tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post1893397965130393140..comments2024-02-25T20:07:56.114-06:00Comments on Mr. Verb: British dialects in the newsMr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-27678402314884807882011-10-23T13:33:59.389-05:002011-10-23T13:33:59.389-05:00Thanks, that's the kind of perspective I just ...Thanks, that's the kind of perspective I just don't have on the show or how British accents are perceived. (Most of us here know bits and pieces, but lack a coherent picture.)<br /><br />In general, Kerswill is one of the most important sociolinguists working, surely. And his work is very important for historical linguists and language contact people too.Mr. Verbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-75273581799957312372011-10-23T13:29:47.352-05:002011-10-23T13:29:47.352-05:00I'm a big fan of Kerswill. He's been aroun...I'm a big fan of Kerswill. He's been around for quite a while now and has, in the past, made some interesting contributions on accents and dialects to a couple of Open University (UK) courses.<br />personally, I do love the Liverpudlian 'yous' in the Sun piece when addressing more than one person. It's a bit like 'vous' in French, 'vosotros'(in Castilian Spanish), or 'ihr' in German.<br />Accents, strongly influenced by Black and Asian English, have been spreading out from London across the south-east and north. At the same time, as you reported in a piece from the Economist not long ago, other areas, such as Liverpool, for example, seem to be extending certain features of the accent ('buh' for 'but').<br />Buh, we've all been here before with Labov's work in the 60s, haven't we?<br />It's no acc(id)ent that the show is called The Only Way is Essex - strictly airhead TV!Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13315146014179526480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-37221460468258743802011-10-22T06:15:03.180-05:002011-10-22T06:15:03.180-05:00Yes, that's right and it's an important po...Yes, that's right and it's an important point. <br /><br />In the abstract, evaluating scholars on broader impact is a great thing -- we need that here -- and Kerwill's making a nice contribution here, but the broader assessment structure in the UK makes me nervous.Mr. Verbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-63659330257638557402011-10-22T04:28:41.898-05:002011-10-22T04:28:41.898-05:00Quite apart from any altruistic feelings and ethic...Quite apart from any altruistic feelings and ethical considerations around making our research accessible to a lay audience... we are assessed on the "impact" of our research in the UK, meaning we have to demonstrate the effects of our research outside the academy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-24768810213285018512011-10-21T13:17:46.606-05:002011-10-21T13:17:46.606-05:00I find it really good that a major figure in the f...I find it really good that a major figure in the field like Kerswill is taking the time to make that kind of case for the public. This feels much more hands-on than what American sociolinguists have generally done, and might connect better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com