Uses of English in a multilingual British peergroup
This research is innovative in its intensive focus on a multilingual peergroup in Britain. It studies a group of twenty-three boys of Indian, Pakistani, Afro-caribbean and Anglo parentage by means of interviews, questionnaires, participant-observation and radio-microphone recording. It addresses two main issues. The first issue situates the study within quantitative sociolinguistics. Following Le Page, the research asks: how is it possible to examine the social distribution of speech variants given the flexibility and mutability of group affiliation? Two empirical approaches are recommended: network analysis gives leverage on interactional association, and Identtty Structure Analysis assesses psycho-social identifications. The conceptual compatibility of these approaches is carefully stated, and a critique made of closely related sociolinguistics (Milroy and Giles). A demonstration analysis is conducted on two phonological variables, incorporating a critical evaluation of this methodology and suggestions for future use. The second theme concerns a form of secondary Foreigner Talk: what is happening when members of the multilingual peer-group deliberately speak Indian-accented English? Interactional sociolinguistics
Rampton, Michael Benjamin Helyer
Linguistics
Uses of English in a multilingual British peergroup. This research is innovative in its intensive focus on a multilingual peergroup in Britain. It studies a group of twenty-three boys of Indian, Pakistani, Afro-caribbean and Anglo parentage by means of interviews, questionnaires, participant-observation and radio-microphone recording. It addresses two main issues. The first issue situates the study within quantitative sociolinguistics. Following Le Page, the research asks: how is it possible to examine the social distribution of speech variants given the flexibility and mutability of group affiliation? Two empirical approaches are recommended: network analysis gives leverage on interactional association, and Identtty Structure Analysis assesses psycho-social identifications. The conceptual compatibility of these approaches is carefully stated, and a critique made of closely related sociolinguistics (Milroy and Giles). A demonstration analysis is conducted on two phonological variables, incorporating a critical evaluation of this methodology and suggestions for future use. The second theme concerns a form of secondary Foreigner Talk: what is happening when members of the multilingual peer-group deliberately speak Indian-accented English? Interactional sociolinguistics
uses english multilingual british innovative intensive focus multilingual britain study group twenty_three boy indian pakistani caribbean anglo mean interview_questionnaire participant_observation radio recording address two_main issue first issue situates study within quantitative sociolinguistics following page ask possible examine social distribution speech variant give flexibility mutability group affiliation empirical approach recommend network analysis give interactional association structure analysis assess psycho social identification conceptual compatibility approach carefully state critique make closely_related sociolinguistics demonstration analysis_conduct phonological_variable incorporate critical_evaluation suggestion future use second theme_concern form secondary foreigner talk happening member multilingual peer group deliberately speak indian accented_english interactional sociolinguistics