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

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
& S O C I A L RESEARCH
C O U N C I L
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council

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
& S O C I A L RESEARCH
C O U N C I L
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council

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: Diphthongs Working-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
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.