How Class Defines Speech

“How Class Defines Speech” summary by Nagy Levente (J71ZTV)
The lecture is about how the social world conditions might alter the use of language
from two sides. The first is about how different social environments can alter grammar; the
other focuses on the relationship between syntax and social circles. The first part highlights
the complexity (and elegance) behind deleting the final consonants in some speech varieties.
The second side deals with the elaborate and restrictive code usage among the different social
classes.
Walt Wolfram researched the omission of the “d” sound at the end of words among
Puerto Rican non-female adolescents and its complex nature. His findings discussed that there
are three primary environments where a “d” can be deleted: the “d” is before a vowel or
consonant (Food is/food smells), in the accented (stressed) syllable (əˈɡriːd/ˈkær.id), or at the
end of a content word (Harold) or a grammatical morpheme (hustled).
The rate at which “d” is dropped in a stressed grammatical morpheme (17.4%) or
content word (18.6%) followed by a vowel is relatively low. However, the rate is slightly
higher in the case of unstressed grammatical morphemes (26.3%) and content word syllables
(39.3%), followed by a vowel. Therefore, the final “d” tend to be more dropped in unstressed
environments in content words. The reason behind this might be that if the “d” disappears, it
is more challenging to pronounce two vowels subsequently than two consonants. In the case
of “agreed on”, the deletion of “d” would mar the purpose of the past tense, so it might be a
more conscious choice not to omit it.
On the other hand, if the “d” is followed by a consonant (food smells), the rates are
different. The reason behind the higher frequency might be the difficulty of pronouncing
consonants subsequently. When the stress is on the stressed syllable containing the final “d”
sound, the frequency is higher when the syllable belongs to a content word (66.6%) rather
than to a grammatical morpheme (41.2%). Moreover, if the “d” is in an unstressed
environment (carried some), the frequency of deletion reaches its peak both in grammatical
morphemes (70.4%) and content words(70.3%). The difference between content and
grammatical cases is almost irrelevant; nevertheless, this is the first time that the rate is higher
for grammatical morphemes. Due to Wolfram’s study, the deletion of the final “d” among the
Puerto Rican participants is not random but follows a pattern. This pattern is different among
social classes. The more prone one is to delete the final “d”, the lower class one might belong.
Basil Bernstein studied the different social classes’ syntax usage. He pointed out that
social class might determine how people combine words into sentences. The culture of the
lower working-class environments determines the structure of their language based on their
two codes. Bernstein introduced these two codes: restricted code and elaborated code. As the
name suggests, the elaborate code may involve relative clauses instead of concept separation,
more advanced vocabulary (gentleman instead of guy), and passive use. The elaborated
version tends to use lots of conjunctions and subordination. According to Bernstein, the
elaborate code can convey more information and broaden horizons (it is more appropriate to
use this code to answer children’s questions). The restricted code is a way to shorten what one
wants to say, using only a few conjunctions repeatedly (a lot of “and”) and not many
subordinate clauses (relatively few usages of “who”). It does not encourage questioning but
focuses on the present.
The language type one is exposed to might determine one’s future. For example, a
working-class child who is only exposed to the restrictive code has lesser chances for
advancement. However, it is not as clear-cut as it might seem; it does not mean that all
working-class children are condemned to failure and do not have access to the elaborated
version. On the other hand, middle-class people might not always give elaborate answers to
questions but say, for example, “because I said so”.

How Class Defines Speech

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

How Class Defines Speech

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

How Class Defines Speech

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

“How Class Defines Speech” summary by Nagy Levente (J71ZTV)

You might also like