New Zealand and British English Vocabulary

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Questions and Answers

Which term do South Africans use that is different from the British term for traffic-light?

Robot

In the context of clothing, what do New Zealanders call the footwear known in Britain as wellies?

Gummies or gumboots

What word do New Zealanders use to refer to swimming attire, which can have different meanings in other regions?

Togs

What is one of the vocabulary items that would help distinguish between British and American English regarding a vehicle's storage area?

Boot (British) or trunk (American) Signup and view all the answers

Which term for a weather garment do New Zealanders use that differs from the term commonly used in colder regions like Britain?

Jersey Signup and view all the answers

What is the British term for the device used to transport people between floors of a building, which differs from the American term?

Lift Signup and view all the answers

In the group's discussion on vocabulary differences, what term do Australians use to refer to nappies?

Diaper Signup and view all the answers

What are non-standard forms often associated with in society?

They are often associated with less prestigious social groups. Signup and view all the answers

Why do some sociolinguists prefer the term 'vernacular' over 'non-standard'?

They prefer 'vernacular' to avoid implying that non-standard forms are linguistically inferior. Signup and view all the answers

What do vernacular forms generally lack according to the text?

Vernacular forms generally lack public or overt prestige. Signup and view all the answers

How are vernacular dialects learned and used in context?

Vernacular dialects tend to be learned at home and used in informal contexts. Signup and view all the answers

What do social dialects reflect in a society?

Social dialects reflect similar social and economic factors among grouped people. Signup and view all the answers

In which countries is evidence for social dialects particularly clear-cut?

Evidence for social dialects is particularly clear-cut in Indonesia and India. Signup and view all the answers

What misconception might arise regarding the stability of dialect features?

There may be a misconception that dialect features are stable, fixed, and absolute. Signup and view all the answers

What role does language play in expressing solidarity among users of vernacular forms?

Language serves as a means of expressing solidarity and affective meaning. Signup and view all the answers

What is a notable linguistic pattern observed in some varieties of English regarding 'have'?

People often omit the auxiliary verb 'have' more frequently before 'got' than before other verbs. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of non-standard forms in British urban dialects, what is indicated by the distribution shown in figure 6.7?

The distribution illustrates varying usage of non-standard forms among different towns. Signup and view all the answers

Which town is furthest north among Hull, Milton Keynes, and Reading?

Hull is the furthest north. Signup and view all the answers

What does 'negative concord' refer to in linguistic terms?

Negative concord refers to the use of multiple negatives in a sentence. Signup and view all the answers

How did the misunderstanding regarding the 'cell' concept arise among Terry's students?

Students misinterpreted 'cell' as a physical place where individuals were confined for interviews. Signup and view all the answers

What is one reason social dialectologists need to consider linguistic environment when studying social variation?

The linguistic context can significantly affect the occurrence of specific dialect features. Signup and view all the answers

If 'Hull' represented a social class in a diagram, which social class would likely be the lowest?

Hull would indicate the lowest social class based on the vernacular forms distribution. Signup and view all the answers

What role do quota cells play in sociolinguistic surveys like the Wellington social dialect survey?

Quota cells help establish the target numbers for specific demographics in the sample. Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon occurs with post-vocalic [r] pronunciation in relation to social status?

In some areas, the higher a person's social group, the more likely they are to pronounce post-vocalic [r]. Signup and view all the answers

What did Labov's experiment in New York City reveal about [r] pronunciation?

Labov's experiment showed that the pronunciation of post-vocalic [r] varied according to the social group of the speakers. Signup and view all the answers

How do post-vocalic [r] pronunciation patterns differ between New York City and Reading, England?

In New York City, higher social class correlates with more frequent post-vocalic [r] pronunciation, while in Reading, the opposite is true. Signup and view all the answers

What method did Labov use to collect data on [r] pronunciation?

Labov asked individuals for directions and feigned misunderstanding, prompting them to repeat their answers for more careful pronunciation. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'sociolinguistics' refer to in the context of the discussed pronunciation patterns?

Sociolinguistics studies how language use varies and changes in social groups and contexts. Signup and view all the answers

What conclusion can be drawn about the arbitrariness of prestigious pronunciations based on the text?

The text suggests that there is nothing inherently good or bad about how any sound is pronounced; it varies by social context. Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of supervisors in the mentioned store consistently used post-vocalic [r] according to Labov's findings?

Nearly half of the socially superior supervisors consistently used post-vocalic [r]. Signup and view all the answers

In what way does [h]-dropping relate to the pronunciation of post-vocalic [r]?

[h]-dropping is another example of how certain pronunciations can reflect and signify one's social status. Signup and view all the answers

What is the trend in vernacular pronunciation for the social group in Norwich according to the data?

The vernacular pronunciation in Norwich shows a high percentage, peaking at 100% for social group 4. Signup and view all the answers

Which social group in New York demonstrates the lowest use of vernacular pronunciation?

Social group 1 in New York demonstrates the lowest use of vernacular pronunciation at 7%. Signup and view all the answers

How does the vernacular pronunciation in West Yorkshire compare to that in Brisbane?

Vernacular pronunciation in West Yorkshire is generally higher than in Brisbane, especially in social groups 3 and 4. Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant feature of sociolinguistic study highlighted by the example of the man in New York?

The use of variable pronunciation of the sound [r] in words like 'car' and 'card' is a significant feature. Signup and view all the answers

In which regions of the USA is the pronunciation of [r] considered standard?

The pronunciation of [r] is considered standard in areas like Boston and New York. Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon does the example of the man asking for women's shoes illustrate in sociolinguistics?

It illustrates the behavior of a sociolinguist observing language use in social contexts. Signup and view all the answers

What change is suggested regarding the pronunciation of [r] in Glasgow and Edinburgh among young working-class people?

Recent research suggests that the pronunciation of [r] is changing and may be less prevalent among young working-class individuals. Signup and view all the answers

Based on the data provided, what key difference is evident between social group 1 and social group 4 in all regions?

Social group 4 consistently has a higher percentage of vernacular pronunciation compared to social group 1. Signup and view all the answers

What are some studies that focus on dialect levelling in English?

Kerswill (2001) on dialect levelling, as well as Chambers and Trudgill (2004). Signup and view all the answers

Which researchers provided data specific to New York City regarding language variation?

Labov (1966, 1972a, 1972b) and Becker (2009) provided data on New York City. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the term 'post-vocalic' in sociolinguistics?

The term 'post-vocalic' refers to the pronunciation of [r] after vowels, significant in various English dialects. Signup and view all the answers

Which publication provides a definition of a language?

Finegan and Besnier (1989: 383) offer a definition of a language. Signup and view all the answers

Identify one study that examines age-related speech differences.

Lee (1989) investigates the speech of Brisbane adolescents. Signup and view all the answers

What do the studies by Shuy, Wolfram, and Riley (1967) focus on?

They focus on language variation and dialect research in Detroit. Signup and view all the answers

How did Bright and Ramanujan (1964) contribute to the understanding of Indian languages?

They analyzed aspects of Indian languages and their linguistic features. Signup and view all the answers

Which book discusses language variation and provides useful insight into sociolinguistics?

Coupland and Jaworski (2009) Part 1: Language Variation. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Language variation exists in monolingual communities, not just multilingual ones
Aspects of social identity (social status, gender, age, ethnicity, social networks) influence language variation
Accents provide clues to a person's characteristics, including age, gender, social-economic class and educational background.
Different individuals pronounce the same sounds differently, even single vowels.
Variations in pronunciation (grammar and vocabulary) distinguish speakers from different regions (e.g., Scottish English vs. English English)

International Varieties

Differences in regional accents exist across nations
Accent differences can lead to miscommunication
Different countries have unique vocabulary for the same concepts
Some common differences between British and New Zealand English, American and British English, and others

Intra-national/Continental Variation

Pronunciation differences between regions within a country can be significant and easily noticed.
English pronunciation varies from region to region in the UK
Pronunciation features of the speech of certain distinct towns or regions have been documented and mapped
Differences in vocabulary and grammatical structures represent clear distinctions between different regional varieties of certain languages
Speakers of a country's language can identify and differentiate different forms of speech within their own country

People from different social classes speak differently.
Speech may be used in a way to signal social affiliation (e.g., education, occupation, status, wealth)
Speech patterns may contrast between people from higher and lower social classes, even in identical situations
Different communities may place a higher value on different linguistic forms which reflect their cultural norms.
Speech variations often reflect social norms in their use, or the intent to signal respect, solidarity, or to mark group affiliation.
Young people are often thought of as experimenting with language more than adults; their use of certain language forms might change as they move into adulthood, or other social spheres. However, this isn’t always the case as some social groups may hold on to certain language forms even when it goes out of style.

Exercise 1 (US vs UK vocab differences)

The exercise presents a series of questions. Each question pairs a US English word or phrase with a British English word or phrase intended to measure the vocabulary influence of either country's english words in the student's region.

Exercise 3 (Pronunciation and vocabulary)

Speakers of US English more commonly use the phrase "do you have" compared to the traditional UK English term "have you got."
"Dove” is a more common and preferred US word for "dived.”
Americans commonly use the word “gotten” (e.g. “she’s gotten used to the noise” ) while British English speakers more frequently use “got.”
Asking questions concerning a speaker’s “regional” origins

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Description

Test your knowledge on the unique vocabulary differences between New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and British English. This quiz covers common terms for clothing, parenting, traffic signals, and various everyday items. See how well you understand the nuances of language in different regions!