Dann, H., Drummond, R., Tasker, S. et al. (3 more authors) (2024) Broad, strong, and soft: using geospatial analysis to understand folk-linguistic terminology. Journal of Linguistic Geography, 12 (1). pp. 44-56. ISSN 2049-7547
Abstract
This study uses a modified online version of the ‘draw-a-map’ task and Garrett et al.’s (2005b) ‘keywords’ methodology to explore the geospatial distribution of different accent and dialect labels and descriptors in Greater Manchester, UK. Specifically, we consider the distribution of the three most frequent labels related to ‘accentedness’: Broad, Strong, and Soft, as provided by 349 Greater Manchester residents. This analysis finds that these descriptors were clustered in separate areas of Greater Manchester, suggesting that they were being used to describe perceptually distinct varieties of English. In order to uncover the nuances in these folk-linguistic terms, we consider how they correlate with other concepts emerging from the dataset, finding that they are being used to differentiate between varieties with contrasting social associations. By combining innovative approaches, this study demonstrates how the subtleties of folk-linguistic modes of awareness can be uncovered through in-depth analysis of the terminology employed to describe linguistic variation on a very local scale. In so doing, it paves the way for further development of draw-a-map techniques that will enable similarly nuanced analysis in different regions, thus pushing the sub-discipline forward.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Cambridge University Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. |
Keywords: | draw-a-map; perceptual dialectology; geospatial analysis; folk-linguistics; Greater Manchester |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > School of English (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Economic and Social Research Council PTA-026-27-1956 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 29 Feb 2024 12:40 |
Last Modified: | 15 Nov 2024 16:03 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/jlg.2024.10 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:209765 |