LANCASHIRE STUDY

• What 3 accent features were searched for in Kerswills Lancashire study (2008) ?

  h-dropping

  Th-fronting

  T-glottaling
• what is h-dropping?

  saying 'at' compared to 'hat'

  associated with working class speakers of all ages across all dialects
• what is th-fronting?

  'thing' vs 'fing' and 'with' vs 'wiv'

  associated with working class teenagers
• what is t-glottaling?

  'better' versus 'be'er'

  associated with working class teenagers

  spreading to middle-class language
• what were the broad findings of the Lancashire study?

  8/10 top pupils on aspiration had parents with professional jobs. 0/10 on bottom pupils had parents with aspirational jobs.

  children with top aspirational jobs used less of the accent features

  pupils in the bottom 10 had come from a home where there wasnt a high value placed on education
• Josie


  one of the most aspirational pupils

  dropped her 'h' and 't'

  parents dont have highly professional jobs

  works really hard
• Penny

  working class background

  parents are lorry driver and shelf stacker but 80% score on home culture

  scored high on aspirations

  clever, works hard and gives 100% effort

  parents place high value on education

  has high cognitive ability

  one of the most fluent and articulate speakers in study
• when we speak there is an expectation that our speech will fit with our background, if it doesnt we may be judged to be inauthentic
• "using non-standard forms helps to maintain their status as accepted members of their communities"

  the pull of social acceptance is very large