Non-standard English: Usage and attitudes

Non-standard English Usage and attitudesIntroductionSpoken language is a powerful method of converse that conveys more than think referential in set upion. Depending on the listeners attitude, a blab outers emphasize or dialect may imply a number of characteristics such as social class and professionalism. Examples of non-standard lingual features are discussed under trade union movement 1 followed by summaries of two studies under Task 2, which focus on attitudes towards watt Indian Patois (Edwards, 1986) and the Cockney accent (Giles Sassoon, 1982).Task 1 Thats the girl he gave the bracelet to.This fate contains a grammatical, non-standard linguistic feature because it ends with the preposition to. In Standard English, a preposition usually proceeds a noun, hence the sentence should read Thats the girl to whom he gave the bracelet. However, on that point are cases where sentences sound unnatural if they are arranged in a way that avoids a final proposition. This is usual ly chatn in conversational English, for example in relative clauses and questions which feature phrasal verbs, passive constructions, and short sentences which feature an infinitive or verbal noun.Nonetheless, in formal writing, it is considered better practice to avoid placing a preposition at the end of a sentence where it may seem stranded. (Preposition, 2008)Buffy the vampire slayer is dead cool.This sentence contains a lexical, non-standard linguistic feature because dead functions as an adverb of degree, such as very the sentence should read, Buffy the vampire slayer is very cool, or of a resembling effect. Dead typically functions as an adjective, subject matter no longer alive, and is used in contexts such as a dead bodyor a dead issue. It has and so undergone semantic change, and its meaning has been broadened. (Dead, 2017)My old man gave me a set of wheels for my birthday.This sentence contains lexical, non-standard linguistic features because slang is used. My old man is a colloquial, informal noun phrase meaning ones father or a womans husband or boyfriend set of wheels is also a colloquial, informal noun phrase meaning a motor vehicle, as opposed to a literal set of wheels. According to Standard English, the sentence should read My father gave me a motor vehicle for my birthday. The phrases have thus undergone semantic change. (Old man, 2017)The guy that toys in the bar is really nice.This sentence contains a lexical, non-standard linguistic feature due to the use of the informal noun, guy, meaning man (Guy, 2017). at that place is also a grammatical, unacceptable linguistic feature because, in Standard English, that should not be used as a relative pronoun when the antecedent is personal. A human antecedent is typically proceeded by who in a defining clause. An inanimate antecedent or a human but representative of a class is followed by that for example, the chair that collapsed / the baby that laughed. In Standard English, the sentence sh ould therefore read The man who works in the bar is really nice. (That, 1998)Who did you see?This sentence contains a grammatical, non-standard linguistic feature because who is used in place of whom. In Standard English, who is a relative pronoun or an interrogative when it refers to the subject (who is there?). Whom is the objective form, hence the sentence should read Whom did you see?However, the use of whom is declining and is often replaced by who in modern usage. (Who and whom, 2017)Task 2 A study of West Indian Patois, conducted by Viv Edwards (1986)A study of 45 British-born black adolescents in a West Midlands community (Edwards 1997 409) reveals the attitudes of teachers and pupils towards West Indian Patois.Attitudes to Patois in the educational world are generally negative. The Association of Teachers of English to Pupils from Overseas (ATEPO 1970) describe West Indian language as babyish and lacking proper grammar (Edwards 1986 25) the matter Association of School Mas ters (1969) refer to West Indian language as a plantation English which is socially unacceptable and inadequate for communication (Edwards 1986 25).These negative attitudes reflect some of the findings of Edwards (1986) West Midlands study. Conducted in Dudley, the study consisted of a judgement sample and comprised of 3 measures which were applied to the computer address of 21 women and 24 men, venerable between 16 and 23 frequency of Patois features, competence in Patois, and patterns of Patois usage. (Edwards 1997 410). The studys findings are presented in 3 sets of interactions, as summarised below schoolroom Interaction, Pupil-Pupil Interactions and Pupil-Teacher Interactions.Classroom InteractionThe stereotype that Patois speakers are limited to monolingualism was opposed by recordings of dark pupils utilise different language patterns in the classroom.Pupil-Pupil InteractionsContrary to the beliefs of the White community, unappeasable pupils, who reduced the frequency an d range of their nonstandard linguistic features, made a marked choice not to speak Standard English (despite their competence to speak both varieties).The use of Patois in the classroom was rare but virtually all black pupils could understand it, and used features in at least(prenominal) some situations. Within Black peer groups, it marked solidarity and acceptance in mixed-raced groups, it functioned to exclude the White outsider.However, a few White pupils sought acceptance from Black friendship groups by using Patois, but their degree of competence varied. Some Black pupils responded with amusement and approval most responded negatively to the White community for using a variety of English that was distinctively Black.Pupil-Teacher InteractionsBlack pupils used Patois to exclude their White teacher as means of defiance. Teachers then felt exist when Patois was used in a confrontational way. Teachers who responded punitively elicited negative attitudes towards Patois. Other rep orts of teacher responses included learning nonstandard linguistic features in an attempt to understand Black dialect.Edwards (1997) concludes that teachers punitive responses and the use of Patois to exclude the White community are a disapproval of the issues caused by negative attitudes towards nonstandard varieties of English.A study of Cockney, conducted by Howard Giles and Caroline Sassoon (1982)A study of a speakers accent and social class reveals the attitudes of 120 undergraduate listeners towards Cockney, in comparison to received Pronunciation (RP).Based, on Ryan Sebastians (1980) study of the attitudes of bosom class listeners towards Mexican-American in the USA, both studies were reminiscent of Lamberts (1967) matched-guise test and consisted of a tape-recording, followed by a questionnaire. Ryan Sebastian (1980) found that by electronegative the listeners assumption of the accented speakers social class, their evaluations improved. Giles Sassoon (1982) referred to this as the Ryan Sebastian effect, which they later opposed in their hypothesis awareness of a Cockney speakers social class would not washed-out significantly the unfavourable status associations commonly levied against nonstandard speech (pp. 306).The participants of the study (Ss) consisted of 63 males and 57 females, aged between 18 and 23. Ss heard 1 confederacy of a male students voice and social class information who was recorded reading two stimulus passages using RP and Cockney accents. The legitimacy of his bidialectal skills was assessed in a pilot study by 24 undergraduates.The studys dependant measures involved 5 small questionnaires, each consisting of 7-point rating scales and instructions. The questionnaires were measures of Ss perception of the speakers social class, accent and formality of speech social evaluation scales based on the speakers intelligence, success, friendliness and trustworthiness belief similarity items which measured the extent that Ss agreed with the speaker on social issues such as the legislation of marijuana social distance items which measured how close a relationship Ss were willing to have with the speaker and social role items which determined Ss willingness to work with the speaker as subordinate to, superior over, or colleague with them (pp. 307).Ss were recorded in groups of up to 6 other undergraduates they were handed the 5 questionnaires in the format of a response booklet with the social class information facing upwards. Once they had completed the task, they were debriefed and engaged in discussion.The results proved Giles Sassoons hypothesis the awareness of the speakers middle class background did not prevent Ss from perceiving him as a low status evaluation when he used Cockney. Accent influenced the ratings on only 1 of 4 social issues listeners shared more beliefs on the legislation of marijuana with the speaker when he used an RP accent accent had no effect on social distance items but the finding s from the social role items showed that Ss preferred an RP speaker as their superordinate, and as a subordinate too (pp. 311).Giles Sassoon conclude that the awareness of a Cockney speakers middle class background does not prevent the stereotyped negative attitudes towards low status ratings (pp. 311).Conclusion The nonstandard linguistic features in Task 1 and the studies summarised in Task 2 portray several varieties of English. The mixed attitudes towards the widespread use of nonstandard linguistic features are a clear reflection of an ever-changing language.Word count 1500 wordsReferencesAllen, R. Fowler, H. (2008). Preposition. Pocket Fowlers Modern English Usage.Oxford Oxford University Press. Retrieved fromhttp//www.oxfordreference.com.idpproxy.reading.ac.uk/view/10.1093/acref/9780199232581.001.0001/acref-9780199232581-e-3016?rskey=4f5JCxresult=1Allen, R. Fowler, H. (2008). Who and whom. Pocket Fowlers Modern English Usage.Oxford Oxford University Press. Retrieved fromht tp//www.oxfordreference.com.idpproxy.reading.ac.uk/view/10.1093/acref/9780199232581.001.0001/acref-9780199232581-e-4155?rskey=ducoglresult=2Dead. (2017). Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford. Retrieved fromhttps//en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/deadEdwards, V. (1986). Language In A Black Community. Clevedon Multilingual MattersEdwards, V. (2007). Patois and the Politics of Protest Black English in British Classrooms.In Coupland, N. 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