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Varieties of English
Standard English
RP
Cockney
Estuary English
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Students are exposed to a number of
varieties of English.
Help in understanding them can play animportant and particularly useful part in
the study of English as a foreign language
(EFL).
English, like every language, is subject to
variation.
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What is the difference between
a dialect and an accent?
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A dialect describes features of grammar,
pronunciation and vocabulary.
An accent refers to the description of
aspects of pronunciation which identifies
where a speaker is from, regionally or
socially.
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Three variables of dialect are:
Geographical: Where the speech community is
based.
Social: What social group/s the speechcommunity belongs to.
Temporal: In what time (present or historical) thespeech community exists.
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Accents
It is not just a case of pronouncing things
differently.
Not all speakers share the same set ofphonemes
We dont always use them in the same
place
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As a result..
Many words are pronouncedidentically by some speakers and
differently by others. Look at theexample:
Farther and father:
these are pronounced identically by mostpeople in England (except in the SouthWest and parts of the North of England.)
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STANDARD ENGLISH
Standard is the kind of English which is:
1. written in published work,
2. spoken in situations where publishedwriting is most influential, especially ineducation (and especially at Universitylevel),
3. spoken natively (at home) by peoplewho are most influenced by publishedwriting - the professional class.
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On the social distribution of Standard, we can go a bit
further than this.
First, Standard is probably spoken natively byabout 10% of the population.
Secondly, Standard can be combined with manydifferent accents, including regional accents.
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Standard English, also known as Standard Written Englishor SWE, is the form of English most widely accepted asbeing clear and proper.
Publishers, writers, educators, and others have over theyears developed a consensus of what standard Englishconsists of. It includes word choice, word order,punctuation, and spelling.
Standard English is especially helpful when writingbecause it maintains a fairly uniform standard ofcommunication which can be understood by all speakersand users of English regardless of differences in dialect,pronunciation, and usage. This is why it is sometimescalled Standard Written English.
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BRITISH ENGLISH
spoken written
standard regional dialects standard regional dialects
RP regional accents related regional accents
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RP:SOME DEFINITIONS
A kind of standard, not necessarily deliberately imposed orconsciously adopted, not a norm from which other accents deviate,nor a target towards which foreign learners need necessarily aim, buta standard in the sense that is regionally neutral and does undeniablyinfluence the modified accents of many British regions (S. Ramsaranin Gramley-Patzold)
A pronunciation of British English, originally based on the speech ofthe upper class of southeastern England and characteristic of theEnglish spoken at the public schools and at Oxford and CambridgeUniversities. Until recently it was the standard form of English used inBritish broadcasting. (The American Heritage Dictionary of the
English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company,2000).
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When British English is taught to foreign learners,
the accent presented as a model for the learner
will most typically be received pronunciation(RP)
Received: in the 19th century the sense was that
of accepted in the most polite circles of society.
British society has changed a good deal since that
time, but RP has remained the accent of those inthe upper reached of the social scale, as measured
by education, income and profession, or title.
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It has traditionally been the accent of those
educated at public schools .Other way of defining it:
Oxford English
Queens English BBC English
RP is not a uniform, homogeneous pronunciation
but it has different variants: General RP, Near-RP
Conservative RP
Advanced RP
Adoptive RP
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A regional accent can be used when
speaking Standard English as well as when
speaking a regional dialect.
Received Pronunciation: social accent
Standard English: (Superdialect)
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RP, unlike prestige accents in other
countries, is NOT the accent of any
particular region, except historically:
Its origins were in the speech of London
and the surrounding area
It is impossible to tell from this
pronunciation where an RP speaker comesfrom.
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WHY RP:
The aesthetic argument:Wylde (1934): RP is superior from the character of its vowel sounds,to any other form of English, in beauty and clarity.But Daniel Jones underlined: I do not consider it possible at thepresent time to regard any special type as Standard or as
intrinsically better than other types. Nevertheless, the typedescribed in this book is certainly a useful one. It is based on my own(Southern) speech, and is, as far as I can ascertain, that generally usedby those who have been educated at preparatory boarding schoolsand the Public Schools. [...] The term Received Pronunciation [...]is often used to designate this type of pronunciation. This term isadopted here for want of a better. (D. Jones, An Outline of English
Phonetics, 1960, 9th edn, p. 12) The intelligibility argument
D. Jones: Rp is easily understood almost everywhere in the English-speaking countries.
The scholarly treatment argument: RP is the basis of linguistictreatment of English pronunciation. EFL model.
The social argument: RP as a status symbol
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Long-standing association ofRP with
affectation, social snobbery
The influence of non-standard and foreignaccents and dialects of English (and of EIL),
along with a general deterioration in
standards in other modes of behavior, has
been blamed for the perceived rise ofsloppiness in pronunciation and disregardfor proper grammar.
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Cockney
Cockney represents the basilectal end of the Londonaccent and can be considered the broadest form ofLondon local accent.(Wells 1982b)
It traditionally refers only to specific regions and speakers
within the city. While many Londoners may speak what is referred to as
"popular London" (Wells 1982b) they do not necessarilyspeak Cockney.
The popular Londoner accent can be distinguished fromCockney in a number of ways, and can also be foundoutside of the capital, unlike the true Cockney accent.
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The term Cockney refers to both the accent as well as tothose people who speak it.
The etymology ofCockney has long been discussed anddisputed. One explanation is that "Cockney" literally
means cock's egg, a misshapen egg such as sometimes laidby young hens.
It was originally used when referring to a weaktownsman, opposed to the tougher countryman and bythe 17th century the term, through banter, came to meana Londoner.
Today's natives of London, especially in its East End usethe term with respect and pride - `Cockney Pride'.)
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The Cockney accent is generally considered one of thebroadest of the British accents and is heavily stigmatized.
It is considered to epitomize the working class accents ofLondoners and in its more diluted form, of other areas.
The area and its colourful characters and accents haveoften become the foundation for British "soap operas"and other television specials.
Currently, the BBC is showing one of the most popular
soaps set in this region, "East Enders" and the charactersaccents and lives within this television program providewonderful opportunities for observers of language andculture.
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The most striking features ofCockney are: r is pronounced only when followed immediately by a vowel-sound. So, no
r is pronounced in flowers. (Some New England accents and Southern U.S.
accents have this same feature.) Dropped h at beginning of words (Voiceless glottal fricative): h is usually
omitted (home in the demonstration words); in self-conscious speech it'sarticulated very strongly. Examples: house = ouse; hammer = ammer
l is pronounced only when a vowel-sound follows (so no l is pronounced inhole, etc.).
TH fronting Another very well known characteristic ofCockney is th frontingwhich involves the replacement of the dental fricatives, and bylabiodentals [f] and [v] respectively. Voiceless th is often, but not always,pronounced as f (breath, etc.). Voiced th is likewise often but not alwayspronounced as v (breathe, etc.). Examples: thin = fin; brother = bruvver;three = free; bath = barf
The long vowels are all diphthongs. Notice especially the difference betweenforce etc. (spelled with r followed by a consonant, though the r is not
pronounced) and poor etc. (spelled with r not followed by a consonant,though again the r is not pronounced).
Monophthongization This affects the lexical set mouth vowel.
Glottal stop (the t sound is not pronounced in intervocalic or finalpositions. there are some words where the omission of t has become veryaccepted. Examples: Gatwick = Gawick; Scotland = Sco'land; statement =Sta'emen; network = Nework
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Listen
fleece, police, grease
face, chase, lace
price, rice, nice
choose, lose, shoes
mouth, round, flowers goat, note, home
force, north, porch
poor, more, door
hole, bowl, coal little, model, fiddle
breath, three, thanks
breathe, mother, other
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Cockney is characterized by its own special
vocabulary and usage, and traditionally by
its own development of "rhyming slang.
( Rhyming slang, is still part of the true
Cockney culture even if it is sometimesused for effect.)
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Rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang is an amusing, widely under-estimated part of the English language. It began 200 yearsago among the London east-end docks builders. Cockneyrhyming slang then developed as a secret language of the
London underworld from the 1850's, when villains usedthe coded speech to confuse police and eavesdroppers.Since then the slang has continued to grow and reflectnew trends and wider usage, notably leading toAustralian rhyming slang expressions, and American too.
Many original cockney rhyming slang words have nowentered the language and many users are largely obliviousas to their beginnings.
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Cockney rhyming slang uses substitutewords, usually two, as a coded alternativefor another word. The final word of the
substitute phrase rhymes with the word itreplaces (for example - the cockneyrhyming slang for the word 'look' is'butcher's hook'). When only the first word
of the replacement phrase is used, as isusual, the meaning is difficult to guess (ie'butchers' = 'look'). doc
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COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG
'Allo me old china - wot say we pop round theJack. I'll stand you a pig and you can rabbit onabout your teapots. We can 'ave some loop and
tommy and be off before the dickory hitstwelve.
or, to translate Hello my old mate (china plate) - what do you say
we pop around to the bar (Jack Tar). I'll buy you a
beer (pig's ear) and you can talk (rabbit and pork)about your kids (teapot lids). We can have somesoup (loop de loop) and supper (Tommy Tucker)and be gone before the clock (hickory dickory dock)strikes twelve.
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"Got to my mickey, found me way up the apples, put on me whistleand the bloody dog went. It was me trouble telling me to fetch theteapots."
which really means,
"Got to my house (mickey mouse), found my way up the stairs(apples and pears), put on my suit (whistle and flute) when thephone (dog and bone) rang. It was my wife (trouble and strife)telling me to get the kids (teapot lids)."
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Cockney rhyming slang is so prevalent in British English that manypeople unwittingly employ it in everyday speech. You will hear
several established terms used in conversation throughout Britain:
"Let's have a butchers at that magazine" (butcher's hook = look)
"I haven't heard a dicky bird about it" (dickie bird = word)
"Use your loaf and think next time" (loaf of bread = head)
"Did you half-inch that car?" (half-inch = pinch, meaning steal)
"You will have to speak up, he's a bit mutton" (mutt'n'jeff = deaf)
"I'm going on my tod" (tod sloan = alone, or own)
"Are you telling porkies?" (porkies = pork pies = lies)
"Are you going to rabbit all night?" (rabbit and pork = talk)
"Scarper lads! The police are coming" (scarpa flow = go)
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Since the 1980s there has been a resurgence in thepopularity of rhyming slang, with numerous new
examples popping up in everyday in speech. Some
make a bold attempt to infiltrate language use at a
national level, usually employed by eager andcocky (sic) adolescents and especially young male
adults in an attempt to strengthen their identity.
The popularity of 'new laddism', 'girl power' and
youth culture in general in the 1990's, encouragedby the media as a profitable commodity, has led to
a wealth of rhyming slang taking hold throughout
the United Kingdom.
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Ayrton Senna = tenner (a monetary note) Claire Rayners = trainers (the footwear) Darren Gough = cough Damon Hill = pill
David Gower = shower Gary Ablett = tablet (ecstasy pill) Gary Glitter = shitter (anus) Gianluca Vialli = charlie (cocaine) Jack Dee = pee Janet Street-Porter = quarter (a weight of drugs) Tony Blair (s) = flairs or hair
Here's a small selection of general, but older, currently usedexpressions:
ruby murray = curry barnet fair = hair currant bun = sun hampstead heath = teeth deep sea diver = fiver (a monetary note) mince pies = eyes china plate = mate pen and ink = stink septic tank = yank (a person from the U.S.) whistle and flute = suit
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Song Starz in their eyes They'll be making sure you stay amused
They'll fill you up with drugs and boozeMaybe you'll make the evening news
And when you're tripping over your dreamsThey'll keep you down by any meansand by the end of the night you'll be stifling your screams
Since you became a VIPersonIt's like your problems have all worsenedYour paranoia casts aspersionsOn the truths you know
And they'll just put you in the spotlightAnd hope that you'll do alrightOr maybe not
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?Why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?So why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?Starz in their eyes?
Remember they said you'd show them allEmphasise the rise but not the fallAnd now you're playing a shopping mall
Your mum and dad they can't believeWhat you appear to have achievedWhile the rest of these users are just laughing in their sleeves
Since you became a VIPersonIt's like your problems have all worsenedYour paranoia casts aspersionsOn the truths you know
And now the tabloids use your faceTo document your fall from graceAnd then they'll tell you that that's just the way it goesThat's just the way it goes
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?It's the same old story well they just didn't realiseAnd it's a long way to come from the dog and duck karaoke machineAnd Saturday night's drunken dreams
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Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?It's the same old story well they just didn't realiseAnd it's a long way to come from your private bedroom dance routinesAnd Saturday night's drunken dreams
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?Why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?So why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?Starz in their eyes?
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?It's the same old story well they just didn't realiseAnd it's a long way to come from the dog and duck karaoke machineAnd Saturday night's drunken dreams
(When I grow up im going to be famous)
Behind the steel barrier and sequence and glitterFive inch heels still knee deep in the litter
Each of them a bitter bullshitter,Wrapped up in the cloak of fake glamour, getting lost in the cameraWell footprints are fools gold, diamonds crusts on their one off plimsollsSo little time for these one off arseholesRigour mortis Ken and Barbie dolls,A pair of big shades and a push up bra,It's such a short gap between the gutter and stars,That you've come a long way from the place that you startedSo why'd you wanna go and get so down hearted
Welcome to the kingdom of the blaggerUncutting you nose clean, coating you bladderA whole lot happier a whole lot sadder,Used to be satisfied but now you feel like Mick Jagger,
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?It's the same old story well they just didn't realiseAnd it's a long way to come from the dog and duck karaoke machineAnd Saturday night's drunken dreams
Now why do you wanna go and put starz in their eyes?It's the same old story well they just didn't realiseAnd it's a long way to come from your private bedroom dance routines
And Saturday night's drunken dreams
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Preface:
It is impossible for an Englishman to open
his mouth without making some otherEnglishman despise him.
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PYGMALION script available at:
http://www.bartleby.com/138/index.html
"In six monthsin three, if she has a good earand a quick tongueI'll take her anywhere
andI'll pass her off as anything. I'll make a
queen of that barbarous wretch!"
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So the Professor makes an initial challenge toward Pickering which
becomes the cornerstone of the film's plot. He wagers with the Colonel
that within six months, he can teach Eliza Doolittle to speak articulately so
that she will be transformed into a pure-speaking lady, so that no one will
suspect her Cockney origins when she is passed off as a duchess at an
Embassy Ball. She will become a proper, aristocratic lady just by being
taught proper English:
You see this creature with her curbstone English. The English that will keepher in the gutter till the end of her days. Well, sir, in six months, I could
pass her off as a duchess at an Embassy Ball. I could even get her a job as a
lady's maid or a shop assistant, which requires better English...[To Eliza]
Yes, you squashed cabbage leaf. You disgrace to the noble architecture of
these columns! You incarnate insult to the English language! I could pass
you off as, ah, the Queen of Sheba.
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The rain in Spain
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!
Henry By George, she's got it! By George, she's got it!
Now, once again where does it rain? Eliza On the plain!
On the plain! Henry And where's that soggy plain?
Eliza In Spain! In Spain! The three
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain! Henry
In Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire...?
Eliza Hurricanes hardly happen.
How kind of you to let me come! Henry
Now once again, where does it rain?Eliza On the plain! On the plain! Henry
And where's that blasted plain?
Eliza In Spain! In Spain!
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Griffin episode http://watchfamilyguyonline.org/movie/51-
Family_Guy_304_One_If_By_Clam_Two_If_By_Sea.html
When a hurricane strikes Quohog, everything is destroyedexcept The Drunken Clam, which is bought out by a Brit who
turns it into an English pub. As it happens, pub owner Nigel
Pinchley and his family move in next door to the Griffins, and
Stewie tries to teach Nigel's Cockney-accented 3-year-old
daughter how to speak proper English.
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Emergence of a new replacement variety
first dubbed Estuary English by Rosewarne
(1984)
Estuary English is a name given to the
form(s) of English widely spoken in and
around London and, more generally, in the
southeast of England along the riverThames and its estuary.
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[...] a varietyofmodified regional speech.
It isa mixtureof non-regional and local
south-eastern English pronunciation andintonation. Ifoneimaginesa continuum
with RPandLondon speech at either end,
EstuaryEnglish speakersare tobe foundgroupedin themiddleground. (Rosewarne
1984)
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From a geographical point of view, EE is said to havebeen firstspoken "by thebanks of theThames and its estuary" (Rosewarne1984, 29), then became"themost influential accent in thesouth-eastof England (Rosewarne1984, 29) and is now spreading"northwardsto Norwich and westwards to Cornwall" (Rosewarne1994, 4). Froma sociological point of view, EE is reported to beused by speakers
who constitutethesocial "middleground" (Rosewarne1984, 29).This definition includes speakers who want to conform to (linguistic)middleclass norms either by movingup or down thesocial scale.Thefirst group aims at EE in order to sound more 'posh', thesecondto sound less 'posh', both avoidingtheelitist character ofRP. Thissocial compromiseis also reflected in the linguistic makeup of EE. Itcomprises features ofRP as well as non-standard London English thusborrowingthepositiveprestigefrom both accents withoutcommittingitself to either. This vagueness makes it extremely difficultto pin EE down linguistically.
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Estuary English
web site (regularly maintained by J.C. Wells):
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/estuary/home.htm
Provides numerous web links to "scholarly articles, papers,
lectures, web sites and "light journalism."
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Listening activity:
Comma gets a cure International Dialects of English Archive
Founded 1997
http://web.ku.edu/~idea/index.htm
Well, here's a story for you: Sarah Perry was a veterinary nurse who had been working daily at an old zoo in a deserted
district of the territory, so she was very happy to start a new job at a superb private practice in North Square near the
Duke Street Tower. That area was much nearer for her and more to her liking. Even so, on her first morning, she felt
stressed. She ate a bowl of porridge, checked herself in the mirror and washed her face in a hurry. Then she put on a plain
yellow dress and a fleece jacket, picked up her kit and headed for work.
When she got there, there was a woman with a goose waiting for her. The woman gave Sarah an official letter from the
vet. The letter implied that the animal could be suffering from a rare form of foot and mouth disease, which was
surprising, because normally you would only expect to see it in a dog or a goat. Sarah was sentimental, so this made her
feel sorry for the beautiful bird.
Before long, that itchy goose began to strut around the office like a lunatic, which made an unsanitary mess. The goose's
owner, Mary Harrison, kept calling, "Comma, Comma," which Sarah thought was an odd choice for a name. Comma was
strong and huge, so it would take some force to trap her, but Sarah had a different idea. First she tried gently stroking the
goose's lower back with her palm, then singing a tune to her. Finally, she administered ether. Her efforts were not futile.
In no time, the goose began to tire, so Sarah was able to hold onto Comma and give her a relaxing bath.
Once Sarah had managed to bathe the goose, she wiped her off with a cloth and laid her on her right side. Then Sarah
confirmed the vet's diagnosis. Almost immediately, she remembered an effective treatment that required her to measure
out a lot of medicine. Sarah warned that this course of treatment might be expensive-either five or six times the cost of
penicillin. I can't imagine paying so much, but Mrs. Harrison-a millionaire lawyer-thought it was a fair price for a cure.
LISTEN 1
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LISTEN 1
The subject is a 49 year-old white male speaker of contemporary RP, born in Woking, Surrey and educated to A-Level(age 18) at a local grammar school. He has lived most of his adult life in Brighton and works as a local government
officer. The speaker recalls that his accent was closer to pure RP when growing up in Surrey than in its currentincarnation. Brighton is a student city and the influence of many younger Estuary English speakers is probably
significant. His occupation also entails a fair amount of telephone-based conflict resolution and he admits to regularlymicro-adjusting his natural accent in both class directions in order to better establish a rapport with colleagues and
complainants.
The following sounds heard in the recording are fairly typical of a shift away from traditionaltoward relaxed RP.
Slight centring of GOOSE vowel with fairly relaxed lip rounding relative to advanced RP.
Retraction and lowering of first vowel in FACE diphthong
Raising of first vowel in MOUTH diphthong
Retraction of first element of PRICE vowel, sometimes smoothing it into a monophthong.
CURE and SQUARE vowels are often realised as monophthongs..
Affricated intervocalic /t/ The intermittent occurrence of a labiodental or weak r is a feature of the speakers idiolect and
not particularly characteristic of either of his regions of origin.
Transcription
Well, I was um, I was born in Surrey, in 1957, and, uh in a little town called Woking. Ah, I livedwith my parents, ah, for three years in acaravan on a caravan site, um until the birth of mybrother, when I was about three, er, and then we moved into the.. gamekeepers cottage on anestate, where my grandfather worked, my grandfather was the gamekeeper on the estate. Er, and
we lived there for a couple of years. Um, just in the, this little little cottage on the estate looking at watching the animals, I remember
my father chasing a fox in the garden, and I remember there being lots of dead animals around,that had been shot, by the gamekeeper, my grandfather gamekeeper.
Anyway we lived there for a while, and then my father got er, a house, in Addlestone, nearAddlestone. And we lived there until I got a permanent job, which involved me living, working,overseas in other parts of the world, and then, eventually moving down to Brighton, and Ivebeen hereabout25 years, or more, I think.
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Listen 2 The subject is a 28 year old white female born and raised in Portslade, East Sussex, now living in nearby Brighton. She
describes herself as working class, having grown up in a low income area. She attended private school on an assisted placeand university in 1997, the year before student grants were withdrawn by the UK government.
Her accent is a good example of the much-contested category Estuary English. She notes that while attending privateschool, it veered closer to contemporary RP, due to overwhelming social pressure to conform to the same speech system asthe vast majority of her fellow pupils.
She also remarks that her accent derives more from the general populace of her social environment than her familymembers or close personal friends, many of whom speak an Estuary variant considerably closer to Standard RP.
The following features can be heard in the recording:
The GOOSE vowel is advanced- almost fronted- to a greater extent than the centralised variant in Contemporary RP. It hasalmost no discernible lip rounding and is not far from Primary Cardinal 2.
Unrounded GOAT vowel with both elements quite centralised.
g is dropped from ing verb participle endings.
Intervocalic glottal replacement of /t/.
Others /t/s are often slightly dentalised or affricated.
Elision of 3rd syllable, and coalescence, or crunching of /t/ and /r/ at the final syllable onset of territory.
Alveolar-palatal coalescence, resulting in an dropped yod and affricate onset for Duke. This is very common in Estuaryaccents and not unusual in Contemporary RP.
Replacement of dark l with FOOT vowel. Labiodental variant of both voiced and unvoiced th, especially in medial position.
Fairly open DRESS vowel relative to RP, often heading towards SQUARE.
Slight retraction of NURSE (see beautiful bird), towards a long STRUT.
Retracted first element and slight monophthongisation of PRICE vowel.
SQUARE is usually monophthonised.
Cureat the end of the set passage is realized with THOUGHT vowel.
8/6/2019 1436_10591_1076121644_LESSON Standard RP Cockney Estuary English
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I think that my accent is um, a true reflection of where I come from in the social spectrum in thiscountryand I have quitein my area. And I have quite a strong political belief that I wont alter myaccent for other people despite having been sent to a private schoolermmy family havingaspirations, to fit in with a much more conventional, accepted way of behaving, Ive never acceptedthat, I want to be accepted for who I really am, and if people find it threatening, thats not really myproblem.
Erm, Ive always beencorrected, as most children are, erm, in this country by my parents for notspeaking The Queens English, er dropping my aitches and ts, though in words for a reason
despite the fact that lots of other letters like g, h and other expressions in English language aresilent deliberately, umm, to decide on your own to do thatis in some way anarchistic, so it shouldbe stamped out or otherwise you wont be allowed to take part in polite society.
I dont really hold a lot ofI dont think that idea holds a lot of water, I still argue with my dad aboutit. He tells my brothers off, for dropping their ts and says I know your sister does it, but shes toobig to tell off, and Ill say you know, its, its not fair to say that to me, when I grew up in a place inPortslade, where its normal to speak like this.
If Im in, ah, working in a shop, in my shop I work in, I always try, er, to be polite and I probably try
and sound a little bit more innocent than I really am to try andmask the threateningeffectsbutI wont try and speak in a more proper way to get respect.
Running time: 04:04