Контрольная работа: RP/BBC English or British English as a standard language

Chapter 3. Cockney as an example of a broad accent of British English

According to V. Parashchuk, an example of an accent representing much-localized, non-standard English is Cockney, the broadest London working-class speech. Historically, Cockney has been the major influence in the phonetic development of RP, and many of its current changes can be related to Cockney pronunciation. Let us summarize the most essential information on the origin of Cockney, the revealing features of its grammar, vocabulary, and major phonetic distinctions.Cockney is distinguished by its special usage of vocabulary - rhyming slang. Many of its expressions have passed into common language. It developed as a way of obscuring the meaning of sentences to those who did not understand the slang. It remains a matter of speculation whether this was a linguistic accident, or whether it was developed intentionally to assist criminals or to maintain a particularcommunity [http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/cockneyrhyming slang]. Rhyming slang works by replacing the word to be obscured with the first word of a phrase that rhymes with that word. For instance, "face" would be replaced by "boat", because face rhymes with "boat race" [http//www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/cockneyrhymingslang].

Similarly "feel" becomes " plates"("plates of meat"), and "money" is "bread" (a very common usage, from "breadandhoney"). Sometimes the full phrase is used, for example "Currant Bun" to mean The Sun (often referring to the British tabloid newspaper of that name). Some substitutions have becomerelatively widespread in England, for example, to "have a butcher's" means to have a look, from the rhyming slang "butcher's hook". [Parashchuk: 2005]

J. Gimson states that there are no differences in the inventory of vowel and consonant phonemes between RP and Cockney [Gimson: 2001:87] and there are relatively few differences of phoneme lexical distribution. There are, however, a large number of differences in realization of phonemes. Most striking realizational differences can be summarized as follows [Gimson: 2001:86-87].

Inconsonants:

1. H dropping. /h/is not pronounced in initial positions in words which have this phoneme in RP, e.g. have, hat, horse = /av/, /æt/, /ho:s/. /h/ is used, however, in initial positions in words which in RP begin with a vowel. Thus the words air, atmosphere, honesty are pronounced in Cockney as /heә/, /hætmæsfiә/, /׳ honәsti/.

The following examples are taken from film “My fair lady”

e.g. You ain’t heard what I come for yet. /e.g. I’m come to have lessons, I am. /e.g. I won’t stay here if I don’t like. / e.g. He ain’t above giving lessons, not him: I heard him say so. /

2. TH fronting/stopping. The contrast between /θ/ and / f/is completely lost and between/ ð / and /v/ is occasionally lost, e.g. think, father - /fink/, /׳fa: vә /. When / ð/occurs initially, it is either dropped or replaced by /d/, e.g. this and that = /'disn'dæt/. e.g. I ain’t got no mother. (FL) /

3. L vocalization. Dark [ł] (i.e. in positions not immediately before vowels) becomes vocalic [υ], e.g. milk, table = /miυk/, /teibυ/. When the preceding vowel is /o:/, /l/may disappear completely, e.g. called = /kho:d/.

4. T glottallingis widely spread in Cockney accent. /t/ is realized as a glottal stop following vowels, laterals, and nasals, e.g. butterfly = /'bΛ?tәflai/. /t/ between vowels is not aspirated, and is often replaced by /d/ or /r/ or the glottal stop /?/ , e.g. get away, better = /'gedә'wei/, /׳gerә'wei/, /'ge?ә'wei/; /'bedә/, /'berә/, /'be?ә/.

There may be similar replacement of /p/. /k/ before a following consonant, e.g. soapbox /'sæυ?boks/, technical /'te?ni?u/ [Gimson 2001:88].

e.g. What that you say? /

5. yod-coalescence. There is coalescence of /t/, /d/ before /j/ into / tʃ /, and / dʒ/ , e.g. tube [tʃu:b], during [' dʒυәriŋ], but elision of /j/ following by/n/, e.g. news [nu:z].

e.g. I won’t let you wallop me!

/

Main distinctions in the realization of cockney vowels include [Gimson: 2001:87-88]:

1. The short front vowels /e/, /æ/ tend to be closer than in RP so much, that Cockney sat may sound as set and set like sit to the speakers of other accents.

2. Among the long vowels, most noticeable is the diphthongization of /i:/→/әi/, /u:/→/әu/, thus bead =/bәid/, boot =/bәut/. When /o:/ is final, it is pronounced as /owә/, sore, saw = /sowә/; when it is not final, its realization is closer/oυ/.

3. Diphthong shift. Cockney uses distinctive pronunciation of RP diphthongs:

/ei/ is realized as /ai/ e.g. lady = /'laidi/;

/ai/ sounds as /oi/~/ai/, e.g. price= /prois/;

/әυ/ sounds as /æυ/ e.g. load /læυd/;

/aυ/ sounds as /a:/, e g loud /la:d/;

4. /i/ lengthening, /i/ inword final positions sound', as /i:/.e .g. city /'siti:/

5. Weakening. RP diphthong /әυ/ in window, pillow is weakened to schwa /ә/. You, to are pronounced as /jә/, /tә/, especially finally, e.g. see you, try to [Gimson:2001].

Chapter 4. Black British as one of the most widespread dialects in Great Britain

Black British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political label. Historically it has been used to refer to any non-white British national. The term was first used at the end of the British Empire, when several major colonies formally gained independence and thereby created a new form of national identity. The term was at that time (1950s) used mainly to describe those from the former colonies of Africa, and the Caribbean, i.e. the New Commonwealth. In some circumstances the word "Black" still signifies all ethnic minority populations [12].Historically, the term has most commonly been used to refer to those of New Commonwealth origin. For example, Southall Black Sisters was established in 1979 "to meet the needs of black (Asian and Afro-Caribbean) women". (Note that "Asian" in the British context means from South Asia only.) "Black" was used in this inclusive political sense to mean "not white British" - the main groups in the 1970s were from the British West Indies and the Indian subcontinent, but solidarity against racism extended the term to the Irish population of Britain as well. Several organizations continue to use the term inclusively, such as the Black Arts Alliance, who extend their use of the term to Latin America and all refugees, and the National Black Police Association.

Jatinder Verma claims that Black British was also an identity of Black people in Sierra Leone (known as the Krio) who considered themselves British. They are generally the descendants of black people who lived in England in the 18th century and freed Black American slaves who fought for the Crown in the American Revolutionary War (see also Black Loyalists). In 1787, hundreds of London's Black poor (a category which included the East Indian) agreed to go to this West African country on the condition that they would retain the status of British subjects, to live in freedom under the protection of the British Crown and be defended by the Royal Navy [12].