Paul Kerswill: What can we glean about language variation from a sociolinguistic interview?

1. Data workshop on ethnolectal varieties FRIAS, 17 March 2010 Paul Kerswill: What can we glean about language variation from a sociolinguistic interview?

2. Linguistic Innovators: the English of Adolescents in London (2004–7) Investigators: Paul Kerswill (Lancaster University) Jenny Cheshire (Queen Mary, University of London) Research Associates: Sue Fox (Queen Mary, University of London) Eivind Torgersen (Lancaster University) E· S· R· C ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/activities/278/

3. Multicultural London English: the emergence, acquisition and diffusion of a new variety (2007–10) Investigators: Paul Kerswill (Lancaster University) Jenny Cheshire (Queen Mary, University of London) Research Associates: Sue Fox, Arfaan Khan, (Queen Mary, University of London) Eivind Torgersen (Lancaster University) E· S· R· C ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/activities/539/

4. Research questions • Evidence for development of a ‘new’ ‘variety’ in London, following high immigration? • Problematising both ‘new’ and ‘variety’ • What are its social characteristics? • What is the envelope of variability in inner-London speech communities? Is it a series of ‘ethnolects’ or is it a (highly variable) ‘multiethnolect’? • What are its diachronic characteristics in terms of elapsed time and individual acquisition?

5. Havering Hackney

6. Three variables, or features • GOAT vowel • Hiatus resolution and vowel reduction • Code-switching into Jamaican

7. Today’s recording • 90 minutes • Sociolinguistic interview with Courtney (f, aged 17), Aimee (f, aged 19) and Dexter (m, aged 17), and Sue (interviewer, white Londoner) • Courtney, Aimee and Dexter have Jamaican parents. Courtney lived in Jamaica up to the age of 9 • Dexter comes in unannounced after 30 mins, not previously known to Sue but known to the others

8. Variable 1: DiphthongsWorking-class white Londoner born 1938 GOAT CHOICE FACE PRICE MOUTH START TRAP STRUT

9. Young Hackney speakers (2005) Laura, Anglo Issah, Kuwait Grace, Nigeria Jack, Anglo

10. Vowel systems 1. Aimee

11. Vowel systems 2. Dexter

12. Vowel systems 3. Courtney

13. Courtney’s usage of GOAT stands out from the others, being central. It also has a fronting trajectory (not visible here) RQ: Does she nevertheless use this vowel for marking changes in footing/stance?

14. Courtney and Aimee GOAT vowel early in interview • Sue: alright so . so yeah er tell me a little bit about what you're doing at college then .. • Courtney: we're both [əʊ̟] studying forensic science we're in the same class erm . that's it really . come in . go [əʊ̟] to our lessons • Aimee: and then go [ɔ̝ʊ] home [ɔ̝ʊ] • Courtney: use the library then go [əʊ̟] home [əʊ̟].

15. Courtney: GOAT vowel in banter • Aimee: I'll be more allowed bring home a woman than a African • Dexter: yeah . • Courtney: I don't [ə]know [ɔ̝ʊ]about . no [ɔ̝].

16. Variable 2: Hiatus resolution General findings in London (Britain & Fox, Gabrielatos et al.): • 1. Indef. article a + vowel: a [ʔ]apple • 2. Def. article the + vowel: the [ʔ]apple (with no /ðə/ ~ /ðɪ/ allophony) • 3. Replacing linking and ‘intrusive’ /r/ in e.g. where [ʔ] I, more [ʔ] of, teacher [ʔ] is • 4. Replacing glides [j] and [w] in e.g. way [ʔ] of, blow [ʔ] it RQs: Is there variation? Is it extended to other phonological domains?

17. Pre-vocalic glottal stop postconsonantally • Courtney: erm . in forensic [ʔ]evidence like the er teacher • Aimee: we do fake stuff .

18. Explicit articulation; non-reduction • Sue: ... two days a week /or something?/ • Aimee: yeah they would go like . they would send them there . like or send them to a unit? for couple of days a week just to like si kind of sign on? [Sue: mm] and like after a while you're not in school you get out of the habit you don't . can't wake up anymore • Sue: yeah . [Aimee: just] did that ha did you ever . go to one of those x • Aimee: no my mum . erm every time I got kicked out of school my mum was like . "no . you are going back to school [Sue: mm] you do not . staying at home" • Sue: right .

19. Variable 3: Switching into Jamaican • Aimee: #1 that's nasty blood if you see her the belly's out here blood # • Dexter: #2 . it's like but . <kisses teeth> . # • Courtney: is she black? • Aimee: #1 yeah she's fat she fat like .. she big and fat .. # • Dexter: #2 yeah she yeah she she is big . she is big but .. # • Courtney: xx couldn't get better • Dexter: no it's not even that but • Aimee: oh he can do better

20. References • Britain, David & Sue Fox (2009). The regularisation of the hiatus resolution system in British English: a contact-induced ‘vernacular universal’? In Filppula, Markku, Juhani Klemola and Heli Paulasto (eds.) Vernacular Universal and Language Contacts: Evidence from English and Beyond. London: Routledge, pp. 177–205. • Gabrielatos, Costas, Eivind Nessa Torgersen, Sebastian Hoffmann, and Susan Fox (2010). A corpus-based sociolinguistic study of indefinite article forms in London English. Journal of English Linguistics 20: 1–38.