This paper will analyze the various accents in the historical period drama television series Downton Abbey created by Julian Fellowes. The main research question is whether the social class of the series’ characters is reflected in their accents and how these accents mirror their personality. To do so, this study will primarily analyze t-glottalization and h-dropping. I predict that a character’s social class will become apparent through their accent which also relates back to their personality.
The paper will begin with a short theoretical background on how social class and language are linked before giving a brief overview of Downton Abbey and how social class plays a major role in this series. It will then give an overview of features that distinguish class accents, focusing on differences between Received Pronunciation and Northern English accents as Downton Abbey is set in the north. Afterwards, previous research on social class in film by Hodson will be illustrated. Next the methodology and the analysis will follow. First the accents of the two characters Daisy and Mary will be compared by counting the frequency of t-glottalization and h-dropping and the results will be examined. Afterwards, I will look at the same features in Mr. Carson’s pronunciation and interpret the results. Finally I will summarise the findings of this paper.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Theory
2.1 Language and Social Class
2.2 Social Class in Downton Abbey
2.3 Differing Features in Northern Accents and RP
2.4 Language and Social Class in Film
3. Analysis
3.1 Methodology
3.2 Comparison of Lady Mary and Daisy
3.3 Mr. Carson
4. Conclusion
Research Objective and Scope
This paper examines how social class and personality are reflected through the accents of characters in the television series Downton Abbey. By conducting a quantitative analysis of H-dropping and T-glottalisation, the study investigates whether characters' speech patterns consistently mirror their social status or deviate based on individual personality traits and interpersonal dynamics.
- The linguistic impact of social stratification in historical period dramas.
- Quantitative comparison of Received Pronunciation (RP) versus Northern English dialect features.
- Linguistic analysis of H-dropping and T-glottalisation among specific characters.
- The role of "convergence" in explaining non-standard speech patterns among domestic staff.
- Correlation between character personality traits and regional accent usage.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Comparison of Lady Mary and Daisy
As a first step, Lady Mary and Daisy’s speech was analysed as they are at two different ends of the social ladder. Lady Mary, as the eldest daughter of the Earl of Grantham, is part of the aristocracy. On the other side, Daisy is a servant. She works under Mrs Patmore, the cook, as a kitchen maid and belongs to the lower working class. Both characters are fairly prominent figures in the series. In addition, they are both female and part of the younger generation. Therefore, social variables besides social class such as gender and age do not distinguish the two characters.
As mentioned before, the variables that were focused on, were (h) in the initial position and (t) in the word final position. In both cases, speakers of RP would pronounce these phonemes whereas speakers of Northern dialects would drop the /h/ and use a glottal stop (Hughes et al 1979: 90). The different variants of the two variables were counted for each character. The expectation was that Lady Mary, as a member of the aristocracy would generally speak RP, which would mean pronouncing both /h/ and /t/. Daisy, as a member of the lower class, was expected to speak in a local dialect and show evidence of h-dropping and t-glottalisation.
As shown in table (1) and (2), these expectations were confirmed.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the significance of dialects in film and defines the research question regarding the correlation between social class, personality, and accent in Downton Abbey.
2. Theory: Establishes the theoretical framework by defining social stratification, Received Pronunciation (RP), and previous sociolinguistic research on language in film.
3. Analysis: Presents the quantitative methodology and the specific linguistic data comparing the speech patterns of Lady Mary, Daisy, and Mr. Carson.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, noting that while most characters' accents reflect their class, exceptions like Mr. Carson demonstrate the influence of personality and social convergence.
Keywords
Downton Abbey, Sociolinguistics, Social Class, Received Pronunciation, H-dropping, T-glottalisation, Northern English, Period Drama, Linguistic Variation, Speech Patterns, Convergence, Character Analysis, Quantitative Analysis, Dialect, Social Stratification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the linguistic representation of social class in the TV series Downton Abbey, specifically investigating if accents function as indicators of a character's background and personality.
Which specific linguistic features are analyzed in this study?
The research primarily examines the frequency of H-dropping (word-initial) and T-glottalisation (word-final) in the speech of selected characters.
What is the primary research question?
The main question is whether the social class of the characters is reflected in their accents and how these accents mirror their individual personalities.
What scientific method does the author employ?
The author uses a quantitative approach, manually counting the occurrences of specific linguistic variables (h) and (t) in dialogue from the first episode of the series.
What is the main difference between RP and Northern English accents discussed here?
The paper highlights that Received Pronunciation (RP) generally maintains full articulation of /h/ and /t/, whereas Northern English dialects frequently exhibit H-dropping and the use of glottal stops.
Which characters serve as the primary case studies?
The study focuses on Lady Mary (aristocracy), Daisy (working class servant), and Mr. Carson (the butler).
Why does Mr. Carson's speech pattern contradict the author's initial thesis?
Although Mr. Carson is a member of the lower class, he predominantly uses RP. The author concludes this is due to his meticulous nature and his desire to converge with the aristocratic family he serves.
How does the author define the concept of 'convergence' within this context?
Convergence is defined as the process of adapting one's speech to match an interlocutor or a group one admires to accentuate similarities and express affinity.
- Citation du texte
- Teresa Schenk (Auteur), 2017, Accents in the Historical Period Drama Television Series Downton Abbey, focusing on H-Dropping and T-Glottalisation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/367661
