This paper describes an analysis of the Eastern New England dialect with concentration on the features of non-rhoticity and broad a. It examines the results by comparing the speakers’ levels of non-rhoticity and broad a to the factor of their gender.
On the one hand, I decided to examine the features of non-rhoticity and broad a, because these features are most prominent for this particular dialect of American English. “Two major New England shibboleths are the “dropping” of post-vocalic r(as in [ka:] car and [ba:n] barn) and the low central vowel [ɑː] in the BATH class,
words like aunt and glass.” (Carver, 1987: 21)
On the other hand, I have recognized that there is a lack of examination of the mentioned features especially with regard to the speakers’ gender and if these results would be conform with the sociolinguistic statement of women showing a stronger
tendency towards standard or prestige variants in their speech communities. (Schönweitz, 2001: 2)
As the basis of this analysis I decided to use speech data of the two main characters of the American television series Family Guy, which is known for being presented in the typical Eastern New England (ENE) dialect.
The structure of my paper is divided into the following sections: an overview of the topic as well as the two features under examination, a description of the methodology used in this study and a section of the results which will take a look at my findings. Afterwards, a conclusion follows with implications on further research.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 1.1 DEFINING THE LINGUISTIC VARIABLES
- 1.1.1 NON-RHOTICITY
- 1.1.2 BROAD A
- 1.1 DEFINING THE LINGUISTIC VARIABLES
- 2. METHODOLOGY
- 2.1 SAMPLE
- 2.2 CODING AND ANALYSIS
- 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- 3.1 NON-RHOTICITY
- 3.2 BROAD A
- 4. CONCLUSION
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to investigate the presence of non-rhoticity and broad 'a' in the Eastern New England dialect and to examine if there are differences in their use based on the speaker's gender.
- The features of non-rhoticity and broad 'a' in the Eastern New England dialect
- The relationship between gender and the use of these linguistic features
- The sociolinguistic phenomenon of women leading linguistic change
- The potential for animated television series to reflect real-world sociolinguistic patterns
- The decline of non-rhoticity and broad 'a' in the Eastern New England area
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter introduces the topic of non-rhoticity and broad 'a' in the Eastern New England dialect, highlighting their significance as prominent features of the dialect. It also explores the potential link between these features and the speaker's gender, drawing upon sociolinguistic theories about women's role in linguistic change.
- Chapter 1.1: Defining the Linguistic Variables This section defines the key linguistic features being examined: non-rhoticity and broad 'a'. It explains the pronunciation of these features and provides examples of how they manifest in speech. It also discusses the phenomenon of linking 'r' in non-rhotic dialects.
- Chapter 2: Methodology This chapter outlines the methodology employed in the research, including the selection of the sample and the coding and analysis techniques used. It aims to answer specific questions about the use of non-rhoticity and broad 'a' in relation to gender and the relevance of animated television series to sociolinguistic studies.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts explored in this paper include non-rhoticity, broad 'a', Eastern New England dialect, gender, sociolinguistics, linguistic change, women's language, and animated television series.
- Quote paper
- M. A. Alisa Westermann (Author), 2009, Non-rhoticity and broad a in the Eastern New England dialect – a gender thing?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/173347
