So - does language matter?

During the time we've been studying language change there have been some well-publicised controversies about the language and attitudes of media presenters. You can look up the examples of the Sky Sports presenters Grey and Keys or the Top Gear team. You should explore the ensuing debates about 'PC language' to find out the arguments which are being used to criticise and to defend the language used. You have probably expressed an opinion on this yourself!

You could look up previous examples of similar controversies - for example Carol Thatcher or Chris Moyles. If Politically Correct language is about choosing terms which do not insult, marginalise or ignore groups in society, why do some people see complaints about 'non-PC' language in use as a restriction of freedom of speech? Are there restrictions we should be prepared to accept for the sake of other people's freedoms?

'It's a history thing' is often offered as a way of explaining why there still is implicit sexism, racism, ableism in the lexis of English. The Reflecionist model can explain why we have so many negative slang terms for women or no positive slang terms for a lesbian. The Dominant and Muted group theory can illuminate why words which were accepted as 'neutral' in the past have now been challenged as negative or marginalising. The debate is more about whether people should be satisfied to use language which maintains social attitudes that we now consider outdated or unkind.

In your wider reading look for examples of vocabulary that carry value judgements about diferent groups in society. Can we continue to use these words without implying the old values that have become attached to them?

Changing Language - timelines and wordlists

We've now looked at a number of ways new words are formed, why words come into English from other languages and also why some words develop new meanings over time. The Language Timeline on the British Library Learning website gives a short overview of the variety of influences on English vocabulary with lots of examples through our history. You can also follow the link to their new interactive time line which shows our language changing through a huge variety of texts held by the Library. This will be especially useful when preparing for exams as you can see actual texts from 1600 onwards.

If you look under 'Activities' you can get to other very useful word lists - for example 20th Century loanwords which gives a detailed list of borrowings both cultural and social under topic headings.


To help you think about your own input to language change, explore the Cutting Edge section to find examples of slang, jargon and fashionable buzzwords - which may even be outdated by the time you read this!

Recent Language Change

Last term we began to explore some of the recent changes in English, with traditional dialects fading and 'newcomers' such as Estuary English and the youth dialect 'Jafaican' becoming significant and the subject of academic research.

There are also many recent changes in vocabulary with new words and changed meanings for existing words. It is useful to consider four aspects when we study changes:
1 Reasons for language change
2 Examples
3 Processes
4 Attitudes to language change

To help you when you come to revision it is a good idea to build your own list of examples of new words, which you can arrange under topic headings such as technology or fashion, or according to the way the new words have been formed.

Keep aware of the sometimes heated debates about language change in the media as well as the calmer responses from academics such as David Crystal and Jean Aitchison. Radio programmes can be helpful if you can get Listen Again or a new series - check out Fry's English Delight and Word of Mouth. The Word of Mouth discussion board often has some lively expression of opinions about language change and can be useful for examples.

Received Pronunciation not dead yet

As most of us (including me) are not RP speakers it is tempting to overstate the unpopularity and demise of our 'standard' accent of English. This news story, found in both the Telegraph and the Mirror is a useful balance. The TomTom research seems to support what Howard Giles found about attitudes to accents.

Sadly for West-Midlanders, it seems the Birmingham accent is still bottom of the popularity polls, though now joined by the Liverpool accent, also disliked by 20% of the 2,000 adults surveyed. A Yorkshire accent was considered the most reassuring while the Scottish brogue was seen as the sexiest - but the hardest to understand. The Geordie accent was voted the best overall, the most friendly and the most fun to listen to. A TomTom spokesman said that with people more mobile than ever because of work and education, as well as high levels of immigration, it is not uncommon to hear a variety of accents in any one area. This could mean some regional accents are no longer deemed as distinctive as they once were, while 'posh' accents are no longer just seen as upper class.

With varieties of accents increasingly a norm in many localities, will we find the old stereotypes no longer hold? And will RP - however adapted - make a significant comeback? Let's look out for the next generation equivalents of Lumley and Paxman.

Why use non-standard English?

This half term we have been studying

• the range of accent and dialect features found in British English
• recent changes in accents and dialects
• research about who uses non-standard (vernacular) forms

Even though everyone is taught Standard English at school, many people choose to use non-standard English and we have been exploring research and theory about why they do so.

Use the textbook and your workbook to review and revise what we have covered. Then use your blog to explain your answers to the question ‘Why do people use non-standard English?’

Spend some time planning first so that you can write with confidence and build an argument. Introduce relevant researchers and explain what they have found. You can also find interesting examples that will connect with your readers. Aim to cover as many reasons (with evidence) as you can – and aim to make your points easy-to-read and clear for your non-specialist readers. You should find the articles from The London Evening Standard about Kerswill’s research and the links with social identity will help as well.

How was it for you?

Now that you have tried collecting some data for research, take a moment to reflect on your experience. Use your blog to 'tell the story' of your data collection and include advice for anyone attempting a similar task. Aim to make this conversational, witty and amusing - but also address the technical issues you have been learning about.

How do you say....

You may have heard about the British Library survey about the different ways people pronounce common words. If not, check out this BBC Magazine article and watch the piece that was shown on TV News.

The expectation is that the differences will be linked to age. What do you think? Do younger people pronounce words differently from older people?

This is a good example of a high-profile scientific survey. The researchers have a defined list of words they want to check and are asking people to read a passage from the children's book 'Mr Tickle'. How else could they have checked pronunciation? What information do you think they would want to record about the people who respond? Could you make a chart to complete to show responses of individuals?

The British Library survey is timed to publicise a new exhibition about the story of our English Language which starts later this month. The press and internet have found lots of angles on the story - well worth exploring! Try BBC News and the Guardian as a start. The Guardian has a video clip showing how much the Queen's pronunciation has changed since the beginning of her reign. The British Library webpage for the exhibition is disappointing as it's just a way in to booking.

Have a go at doing your own survey. Use the same words and investigate the different ways people pronounce them. Are they right about age being the significant variable, or are there other factors in play here?