occasional grammatical differences I have just eaten vs. I just ate I might could do that Different from, different than, different to I m after eating Many lexical (word) differences
- 12. ISOLATION 1. physical 2. linguistic 3. social
- 13. PHYSICAL ISOLATION Actual barriers to travel Examples: mountain valleys, islands Newfoundland English Big island in the north Atlantic Retention of traditional language features Stay where you re to I m after hearing that I loves it
- 14. LINGUISTIC ISOLATION Islands of one language in a sea of another Québec French French speakers surrounded by English Again, retention of traditional features Flambe, not flamme, for flame Some effects of contact with English Un bill (bill), des bines (beans)
- 15. SOCIAL ISOLATION Prejudice, distrust, difference African Nova Scotian English Speakers of traditional African American English surrounded by whites, limited integration Again, retention of traditional features He gonna go I goes
- 16. OTHER FACTORS MAY REINFORCE ISOLATION Limited access to education, media Limited in-migration – nobody bringing in innovations from home community
- 17. THE SOCIAL MEANING OF SPACE Difference between how people think about space and real (Euclidean) space
- 18. SOME PLACES SEEM CLOSE Easy to get to Highways, bus/train/plane routes Similar Cities of the same size Inhabitants seem the same You d expect more linguistic sharing to occur in these situations
- 19. SOME PLACES SEEM FAR Physical, social, linguistic boundaries Different We see their inhabitants as different from us
- 20. DISTINCT AREAS AND DIALECTS •Named •Attributed particular characteristics –Income, ethnicity •Often, inhabitants are socially distinct •An area (and its dialect) can become perceived as distinct –Enregisterment: linguistic forms become linked with social meaning –T-shirts, bumper stickers, dialect dictionaries, poetry, joke books
- 21. WHEN DO PARTICULAR DIALECTS BECOME IMPORTANT/NOTICED? When the region needs or wants to mark itself off Distinct from neighboring dialects Distinct from in-migrants Fear of losing identity (e.g., globalization) When people from one region migrate to another For example, from Southern to Northern US, from Ireland to England, Newfoundland to central Canada Regional differences are noted Migrants are often poor/stigmatized Migrant neighborhoods – Chinatowns, etc.
- 22. DIALECT LEVELLING 1ST GEN • KEPT HOME DIALECTS 2ND GEN • CHOSE SOMEWHAT RANDOMLY LINGUISTIC OPTIONS 3RD GEN • LEVELS OUT DIVERSITY IN FAVOR OF MOST FREQUENT VARIENT IN MOST CASES Dialects in contact Distinctive features disappear Usually in the direction of the prestige variety
- 23. AVOIDING LOCAL VERSUS STANDARD Nowadays, speakers of small dialects often adopt features from the nearest large city… supra-local features …or a “watered-down” version of the urban non- standard For example, “Estuary English” in Britain Includes some London/Cockney features, but not all of them For an example, listen to Jamie Oliver
- 24. DYING DIALECTS People often talk about how local dialects are dying Often, they’re just changing Particular features may die out, without the dialect becoming indistinguishable from others Sometimes, local features make a comeback In 1855, people thought dialects would disappear because of the telegraph and the steam engine!